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U.N. Weapons Inspections Continue on New Year's Day in Iraq
Aired January 01, 2003 - 06:07 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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: The U.N. inspectors in Iraq are spending the first day of the New Year conducting more searches. They are not taking a holiday break today; neither is our Rym Brahimi, and she's joining us live from Baghdad.
Hello, Rym.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Catherine.
Well, the inspectors worked on Christmas Day. They're working again today on the first day of the New Year.
Now, we know of at least two sites that they've been checking out, Catherine. One of them is a site called Al Majd (ph) in Baghdad, and it's a site that does a lot of mechanical work, work for cars. It also does mechanical work on cooling and freezing equipment from what we know.
And the other site that the inspectors have been to is a site that's been visited many times before, not only by the previous team of U.N. inspectors, but also by these groups of inspectors here. It's a site that has many, many -- it's a big complex with many different sites, and it appears they're headed towards one of the sites that's involved in missile engine production.
Now, the inspectors were supposed, from what we understand, to maybe use a helicopter today for the first time. We received a report from the Iraqi foreign ministry late last night actually complaining about a request by the inspectors, who had asked to use a helicopter on this first day of the New Year. Now, it appears that this went away somehow. They're not going to be using the helicopter now, but we're expecting that to happen sometime soon.
Catherine, now, another interesting point here in Baghdad as the New Year begins. Well, an editorial today in the newspaper owned by the president's son, Oday Saddam Hussein. Now, the newspaper criticizes -- has been criticizing the double standards in the past applied by the United States to North Korea and to Iraq. And today, it's actually encouraging all of the Arabs, not just Iraq, to actually take example of North Korea, and say, well, let's just go ahead and do what North Korea does and maybe we'll gain more respect that way, since the U.S. is prepared to deal diplomatically with North Korea and not with Iraq -- Catherine.
CALLAWAY: That is interesting out of the paper there. Rym, what are the people of Iraq saying as we approach now -- as we enter into 2003, is war with the U.S. imminent?
BRAHIMI: You know, a lot of people, it's a funny attitude. A lot of it is bravado, and people will maybe generally, first off, just say, well, we're really used to all this. It's nothing new for us. The U.S. has been bombing us on a regular basis for the past 12 years.
But then you look at the facts, Catherine, and the fact is people have begun to stock up. They're starting to buy those fuel lamps, gas lamps. They're starting to stock up on fuel.
And some people will actually admit to you that they are concerned. You hear people wonder what they're going to do with their children, for instance. Are they going to take them to the countryside? Are they going to keep them in town?
So, there is a lot of concern here at what may happen -- Catherine.
CALLAWAY: All right, thank you. Rym Brahimi joining us from 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.
Iraq>
Aired January 1, 2003 - 06:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: The U.N. inspectors in Iraq are spending the first day of the New Year conducting more searches. They are not taking a holiday break today; neither is our Rym Brahimi, and she's joining us live from Baghdad.
Hello, Rym.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Catherine.
Well, the inspectors worked on Christmas Day. They're working again today on the first day of the New Year.
Now, we know of at least two sites that they've been checking out, Catherine. One of them is a site called Al Majd (ph) in Baghdad, and it's a site that does a lot of mechanical work, work for cars. It also does mechanical work on cooling and freezing equipment from what we know.
And the other site that the inspectors have been to is a site that's been visited many times before, not only by the previous team of U.N. inspectors, but also by these groups of inspectors here. It's a site that has many, many -- it's a big complex with many different sites, and it appears they're headed towards one of the sites that's involved in missile engine production.
Now, the inspectors were supposed, from what we understand, to maybe use a helicopter today for the first time. We received a report from the Iraqi foreign ministry late last night actually complaining about a request by the inspectors, who had asked to use a helicopter on this first day of the New Year. Now, it appears that this went away somehow. They're not going to be using the helicopter now, but we're expecting that to happen sometime soon.
Catherine, now, another interesting point here in Baghdad as the New Year begins. Well, an editorial today in the newspaper owned by the president's son, Oday Saddam Hussein. Now, the newspaper criticizes -- has been criticizing the double standards in the past applied by the United States to North Korea and to Iraq. And today, it's actually encouraging all of the Arabs, not just Iraq, to actually take example of North Korea, and say, well, let's just go ahead and do what North Korea does and maybe we'll gain more respect that way, since the U.S. is prepared to deal diplomatically with North Korea and not with Iraq -- Catherine.
CALLAWAY: That is interesting out of the paper there. Rym, what are the people of Iraq saying as we approach now -- as we enter into 2003, is war with the U.S. imminent?
BRAHIMI: You know, a lot of people, it's a funny attitude. A lot of it is bravado, and people will maybe generally, first off, just say, well, we're really used to all this. It's nothing new for us. The U.S. has been bombing us on a regular basis for the past 12 years.
But then you look at the facts, Catherine, and the fact is people have begun to stock up. They're starting to buy those fuel lamps, gas lamps. They're starting to stock up on fuel.
And some people will actually admit to you that they are concerned. You hear people wonder what they're going to do with their children, for instance. Are they going to take them to the countryside? Are they going to keep them in town?
So, there is a lot of concern here at what may happen -- Catherine.
CALLAWAY: All right, thank you. Rym Brahimi joining us from 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.
Iraq>
