Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Choice for Military Action or Continued Inspections Creates Divisions Within U.N.

Aired February 28, 2003 - 10:01   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 choice for a military action or continued inspections has created some bitter divisions within the U.N. Security Council. Diplomats emerging from yesterday's meeting called the debate heated. Well, tomorrow members will turn to chief inspector Hans Blix and his progress report for further guidance in this diplomatic mine field, and CNN's Michael Okwu is standing by at his post at the United Nations.
He has got more on this for us this morning.

Hello, Michael.

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Leon, hello to you. Today the very big news.

About this missile program, the Al Samoud II, of course which the Iraqis have sent a letter that they will comply, the destruction of it. But they sent a letter to the chief weapons inspectors saying that they will do so in principle. This is what Dr. Blix had to say this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANS BLIX, U.N. CHIEF WEAPONS INSPECTOR: We received a letter yesterday from Dr. Al Samoud (ph), in which informed us that Iraq had principle accepted our request for the destruction of the missiles to commence on the first of March, that's say, tomorrow, and my deputy executive chairman, Mr. Pericos (ph) is in Baghdad at the present time, and he will discuss with him the program for destruction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: The question of course is what in principle actually means? The letter that the Iraqis sent to the chief weapons inspectors' office was a very short letter, and it mentioned quite emphatically that they felt this request was, in fact, very unfair. In the meantime, a U.N. technical team is in Baghdad. They will be supervising and verifying the destruction of the Al Samoud II and its related component parts.

France, Russia, who of course have been very vocal about continuing inspections and not rushing off to war have said about this particular issue, there is absolutely no argument. Perhaps, Saddam Hussein heard that -- Leon.

HARRIS: Well, Michael, right now, how do things lie with the divisions within the Security council? We know that the U.S. has been lobbying, trying to get those nine votes it needs.

OKWU: Well, this is a very divided council, there is absolutely no question about that. If there were not fish banging on tables literally, then certainly behind closed doors happened figuratively. The German ambassador said that it was a very intense meeting. The Spanish ambassador repeating the same. All of the diplomats leaving that meeting today where they discussed the second resolution backed by the United States, Great Britain and Spain essentially all had the same thing to say. All of those countries, the U.S. and Great Britain on one side, along with France and Russia surely on the other side, had been courting the votes of those other countries. The Chilean ambassador appeared from that meeting yesterday with a very angry tone, suggesting that bigger powers were risking behaving like bullies.

Here is the Chilean ambassador.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUAN GABRIEL VALDEZ, CHILEAN AMB. TO U.N.: This divided council is in fact throwing the decision on the decision on the shoulders of the elected members, while the permanent members stick to their positions without making efforts to approximate their views.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OKWU: The Chilean ambassador went on to say increasing levels of irritation as all of the big powers became more and more entrenched in their positions -- Leon.

HARRIS: Michael, what happens then, at least what is the thinking then what happens if Iraq does comply or does not comply?

OKWU: Well, the thinking is that there is something in this for everyone. If the Iraqis comply to basically destroy their missiles to start destroying their missiles by March 1st, then the United States and Great Britain would certainly not have that as an argument anymore.

But the U.S. and Great Britain and Spain perhaps would tell you, Leon, that this is just one of a long list of things that the Iraqis should already be doing.

In fact, U.S. officials have said in the past that they believed all along that the Iraqis would string this thing out and make some sort of public relation's statements and offer cosmetic olive branches.

Of course, Russia on one side and France of course along with them have been saying that every time the Iraqis come forward and comply with something, it's very clear indication that the inspections process is working, and it should continue -- Leon.

HARRIS: All right, we'll see how things play out today.

Thanks, Michael. Michael Okwu at the U.N. this morning -- Daryn. KAGAN: If Iraq does indeed go through with its pledge to destroy its missiles deemed illegal by the United Nations, a deputy for chief inspector Hans Blix will oversee that process.

Dimitri Pericos (ph) arrived in Baghdad yesterday.

Our senior international Nic Robertson is also in the Iraqi capital, and he joins with us more.

Nic, hello.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello. Well, he is expected to hold those meetings tomorrow with Iraqi officials. Dimitri Pericos (ph) has spent a lot of time in Baghdad over the last number of months. He's led many of the U.N. inspections here. And he knows very well many of the Iraqi officials he'll be sitting down with.

What Iraqi officials say they want to get out of these talks is an understanding about how to destroy those missiles verifiably. Now what the U.N. is expecting to happen here is merely it get into those technical talks, to set down a timeline, and to set down an action plan about how the missiles and all the other parts, the engines, the components that have been used in its manufacture, how all of those things will be destroyed. And then the U.N. expects within the day, within Saturday, that they will then move into a process to begin that destruction.

Now, Dimitri Pericios (ph) has been may be to many, many of Iraq's weapons sites in the past. He is very, very familiar with working with Iraqi officials here. He's been on these top-level negotiations that have negotiated with him before.

But what we are told is one thing the U.N. officials are not expecting to do in the context of tomorrow's technical meeting, they are not expecting to begin discussing and debating what shall be and what shall not be destroyed. That has been set out in a letter by U.N. weapon's chief Hans Blix. So it's a merely a timeframe and a methodology for destroying the missiles.

KAGAN: All right, Nic Robertson in Baghdad. Nic, thank you very much.

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




Creates Divisions Within U.N.>


Aired February 28, 2003 - 10:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The choice for a military action or continued inspections has created some bitter divisions within the U.N. Security Council. Diplomats emerging from yesterday's meeting called the debate heated. Well, tomorrow members will turn to chief inspector Hans Blix and his progress report for further guidance in this diplomatic mine field, and CNN's Michael Okwu is standing by at his post at the United Nations.
He has got more on this for us this morning.

Hello, Michael.

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Leon, hello to you. Today the very big news.

About this missile program, the Al Samoud II, of course which the Iraqis have sent a letter that they will comply, the destruction of it. But they sent a letter to the chief weapons inspectors saying that they will do so in principle. This is what Dr. Blix had to say this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANS BLIX, U.N. CHIEF WEAPONS INSPECTOR: We received a letter yesterday from Dr. Al Samoud (ph), in which informed us that Iraq had principle accepted our request for the destruction of the missiles to commence on the first of March, that's say, tomorrow, and my deputy executive chairman, Mr. Pericos (ph) is in Baghdad at the present time, and he will discuss with him the program for destruction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: The question of course is what in principle actually means? The letter that the Iraqis sent to the chief weapons inspectors' office was a very short letter, and it mentioned quite emphatically that they felt this request was, in fact, very unfair. In the meantime, a U.N. technical team is in Baghdad. They will be supervising and verifying the destruction of the Al Samoud II and its related component parts.

France, Russia, who of course have been very vocal about continuing inspections and not rushing off to war have said about this particular issue, there is absolutely no argument. Perhaps, Saddam Hussein heard that -- Leon.

HARRIS: Well, Michael, right now, how do things lie with the divisions within the Security council? We know that the U.S. has been lobbying, trying to get those nine votes it needs.

OKWU: Well, this is a very divided council, there is absolutely no question about that. If there were not fish banging on tables literally, then certainly behind closed doors happened figuratively. The German ambassador said that it was a very intense meeting. The Spanish ambassador repeating the same. All of the diplomats leaving that meeting today where they discussed the second resolution backed by the United States, Great Britain and Spain essentially all had the same thing to say. All of those countries, the U.S. and Great Britain on one side, along with France and Russia surely on the other side, had been courting the votes of those other countries. The Chilean ambassador appeared from that meeting yesterday with a very angry tone, suggesting that bigger powers were risking behaving like bullies.

Here is the Chilean ambassador.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUAN GABRIEL VALDEZ, CHILEAN AMB. TO U.N.: This divided council is in fact throwing the decision on the decision on the shoulders of the elected members, while the permanent members stick to their positions without making efforts to approximate their views.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OKWU: The Chilean ambassador went on to say increasing levels of irritation as all of the big powers became more and more entrenched in their positions -- Leon.

HARRIS: Michael, what happens then, at least what is the thinking then what happens if Iraq does comply or does not comply?

OKWU: Well, the thinking is that there is something in this for everyone. If the Iraqis comply to basically destroy their missiles to start destroying their missiles by March 1st, then the United States and Great Britain would certainly not have that as an argument anymore.

But the U.S. and Great Britain and Spain perhaps would tell you, Leon, that this is just one of a long list of things that the Iraqis should already be doing.

In fact, U.S. officials have said in the past that they believed all along that the Iraqis would string this thing out and make some sort of public relation's statements and offer cosmetic olive branches.

Of course, Russia on one side and France of course along with them have been saying that every time the Iraqis come forward and comply with something, it's very clear indication that the inspections process is working, and it should continue -- Leon.

HARRIS: All right, we'll see how things play out today.

Thanks, Michael. Michael Okwu at the U.N. this morning -- Daryn. KAGAN: If Iraq does indeed go through with its pledge to destroy its missiles deemed illegal by the United Nations, a deputy for chief inspector Hans Blix will oversee that process.

Dimitri Pericos (ph) arrived in Baghdad yesterday.

Our senior international Nic Robertson is also in the Iraqi capital, and he joins with us more.

Nic, hello.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello. Well, he is expected to hold those meetings tomorrow with Iraqi officials. Dimitri Pericos (ph) has spent a lot of time in Baghdad over the last number of months. He's led many of the U.N. inspections here. And he knows very well many of the Iraqi officials he'll be sitting down with.

What Iraqi officials say they want to get out of these talks is an understanding about how to destroy those missiles verifiably. Now what the U.N. is expecting to happen here is merely it get into those technical talks, to set down a timeline, and to set down an action plan about how the missiles and all the other parts, the engines, the components that have been used in its manufacture, how all of those things will be destroyed. And then the U.N. expects within the day, within Saturday, that they will then move into a process to begin that destruction.

Now, Dimitri Pericios (ph) has been may be to many, many of Iraq's weapons sites in the past. He is very, very familiar with working with Iraqi officials here. He's been on these top-level negotiations that have negotiated with him before.

But what we are told is one thing the U.N. officials are not expecting to do in the context of tomorrow's technical meeting, they are not expecting to begin discussing and debating what shall be and what shall not be destroyed. That has been set out in a letter by U.N. weapon's chief Hans Blix. So it's a merely a timeframe and a methodology for destroying the missiles.

KAGAN: All right, Nic Robertson in Baghdad. Nic, thank you very much.

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




Creates Divisions Within U.N.>