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CNN Live At Daybreak
U.N. Experts Out and About Despite Muslim Holy Day
Aired January 03, 2003 - 05:32 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, now to the hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. U.N. experts are out and about again this morning, despite the Muslim holy day.
CNN's Rym Brahimi reports Iraq says the inspections are coming up empty.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two hundred and thirty inspections in five weeks. On this day, one of the five sites checked, a state company that builds unmanned drones for Iraq's air force. Iraqi officials have characterized the inspections as very intrusive. But they say Iraqi scientists accompanying the U.N. experts report back that inspectors have seen nothing to sustain U.S. and British allegations that Iraq still has prohibited weapons activities.
GEN. HOUSSAM AMIN, NATIONAL MONITORING DIRECTORATE: We think that now they are thinking that those accusations are baseless and they were lying on this issue.
BRAHIMI: U.N. Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix is due to visit Baghdad the third week of January. That's shortly before January 27, when he's scheduled to report to the U.N. Security Council on the findings of his experts. Baghdad is hoping for a clean bill of health, but accuses the U.S. of pursuing its military buildup in the region even before the U.N. experts have reached any conclusions.
Here, Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, addressing a Spanish peace delegation, warns of the consequences of a U.S.-led attack.
TARIQ AZIZ, IRAQI DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: This war is going to cause billions of dollars to the American budget. Those billions of dollars will be lost. They will not go to make any benefit to the American people, to the American, ordinary American citizen and results of the gains of the war will not go also to the ordinary American citizen, but will go to the rich capitalists who are supporting this imperialist policy.
BRAHIMI: Comments echoed by another group of U.S. religious leaders visiting Iraq. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, says that war can still be avoided.
BOB EDGAR, NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES: We believe the entire region, including Israel and the United States, will be at greater risk of terrorism if war takes place. BRAHIMI: With more than a dozen groups making the case for peace in Iraq in recent months, this is exactly the kind of message that Baghdad hopes will find some resonance in Washington, as it calls on the international community to resist a push for war.
Rym Brahimi, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 January 3, 2003 - 05:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, now to the hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. U.N. experts are out and about again this morning, despite the Muslim holy day.
CNN's Rym Brahimi reports Iraq says the inspections are coming up empty.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two hundred and thirty inspections in five weeks. On this day, one of the five sites checked, a state company that builds unmanned drones for Iraq's air force. Iraqi officials have characterized the inspections as very intrusive. But they say Iraqi scientists accompanying the U.N. experts report back that inspectors have seen nothing to sustain U.S. and British allegations that Iraq still has prohibited weapons activities.
GEN. HOUSSAM AMIN, NATIONAL MONITORING DIRECTORATE: We think that now they are thinking that those accusations are baseless and they were lying on this issue.
BRAHIMI: U.N. Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix is due to visit Baghdad the third week of January. That's shortly before January 27, when he's scheduled to report to the U.N. Security Council on the findings of his experts. Baghdad is hoping for a clean bill of health, but accuses the U.S. of pursuing its military buildup in the region even before the U.N. experts have reached any conclusions.
Here, Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, addressing a Spanish peace delegation, warns of the consequences of a U.S.-led attack.
TARIQ AZIZ, IRAQI DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: This war is going to cause billions of dollars to the American budget. Those billions of dollars will be lost. They will not go to make any benefit to the American people, to the American, ordinary American citizen and results of the gains of the war will not go also to the ordinary American citizen, but will go to the rich capitalists who are supporting this imperialist policy.
BRAHIMI: Comments echoed by another group of U.S. religious leaders visiting Iraq. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, says that war can still be avoided.
BOB EDGAR, NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES: We believe the entire region, including Israel and the United States, will be at greater risk of terrorism if war takes place. BRAHIMI: With more than a dozen groups making the case for peace in Iraq in recent months, this is exactly the kind of message that Baghdad hopes will find some resonance in Washington, as it calls on the international community to resist a push for war.
Rym Brahimi, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
