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CNN Live Saturday

Iraqi Officials Insist Iraq Is Cooperating With U.N.

Aired February 15, 2003 - 18:14   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 LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq still insists it is cooperating with weapons inspectors. Iraq Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz says his nation is doomed if it does, and doomed if it doesn't. He told that to our Alessio Vinci, who is in Rome and has more on his exclusive interview with Tariq Aziz, the prime minister of Iraq.
What did he tell you, Alessio?

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

Well, one of the things that Tariq Aziz said is that one of the reasons why he says the United States are insisting that time is running out for Iraq to comply with resolutions and to comply with requests to disarm because, in his words, United States do not want to leave enough time for the inspectors prove eventually, in a couple of month's time, that Iraq indeed does not have weapons of mass destruction.

I also asked him about those missiles that, you may recall yesterday, on Friday, when the Chief U.N. Inspector Hans Blix told the Security Council that, indeed, Iraq did have missiles that exceeded the 90 miles range, the limit that was set by the U.N. Security Council resolutions in the past.

The deputy prime minister told me that that was not a serious violation to U.N. Security Council resolutions. He said that those missiles could only fly over that limit by a very small margin. Less than six miles, he said.

And he also said that there was no way that the United Nations should destroy those missiles.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TARIQ AZIZ, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, IRAQ: That will be quite unfair and unacceptable by any scientific and security standards to destroy a missile which is supposed to be 150 kilometers range, and it is 160. Where is the danger in that, you see? Where is the danger if it is 10 or five, or seven kilometers longer in range than that? The destruction should be based on a reason, reason linked with the questions of security and peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VINCI: And as you said, Carol, the deputy prime minister is also insisting that Iraq is cooperating with U.N. inspectors. But he also said he needs more time to fulfill those obligations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZIZ: The second report shows that there is progress in the work. It also tells that they haven't found any weapons of mass destruction, which is the most important fact in the situation. We are ready to continue the work with the inspectors in order to settle the outstanding issues, but this needs time. It cannot be done in an atmosphere of harassment and atmosphere of a threat of war as the American government is doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VINCI: Meanwhile, here in Rome, earlier today, a huge demonstration. A huge anti-war protest here as close to 1 million people gathered to the streets of Rome. Italian officials putting that number as slightly less, about 650,000.

No matter what, I can tell you I was there for several hours and I see a constant stream of people protesting. We saw them dancing, we saw them singing, all of them protesting against the war, because they say war is not the way to solve the problem with Iraq.

Back to you, Carol.

LIN: Alessio, getting back to your interview with Tariq Aziz. He says he needs more time to cooperate with the weapons inspectors. They still need to account for missing mustard gas and VX nerve agents, how much time does he want?

VINCI: Well, I asked him exactly that question. I mean, he said, even the Pope urged the Iraqi leader to take more concrete commitments in order to disarm. And basically, what he said is they need time, because he says, you know, we don't have offices where people sit in air conditioning and they will be able to account for those weapons.

He says they need to look for them. They need to look for documents. And at that time, once they are going to have everything, they will be able to turn the documents over to U.N. inspectors.

But he needs time. He did not give a specific time, but he says he will need more time. And he also said that there is progress. There is progress in the way Iraq is cooperating with the U.N. -- Carol.

LIN: All right. Alessio Vinci, reporting live in Rome.

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 February 15, 2003 - 18:14   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq still insists it is cooperating with weapons inspectors. Iraq Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz says his nation is doomed if it does, and doomed if it doesn't. He told that to our Alessio Vinci, who is in Rome and has more on his exclusive interview with Tariq Aziz, the prime minister of Iraq.
What did he tell you, Alessio?

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

Well, one of the things that Tariq Aziz said is that one of the reasons why he says the United States are insisting that time is running out for Iraq to comply with resolutions and to comply with requests to disarm because, in his words, United States do not want to leave enough time for the inspectors prove eventually, in a couple of month's time, that Iraq indeed does not have weapons of mass destruction.

I also asked him about those missiles that, you may recall yesterday, on Friday, when the Chief U.N. Inspector Hans Blix told the Security Council that, indeed, Iraq did have missiles that exceeded the 90 miles range, the limit that was set by the U.N. Security Council resolutions in the past.

The deputy prime minister told me that that was not a serious violation to U.N. Security Council resolutions. He said that those missiles could only fly over that limit by a very small margin. Less than six miles, he said.

And he also said that there was no way that the United Nations should destroy those missiles.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TARIQ AZIZ, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, IRAQ: That will be quite unfair and unacceptable by any scientific and security standards to destroy a missile which is supposed to be 150 kilometers range, and it is 160. Where is the danger in that, you see? Where is the danger if it is 10 or five, or seven kilometers longer in range than that? The destruction should be based on a reason, reason linked with the questions of security and peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VINCI: And as you said, Carol, the deputy prime minister is also insisting that Iraq is cooperating with U.N. inspectors. But he also said he needs more time to fulfill those obligations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZIZ: The second report shows that there is progress in the work. It also tells that they haven't found any weapons of mass destruction, which is the most important fact in the situation. We are ready to continue the work with the inspectors in order to settle the outstanding issues, but this needs time. It cannot be done in an atmosphere of harassment and atmosphere of a threat of war as the American government is doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VINCI: Meanwhile, here in Rome, earlier today, a huge demonstration. A huge anti-war protest here as close to 1 million people gathered to the streets of Rome. Italian officials putting that number as slightly less, about 650,000.

No matter what, I can tell you I was there for several hours and I see a constant stream of people protesting. We saw them dancing, we saw them singing, all of them protesting against the war, because they say war is not the way to solve the problem with Iraq.

Back to you, Carol.

LIN: Alessio, getting back to your interview with Tariq Aziz. He says he needs more time to cooperate with the weapons inspectors. They still need to account for missing mustard gas and VX nerve agents, how much time does he want?

VINCI: Well, I asked him exactly that question. I mean, he said, even the Pope urged the Iraqi leader to take more concrete commitments in order to disarm. And basically, what he said is they need time, because he says, you know, we don't have offices where people sit in air conditioning and they will be able to account for those weapons.

He says they need to look for them. They need to look for documents. And at that time, once they are going to have everything, they will be able to turn the documents over to U.N. inspectors.

But he needs time. He did not give a specific time, but he says he will need more time. And he also said that there is progress. There is progress in the way Iraq is cooperating with the U.N. -- Carol.

LIN: All right. Alessio Vinci, reporting live in Rome.

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