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CNN Live At Daybreak
Saddam's Palace in Central Baghdad Searched
Aired December 03, 2002 - 06:02 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 get right to those U.N. inspections at one of Saddam Hussein's palaces in Baghdad.
Our Nic Robertson is following the inspections, and he joins us now live from Baghdad.
Nic -- take it away.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Carol, two hours on the site, the very first time inspectors have visited a presidential palace site. In the past, they would have had to give Iraqi authorities advance notice. They would have had to go there with international diplomats. That wasn't the case today.
The U.N. team at about 9:00 this morning splitting into two groups, approaching both the front door and the back door of the Al Sujud presidential palace site on the west side of Baghdad.
Now, Iraqi officials told us after the inspectors had left that the inspectors had been able to see everything that they wanted to see, that they'd had full access and had the cooperation that Iraqi officials say had been extended the U.N. inspectors over the last few days.
Now, while the inspectors were at the site there, President Saddam Hussein's secretary, Abed Hamoud (ph), visited the site. He is a very senior and influential figure in Iraq. He is perhaps the most senior official so far to have been on site during any inspection by these new inspection teams -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Nic, one question I have for you. Two hours doesn't seem like a long time for a huge palace like that. And did the inspectors look around on the outside for any underground bunkers?
ROBERTSON: Carol, we weren't able to see that. The journalists were kept too far back at the gates of the palace to see what the inspectors were doing inside the grounds. We know when the inspectors visited this site in 1998, they took GPS positioning devices to define the limits of the site there.
Now, we don't know what they were looking for today. We know that inside the building, although this is a very ornate building, there are very few items of furniture inside the building, perhaps an indication that this particular palace is not a place where President Saddam Hussein spends a lot of time. That was the impression by the lack of furniture around the premises.
COSTELLO: So, it's just a big, empty palace. Nic Robertson, thanks for the update. We'll get back to you in the next half-hour.
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 - 06:02 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 get right to those U.N. inspections at one of Saddam Hussein's palaces in Baghdad.
Our Nic Robertson is following the inspections, and he joins us now live from Baghdad.
Nic -- take it away.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Carol, two hours on the site, the very first time inspectors have visited a presidential palace site. In the past, they would have had to give Iraqi authorities advance notice. They would have had to go there with international diplomats. That wasn't the case today.
The U.N. team at about 9:00 this morning splitting into two groups, approaching both the front door and the back door of the Al Sujud presidential palace site on the west side of Baghdad.
Now, Iraqi officials told us after the inspectors had left that the inspectors had been able to see everything that they wanted to see, that they'd had full access and had the cooperation that Iraqi officials say had been extended the U.N. inspectors over the last few days.
Now, while the inspectors were at the site there, President Saddam Hussein's secretary, Abed Hamoud (ph), visited the site. He is a very senior and influential figure in Iraq. He is perhaps the most senior official so far to have been on site during any inspection by these new inspection teams -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Nic, one question I have for you. Two hours doesn't seem like a long time for a huge palace like that. And did the inspectors look around on the outside for any underground bunkers?
ROBERTSON: Carol, we weren't able to see that. The journalists were kept too far back at the gates of the palace to see what the inspectors were doing inside the grounds. We know when the inspectors visited this site in 1998, they took GPS positioning devices to define the limits of the site there.
Now, we don't know what they were looking for today. We know that inside the building, although this is a very ornate building, there are very few items of furniture inside the building, perhaps an indication that this particular palace is not a place where President Saddam Hussein spends a lot of time. That was the impression by the lack of furniture around the premises.
COSTELLO: So, it's just a big, empty palace. Nic Robertson, thanks for the update. We'll get back to you in the next half-hour.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
