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Weapons Inspectors Will Pull Out of Iraq Tuesday

Aired March 17, 2003 - 11:56   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: U.N. weapons inspectors will be pulling out of Iraq on Tuesday. As you know, very early this morning, word came from the U.S. government that weapons inspectors were to leave Baghdad. That was the suggestion from the U.S. government.
Kofi Annan later agreed. And those U.N. inspectors will be out of Iraq by tomorrow, Tuesday.

Let's go live to Baghdad right now and check in with Nic Robertson.

Are you hearing about any of this, Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Carol.

The U.N. weapons inspections spokesman here said although they have not had word from the U.N. weapons inspections chief Hans Blix, formal word that they should evacuate their staff from Baghdad, he did say that they do expect to begin their pulling out all their staff on Tuesday.

Now, he does plan, and they do plan, to fly their staff out of Iraq. Currently, they have one aircraft, a large military style transport, L-130 aircraft at Saddam International Airport, the main airport here in Iraq, and that is the aircraft they expect these U.N. inspectors to depart on.

Of course, for the Iraqi people, that really will be a very clear sign that the end has come and that war will be very, very imminent -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Nic Robertson, thanks for the update, live from 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






Aired March 17, 2003 - 11:56   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: U.N. weapons inspectors will be pulling out of Iraq on Tuesday. As you know, very early this morning, word came from the U.S. government that weapons inspectors were to leave Baghdad. That was the suggestion from the U.S. government.
Kofi Annan later agreed. And those U.N. inspectors will be out of Iraq by tomorrow, Tuesday.

Let's go live to Baghdad right now and check in with Nic Robertson.

Are you hearing about any of this, Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Carol.

The U.N. weapons inspections spokesman here said although they have not had word from the U.N. weapons inspections chief Hans Blix, formal word that they should evacuate their staff from Baghdad, he did say that they do expect to begin their pulling out all their staff on Tuesday.

Now, he does plan, and they do plan, to fly their staff out of Iraq. Currently, they have one aircraft, a large military style transport, L-130 aircraft at Saddam International Airport, the main airport here in Iraq, and that is the aircraft they expect these U.N. inspectors to depart on.

Of course, for the Iraqi people, that really will be a very clear sign that the end has come and that war will be very, very imminent -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Nic Robertson, thanks for the update, live from 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