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More Tests Needed After Discovery of What May be Chemical Weapons

Aired April 28, 2003 - 10:09   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: In northern Iraq, more tests are needed after the discovery of what may be chemical weapons. There have been some conflicting preliminary findings of a possible nerve agent and a blister agent found near a former Iraqi military position about 130 miles north of Baghdad. Nic Robertson working this story, he has the very latest.
Nic, what is the word there?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the verdict is still out on what the results may show from here. The first set of results conducted by the 1st Squadron of the 10th Cavalry, came back indicating the presence of sacrasarin (ph), a nerve agent, and a blister agent, mustard gas, plus another unknown agent. That first batch of tests were followed up by the sensitive site team, who visited this particular location about 130 miles north of Baghdad. They came up with pretty much the same results, just one of the tests giving an unknown on one of the tests, but pretty much concurring with the previous set of tests. When a third team came here, the mobile exploitation team, the MET team, when they came here, their tests proved negative.

Samples have been taken away from the site for further analysis, both here in Iraq and back in the United States.

But one of the things that gave the teams to believe that this site may in fact be a site that has had or was possibly going to be used for chemical weapons, is the fact that it is a remote site. It's not an industrial site like some of the other sites that have been investigated. It is a site that has missiles deployed only a few meters away from the drums of chemical agents, or suspected chemical agents that have been discovered here. It also had two mobile laboratories, these laboratories with complex equipment that can be used for mixing together chemicals. Also discovered not far from here were 150 gas masks of much higher quality than the normal gas masks that have been found in their thousands belonging to the Iraqi army by coalition forces so far. And so there were a number indicators indicating this site could be different to all those others, but at the moment, Leon, the verdict still out. Analysis under those samples taken away still being looked at.

HARRIS: Well, Nic, two questions, real quickly, number one, do you know where the coalition forces happened to be on their list of sites that they are looking through right now? Do you know whether they are halfway through it, near the top, or what? Or is this site one of the sites they are learning from Iraqi scientists coming forward with information?

ROBERTSON: Well, Leon, I'm talking to the team members here from the 1st Squadron of the 10th Cavalry, they're visiting a lot of different sites they get called to on an almost daily basis. They're always busy. Their chemical teams here, they're fox teams are always busy at different sites.

This site was discovered because U.S. special forces operated in this area got an intelligence tipoff from Iraqis who live near here, who said they believe chemical weapons may be present. So there may be a list of sites to visit, but it appears that that list is being added to all of the time, as sites become known, as things get discovered, as people come forward for information. So it seems at this stage, a lot more work yet to be done -- Leon.

HARRIS: All right, thank you very much, Nic. We'll let you get back to your work. Appreciate that. Nic Robertson, reporting live for us from north of Baghdad.

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




Weapons>


Aired April 28, 2003 - 10:09   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: In northern Iraq, more tests are needed after the discovery of what may be chemical weapons. There have been some conflicting preliminary findings of a possible nerve agent and a blister agent found near a former Iraqi military position about 130 miles north of Baghdad. Nic Robertson working this story, he has the very latest.
Nic, what is the word there?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the verdict is still out on what the results may show from here. The first set of results conducted by the 1st Squadron of the 10th Cavalry, came back indicating the presence of sacrasarin (ph), a nerve agent, and a blister agent, mustard gas, plus another unknown agent. That first batch of tests were followed up by the sensitive site team, who visited this particular location about 130 miles north of Baghdad. They came up with pretty much the same results, just one of the tests giving an unknown on one of the tests, but pretty much concurring with the previous set of tests. When a third team came here, the mobile exploitation team, the MET team, when they came here, their tests proved negative.

Samples have been taken away from the site for further analysis, both here in Iraq and back in the United States.

But one of the things that gave the teams to believe that this site may in fact be a site that has had or was possibly going to be used for chemical weapons, is the fact that it is a remote site. It's not an industrial site like some of the other sites that have been investigated. It is a site that has missiles deployed only a few meters away from the drums of chemical agents, or suspected chemical agents that have been discovered here. It also had two mobile laboratories, these laboratories with complex equipment that can be used for mixing together chemicals. Also discovered not far from here were 150 gas masks of much higher quality than the normal gas masks that have been found in their thousands belonging to the Iraqi army by coalition forces so far. And so there were a number indicators indicating this site could be different to all those others, but at the moment, Leon, the verdict still out. Analysis under those samples taken away still being looked at.

HARRIS: Well, Nic, two questions, real quickly, number one, do you know where the coalition forces happened to be on their list of sites that they are looking through right now? Do you know whether they are halfway through it, near the top, or what? Or is this site one of the sites they are learning from Iraqi scientists coming forward with information?

ROBERTSON: Well, Leon, I'm talking to the team members here from the 1st Squadron of the 10th Cavalry, they're visiting a lot of different sites they get called to on an almost daily basis. They're always busy. Their chemical teams here, they're fox teams are always busy at different sites.

This site was discovered because U.S. special forces operated in this area got an intelligence tipoff from Iraqis who live near here, who said they believe chemical weapons may be present. So there may be a list of sites to visit, but it appears that that list is being added to all of the time, as sites become known, as things get discovered, as people come forward for information. So it seems at this stage, a lot more work yet to be done -- Leon.

HARRIS: All right, thank you very much, Nic. We'll let you get back to your work. Appreciate that. Nic Robertson, reporting live for us from north of Baghdad.

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




Weapons>