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CNN Live At Daybreak
Iraq Pledges to Cooperate With U.N. Weapons Inspectors
Aired January 21, 2003 - 06:04 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: As you certainly have heard, Iraq is pledging new and better cooperation with weapons inspectors. The question this morning: Are they following through?
Rym Brahimi is in Baghdad to tell us.
Good morning.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, indeed, they've agreed to intensify their cooperation, agreeing on even key issues like allowing scientists to be interviewed in private. That said, the U.N. chief weapons inspectors, Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, say there is still a lot of questions that need to be answered, and Iraq has to provide more evidence in order for them to close that dossier. The file, they say, is not closed yet.
Against that backdrop, inspections continue here in Iraq north and south of the country. One of the main places being scrutinized, especially after that finding of empty chemical warheads, a place that's been visited before associated with high explosives. Another site associated in the past with Iraq's nuclear program.
Now, Vice President Taha Yasin Ramadan, who met with the two U.N. chief weapons inspectors when they were here a couple of days ago, has reiterated that Iraq is keen to cooperate with the inspectors in order not to provide the U.S. with a pretext for attack, saying the international community should question why there are still U.S. threats and a huge U.S. military buildup while the inspectors are still in Iraq -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Rym Brahimi bringing us up to date from Baghdad this morning -- thanks.
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 21, 2003 - 06:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: As you certainly have heard, Iraq is pledging new and better cooperation with weapons inspectors. The question this morning: Are they following through?
Rym Brahimi is in Baghdad to tell us.
Good morning.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, indeed, they've agreed to intensify their cooperation, agreeing on even key issues like allowing scientists to be interviewed in private. That said, the U.N. chief weapons inspectors, Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, say there is still a lot of questions that need to be answered, and Iraq has to provide more evidence in order for them to close that dossier. The file, they say, is not closed yet.
Against that backdrop, inspections continue here in Iraq north and south of the country. One of the main places being scrutinized, especially after that finding of empty chemical warheads, a place that's been visited before associated with high explosives. Another site associated in the past with Iraq's nuclear program.
Now, Vice President Taha Yasin Ramadan, who met with the two U.N. chief weapons inspectors when they were here a couple of days ago, has reiterated that Iraq is keen to cooperate with the inspectors in order not to provide the U.S. with a pretext for attack, saying the international community should question why there are still U.S. threats and a huge U.S. military buildup while the inspectors are still in Iraq -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Rym Brahimi bringing us up to date from Baghdad this morning -- thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
