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CNN Live At Daybreak

Blix Says Missile Found Has Range Greater Than That Allowed by U.N.

Aired February 13, 2003 - 05:33   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: Now to the issue of Iraq. Chief weapons inspector Hans Blix says a missile found by his inspectors has a range greater than that allowed by the United Nations. There is now disagreement over whether the missile is a so-called material breach of U.S. resolutions. A material breach could open the door to military action.
Blix says he's ready to provide what he calls an even-handed report on Iraq, though, and that report is due tomorrow before the U.N. Security Council.

We have a lot to cover here -- the suspect missile, Blix's report tomorrow to the Security Council, the NATO dilemma over Iraq.

So, let's turn to Baghdad and see what's being said about all of this.

Our Rym Brahimi joins us live from the center of the controversy -- Rym.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, well, the missile issue, of course, is being seen here as something that can be discussed. The Iraqis are asking for a joint team of experts to look at that missile again. It's called the al-Samoud 2 missile and it has been tested many times during the stay of, during the beginning of the, since the beginning of the inspections in November. It's been tested some 40 times. Out of those 40 times, on 13 occasions that missile exceeded its authorized range of 150 kilometers. That's roughly 93 miles.

Now, that missile was also declared in Iraq's declaration on December the 7th and Hans Blix mentioned that capacity it had to go beyond its range in his report last month.

Now, of course, ultimately the question will be whether this is a material breach, but maybe in the bigger picture, Hans Blix, when he goes to the United Nations Security Council on Friday, will basically have to also assess whether or not the inspection process is working based on how much cooperation he's getting from the Iraqis -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Rym Brahimi reporting live from Baghdad today.

Thirty-eight thousand members of the military reserve and National Guard are being called to duty in the single largest call-up since the war on terror began. Among them are reservists at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. They're part of an airlift command and will be delivering weapons, equipment and food to troops in the field. And the 101st Airborne Division is loading these helicopters, you're going to see in just a minute, onto the USNS Bob Hope. They're making a pit stop in Jacksonville, Florida before shipping out to the Middle East. OK, there you see them.

In the meantime, an Army medical company from Fort Hood, Texas is also being deployed. Authorities are not disclosing how many soldiers from the 13th Core Support Command are being called to action or where they're going. And more troops are heading to the Persian Gulf region from bases in Virginia. An undisclosed number of soldiers from the 10th and 24th Transportation Battalions have left Fort Eustis in Newport News and about 150 support personnel such as security forces and communications specialists have departed Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia.

A significant amount of U.S. forces and equipment are arriving now at the port in Kuwait.

For more on that, we go live to Kuwait City and our Martin Savidge -- good morning, Martin.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.

The U.S. military says that there are 60,000 U.S. troops now located here in Kuwait. That figure, though, is the same one they've been using for the past couple of days. We've been calculating the rate of arrival as several thousand troops a day, which means it's out of date. But the military doesn't like to give you specific numbers. It also means that there are probably going to be a lot more soldiers here before it is all said and done.

But 60,000 the official figure and growing, they say. Here's what they mean by and growing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE (voice-over): The massive military buildup in Kuwait goes round the clock, but dawn brings it fully into view. Huge landing craft of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Units speed to shore, sounding like airplanes. The activity around Navy ships just off the coast resembles bees buzzing the hive. Able to carry heavy loads at high speeds, the Elk Cats, as they're called, are not just something to be heard, but also felt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was pretty choppy. I guess the wind's kicking a little bit out in the water and the Elk Cats came in. It was a little choppy. It was quick.

SAVIDGE: Rolling off the deck, Marine LAVs, light assault vehicles capable of spearheading any push into Iraq if the order comes followed by the heavy stuff, amphibious assault vehicles, tanks, eventually, the Marines themselves.

Once off the beach, the military might rolls north, turning the Abdulley Highway (ph) into a seemingly endless stream of convoys. More and more this ribbon of asphalt that runs to the Iraqi border looks like the road to war. While the U.S. military moves in, others continue to move out of the military training zone that will soon cover half of Kuwait. Camel caravans plod south, tangling with the traffic on the highway. The Abdulley Road is an odd mix these days of ancient scenes and modern warfare -- two forces with opposite strategies, getting in or getting out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: It is not just U.S. troops that are arriving on the scene. The United Arab Emirates is sending some 4,000 troops to Kuwait. That was part of a GCC decision, the Gulf Cooperation Council. They are not here to take part in any potential action, if it comes down to it, against Iraq. They are here to defend Kuwait in case there would be Iraqi retaliation -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Understood.

Martin Savidge reporting live from Kuwait City.

For more on U.S. troop deployments, go to cnn.com and click on showdown Iraq. There is an extensive special report with interactive maps showing units that have been ordered to deploy, their destinations, equipment and duties. As always, the address is cnn.com, AOL keyword: CNN.

Before we get to our Fast Forward, we have some news just into the CNN newsroom. Apparently the German foreign minister says NATO will reach a decision on Turkey on Saturday. As you know, there's been a big rift in NATO over the issue of protecting Turkey right now. As we get more information about this, we'll certainly pass it along.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Allowed by U.N.>


Aired February 13, 2003 - 05:33   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now to the issue of Iraq. Chief weapons inspector Hans Blix says a missile found by his inspectors has a range greater than that allowed by the United Nations. There is now disagreement over whether the missile is a so-called material breach of U.S. resolutions. A material breach could open the door to military action.
Blix says he's ready to provide what he calls an even-handed report on Iraq, though, and that report is due tomorrow before the U.N. Security Council.

We have a lot to cover here -- the suspect missile, Blix's report tomorrow to the Security Council, the NATO dilemma over Iraq.

So, let's turn to Baghdad and see what's being said about all of this.

Our Rym Brahimi joins us live from the center of the controversy -- Rym.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, well, the missile issue, of course, is being seen here as something that can be discussed. The Iraqis are asking for a joint team of experts to look at that missile again. It's called the al-Samoud 2 missile and it has been tested many times during the stay of, during the beginning of the, since the beginning of the inspections in November. It's been tested some 40 times. Out of those 40 times, on 13 occasions that missile exceeded its authorized range of 150 kilometers. That's roughly 93 miles.

Now, that missile was also declared in Iraq's declaration on December the 7th and Hans Blix mentioned that capacity it had to go beyond its range in his report last month.

Now, of course, ultimately the question will be whether this is a material breach, but maybe in the bigger picture, Hans Blix, when he goes to the United Nations Security Council on Friday, will basically have to also assess whether or not the inspection process is working based on how much cooperation he's getting from the Iraqis -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Rym Brahimi reporting live from Baghdad today.

Thirty-eight thousand members of the military reserve and National Guard are being called to duty in the single largest call-up since the war on terror began. Among them are reservists at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. They're part of an airlift command and will be delivering weapons, equipment and food to troops in the field. And the 101st Airborne Division is loading these helicopters, you're going to see in just a minute, onto the USNS Bob Hope. They're making a pit stop in Jacksonville, Florida before shipping out to the Middle East. OK, there you see them.

In the meantime, an Army medical company from Fort Hood, Texas is also being deployed. Authorities are not disclosing how many soldiers from the 13th Core Support Command are being called to action or where they're going. And more troops are heading to the Persian Gulf region from bases in Virginia. An undisclosed number of soldiers from the 10th and 24th Transportation Battalions have left Fort Eustis in Newport News and about 150 support personnel such as security forces and communications specialists have departed Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia.

A significant amount of U.S. forces and equipment are arriving now at the port in Kuwait.

For more on that, we go live to Kuwait City and our Martin Savidge -- good morning, Martin.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.

The U.S. military says that there are 60,000 U.S. troops now located here in Kuwait. That figure, though, is the same one they've been using for the past couple of days. We've been calculating the rate of arrival as several thousand troops a day, which means it's out of date. But the military doesn't like to give you specific numbers. It also means that there are probably going to be a lot more soldiers here before it is all said and done.

But 60,000 the official figure and growing, they say. Here's what they mean by and growing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE (voice-over): The massive military buildup in Kuwait goes round the clock, but dawn brings it fully into view. Huge landing craft of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Units speed to shore, sounding like airplanes. The activity around Navy ships just off the coast resembles bees buzzing the hive. Able to carry heavy loads at high speeds, the Elk Cats, as they're called, are not just something to be heard, but also felt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was pretty choppy. I guess the wind's kicking a little bit out in the water and the Elk Cats came in. It was a little choppy. It was quick.

SAVIDGE: Rolling off the deck, Marine LAVs, light assault vehicles capable of spearheading any push into Iraq if the order comes followed by the heavy stuff, amphibious assault vehicles, tanks, eventually, the Marines themselves.

Once off the beach, the military might rolls north, turning the Abdulley Highway (ph) into a seemingly endless stream of convoys. More and more this ribbon of asphalt that runs to the Iraqi border looks like the road to war. While the U.S. military moves in, others continue to move out of the military training zone that will soon cover half of Kuwait. Camel caravans plod south, tangling with the traffic on the highway. The Abdulley Road is an odd mix these days of ancient scenes and modern warfare -- two forces with opposite strategies, getting in or getting out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: It is not just U.S. troops that are arriving on the scene. The United Arab Emirates is sending some 4,000 troops to Kuwait. That was part of a GCC decision, the Gulf Cooperation Council. They are not here to take part in any potential action, if it comes down to it, against Iraq. They are here to defend Kuwait in case there would be Iraqi retaliation -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Understood.

Martin Savidge reporting live from Kuwait City.

For more on U.S. troop deployments, go to cnn.com and click on showdown Iraq. There is an extensive special report with interactive maps showing units that have been ordered to deploy, their destinations, equipment and duties. As always, the address is cnn.com, AOL keyword: CNN.

Before we get to our Fast Forward, we have some news just into the CNN newsroom. Apparently the German foreign minister says NATO will reach a decision on Turkey on Saturday. As you know, there's been a big rift in NATO over the issue of protecting Turkey right now. As we get more information about this, we'll certainly pass it along.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Allowed by U.N.>