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Iraq Invites U.N. Inspectors Back for Talks
Aired January 31, 2003 - 06:07 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: And the head of the U.N.'s nuclear agency says he and his fellow chief inspector, Hans Blix, will not return to Baghdad anytime soon. Saddam Hussein invited Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei to return to Baghdad before their next report to the U.N. Security Council which happens on February 14. But ElBaradei says they will not return unless Iraq removes some major obstacles. He and Blix want Baghdad to let weapons inspectors talk to Iraqi scientists in private.
And we want to go live to Iraq for more on this new development. Our Rym Brahimi is in Baghdad to explain why Iraq offered this invitation.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, well clearly this invitation comes at a time when there's a lot of pressure on Iraq, on the U.N. weapons inspectors to deliver, to show some progress. Now the top scientific adviser to President Saddam Hussein, General Amoris Sidei (ph), wrote a letter to the two U.N. chief weapons inspectors inviting them to Baghdad by February the 10th.
Now, as you mentioned, this comes right after U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell is due to talk to the Security Council. It also comes just before a follow-up report by Dr. Hans Blix to the U.N. Security Council. General Amoris Sidei says he wants to discuss issues of cooperation between the U.N. weapons inspectors and Iraqi officials in charge of disarmament, as well as those issues that were raised by Dr. Blix when he briefed the U.N. Security Council and reported to them on January 27.
Of course there are those two sticking issues. The issue of the private interviews with Iraqi scientists that still haven't been carried out by Amovic (ph) and also those high flight surveillance planes, the U-2, that Iraq still says it doesn't want to see fly over its territory because it says it can't guarantee their safety.
Now meanwhile here in Baghdad, Carol, there have been at least four inspections carried out so far, one of them in downtown Baghdad at a warehouse or rather an office, a state company that has agricultural supplies. The inspectors visited some of those offices wearing protective clothing for some of them.
Also here in Baghdad, Carol, the Council of Ministers, chaired by Saddam Hussein, met last night. They've decided to rescind a certain number of laws. Most of these laws seemed to have been dating from the 1980s. And another measure, an interesting measure, they've postponed the drafting of reservists for the moment -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Rym Brahimi, reporting live from Baghdad this morning, many thanks to you.
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Aired January 31, 2003 - 06:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And the head of the U.N.'s nuclear agency says he and his fellow chief inspector, Hans Blix, will not return to Baghdad anytime soon. Saddam Hussein invited Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei to return to Baghdad before their next report to the U.N. Security Council which happens on February 14. But ElBaradei says they will not return unless Iraq removes some major obstacles. He and Blix want Baghdad to let weapons inspectors talk to Iraqi scientists in private.
And we want to go live to Iraq for more on this new development. Our Rym Brahimi is in Baghdad to explain why Iraq offered this invitation.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, well clearly this invitation comes at a time when there's a lot of pressure on Iraq, on the U.N. weapons inspectors to deliver, to show some progress. Now the top scientific adviser to President Saddam Hussein, General Amoris Sidei (ph), wrote a letter to the two U.N. chief weapons inspectors inviting them to Baghdad by February the 10th.
Now, as you mentioned, this comes right after U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell is due to talk to the Security Council. It also comes just before a follow-up report by Dr. Hans Blix to the U.N. Security Council. General Amoris Sidei says he wants to discuss issues of cooperation between the U.N. weapons inspectors and Iraqi officials in charge of disarmament, as well as those issues that were raised by Dr. Blix when he briefed the U.N. Security Council and reported to them on January 27.
Of course there are those two sticking issues. The issue of the private interviews with Iraqi scientists that still haven't been carried out by Amovic (ph) and also those high flight surveillance planes, the U-2, that Iraq still says it doesn't want to see fly over its territory because it says it can't guarantee their safety.
Now meanwhile here in Baghdad, Carol, there have been at least four inspections carried out so far, one of them in downtown Baghdad at a warehouse or rather an office, a state company that has agricultural supplies. The inspectors visited some of those offices wearing protective clothing for some of them.
Also here in Baghdad, Carol, the Council of Ministers, chaired by Saddam Hussein, met last night. They've decided to rescind a certain number of laws. Most of these laws seemed to have been dating from the 1980s. And another measure, an interesting measure, they've postponed the drafting of reservists for the moment -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Rym Brahimi, reporting live from Baghdad this morning, many thanks to 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
