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CNN Live Saturday
Iraq Invites U.N. Inspectors to Resume Work
Aired October 12, 2002 - 15:18 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq is assuring the U.N. that weapons inspectors will not encounter obstacles if they resume their work in Baghdad. Well, how is President Bush reacting to the news? CNN White House correspondent Kelly Wallace joins us from the White House. And Kelly, how about now? Is the president responding at all to this?
KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I can tell you the White House, Fredricka, is now responding. Thanks to a senior administration official, I managed to get on the telephone, and U.S. officials continue to be very skeptical of anything the Iraqis are saying. This official, in fact, saying that the Iraqis say different things in letters, in conversations and in private. This official going on to say this is more of the same games they have been playing for the past 10 years. They continue to play games of denial and deception.
Now, this latest move by Iraq: A top adviser to Saddam Hussein in a letter to U.N. officials indicating that Iraq will indeed allow weapons inspectors back inside his country. This coming after a letter earlier this week in which the Iraqis seemed to be backing away from an agreement made with the head of the U.N. weapons inspection team.
Well, now the Iraqis are saying that those inspectors can come back to Iraq as early as a week from today. But we know that Hans Blix, the head of that weapons inspection team, has said that he won't send inspectors back to Iraq until there is a tough new inspections regime in place. So the work continues to get that tough new U.N. resolution, and the strategy from this administration is to try and use the votes in the House and in the Senate on that resolution authorizing the use of military force if necessary against Iraq to put pressure on allies such as France, China and Russia. But so far, no agreement, no deal yet on a U.N. resolution -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, pressure on the permanent members of the U.N. All right, thank you very much, Kelly Wallace from the White House.
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 October 12, 2002 - 15:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq is assuring the U.N. that weapons inspectors will not encounter obstacles if they resume their work in Baghdad. Well, how is President Bush reacting to the news? CNN White House correspondent Kelly Wallace joins us from the White House. And Kelly, how about now? Is the president responding at all to this?
KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I can tell you the White House, Fredricka, is now responding. Thanks to a senior administration official, I managed to get on the telephone, and U.S. officials continue to be very skeptical of anything the Iraqis are saying. This official, in fact, saying that the Iraqis say different things in letters, in conversations and in private. This official going on to say this is more of the same games they have been playing for the past 10 years. They continue to play games of denial and deception.
Now, this latest move by Iraq: A top adviser to Saddam Hussein in a letter to U.N. officials indicating that Iraq will indeed allow weapons inspectors back inside his country. This coming after a letter earlier this week in which the Iraqis seemed to be backing away from an agreement made with the head of the U.N. weapons inspection team.
Well, now the Iraqis are saying that those inspectors can come back to Iraq as early as a week from today. But we know that Hans Blix, the head of that weapons inspection team, has said that he won't send inspectors back to Iraq until there is a tough new inspections regime in place. So the work continues to get that tough new U.N. resolution, and the strategy from this administration is to try and use the votes in the House and in the Senate on that resolution authorizing the use of military force if necessary against Iraq to put pressure on allies such as France, China and Russia. But so far, no agreement, no deal yet on a U.N. resolution -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, pressure on the permanent members of the U.N. All right, thank you very much, Kelly Wallace from the White House.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
