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CNN Live Today

Two World Hotspots Get a Little Bit Hotter

Aired January 06, 2003 - 11:00   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: Up first this hour, two world hotspots got a little bit hotter today, and CNN correspondents are live on both stories. We have Matthew Chance in Vienna. That is where U.N. nuclear weapons inspectors are making their next move in the North Korean standoff.
Also Rym Brahimi is watching the situation in Baghdad today, where Saddam Hussein has had some interesting accusations, to say the least.

First we want to check in in Baghdad with Rym Brahimi.

Rym, hello.

Rym, can you hear us?

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the president addressed the nation in a televised speech, and one of the main points he made, this was on the occasion of Army Day, the Iraqi armed forces celebrating the 82nd anniversary of their foundation, while Saddam Hussein.a lot of harsh words for the United States, but also for the U.N. weapons inspectors here in Baghdad. He said they were not looking for weapons of mass destruction, but in fact, that they were looking for -- they were looking to gather intelligence.

He said all their work indicated that they were not interested in weapons of mass destruction, but the way they were interviewing scientists, they were clearly under the pressure from the U.S., he said, to gather intelligence in order to maybe help the U.S. in somehow targeting Iraq at one point.

Now, the Iraqi president addressed a series of points regarding the current crisis. One of them he said was -- at one point, he said that the United States was only interested in attacking Iraq for its own self-interests, but also to protect the security of Israel. He also said that the U.S. was trying to divert public opinion in the United States and on the international scene from many of the failures of the U.S. administration. Those failures according to President Saddam Hussein were the fact that in his view, the U.S. administration had failed to prevent the September 11th attacks. He said that the U.S. administration had also failed the American people with the economy, saying that the country's economy was in shambles, and also saying that the U.S. had failed in Afghanistan.

He also addressed a lot of the concerns maybe that a lot of people in the Arab world might have with regard to the U.S. policy in the region, saying the U.S. was biased in siding with Israel and not helping the Palestinian people. Now, that kind of comment clearly finding some resonance in the region.

And also maybe addressing one of the issues that has been debated and a lot of speculation has been coming up over that issue, the question of Iraq's armed forces. There's been a lot of questions as to what this army would do if the U.S. did indeed attack Iraq. Well, the Iraqi president said he was very confident that the Iraqi army would stand by and protect the nation -- Leon.

HARRIS: Actually, it's, Daryn, but, Rym, thank you very much. Of course, what's taking place in Baghdad where you are, Rym, is getting a lost attention in Vienna with the crucial meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in North Korea, where the other big problem is taking place.

Matthew Chance has been there, and there has been a development.

Matthew, go ahead.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, Daryn, there's been some developments here in Vienna, that board meeting of the IAEA, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, agreeing upon a resolution, first of all, condemning North Korea for its actions over the past few weeks, expelling the IAEA inspectors, also dismantling all the equipment used by the U.N. watchdog to monitor Pyongyang's nuclear program.

The text of that resolution has just been handed to me. I see first of all, it stops short of referring this matter straight to the U.N. Security Council. That's a move that is being considered as a last-resort option, because it sets into motion events which could lead not just to condemnation of North Korea, but also to the implementation or the threat of more economic sanctions against the country, as well as the threat of U.N.-backed military action.

For the moment, what the IAEA decides is an appropriate response is that it condemns, first of all, North Korea's action over the past few weeks with regard to its nuclear program, but it also does give North Korea a last chance or another chance, it says, in order to come into compliance and to comply and meet the requirements of the United Nations inspection regime, and so it stops short, as I say, of going all the way and referring this to the Security Council at the moment.

Perhaps the reason for that is because there are these very sensitive, delicate diplomatic efforts underway, very intensively, in fact, involving diplomats from the United States, from South Korea, from China, Japan, Russia, as well, trying to bring to a diplomatic end this standoff with Pyongyang.

I suppose that the officials here at the IAEA are waiting for that diplomatic effort to continue to see what results it produces before they adopt perhaps a more hardline resolution. The resolution adopted, though, does make it clear that unless the steps that have been outlined here, including meeting with IAEA officials to resume their inspections program, then it does say that North Korea will be held in further non-compliance with its safeguards agreement, and that could mean, it says, a recommendation, a referral to the U.N. Security Council -- Leon.

KAGAN: Matthew Chance, thank you for that latest development.

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 6, 2003 - 11:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Up first this hour, two world hotspots got a little bit hotter today, and CNN correspondents are live on both stories. We have Matthew Chance in Vienna. That is where U.N. nuclear weapons inspectors are making their next move in the North Korean standoff.
Also Rym Brahimi is watching the situation in Baghdad today, where Saddam Hussein has had some interesting accusations, to say the least.

First we want to check in in Baghdad with Rym Brahimi.

Rym, hello.

Rym, can you hear us?

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the president addressed the nation in a televised speech, and one of the main points he made, this was on the occasion of Army Day, the Iraqi armed forces celebrating the 82nd anniversary of their foundation, while Saddam Hussein.a lot of harsh words for the United States, but also for the U.N. weapons inspectors here in Baghdad. He said they were not looking for weapons of mass destruction, but in fact, that they were looking for -- they were looking to gather intelligence.

He said all their work indicated that they were not interested in weapons of mass destruction, but the way they were interviewing scientists, they were clearly under the pressure from the U.S., he said, to gather intelligence in order to maybe help the U.S. in somehow targeting Iraq at one point.

Now, the Iraqi president addressed a series of points regarding the current crisis. One of them he said was -- at one point, he said that the United States was only interested in attacking Iraq for its own self-interests, but also to protect the security of Israel. He also said that the U.S. was trying to divert public opinion in the United States and on the international scene from many of the failures of the U.S. administration. Those failures according to President Saddam Hussein were the fact that in his view, the U.S. administration had failed to prevent the September 11th attacks. He said that the U.S. administration had also failed the American people with the economy, saying that the country's economy was in shambles, and also saying that the U.S. had failed in Afghanistan.

He also addressed a lot of the concerns maybe that a lot of people in the Arab world might have with regard to the U.S. policy in the region, saying the U.S. was biased in siding with Israel and not helping the Palestinian people. Now, that kind of comment clearly finding some resonance in the region.

And also maybe addressing one of the issues that has been debated and a lot of speculation has been coming up over that issue, the question of Iraq's armed forces. There's been a lot of questions as to what this army would do if the U.S. did indeed attack Iraq. Well, the Iraqi president said he was very confident that the Iraqi army would stand by and protect the nation -- Leon.

HARRIS: Actually, it's, Daryn, but, Rym, thank you very much. Of course, what's taking place in Baghdad where you are, Rym, is getting a lost attention in Vienna with the crucial meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in North Korea, where the other big problem is taking place.

Matthew Chance has been there, and there has been a development.

Matthew, go ahead.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, Daryn, there's been some developments here in Vienna, that board meeting of the IAEA, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, agreeing upon a resolution, first of all, condemning North Korea for its actions over the past few weeks, expelling the IAEA inspectors, also dismantling all the equipment used by the U.N. watchdog to monitor Pyongyang's nuclear program.

The text of that resolution has just been handed to me. I see first of all, it stops short of referring this matter straight to the U.N. Security Council. That's a move that is being considered as a last-resort option, because it sets into motion events which could lead not just to condemnation of North Korea, but also to the implementation or the threat of more economic sanctions against the country, as well as the threat of U.N.-backed military action.

For the moment, what the IAEA decides is an appropriate response is that it condemns, first of all, North Korea's action over the past few weeks with regard to its nuclear program, but it also does give North Korea a last chance or another chance, it says, in order to come into compliance and to comply and meet the requirements of the United Nations inspection regime, and so it stops short, as I say, of going all the way and referring this to the Security Council at the moment.

Perhaps the reason for that is because there are these very sensitive, delicate diplomatic efforts underway, very intensively, in fact, involving diplomats from the United States, from South Korea, from China, Japan, Russia, as well, trying to bring to a diplomatic end this standoff with Pyongyang.

I suppose that the officials here at the IAEA are waiting for that diplomatic effort to continue to see what results it produces before they adopt perhaps a more hardline resolution. The resolution adopted, though, does make it clear that unless the steps that have been outlined here, including meeting with IAEA officials to resume their inspections program, then it does say that North Korea will be held in further non-compliance with its safeguards agreement, and that could mean, it says, a recommendation, a referral to the U.N. Security Council -- Leon.

KAGAN: Matthew Chance, thank you for that latest development.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com