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Iraq Defends Missiles, Denies Allegations

Aired February 13, 2003 - 10:05   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: Iraq is dismissing claims that its missiles violate United Nations limits, and that Iraq faces -- quote -- "a war of aggression."
Let's get some perspective from Baghdad on all of this. Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, checks in at now the Iraqi capital. He joins us now with more.

Hello -- Nic. What's the word there?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Leon, the weapons inspectors here have been out to see the Al Samoud missile on tests a number of times. They've watched it on static tests doing vertical fire, but it's the horizontal tests where it's been fired off on a range and has given concern. As Richard Roth said, on a quarter of occasions, the missile has exceeded the 93 miles. On one occasion, it reached 114 miles, much further than that allowed under U.N. resolution.

What the U.N. inspectors have noticed is that the dimensions of the Al Samoud 2 have been increased from a diameter of 23 inches up to a diameter of 30 inches.

But what Iraqi officials say is happening is that this missile is being tested without its guidance and control systems and without an explosive payload on it. So, they say if those components were on there, then of course it wouldn't go that far.

The deputy prime minister, Tariq Aziz, in Rome to meet with the pope in the next few days also says that Iraq is not producing anything outside of Resolution 1441.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TARIQ AZIZ, IRAQI DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Well, the question of missiles was discussed between our experts, there is now a serious violation. The main problem is that the Iraqi missiles, who have a very short range, don't have a guidance system. And sometimes when a missile doesn't have a guided system, it goes 5 or 10 or 15 kilometers beyond, and that's not a very dangerous thing. It should not be exaggerated. We are still within the limits that have been decided by the United Nations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now, one of the other things people are watching here closely in Baghdad, an extraordinary session of Iraq's National Assembly called for just two-and-a-half hours before Hans Blix goes to the U.N. Security Council tomorrow. Now, no one is saying exactly what the National Assembly will do.

I talked with a member of the National Assembly. He said at this stage, he didn't know exactly what they were doing.

Of course, much speculation, Leon, that they may be about to pass legislation, as called for by the weapons inspectors, to outlaw weapons of mass destruction. However, that is speculation, and of course, they could come together, as somebody else here speculated, just to show support for President Saddam Hussein at this time -- Leon.

HARRIS: All right, Nic, what do we know then -- since you bring his name up, what do we know about Saddam Hussein and this possible meeting with the envoy coming from the Vatican? We're going to be talking about that later on this morning about what the Vatican is trying to accomplish here. But what do we know about this meeting? Has it happened yet? And if it has happened, do we know what they talked about at all?

ROBERTSON: Well, we know the papal envoy, Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, isn't due to leave Iraq until Saturday. It doesn't appear that this meeting has yet taken place. He came to Baghdad. The papal envoy came with a personal message, a personal letter to President Saddam Hussein.

Typically when these types of meetings happen, we don't often find out about it until a number of hours or a number of days later. Certainly, Tariq Aziz, the deputy prime minister, going to Rome to see the pope as well. He will also, we understand, go on to a number of other locations in Italy to further his message that Iraq doesn't want war, that Iraq wants peace.

What can actually come out of this, it's still too early to say. The pope wants to show his commitment, Leon, that he really wants to try everything for peace at this time.

HARRIS: Understood. Gotcha, Nic -- Nic Robertson in Baghdad. Thank you, Nic. We'll get back to you later on.

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 13, 2003 - 10:05   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq is dismissing claims that its missiles violate United Nations limits, and that Iraq faces -- quote -- "a war of aggression."
Let's get some perspective from Baghdad on all of this. Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, checks in at now the Iraqi capital. He joins us now with more.

Hello -- Nic. What's the word there?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Leon, the weapons inspectors here have been out to see the Al Samoud missile on tests a number of times. They've watched it on static tests doing vertical fire, but it's the horizontal tests where it's been fired off on a range and has given concern. As Richard Roth said, on a quarter of occasions, the missile has exceeded the 93 miles. On one occasion, it reached 114 miles, much further than that allowed under U.N. resolution.

What the U.N. inspectors have noticed is that the dimensions of the Al Samoud 2 have been increased from a diameter of 23 inches up to a diameter of 30 inches.

But what Iraqi officials say is happening is that this missile is being tested without its guidance and control systems and without an explosive payload on it. So, they say if those components were on there, then of course it wouldn't go that far.

The deputy prime minister, Tariq Aziz, in Rome to meet with the pope in the next few days also says that Iraq is not producing anything outside of Resolution 1441.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TARIQ AZIZ, IRAQI DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Well, the question of missiles was discussed between our experts, there is now a serious violation. The main problem is that the Iraqi missiles, who have a very short range, don't have a guidance system. And sometimes when a missile doesn't have a guided system, it goes 5 or 10 or 15 kilometers beyond, and that's not a very dangerous thing. It should not be exaggerated. We are still within the limits that have been decided by the United Nations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now, one of the other things people are watching here closely in Baghdad, an extraordinary session of Iraq's National Assembly called for just two-and-a-half hours before Hans Blix goes to the U.N. Security Council tomorrow. Now, no one is saying exactly what the National Assembly will do.

I talked with a member of the National Assembly. He said at this stage, he didn't know exactly what they were doing.

Of course, much speculation, Leon, that they may be about to pass legislation, as called for by the weapons inspectors, to outlaw weapons of mass destruction. However, that is speculation, and of course, they could come together, as somebody else here speculated, just to show support for President Saddam Hussein at this time -- Leon.

HARRIS: All right, Nic, what do we know then -- since you bring his name up, what do we know about Saddam Hussein and this possible meeting with the envoy coming from the Vatican? We're going to be talking about that later on this morning about what the Vatican is trying to accomplish here. But what do we know about this meeting? Has it happened yet? And if it has happened, do we know what they talked about at all?

ROBERTSON: Well, we know the papal envoy, Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, isn't due to leave Iraq until Saturday. It doesn't appear that this meeting has yet taken place. He came to Baghdad. The papal envoy came with a personal message, a personal letter to President Saddam Hussein.

Typically when these types of meetings happen, we don't often find out about it until a number of hours or a number of days later. Certainly, Tariq Aziz, the deputy prime minister, going to Rome to see the pope as well. He will also, we understand, go on to a number of other locations in Italy to further his message that Iraq doesn't want war, that Iraq wants peace.

What can actually come out of this, it's still too early to say. The pope wants to show his commitment, Leon, that he really wants to try everything for peace at this time.

HARRIS: Understood. Gotcha, Nic -- Nic Robertson in Baghdad. Thank you, Nic. We'll get back to you later on.

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