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CNN Live Today
Monday Could be Pivotal Day in Showdown with Iraq
Aired January 24, 2003 - 10:11 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: This Monday could be a pivotal day in the showdown with Iraq. The chief U.N. weapons inspector will deliver a report to the U.N. Security Council detailing what they've learned from the ongoing inspections.
Let's go now live to the Iraqi capital. CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is in Bagdhad. He joins us now with the very latest.
Good morning, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
Well, in that television appearance Uday will receive a report on the ongoing inspections. Here is Nic Robertson in Baghdad with the latest.
Good morning, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
Well, in that television appearance, he said that he believed the United States would ultimately end up around the negotiating table with Iraq because Iraq was so strong. He said Iraq was the most stable regime in the region. He did, however, have a very sharp warning for the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UDAY HUSSEIN, SADDAM HUSSEIN'S SON (through translator): If they come, what they cried about on September 11 and what they saw as a big thing will seem like a picnic to them, a real picnic. They will be hurt, and they will pay an unimaginable price.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Now, another indication here that preparations for war are under way, Iraq's ruling Revolutionary Command Council has issued four new decrees, one of those stating that anyone who commits an armed robbery during a time of war will face a death penalty, and also, another law saying that anyone who falsifies their military identification papers will face 10 to 15 years in jail.
Today, the Muslim holy day as well here, many people going to the mosque to be listen to their imams, their religious leaders. Those imams today leaders telling them, warning them to be careful of U.N. inspectors, criticizing U.N. inspectors for going to a mosque earlier in the week. The U.N. has said that those inspectors went there on a private visit. The message to Iraq, is today, from those religious leaders is not to be tolerant toward the U.N. inspectors, not to trust the U.N. inspectors at this time -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Nic, with the U.N. chief weapons inspectors delivering this report on Monday to the U.N., do you get a sense from the Iraqi people that there is a little bit more of a sense of urgency, or how are they preparing for Monday?
ROBERTSON: Well, people are concerned. You don't see people rushing into stores to stockpile with huge amounts of food. One of the reasons, the economy here as taken a nose dive since the last Gulf War. People are not very well off. People are, however, stockpiling what they can at home.
But the underlying feeling here is if war happens, people are really concerned, how are they going to be able to survive, how will they be able to feed their families, what happens when the power lines get cut and the water gets stopped? All these are things, all these are issues they faced during the Gulf War in 1991. They worry about that now, Heidi.
COLLINS: I'll bet they do. Nic Robertson, live from Baghdad. Thank you.
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 24, 2003 - 10:11 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: This Monday could be a pivotal day in the showdown with Iraq. The chief U.N. weapons inspector will deliver a report to the U.N. Security Council detailing what they've learned from the ongoing inspections.
Let's go now live to the Iraqi capital. CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is in Bagdhad. He joins us now with the very latest.
Good morning, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
Well, in that television appearance Uday will receive a report on the ongoing inspections. Here is Nic Robertson in Baghdad with the latest.
Good morning, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
Well, in that television appearance, he said that he believed the United States would ultimately end up around the negotiating table with Iraq because Iraq was so strong. He said Iraq was the most stable regime in the region. He did, however, have a very sharp warning for the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UDAY HUSSEIN, SADDAM HUSSEIN'S SON (through translator): If they come, what they cried about on September 11 and what they saw as a big thing will seem like a picnic to them, a real picnic. They will be hurt, and they will pay an unimaginable price.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Now, another indication here that preparations for war are under way, Iraq's ruling Revolutionary Command Council has issued four new decrees, one of those stating that anyone who commits an armed robbery during a time of war will face a death penalty, and also, another law saying that anyone who falsifies their military identification papers will face 10 to 15 years in jail.
Today, the Muslim holy day as well here, many people going to the mosque to be listen to their imams, their religious leaders. Those imams today leaders telling them, warning them to be careful of U.N. inspectors, criticizing U.N. inspectors for going to a mosque earlier in the week. The U.N. has said that those inspectors went there on a private visit. The message to Iraq, is today, from those religious leaders is not to be tolerant toward the U.N. inspectors, not to trust the U.N. inspectors at this time -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Nic, with the U.N. chief weapons inspectors delivering this report on Monday to the U.N., do you get a sense from the Iraqi people that there is a little bit more of a sense of urgency, or how are they preparing for Monday?
ROBERTSON: Well, people are concerned. You don't see people rushing into stores to stockpile with huge amounts of food. One of the reasons, the economy here as taken a nose dive since the last Gulf War. People are not very well off. People are, however, stockpiling what they can at home.
But the underlying feeling here is if war happens, people are really concerned, how are they going to be able to survive, how will they be able to feed their families, what happens when the power lines get cut and the water gets stopped? All these are things, all these are issues they faced during the Gulf War in 1991. They worry about that now, Heidi.
COLLINS: I'll bet they do. Nic Robertson, live from Baghdad. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
