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CNN Live At Daybreak
Inspectors Unexpectedly Visit Presidential Palace
Aired December 03, 2002 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's head live to Baghdad and Nic Robertson.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: ... the Al-Sajoud presidential palace in the west of Baghdad from two different directions. They left their headquarters together as one group and they approached, as they got close to the presidential site, one group went round to one side, one group went to the other.
Now, as they got to the main big gates there at the site, the guards seemed very surprised that the U.N. inspectors had turned up at this presidential palace. There was a lot of talking on Walkie- Talkies, a lot of frantic communication. But after about five minutes or so, the inspectors were allowed onto the site.
Now, you can see some large presidential buildings rather inside the presidential site, some what look to be apartment, housing areas, as well, could be seen inside the site. The inspectors spending about two hours in there, both the missile, chemical, biological team and the nuclear team all going into the site from different angles.
Now, while the inspectors were in there, President Saddam Hussein's secretary, Hamid Hamud (ph), went onto the site, as well. He is a very senior figure and he has been, he was in 1998 present when inspectors were allowed briefly onto some of those presidential palace sites.
Now, the inspectors left after about two hours. Journalists were allowed in briefly to look at some of the buildings inside there, some of the large presidential palace buildings. A spokesman, an Iraqi official spokesman at, inside the presidential palace, said that the inspectors had been able to see everything that they wanted to see. They visited a number of buildings and they'd had a good look around the site. Of course, these are very, very large sites. The inspectors spending two hours there.
Now, this is a first for the inspectors. This presidential palace one of eight that were super sensitive sites that the inspectors in the 1990s were not able to visit. Now, a set of modalities was set up by Kofi Annan, secretary general of the U.N., to get around the issue of presidential palaces in February 1998. At the end of March and at the beginning of April that same year, U.N. inspectors were able to get into these sites, in fact, on the 1st and 2nd of April 1998 they did visit this same Al-Sajoud site.
However, they went giving a lot of pre, prior notice, and they were accompanied by 19 international diplomats from Italy, from France, from Britain, from China, from Russia.
That was not the case this time, these inspectors turning up, a no notice inspection, apparently catching the guards on the gate by surprise. This is a first for these new inspectors.
COSTELLO: And, indeed, it is a first. We're going to let Nic Robertson get back to work. We'll talk to him again at the bottom of the hour.
Again, U.N. weapons inspectors allowed into one of Saddam Hussein's palaces in central Baghdad. Inspectors spent about two hours there and apparently they found nothing. But we don't know. We're going to ask Nic Robertson detailed questions around 5:30 Eastern time this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 3, 2002 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's head live to Baghdad and Nic Robertson.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: ... the Al-Sajoud presidential palace in the west of Baghdad from two different directions. They left their headquarters together as one group and they approached, as they got close to the presidential site, one group went round to one side, one group went to the other.
Now, as they got to the main big gates there at the site, the guards seemed very surprised that the U.N. inspectors had turned up at this presidential palace. There was a lot of talking on Walkie- Talkies, a lot of frantic communication. But after about five minutes or so, the inspectors were allowed onto the site.
Now, you can see some large presidential buildings rather inside the presidential site, some what look to be apartment, housing areas, as well, could be seen inside the site. The inspectors spending about two hours in there, both the missile, chemical, biological team and the nuclear team all going into the site from different angles.
Now, while the inspectors were in there, President Saddam Hussein's secretary, Hamid Hamud (ph), went onto the site, as well. He is a very senior figure and he has been, he was in 1998 present when inspectors were allowed briefly onto some of those presidential palace sites.
Now, the inspectors left after about two hours. Journalists were allowed in briefly to look at some of the buildings inside there, some of the large presidential palace buildings. A spokesman, an Iraqi official spokesman at, inside the presidential palace, said that the inspectors had been able to see everything that they wanted to see. They visited a number of buildings and they'd had a good look around the site. Of course, these are very, very large sites. The inspectors spending two hours there.
Now, this is a first for the inspectors. This presidential palace one of eight that were super sensitive sites that the inspectors in the 1990s were not able to visit. Now, a set of modalities was set up by Kofi Annan, secretary general of the U.N., to get around the issue of presidential palaces in February 1998. At the end of March and at the beginning of April that same year, U.N. inspectors were able to get into these sites, in fact, on the 1st and 2nd of April 1998 they did visit this same Al-Sajoud site.
However, they went giving a lot of pre, prior notice, and they were accompanied by 19 international diplomats from Italy, from France, from Britain, from China, from Russia.
That was not the case this time, these inspectors turning up, a no notice inspection, apparently catching the guards on the gate by surprise. This is a first for these new inspectors.
COSTELLO: And, indeed, it is a first. We're going to let Nic Robertson get back to work. We'll talk to him again at the bottom of the hour.
Again, U.N. weapons inspectors allowed into one of Saddam Hussein's palaces in central Baghdad. Inspectors spent about two hours there and apparently they found nothing. But we don't know. We're going to ask Nic Robertson detailed questions around 5:30 Eastern time this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
