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CNN Live Saturday
U.S. Security Council Members Evaluate U.S. Resolution on Iraq
Aired October 26, 2002 - 13:18 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: U.N. Security Council members are going over the U.S. resolution on Iraq, formally introduced yesterday. It calls for Iraq to disarm or face the consequences. What does Iraq have to say? CNN's Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf is standing by now with that. Hello, Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hi, Heidi. Well, Iraq is saying that any resolution that contradicts agreements it already has with the U.N. secretary-general is unacceptable, and what it means by that is basically the presidential palaces. There is a way to inspect those palaces that's been agreed upon. And it says it will have a hard time with this resolution.
At the end of the day, the feeling is it may have to accept it, though. But it does call it a pretext for waging war on Iraq. That was the same message by a very small group of protests here today, a long way from home. A group of Americans from a peace group that's been coming here for years, Voices in the Wilderness, trying to do the same thing here in a much smaller sense that we have just seen from those pictures in Washington, spread the message that not all Americans are in favor of going to war against Iraq.
Now, these people lit candles at a candlelight vigil outside the U.S. interest section, and held a demonstration, a small one, admittedly, outside the U.N. headquarters where weapons inspectors would be based.
Now, part of the reason there are so few peace activists here, although a lot more would like to come, is that the Iraqi government really does keep down the number of foreigners. It's still saying, as well, government, that it plans to ask many of the foreign journalists here to leave, including CNN, starting as early as Monday. It says it just can't manage the numbers, and it wants to bring more journalists in in limited numbers -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Well, Jane, let's talk about that for a moment. I know, CNN, we have had our bureau there, you are the bureau chief, for 12 years. Tell us a little bit more about what was behind those expulsions? What brought them to this decision?
ARRAF: You mentioned the presence here for 12 years, and a bureau in this form since late '97. Now, this is the first time since then that this has happened, and there are quite a few factors behind the expulsion.
Now, Iraq doesn't like that word. It's making clear that it doesn't feel it's expelling journalists, but it is making many of them who would otherwise be here actually leave. I've been told that I have to leave on Monday, for instance.
What is really behind this in our case is a lot of discontent about our presence in northern Iraq. Now, we have been reporting from northern Iraq because it is obviously an important part of the story. Many news organizations have felt that way, as well. But the Iraqi government maintains that people there are there illegally, because they are in Kurdish-controlled territory and they haven't come through Baghdad, which doesn't permit reporting from the Kurdish areas. So the Iraqis have basically said that anyone there is there illegally and news organizations will have to choose between a presence in Baghdad or a presence in northern Iraq -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Jane Arraf from Baghdad for us today. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Iraq>
Aired October 26, 2002 - 13:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: U.N. Security Council members are going over the U.S. resolution on Iraq, formally introduced yesterday. It calls for Iraq to disarm or face the consequences. What does Iraq have to say? CNN's Baghdad bureau chief Jane Arraf is standing by now with that. Hello, Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hi, Heidi. Well, Iraq is saying that any resolution that contradicts agreements it already has with the U.N. secretary-general is unacceptable, and what it means by that is basically the presidential palaces. There is a way to inspect those palaces that's been agreed upon. And it says it will have a hard time with this resolution.
At the end of the day, the feeling is it may have to accept it, though. But it does call it a pretext for waging war on Iraq. That was the same message by a very small group of protests here today, a long way from home. A group of Americans from a peace group that's been coming here for years, Voices in the Wilderness, trying to do the same thing here in a much smaller sense that we have just seen from those pictures in Washington, spread the message that not all Americans are in favor of going to war against Iraq.
Now, these people lit candles at a candlelight vigil outside the U.S. interest section, and held a demonstration, a small one, admittedly, outside the U.N. headquarters where weapons inspectors would be based.
Now, part of the reason there are so few peace activists here, although a lot more would like to come, is that the Iraqi government really does keep down the number of foreigners. It's still saying, as well, government, that it plans to ask many of the foreign journalists here to leave, including CNN, starting as early as Monday. It says it just can't manage the numbers, and it wants to bring more journalists in in limited numbers -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Well, Jane, let's talk about that for a moment. I know, CNN, we have had our bureau there, you are the bureau chief, for 12 years. Tell us a little bit more about what was behind those expulsions? What brought them to this decision?
ARRAF: You mentioned the presence here for 12 years, and a bureau in this form since late '97. Now, this is the first time since then that this has happened, and there are quite a few factors behind the expulsion.
Now, Iraq doesn't like that word. It's making clear that it doesn't feel it's expelling journalists, but it is making many of them who would otherwise be here actually leave. I've been told that I have to leave on Monday, for instance.
What is really behind this in our case is a lot of discontent about our presence in northern Iraq. Now, we have been reporting from northern Iraq because it is obviously an important part of the story. Many news organizations have felt that way, as well. But the Iraqi government maintains that people there are there illegally, because they are in Kurdish-controlled territory and they haven't come through Baghdad, which doesn't permit reporting from the Kurdish areas. So the Iraqis have basically said that anyone there is there illegally and news organizations will have to choose between a presence in Baghdad or a presence in northern Iraq -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Jane Arraf from Baghdad for us today. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Iraq>
