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CNN Live Today

Weapons Inspections in Iraq Marches On

Aired February 17, 2003 - 11:06   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: The snowstorm marches on, as does the weapons hunt in Iraq; also the push toward possible war there. U.N. weapons inspectors were back at work today, as the U.S. keeps up its hard line that Iraq must disarm or be disarmed by force.
Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, checks in now live from Baghdad. He's got the latest on the inspections.

Nic -- what do you have to report on the inspections this morning?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: One of the latest things that the weapons inspectors are looking for here, Leon, are the Al Samoud 2 missiles that Hans Blix has said -- the U.N. weapons chief has said are now prescribed, prohibited, some 380 engines that Iraq recently imported for those missiles, and a reconstructed missile production facility or part thereof.

Now, the weapons inspectors have been tagging the engines and tagging these newly-produced missiles, because they're proven to go well over the range that they were originally designed for, at least according to U.N. experts.

Now, what the weapons inspectors do when they tag the equipment, it's a way to monitor it. The next move would likely be for them -- and this is the way it's been in the past -- that they would have to then destroy, deconstruct these missiles, these engines, and possibly this construction facility as well.

Now, Iraq's deputy prime minister has said not only is it unfair, it's unnecessary, it's unscientific, he said, because the missiles are purely and simply not designed to exceed the 93-mile limit. They have been shown to go about 20 miles over. He said that was quite simply because they didn't have the control and guidance systems fitted -- Leon.

HARRIS: Nic Robertson in Baghdad -- thank you, Nic. We appreciate that report. We'll see you soon.

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 17, 2003 - 11:06   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The snowstorm marches on, as does the weapons hunt in Iraq; also the push toward possible war there. U.N. weapons inspectors were back at work today, as the U.S. keeps up its hard line that Iraq must disarm or be disarmed by force.
Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, checks in now live from Baghdad. He's got the latest on the inspections.

Nic -- what do you have to report on the inspections this morning?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: One of the latest things that the weapons inspectors are looking for here, Leon, are the Al Samoud 2 missiles that Hans Blix has said -- the U.N. weapons chief has said are now prescribed, prohibited, some 380 engines that Iraq recently imported for those missiles, and a reconstructed missile production facility or part thereof.

Now, the weapons inspectors have been tagging the engines and tagging these newly-produced missiles, because they're proven to go well over the range that they were originally designed for, at least according to U.N. experts.

Now, what the weapons inspectors do when they tag the equipment, it's a way to monitor it. The next move would likely be for them -- and this is the way it's been in the past -- that they would have to then destroy, deconstruct these missiles, these engines, and possibly this construction facility as well.

Now, Iraq's deputy prime minister has said not only is it unfair, it's unnecessary, it's unscientific, he said, because the missiles are purely and simply not designed to exceed the 93-mile limit. They have been shown to go about 20 miles over. He said that was quite simply because they didn't have the control and guidance systems fitted -- Leon.

HARRIS: Nic Robertson in Baghdad -- thank you, Nic. We appreciate that report. We'll see you soon.

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