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CNN Live Today
Iraq Response to Inspections
Aired December 05, 2002 - 10:08 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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Getting now to the situation in Iraq, Baghdad has until this weekend to publicly document whatever weapons of mass destruction it may have.
For more on this looming deadline, and a message from Saddam Hussein, we go now to CNN Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson. He is now standing by live in Baghdad -- hello, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon. Well, over the last few weeks while inspectors have been here, we have seen very little of President Saddam Hussein on Iraqi television, but he was there this morning, meeting with cabinet officials and senior Baath party officials, and he had a message for the Iraqi people.
He said that this -- they face a testing time at this time, but they should bear this as they know how. He also said to the people that -- to the people who say Iraq is not ready to rise to the challenge to meet the U.S. questions over whether or not Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, he said that this is a time when the people of Iraq should allow the U.N. weapons inspectors to do their job, to go about their work here, and prove that Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction.
A very contrary message late last night from the vice president, however, Taha Yassin Ramadan, telling a delegation from Egypt and a group of Arab journalists that the U.N. weapons inspectors were nothing more than spies for the United States and for Israel, that they were essentially preparing the ground here for a coming war, Leon.
HARRIS: Well, Nic, let me ask you this. We've heard pronouncements, then, from that minister and from Saddam Hussein himself. What have you been seeing and reading in the local press, in the media there? What are they saying about the inspection regime?
ROBERTSON: Well, a very interesting comment today in one of the papers, Leon, saying that the inspectors are at a crossroads. Are they going to fall back to the ways of the previous U.N. inspection mission here, who the Iraqis considered to be confrontational and aggressive, or will they perform their mission as promised by the United Nations, by this new weapons inspection mission, Resolution 1441?
So, posing that question, telling the inspectors that they're at a crossroads, that it is their choice to now show whether or not they're working for the United Nations, or whether or not they're working for their own individual countries. This is a new message, really. Earlier in the week, the message had been kind of low key, that the inspections are going OK, that the U.N. inspectors are keeping to their promises, but after the visit of a presidential palace day before yesterday, really the tone changing here -- Leon.
HARRIS: Interesting. Very interesting. Nic Robertson in Baghdad, thanks Nic. We will see you soon.
Now, the Bush administration is deciding its next move in the show down with Iraq, and if the White House decides to attack Iraq, the tiny Arab nation of Qatar could play a key role. The Pentagon's Central Command is about to conduct a key military exercise there, and our John Vause has more on that. He stands by now, live from Qatar -- hello, John.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon. Well, that military exercise is code named Operation Internal Look. It is basically a great big computer-simulated war game, and it will test the lines of communication between what is essentially a portable command and control center, which the U.S. military has been flying into Qatar over the last few weeks, and the commanders in the field.
It also is all about flexibility. It is about getting General Tommy Franks, the commander in chief, here to the battlefield so he can deal with those commanders in the field face to face.
Now, they've been flying in those containers, filled with computers and communication equipment, video conferencing facilities, video conference rooms, rather, as well as tents and accommodations for the 600 personnel who will take part in Operation Internal Look.
It's all about flexibility. It is all about being close to the action.
Now, of course, here in Qatar, the other area of interest is the Al Udeid air base. That's where there's been a massive military build-up over the last few months. It is a high-security area. It's surrounded by miles and miles of fences. There are cement barricades put up there. We've seen guards with M-16s. We have seen a distant American flag flying in the breeze.
And, the big attraction of Al Udeid is, in fact, the runway there. It is the largest in the Persian Gulf, it is 4,500 meters long, 4.5 kilometers, about 3 miles long, and it can handle the largest of the U.S. military aircraft.
Right now, it's part of Operation Enduring Freedom. That is where all the refueling planes have been taking off from, but obviously it will play a crucial part in any war on Iraq, if that, in fact, happens.
Now, of course, it is important to remember that Al-Udeid was built by the Qataris. It is still operated by the Qataris, and that the U.S. military is there by invitation -- Leon. HARRIS: John, the question I have immediately is whether or not you can -- from what you can tell there, this operation, whether it looks like it is going to be operational, and ready to actually execute a war within a matter of days, or a matter of weeks, or a matter of months?
VAUSE: Well, what we're hearing from the people involved here is that it will be up and running. This will be a test of all of those facilities. The U.S. military are telling us that they have, in fact, packed heavy. They brought a lot more equipment than they think they'll actually need, so this operation, in general, will work out what they need, and what they don't need, and we're being told that once this war game is over, it will remain here. They're not saying for how long. All they are saying is it will be here for some time -- Leon.
HARRIS: John Vause live in Qatar. Thanks, John. Be careful. Take care.
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 5, 2002 - 10:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Getting now to the situation in Iraq, Baghdad has until this weekend to publicly document whatever weapons of mass destruction it may have.
For more on this looming deadline, and a message from Saddam Hussein, we go now to CNN Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson. He is now standing by live in Baghdad -- hello, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon. Well, over the last few weeks while inspectors have been here, we have seen very little of President Saddam Hussein on Iraqi television, but he was there this morning, meeting with cabinet officials and senior Baath party officials, and he had a message for the Iraqi people.
He said that this -- they face a testing time at this time, but they should bear this as they know how. He also said to the people that -- to the people who say Iraq is not ready to rise to the challenge to meet the U.S. questions over whether or not Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, he said that this is a time when the people of Iraq should allow the U.N. weapons inspectors to do their job, to go about their work here, and prove that Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction.
A very contrary message late last night from the vice president, however, Taha Yassin Ramadan, telling a delegation from Egypt and a group of Arab journalists that the U.N. weapons inspectors were nothing more than spies for the United States and for Israel, that they were essentially preparing the ground here for a coming war, Leon.
HARRIS: Well, Nic, let me ask you this. We've heard pronouncements, then, from that minister and from Saddam Hussein himself. What have you been seeing and reading in the local press, in the media there? What are they saying about the inspection regime?
ROBERTSON: Well, a very interesting comment today in one of the papers, Leon, saying that the inspectors are at a crossroads. Are they going to fall back to the ways of the previous U.N. inspection mission here, who the Iraqis considered to be confrontational and aggressive, or will they perform their mission as promised by the United Nations, by this new weapons inspection mission, Resolution 1441?
So, posing that question, telling the inspectors that they're at a crossroads, that it is their choice to now show whether or not they're working for the United Nations, or whether or not they're working for their own individual countries. This is a new message, really. Earlier in the week, the message had been kind of low key, that the inspections are going OK, that the U.N. inspectors are keeping to their promises, but after the visit of a presidential palace day before yesterday, really the tone changing here -- Leon.
HARRIS: Interesting. Very interesting. Nic Robertson in Baghdad, thanks Nic. We will see you soon.
Now, the Bush administration is deciding its next move in the show down with Iraq, and if the White House decides to attack Iraq, the tiny Arab nation of Qatar could play a key role. The Pentagon's Central Command is about to conduct a key military exercise there, and our John Vause has more on that. He stands by now, live from Qatar -- hello, John.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon. Well, that military exercise is code named Operation Internal Look. It is basically a great big computer-simulated war game, and it will test the lines of communication between what is essentially a portable command and control center, which the U.S. military has been flying into Qatar over the last few weeks, and the commanders in the field.
It also is all about flexibility. It is about getting General Tommy Franks, the commander in chief, here to the battlefield so he can deal with those commanders in the field face to face.
Now, they've been flying in those containers, filled with computers and communication equipment, video conferencing facilities, video conference rooms, rather, as well as tents and accommodations for the 600 personnel who will take part in Operation Internal Look.
It's all about flexibility. It is all about being close to the action.
Now, of course, here in Qatar, the other area of interest is the Al Udeid air base. That's where there's been a massive military build-up over the last few months. It is a high-security area. It's surrounded by miles and miles of fences. There are cement barricades put up there. We've seen guards with M-16s. We have seen a distant American flag flying in the breeze.
And, the big attraction of Al Udeid is, in fact, the runway there. It is the largest in the Persian Gulf, it is 4,500 meters long, 4.5 kilometers, about 3 miles long, and it can handle the largest of the U.S. military aircraft.
Right now, it's part of Operation Enduring Freedom. That is where all the refueling planes have been taking off from, but obviously it will play a crucial part in any war on Iraq, if that, in fact, happens.
Now, of course, it is important to remember that Al-Udeid was built by the Qataris. It is still operated by the Qataris, and that the U.S. military is there by invitation -- Leon. HARRIS: John, the question I have immediately is whether or not you can -- from what you can tell there, this operation, whether it looks like it is going to be operational, and ready to actually execute a war within a matter of days, or a matter of weeks, or a matter of months?
VAUSE: Well, what we're hearing from the people involved here is that it will be up and running. This will be a test of all of those facilities. The U.S. military are telling us that they have, in fact, packed heavy. They brought a lot more equipment than they think they'll actually need, so this operation, in general, will work out what they need, and what they don't need, and we're being told that once this war game is over, it will remain here. They're not saying for how long. All they are saying is it will be here for some time -- Leon.
HARRIS: John Vause live in Qatar. Thanks, John. Be careful. Take care.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
