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CNN Live Today
Iraqi Scientists Call U.N. Searches 'Intrusive'
Aired January 16, 2003 - 10:09 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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq is voicing outrage of its own this morning, saying that today's unprecedented searches of scientists' homes is quote "clearly a provocative step." Let's go now to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
Our reporter Rym Brahimi is standing by there. Hello, Rym.
As I understand it, you actually went out with some of the inspectors when they went out knocking on doors?
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right. We were there from the beginning. The inspectors arrived in a residential neighborhood of Baghdad. They are breaking new ground. For the first time, they went into the private homes of Iraqi citizens -- those citizens, two Iraqi scientists: one of them in the nuclear field; another one, a physicist who works with Iraq's Military Industrialization Commission.
Now, the two scientists came out, spoke to -- one of them spoke to reporters. One of them actually after a long discussion with the head of planning of the inspection team actually finally left his home with a stash of documents piled up in a box -- in fact, the box was overflowing with documents -- and then went into one of the cars with the U.N. inspectors and they drove off. This after six hours since the inspectors had arrived in the morning.
The other scientist, the nuclear scientist then went out and spoke to reporters. He didn't go along with the inspectors nor did he bring out any documents. He just said that he was very unhappy, he thought this was extremely intrusive, provocative. He said they had searched every single room, including the bedrooms and the bathrooms, and he said that in the process his son had been prevented from attending exams because he couldn't leave his home.
Back to you.
HARRIS: All right, Rym.
Despite the fact that these inspectors have actually gone into the homes now of some of these scientists, Hans Blix is still saying that the Iraqis are not cooperating enough.
What are you hearing there about how Iraq or perhaps some of these scientists are actually receiving these messages of more cooperation and more active cooperation is needed from Iraq to abort a war here? BRAHIMI: Well, Iraqis feel very much that they have cooperated. In fact, they feel they have cooperated even more than required. They find these inspections extremely intrusive and now with the first inspections into private homes, I can expect to hear even more condemnation, even more criticism of the way these inspections have been conducted so far.
Now, Iraq has said that it does want to cooperate because it wants to avert a war and that's pretty much the view of a lot of the people we speak to. We spoke to a lot of people in this neighborhood today again asking them what their reaction was and they said, well, of course, we have to let them in. We don't do it with -- we don't welcome them. We don't do it with happiness. We're not glad to have to welcome foreigners into our house like this, but we do it because we don't want to be responsible for a war, we don't want to attract anymore troubles in Iraq already.
Back to you.
HARRIS: All right, thank you very much, Rym.
Rym Brahimi reporting live for us from Baghdad. Take care and be careful, Rym.
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 16, 2003 - 10:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq is voicing outrage of its own this morning, saying that today's unprecedented searches of scientists' homes is quote "clearly a provocative step." Let's go now to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
Our reporter Rym Brahimi is standing by there. Hello, Rym.
As I understand it, you actually went out with some of the inspectors when they went out knocking on doors?
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right. We were there from the beginning. The inspectors arrived in a residential neighborhood of Baghdad. They are breaking new ground. For the first time, they went into the private homes of Iraqi citizens -- those citizens, two Iraqi scientists: one of them in the nuclear field; another one, a physicist who works with Iraq's Military Industrialization Commission.
Now, the two scientists came out, spoke to -- one of them spoke to reporters. One of them actually after a long discussion with the head of planning of the inspection team actually finally left his home with a stash of documents piled up in a box -- in fact, the box was overflowing with documents -- and then went into one of the cars with the U.N. inspectors and they drove off. This after six hours since the inspectors had arrived in the morning.
The other scientist, the nuclear scientist then went out and spoke to reporters. He didn't go along with the inspectors nor did he bring out any documents. He just said that he was very unhappy, he thought this was extremely intrusive, provocative. He said they had searched every single room, including the bedrooms and the bathrooms, and he said that in the process his son had been prevented from attending exams because he couldn't leave his home.
Back to you.
HARRIS: All right, Rym.
Despite the fact that these inspectors have actually gone into the homes now of some of these scientists, Hans Blix is still saying that the Iraqis are not cooperating enough.
What are you hearing there about how Iraq or perhaps some of these scientists are actually receiving these messages of more cooperation and more active cooperation is needed from Iraq to abort a war here? BRAHIMI: Well, Iraqis feel very much that they have cooperated. In fact, they feel they have cooperated even more than required. They find these inspections extremely intrusive and now with the first inspections into private homes, I can expect to hear even more condemnation, even more criticism of the way these inspections have been conducted so far.
Now, Iraq has said that it does want to cooperate because it wants to avert a war and that's pretty much the view of a lot of the people we speak to. We spoke to a lot of people in this neighborhood today again asking them what their reaction was and they said, well, of course, we have to let them in. We don't do it with -- we don't welcome them. We don't do it with happiness. We're not glad to have to welcome foreigners into our house like this, but we do it because we don't want to be responsible for a war, we don't want to attract anymore troubles in Iraq already.
Back to you.
HARRIS: All right, thank you very much, Rym.
Rym Brahimi reporting live for us from Baghdad. Take care and be careful, Rym.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
