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CNN Live At Daybreak
Blix, ElBaradei About to Meet with Tony Blair
Aired February 06, 2003 - 05:07 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: Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei of the U.N.'s atomic energy agency are about to meet with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The prime minister, as you probably know, is President Bush's biggest supporter on Iraq.
Our senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers is in London -- Walter, has the plane landed?
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We believe it has, Carol. Amid the march to war, however, this diplomatic minuet continues. Hans Blix, chief U.N. weapons inspector, and Mohamed ElBaradei, the U.N. chief for the International Atomic Energy Agency, are going to talk to Tony Blair at Downing Street and it is presumed they are going to repeat their request, earlier request made for more time for the weapons inspectors to do their work.
I suspect it's going to fall on deaf ears because this morning the British are announcing that they are going to send at least 50 more attack warplanes into Turkey, into Kuwait, the Gulf area. These would be used in any American attack on Saddam Hussein.
So the British have already made up their mind.
Across Europe, however, it seems that many minds were made up even before Secretary Powell presented his evidence at the U.N. Security Council. The French, of course, have again said more time for inspectors. They say war should be a last resort, the French position being let's solve the problem by throwing in more U.N. weapons inspectors.
The Russians have taken a similar position, although the Russians have warned Saddam Hussein he has to heed the warnings he is getting and while the Russians say give the weapons inspectors more time, the Russians had some wiggle room in their position such that they might ultimately sign on with the United States -- back to you.
COSTELLO: Well, you know, Walter, Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei are supposed to go to Iraq this weekend to sit down with Iraqi officials to talk about better cooperation.
Might that change the minds of some of those countries?
RODGERS: Well, I think both the French and the Russians in particular have left themself wiggle room here. If I read the French statement correctly -- and I watched it on television, and the same with the Russian position on Secretary Powell's presentation -- both sides, that is, the Iraqis could read something into the French and Russian positions which they could take comfort from. But the United States could also look at both what the French and the Russians said and say hah, they're coming around to our point of view.
Again, here in Britain opinion divided. Look at this, not enough evidence. There are several papers with this sort of headline here in Britain. Again, most minds were made up before Secretary Powell made his remarks -- Carol.
COSTELLO: I understand.
Walter Rodgers reporting live for us from London.
Saddam Hussein must realize the shadow of war is approaching. But what about the average person on the street? Iraq's government controls the media. So did many people even know what Powell had to say?
For that we turn to our Rym Brahimi, who is watching and listening in the Iraqi capital -- Rym, did anybody really get to see Nobel Peace Prize's presentation?
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, as you know, satellite dishes are banned here in Iraq so quite a lot of people would not have seen it. That said, a few Iraqis were able to listen to it on international radio stations.
Now, Iraq, as you know, has refuted all these allegations. The top scientist adviser to President Saddam Hussein has actually, came to, came forward, spoke to reporters, saying that Secretary Powell's aim was only to discredit the inspection process.
Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. AMER AL-SAADI, HUSSEIN SCIENTIFIC ADVISER: This is, his findings and allegations are a deliberate attempt to undermine the credibility and professionalism of the inspection bodies, UNMOVIC and the IAEA by making allegations which directly contradict their assessment or cast doubts on their credibility.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRAHIMI: Now, many Iraqis we spoke to agree with their officials. They say that this was a presentation filled with fabrication and lies. That said, they seem to have gotten a very clear message. Many Iraqis think the U.S. has just sent a clear signal that it intends to go to war with Iraq with or without the rest of the international community -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Rym Brahimi reporting live from Baghdad this morning.
We'll give our State Department producer Elise Labott a wake up call in the next hour. We'll ask her what the Bush administration is doing today to advance its case against Iraq. And maybe she can tell us what her sources there really think about the world's reaction so far.
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 February 6, 2003 - 05:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei of the U.N.'s atomic energy agency are about to meet with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The prime minister, as you probably know, is President Bush's biggest supporter on Iraq.
Our senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers is in London -- Walter, has the plane landed?
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We believe it has, Carol. Amid the march to war, however, this diplomatic minuet continues. Hans Blix, chief U.N. weapons inspector, and Mohamed ElBaradei, the U.N. chief for the International Atomic Energy Agency, are going to talk to Tony Blair at Downing Street and it is presumed they are going to repeat their request, earlier request made for more time for the weapons inspectors to do their work.
I suspect it's going to fall on deaf ears because this morning the British are announcing that they are going to send at least 50 more attack warplanes into Turkey, into Kuwait, the Gulf area. These would be used in any American attack on Saddam Hussein.
So the British have already made up their mind.
Across Europe, however, it seems that many minds were made up even before Secretary Powell presented his evidence at the U.N. Security Council. The French, of course, have again said more time for inspectors. They say war should be a last resort, the French position being let's solve the problem by throwing in more U.N. weapons inspectors.
The Russians have taken a similar position, although the Russians have warned Saddam Hussein he has to heed the warnings he is getting and while the Russians say give the weapons inspectors more time, the Russians had some wiggle room in their position such that they might ultimately sign on with the United States -- back to you.
COSTELLO: Well, you know, Walter, Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei are supposed to go to Iraq this weekend to sit down with Iraqi officials to talk about better cooperation.
Might that change the minds of some of those countries?
RODGERS: Well, I think both the French and the Russians in particular have left themself wiggle room here. If I read the French statement correctly -- and I watched it on television, and the same with the Russian position on Secretary Powell's presentation -- both sides, that is, the Iraqis could read something into the French and Russian positions which they could take comfort from. But the United States could also look at both what the French and the Russians said and say hah, they're coming around to our point of view.
Again, here in Britain opinion divided. Look at this, not enough evidence. There are several papers with this sort of headline here in Britain. Again, most minds were made up before Secretary Powell made his remarks -- Carol.
COSTELLO: I understand.
Walter Rodgers reporting live for us from London.
Saddam Hussein must realize the shadow of war is approaching. But what about the average person on the street? Iraq's government controls the media. So did many people even know what Powell had to say?
For that we turn to our Rym Brahimi, who is watching and listening in the Iraqi capital -- Rym, did anybody really get to see Nobel Peace Prize's presentation?
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, as you know, satellite dishes are banned here in Iraq so quite a lot of people would not have seen it. That said, a few Iraqis were able to listen to it on international radio stations.
Now, Iraq, as you know, has refuted all these allegations. The top scientist adviser to President Saddam Hussein has actually, came to, came forward, spoke to reporters, saying that Secretary Powell's aim was only to discredit the inspection process.
Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. AMER AL-SAADI, HUSSEIN SCIENTIFIC ADVISER: This is, his findings and allegations are a deliberate attempt to undermine the credibility and professionalism of the inspection bodies, UNMOVIC and the IAEA by making allegations which directly contradict their assessment or cast doubts on their credibility.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRAHIMI: Now, many Iraqis we spoke to agree with their officials. They say that this was a presentation filled with fabrication and lies. That said, they seem to have gotten a very clear message. Many Iraqis think the U.S. has just sent a clear signal that it intends to go to war with Iraq with or without the rest of the international community -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Rym Brahimi reporting live from Baghdad this morning.
We'll give our State Department producer Elise Labott a wake up call in the next hour. We'll ask her what the Bush administration is doing today to advance its case against Iraq. And maybe she can tell us what her sources there really think about the world's reaction so far.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
