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American Morning

Iraq to Turn in Report One Day Early

Aired December 03, 2002 - 09:02   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: I want to get back now to Baghdad. U.N. inspectors continue their work today with that visit to a presidential palace. Unannounced, unexpected. Iraq's government now promising to hand in its declaration of weapons programs by Saturday. That is December 7, essentially a day earlier than the U.N. deadline, which is December 8.
Nic Robertson on the ground, watching all of these developments. And for more, here's Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, this is likely to be greeted as good news by U.N. officials here, that they are going to get this declaration a day early. Iraqi officials here saying that in the declaration there will be some new information, new data, but it says not on weapons of mass destruction, that new information, at least.

Now, the weapons inspectors today, when they went to the presidential palace in the west of Baghdad, Al Sajud palace. This was one of those highly contentious sites that, in the past, the weapons inspectors couldn't have just showed up to, not without giving a lot of notice. Today, they went in by two doors. They went one convoy to the front door, one convoy to the back door. The guards getting on the walkie-talkies at the gates, talking for about five minutes, then the inspectors getting in.

After the inspectors left after about two hours, Iraqi officials allowed in journalists just ever so briefly. They were able to see a large hall, marble filled pillars, columns, a big chandelier, but not a whole lot of furniture.

Bill, we don't really have any details on what it was the inspectors were going in there for. We know it was a big site, we know they were in there for a relatively short period of time.

We don't know what they saw, what they were looking for. What maybe they were looking for that they didn't find. That is not clear yet. But Iraqi officials, again, Bill, saying the U.N. got all the cooperation it needed to do its job - Bill.

HEMMER: Nic, the biggest question of the week, I think, really comes down to Saturday, if indeed, Iraq is going to turn in this list a day ahead of the deadline. Two questions, essentially.

What does that indicate from the Iraqi position, and No. 2, is there anything you've been able to glean just yet as to what may or may not be contained on that list? ROBERTSON: Certainly from the Iraqi point of view, this appears to be in keeping with what we have seen. They've been putting forward this image of good cooperation, and that certainly is something the U.N. officials here are telling us, they're getting the cooperation they need by putting in the declaration a day early, leaves no room for error, it shows from their side, good intent, if you will, to meet the deadline, and specifically saying it early, not leaving it to the last minute.

Now, in the issue of what is going to be in there, we don't know. There is this issue of the new items that are not weapons of mass destruction. What are they? Well, we know they have to list these civilian industries, the dual-use items, could be quality control, high precision engineering. Pretty much anything U.N. inspectors say, that is in civilian industry could be used to make weapons of mass destruction. That has got to be on the list, and Iraq has a massive petrochemical industry, a lot of views that perhaps a lot of that will have to be on the list. Bill, maybe hundreds of pages, maybe even thousands of pages, we just don't know yet.

HEMMER: Nic, thanks. Nic Robertson again, live on the ground in Baghdad.

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 - 09:02   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: I want to get back now to Baghdad. U.N. inspectors continue their work today with that visit to a presidential palace. Unannounced, unexpected. Iraq's government now promising to hand in its declaration of weapons programs by Saturday. That is December 7, essentially a day earlier than the U.N. deadline, which is December 8.
Nic Robertson on the ground, watching all of these developments. And for more, here's Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, this is likely to be greeted as good news by U.N. officials here, that they are going to get this declaration a day early. Iraqi officials here saying that in the declaration there will be some new information, new data, but it says not on weapons of mass destruction, that new information, at least.

Now, the weapons inspectors today, when they went to the presidential palace in the west of Baghdad, Al Sajud palace. This was one of those highly contentious sites that, in the past, the weapons inspectors couldn't have just showed up to, not without giving a lot of notice. Today, they went in by two doors. They went one convoy to the front door, one convoy to the back door. The guards getting on the walkie-talkies at the gates, talking for about five minutes, then the inspectors getting in.

After the inspectors left after about two hours, Iraqi officials allowed in journalists just ever so briefly. They were able to see a large hall, marble filled pillars, columns, a big chandelier, but not a whole lot of furniture.

Bill, we don't really have any details on what it was the inspectors were going in there for. We know it was a big site, we know they were in there for a relatively short period of time.

We don't know what they saw, what they were looking for. What maybe they were looking for that they didn't find. That is not clear yet. But Iraqi officials, again, Bill, saying the U.N. got all the cooperation it needed to do its job - Bill.

HEMMER: Nic, the biggest question of the week, I think, really comes down to Saturday, if indeed, Iraq is going to turn in this list a day ahead of the deadline. Two questions, essentially.

What does that indicate from the Iraqi position, and No. 2, is there anything you've been able to glean just yet as to what may or may not be contained on that list? ROBERTSON: Certainly from the Iraqi point of view, this appears to be in keeping with what we have seen. They've been putting forward this image of good cooperation, and that certainly is something the U.N. officials here are telling us, they're getting the cooperation they need by putting in the declaration a day early, leaves no room for error, it shows from their side, good intent, if you will, to meet the deadline, and specifically saying it early, not leaving it to the last minute.

Now, in the issue of what is going to be in there, we don't know. There is this issue of the new items that are not weapons of mass destruction. What are they? Well, we know they have to list these civilian industries, the dual-use items, could be quality control, high precision engineering. Pretty much anything U.N. inspectors say, that is in civilian industry could be used to make weapons of mass destruction. That has got to be on the list, and Iraq has a massive petrochemical industry, a lot of views that perhaps a lot of that will have to be on the list. Bill, maybe hundreds of pages, maybe even thousands of pages, we just don't know yet.

HEMMER: Nic, thanks. Nic Robertson again, live on the ground in Baghdad.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com