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CNN Live At Daybreak

Some Reinforcements Join U.N. Inspection Teams

Aired December 16, 2002 - 05:09   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: On the hunt for weapons in Iraq, some reinforcements have joined the U.N. inspection teams. Twenty additional inspectors brings their numbers to more than 100 now.
CNN's Rym Brahimi is live in Baghdad with the latest -- where are they looking this morning, Rym.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, they're going in very different directions. You know, since they've boosted up their force, they just split up into sometimes 10, 11 teams. They go in very different directions. This morning I've been able to locate about four main sites. One of them is a site called al Taji. Now, that's basically focused on missile production. It used to be part of Iraq's long range missile production sites, but it was also destroyed by the previous U.N. inspection team, destroyed all its prohibited activities, mainly not only the missiles that are longer, that have a longer range than 150 kilometers, but also what they could have put in the missiles that they were trying to work on at the time.

Now, that's all gone, but the inspectors are just going back to check that they're still producing missiles that are OK.

Now, the other site, the other team I know of went to al-Dura. That's a petrol refinery, an oil refinery. It's located near a power plant so there's no doubt going to be a lot of things for them to look at there. And the nuclear team, of course, headed off to a place that they have seen before. They're going back to all these sites again and again to make sure they've left nothing out -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Rym, we understand Iraq has canceled a huge oil contract with a Russian oil company. Tell us the implications of this.

BRAHIMI: Well, it's a very interesting story, Carol, because I just spoke with the Russian ambassador here in Baghdad and he says that his government is really puzzled by the decision by Iraq's oil ministry to cancel that deal.

There are two reasons for this. One is they are puzzled by it because they say it comes at a time when Iraq's economic and, economic cooperation with Russia has been good. They don't really understand where it's coming from. It comes at a time when Russia has been one of the countries trying to help Iraq solve this crisis. And it also, legally, they don't really understand it because they say that Lukoil, the company with which Iraq has canceled this contract, is actually part of a consortium. There are two other companies involved. And so their question is how could you actually cancel a contract with one of the three companies involved in a consortium. They're trying to work that out right now.

I understand that the Russian foreign minister is also asking the Iraqi government to reconsider. But one thing the Russians have been very clear about is that if the Iraqis are not happy with those companies because they're not investing right now, well, they also have to consider that none of these companies can violate the sanctions under which Iraq is right now -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Rym Brahimi, thanks, live from Baghdad 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 16, 2002 - 05:09   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: On the hunt for weapons in Iraq, some reinforcements have joined the U.N. inspection teams. Twenty additional inspectors brings their numbers to more than 100 now.
CNN's Rym Brahimi is live in Baghdad with the latest -- where are they looking this morning, Rym.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, they're going in very different directions. You know, since they've boosted up their force, they just split up into sometimes 10, 11 teams. They go in very different directions. This morning I've been able to locate about four main sites. One of them is a site called al Taji. Now, that's basically focused on missile production. It used to be part of Iraq's long range missile production sites, but it was also destroyed by the previous U.N. inspection team, destroyed all its prohibited activities, mainly not only the missiles that are longer, that have a longer range than 150 kilometers, but also what they could have put in the missiles that they were trying to work on at the time.

Now, that's all gone, but the inspectors are just going back to check that they're still producing missiles that are OK.

Now, the other site, the other team I know of went to al-Dura. That's a petrol refinery, an oil refinery. It's located near a power plant so there's no doubt going to be a lot of things for them to look at there. And the nuclear team, of course, headed off to a place that they have seen before. They're going back to all these sites again and again to make sure they've left nothing out -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Rym, we understand Iraq has canceled a huge oil contract with a Russian oil company. Tell us the implications of this.

BRAHIMI: Well, it's a very interesting story, Carol, because I just spoke with the Russian ambassador here in Baghdad and he says that his government is really puzzled by the decision by Iraq's oil ministry to cancel that deal.

There are two reasons for this. One is they are puzzled by it because they say it comes at a time when Iraq's economic and, economic cooperation with Russia has been good. They don't really understand where it's coming from. It comes at a time when Russia has been one of the countries trying to help Iraq solve this crisis. And it also, legally, they don't really understand it because they say that Lukoil, the company with which Iraq has canceled this contract, is actually part of a consortium. There are two other companies involved. And so their question is how could you actually cancel a contract with one of the three companies involved in a consortium. They're trying to work that out right now.

I understand that the Russian foreign minister is also asking the Iraqi government to reconsider. But one thing the Russians have been very clear about is that if the Iraqis are not happy with those companies because they're not investing right now, well, they also have to consider that none of these companies can violate the sanctions under which Iraq is right now -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Rym Brahimi, thanks, live from Baghdad 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