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U.N. Inspectors Look at Refinery Complex, University
Aired December 16, 2002 - 11:11 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: A U.N. inspection team today visited a sprawling refinery complex south of Baghdad that was bombed during the '91 Gulf War. Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, joins us. He is live in Baghdad with the latest -- Nic, hello.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, teams also visited for the first time an academic institute today. They went to Baghdad University.
It appeared to be a biological team there that went to the biological institute inside Baghdad University. The team going to the chemical oil refinery plant in the south of Baghdad appeared to be a chemical weapons inspection team. About 15 inspectors went into that facility. Some of them put on protective white suits as they went around the site.
We believe this is the first time they've been to this particular very, very large site. What we saw them doing was looking at the maps of the site, checking with Iraqi officials to see which bits of the site had changed their usage. There was one area where a car park was now partially a building site. We saw them rubbing out bits on their maps, so updating their maps.
Also a team -- and we're beginning to see more and more of this, Daryn, a team going back to a site that had been previously visited during this current inspection mission. That was Al Kaka (ph), a nuclear research facility. We're being told by Iraq's foreign ministry here that the nuclear research -- nuclear inspection teams are asking for names of scientists from the Iraqis they find at these facilities. They are asking for anyone who has got a postgraduate degree, anyone who has been involved in current or past research or current or past programs. So the U.N. inspectors now are beginning to try and get a list of names themselves of Iraqi scientists. That's something quite new -- Daryn.
KAGAN: I understand, though, the demand for that list came in the order that brought the inspectors back in the country in the first place, but the problem is with that list, there's no deadline, so the Iraqis can take their sweet time on when they turn that over.
ROBERTSON: Well, there appears to be a deadline now. Now, when Hans Blix, the U.N. weapons chief, came here about four weeks ago, he spoke to the Iraqi officials he was meeting with, he said we need a list of your scientists. They said OK. Hans Blix went back to New York.
Now, over the weekend, he handed Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations a letter saying we need that list of scientists from you. Now, that has come back to Baghdad and Baghdad has said OK. We just needed a letter from you making it official. We will give you that list. Now, apparently the letter from Hans Blix to the Iraqi officials says we need the list by the end of December. Iraq has not said when it will hand it over, but it has said it will certainly do that -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right. Nic Robertson in Baghdad. Nic, thank you.
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 - 11:11 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: A U.N. inspection team today visited a sprawling refinery complex south of Baghdad that was bombed during the '91 Gulf War. Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, joins us. He is live in Baghdad with the latest -- Nic, hello.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, teams also visited for the first time an academic institute today. They went to Baghdad University.
It appeared to be a biological team there that went to the biological institute inside Baghdad University. The team going to the chemical oil refinery plant in the south of Baghdad appeared to be a chemical weapons inspection team. About 15 inspectors went into that facility. Some of them put on protective white suits as they went around the site.
We believe this is the first time they've been to this particular very, very large site. What we saw them doing was looking at the maps of the site, checking with Iraqi officials to see which bits of the site had changed their usage. There was one area where a car park was now partially a building site. We saw them rubbing out bits on their maps, so updating their maps.
Also a team -- and we're beginning to see more and more of this, Daryn, a team going back to a site that had been previously visited during this current inspection mission. That was Al Kaka (ph), a nuclear research facility. We're being told by Iraq's foreign ministry here that the nuclear research -- nuclear inspection teams are asking for names of scientists from the Iraqis they find at these facilities. They are asking for anyone who has got a postgraduate degree, anyone who has been involved in current or past research or current or past programs. So the U.N. inspectors now are beginning to try and get a list of names themselves of Iraqi scientists. That's something quite new -- Daryn.
KAGAN: I understand, though, the demand for that list came in the order that brought the inspectors back in the country in the first place, but the problem is with that list, there's no deadline, so the Iraqis can take their sweet time on when they turn that over.
ROBERTSON: Well, there appears to be a deadline now. Now, when Hans Blix, the U.N. weapons chief, came here about four weeks ago, he spoke to the Iraqi officials he was meeting with, he said we need a list of your scientists. They said OK. Hans Blix went back to New York.
Now, over the weekend, he handed Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations a letter saying we need that list of scientists from you. Now, that has come back to Baghdad and Baghdad has said OK. We just needed a letter from you making it official. We will give you that list. Now, apparently the letter from Hans Blix to the Iraqi officials says we need the list by the end of December. Iraq has not said when it will hand it over, but it has said it will certainly do that -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right. Nic Robertson in Baghdad. Nic, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
