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CNN Live Today
Inspectors Continue Work After Blix Departs
Aired February 10, 2003 - 11:00 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: NATO is crisis: deep divisions between the U.S. and Europe are on public display in Brussels today at a session of the military alliance. Three NATO members, France, Germany, and Belgium blocked a plan to protect Turkey in case of war with Iraq. Now, Turkey immediately called for emergency consultations under NATO's defense treaty, and that is apparently the first time that has occurred in the 53 year history of the NATO alliance. NATO Secretary General George Robertson calls this split a serious situation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE ROBERTSON, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: There is a very heated argument inside NATO about the timing, but that is what it's about. It is about the timing. And clearly, if we haven't achieved agreement after three weeks of discussion, then that argument is -- is of a serious nature. But at the same time, I think people are focusing on it now in a very determined way that Turkey has asked for consultations under Article IV and many of the countries concerned believe that that now focuses it in an unavoidable way on Turkey and its defense, and that that may well lead or help to lead to a solution to the present problem, the existing difficulties.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Now, this rebuke emphasizes the split between Washington and several key European capitals on the presence of war policy.
Now, CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash joins us live from Nashville. She's traveling with Mr. Bush this morning, and what is the word there, Dana?
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon. Well, as you know, Turkey is a critical staging area for the United States, if the United States does choose to use military action against Saddam Hussein, Iraq's neighbor to the north, and the U.S. has been working very, very hard to try to get Turkey to agree to allow the U.S. to use that, so this is something that the U.S. -- the U.S. is actually now fighting sort of a two-front diplomatic war at this point, fighting now in NATO, and, of course, we still have what's going on in the U.N.
But with regard to NATO, a White House spokesman says that they, of course, they are supporting Turkey's efforts to invoke Article IV, which says that any country -- any member nation of NATO does have a right to defend itself, and a White House spokesman says this really goes to the heart of NATO at its core. And Colin Powell, speaking in Washington, said that -- he said that he hopes that NATO will realize that they have an obligation to assist any NATO member asking for assistance.
So, the White House is trying to keep up pressure, and part of that pressure, we will hear from the president himself today here in Nashville, not too long from now. We are told that he will talk about the situation in Iraq, and specifically he will say today to keep pressure on. He will say that they have evidence that Iraq is already preparing to use civilians as human shields in the event -- preparing for that in the event of any kind of action against Saddam Hussein. You remember about 12 years ago Saddam Hussein had threatened to do so, had taken some hostages and then let them go, but this is something that the president will touch on today, talk about that issue.
In addition to his public speeches, he made a seven minute phone call on Air Force One on his way here to Nashville, spoke with the Danish prime minister on the phone. And as soon as he gets back to Washington, he will meet with the Australian prime minister in the Oval Office. So they are continuing to pressure all of the allies in terms of trying to get help for their position on dealing with Iraq -- Leon.
HARRIS: All right, Dana. Then tell us -- tell us about President Bush's stop there in Nashville. Why is he there?
BASH: Well, he's here in Nashville to speak to the religious broadcasters. He's here to talk primarily about what the White House calls its "compassionate" agenda. He'll talk about his faith-based initiative that got stalled in the first two years of his presidency in Congress. He is hoping to get that through this year, then he's also going to be talking about other initiatives, things that he talked about in his State of the Union, a big part of his domestic agenda. But again, we are expecting some news today on Iraq, specifically with him talking about Iraq's attempt to use civilians as human shields -- Leon.
HARRIS: Well, we'll keep our ears open for that news. Thanks, Dana. Dana Bash traveling with President Bush in Nashville. Well, the top weapons inspectors left Baghdad today following a weekend of talks there. Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei indicate that there is a new spirit of cooperation from the Iraqis, but is this enough to head off war?
CNN's Michael Okwu checks in now from the United Nations. What is the word there this morning, Michael?
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Leon, everybody anxiously waiting for the weapons inspectors to get back here to the United Nations. As you mention, after two days of talks with top Iraqi officials, the inspectors said that there is hope, but no breakthrough. Apparently, the Iraqi government handed over to the two men some documents suggesting how it might have destroyed its supplies of anthrax, as well as the VX nerve agent, but still unresolved, whether Iraq would allow surveillance by American U-2 spy planes, and whether Baghdad would pass legislation banning weapons of mass destruction.
Blix and ElBaradei said that they saw perhaps the beginning of a change of heart, but they needed to see something more spectacular -- Hans Blix.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANS BLIX, CHIEF U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: There are hundreds of questions that would need to be resolved. And, of course, we got a declaration, but we did not feel that there was new evidence in that declaration, and we think that that's what is needed. They tell us they've appointed a new commission which will try to find any documents that have not been surfacing before. We did, after all, some time ago find a stash of some 3,000 pages. That was one thing, and they presented one document, an authentic document this time that we hadn't seen before. Now we'd like to see a very big effort on that front.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OKWU: In the meantime, it appears that the United States may be heading to some sort of a showdown with the Security Council.
The U.S. basically considering three moves at this point: a strongly worded second resolution, some sort of compromise resolution, or no resolution at all, basically saying that Resolution 1441 gives them enough authority to go it alone.
In the meantime, Great Britain already saying that it will start drafting a second resolution if and when they hear from the weapons inspectors, when they report to the council on Friday. But the other veto bearing members of the council, Leon, China, France and Russia making it very clear that they want robust inspectors -- inspections. They want more inspectors on the ground, they do not want to rush to war. In the meantime, at the request of Hans Blix, there are a number of weapons specialists, missile specialists, who will be meeting here at the United Nations today and tomorrow to try to determine whether Iraq's missile system is, in fact, illegal. Presumably that information would be in the report on Friday as well -- Leon.
HARRIS: All right. We'll be looking forward to that, no doubt. Thanks much, Michael. Michael Okwu reporting live to us from the U.N.
Now, while the top inspectors report some progress, as you've just heard there from Michael Okwu, a lot remains unresolved about Iraq's cooperation. Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson is on duty in Baghdad. Let's get the latest from him right now -- hello, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon. Well, Iraqi officials say they think that they have done enough in these meetings over the weekend, showed enough cooperation, showed enough good faith. They say that if they are judged fairly, and in their words, by sane people, then they will realize that Iraq is giving all the cooperation the U.N. inspectors need. The newspapers here characterizing the talks as taking place in a positive atmosphere. Also saying that they hope that when Hans Blix makes that report to U.N. Security Council, that he does it in a fair and professional way.
Now, what they mean there is last time Hans Blix was in Baghdad, made a report to the U.N. Security Council, Iraqi officials say he was very positive in Baghdad, but then became negative when he left. So Iraqi officials will be listening very carefully to what Hans Blix says after he leaves Baghdad. Now he has gone. And, of course, Iraq still has to do a number of things before Hans Blix makes that report to the Security Council. They have to get back to him on the issue of U-2 surveillance flights. They promised they would do that before the end of this week. Also Hans Blix and his team looking at Iraq right now to see if there is some high level statement to the people of Iraq from the leadership saying that Iraq should cooperate with the weapons inspectors that weapons of mass destruction should be part of their history, not their future. So there are key things Hans Blix will be looking for this time from Iraq, but also the Iraqis listening very carefully at the same time to his language now, Leon.
HARRIS: Well, then, Nic, what's the word then on the scope of the inspections that are still being carried out while Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei are preparing their report for this Friday (ph)?
N. ROBERTSON: Well, we've seen some very interesting pictures of some of the recent inspections. At a school, at a primary school for junior children, ages 5 up to about 11, while the children were on holiday, inspectors went into a school yard there. They were seen digging up part of the schoolyard, some part of an inspection process.
Now Iraq has, as part of its new talks over the weekend, offered a new type of tool and type of analysis to do some type of technical testing like that, digging up old weapons that have been destroyed, making scientific calculations on what amount of VX or what amount of anthrax or what exactly those weapon systems were doing. So the process of inspections still very much an ongoing process, and that's what the inspectors say they intend to do. Because, they say, they have a good system, and they would like to see it continue -- Leon.
HARRIS: Understood. Nic Robertson in Baghdad. Thanks, Nic.
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 10, 2003 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: NATO is crisis: deep divisions between the U.S. and Europe are on public display in Brussels today at a session of the military alliance. Three NATO members, France, Germany, and Belgium blocked a plan to protect Turkey in case of war with Iraq. Now, Turkey immediately called for emergency consultations under NATO's defense treaty, and that is apparently the first time that has occurred in the 53 year history of the NATO alliance. NATO Secretary General George Robertson calls this split a serious situation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE ROBERTSON, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: There is a very heated argument inside NATO about the timing, but that is what it's about. It is about the timing. And clearly, if we haven't achieved agreement after three weeks of discussion, then that argument is -- is of a serious nature. But at the same time, I think people are focusing on it now in a very determined way that Turkey has asked for consultations under Article IV and many of the countries concerned believe that that now focuses it in an unavoidable way on Turkey and its defense, and that that may well lead or help to lead to a solution to the present problem, the existing difficulties.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Now, this rebuke emphasizes the split between Washington and several key European capitals on the presence of war policy.
Now, CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash joins us live from Nashville. She's traveling with Mr. Bush this morning, and what is the word there, Dana?
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon. Well, as you know, Turkey is a critical staging area for the United States, if the United States does choose to use military action against Saddam Hussein, Iraq's neighbor to the north, and the U.S. has been working very, very hard to try to get Turkey to agree to allow the U.S. to use that, so this is something that the U.S. -- the U.S. is actually now fighting sort of a two-front diplomatic war at this point, fighting now in NATO, and, of course, we still have what's going on in the U.N.
But with regard to NATO, a White House spokesman says that they, of course, they are supporting Turkey's efforts to invoke Article IV, which says that any country -- any member nation of NATO does have a right to defend itself, and a White House spokesman says this really goes to the heart of NATO at its core. And Colin Powell, speaking in Washington, said that -- he said that he hopes that NATO will realize that they have an obligation to assist any NATO member asking for assistance.
So, the White House is trying to keep up pressure, and part of that pressure, we will hear from the president himself today here in Nashville, not too long from now. We are told that he will talk about the situation in Iraq, and specifically he will say today to keep pressure on. He will say that they have evidence that Iraq is already preparing to use civilians as human shields in the event -- preparing for that in the event of any kind of action against Saddam Hussein. You remember about 12 years ago Saddam Hussein had threatened to do so, had taken some hostages and then let them go, but this is something that the president will touch on today, talk about that issue.
In addition to his public speeches, he made a seven minute phone call on Air Force One on his way here to Nashville, spoke with the Danish prime minister on the phone. And as soon as he gets back to Washington, he will meet with the Australian prime minister in the Oval Office. So they are continuing to pressure all of the allies in terms of trying to get help for their position on dealing with Iraq -- Leon.
HARRIS: All right, Dana. Then tell us -- tell us about President Bush's stop there in Nashville. Why is he there?
BASH: Well, he's here in Nashville to speak to the religious broadcasters. He's here to talk primarily about what the White House calls its "compassionate" agenda. He'll talk about his faith-based initiative that got stalled in the first two years of his presidency in Congress. He is hoping to get that through this year, then he's also going to be talking about other initiatives, things that he talked about in his State of the Union, a big part of his domestic agenda. But again, we are expecting some news today on Iraq, specifically with him talking about Iraq's attempt to use civilians as human shields -- Leon.
HARRIS: Well, we'll keep our ears open for that news. Thanks, Dana. Dana Bash traveling with President Bush in Nashville. Well, the top weapons inspectors left Baghdad today following a weekend of talks there. Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei indicate that there is a new spirit of cooperation from the Iraqis, but is this enough to head off war?
CNN's Michael Okwu checks in now from the United Nations. What is the word there this morning, Michael?
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Leon, everybody anxiously waiting for the weapons inspectors to get back here to the United Nations. As you mention, after two days of talks with top Iraqi officials, the inspectors said that there is hope, but no breakthrough. Apparently, the Iraqi government handed over to the two men some documents suggesting how it might have destroyed its supplies of anthrax, as well as the VX nerve agent, but still unresolved, whether Iraq would allow surveillance by American U-2 spy planes, and whether Baghdad would pass legislation banning weapons of mass destruction.
Blix and ElBaradei said that they saw perhaps the beginning of a change of heart, but they needed to see something more spectacular -- Hans Blix.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANS BLIX, CHIEF U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: There are hundreds of questions that would need to be resolved. And, of course, we got a declaration, but we did not feel that there was new evidence in that declaration, and we think that that's what is needed. They tell us they've appointed a new commission which will try to find any documents that have not been surfacing before. We did, after all, some time ago find a stash of some 3,000 pages. That was one thing, and they presented one document, an authentic document this time that we hadn't seen before. Now we'd like to see a very big effort on that front.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OKWU: In the meantime, it appears that the United States may be heading to some sort of a showdown with the Security Council.
The U.S. basically considering three moves at this point: a strongly worded second resolution, some sort of compromise resolution, or no resolution at all, basically saying that Resolution 1441 gives them enough authority to go it alone.
In the meantime, Great Britain already saying that it will start drafting a second resolution if and when they hear from the weapons inspectors, when they report to the council on Friday. But the other veto bearing members of the council, Leon, China, France and Russia making it very clear that they want robust inspectors -- inspections. They want more inspectors on the ground, they do not want to rush to war. In the meantime, at the request of Hans Blix, there are a number of weapons specialists, missile specialists, who will be meeting here at the United Nations today and tomorrow to try to determine whether Iraq's missile system is, in fact, illegal. Presumably that information would be in the report on Friday as well -- Leon.
HARRIS: All right. We'll be looking forward to that, no doubt. Thanks much, Michael. Michael Okwu reporting live to us from the U.N.
Now, while the top inspectors report some progress, as you've just heard there from Michael Okwu, a lot remains unresolved about Iraq's cooperation. Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson is on duty in Baghdad. Let's get the latest from him right now -- hello, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon. Well, Iraqi officials say they think that they have done enough in these meetings over the weekend, showed enough cooperation, showed enough good faith. They say that if they are judged fairly, and in their words, by sane people, then they will realize that Iraq is giving all the cooperation the U.N. inspectors need. The newspapers here characterizing the talks as taking place in a positive atmosphere. Also saying that they hope that when Hans Blix makes that report to U.N. Security Council, that he does it in a fair and professional way.
Now, what they mean there is last time Hans Blix was in Baghdad, made a report to the U.N. Security Council, Iraqi officials say he was very positive in Baghdad, but then became negative when he left. So Iraqi officials will be listening very carefully to what Hans Blix says after he leaves Baghdad. Now he has gone. And, of course, Iraq still has to do a number of things before Hans Blix makes that report to the Security Council. They have to get back to him on the issue of U-2 surveillance flights. They promised they would do that before the end of this week. Also Hans Blix and his team looking at Iraq right now to see if there is some high level statement to the people of Iraq from the leadership saying that Iraq should cooperate with the weapons inspectors that weapons of mass destruction should be part of their history, not their future. So there are key things Hans Blix will be looking for this time from Iraq, but also the Iraqis listening very carefully at the same time to his language now, Leon.
HARRIS: Well, then, Nic, what's the word then on the scope of the inspections that are still being carried out while Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei are preparing their report for this Friday (ph)?
N. ROBERTSON: Well, we've seen some very interesting pictures of some of the recent inspections. At a school, at a primary school for junior children, ages 5 up to about 11, while the children were on holiday, inspectors went into a school yard there. They were seen digging up part of the schoolyard, some part of an inspection process.
Now Iraq has, as part of its new talks over the weekend, offered a new type of tool and type of analysis to do some type of technical testing like that, digging up old weapons that have been destroyed, making scientific calculations on what amount of VX or what amount of anthrax or what exactly those weapon systems were doing. So the process of inspections still very much an ongoing process, and that's what the inspectors say they intend to do. Because, they say, they have a good system, and they would like to see it continue -- Leon.
HARRIS: Understood. Nic Robertson in Baghdad. Thanks, Nic.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
