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CNN Live Saturday
Iraq Complains of U.S. Belligerence in No-Fly Zones
Aired March 08, 2003 - 17:08 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.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq is destroying more of its prohibited missiles and complaining the U.S. is becoming more belligerent in the no-fly zones. CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson reports from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Iraq's news agency reporting that there have been 225 what they call violations of their airspace, that is flights in the northern and southern no-fly zones, by coalition aircraft. Iraq's news agency saying that a civilian and service infrastructure was targeted west of Baghdad over Friday night into Saturday morning.
Now, according to Central Command, it was a ground defensive facility that targeted coalition aircraft -- that was targeted. However, what Iraq calls 220 armed violations of its airspace, this is a significant increase, according to Iraqi officials, over what we have seen recently. Perhaps a month ago it might have been 100 sorties a day, two or three months ago maybe 20 to 70 sorties a day. An increase there in the number of overflights in the northern and southern no-fly zones, according to Iraq's news agency.
Also according to Iraqi officials and to the U.N. today, Iraq destroyed another six Al Samoud 2 missiles and three warheads that go with those missiles.
That brings to the total 40 of these missiles that Iraq has destroyed, roughly about one-third of their declared arsenal.
Also, U.N. officials here saying they had another private interview with an Iraqi scientist. That is the 11th such private interview that U.N. officials have had with an Iraqi scientist over the last three months.
Now, the official reaction in Iraq and in Baghdad to Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, the two U.N. weapons chiefs' report to the U.N. Security Council has been fairly positive on Iraqi television on Saturday afternoon. President Saddam Hussein appeared with some of his top political officials; the news commentator reading over those pictures, saying that it was clear to the world now that the United States and Great Britain were trying to cover up all the cooperation that Iraq was giving to the U.N. inspectors. And the news broadcast went on to say that it was time that the U.N. Security Council called the United States and Great Britain liars, that it was time the U.N. Security Council lifted the embargo on Iraq. It went on to say that it was time paragraph 14 of U.N. Resolution 687, that's the resolution that calls for all weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East to be disposed of, saying that it was time that that was enforced, and pointing in particular to Israel at this time.
Also the broadcast said that it was time the U.N. Security Council called on Israel to get out of Palestinian areas.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 8, 2003 - 17:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq is destroying more of its prohibited missiles and complaining the U.S. is becoming more belligerent in the no-fly zones. CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson reports from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Iraq's news agency reporting that there have been 225 what they call violations of their airspace, that is flights in the northern and southern no-fly zones, by coalition aircraft. Iraq's news agency saying that a civilian and service infrastructure was targeted west of Baghdad over Friday night into Saturday morning.
Now, according to Central Command, it was a ground defensive facility that targeted coalition aircraft -- that was targeted. However, what Iraq calls 220 armed violations of its airspace, this is a significant increase, according to Iraqi officials, over what we have seen recently. Perhaps a month ago it might have been 100 sorties a day, two or three months ago maybe 20 to 70 sorties a day. An increase there in the number of overflights in the northern and southern no-fly zones, according to Iraq's news agency.
Also according to Iraqi officials and to the U.N. today, Iraq destroyed another six Al Samoud 2 missiles and three warheads that go with those missiles.
That brings to the total 40 of these missiles that Iraq has destroyed, roughly about one-third of their declared arsenal.
Also, U.N. officials here saying they had another private interview with an Iraqi scientist. That is the 11th such private interview that U.N. officials have had with an Iraqi scientist over the last three months.
Now, the official reaction in Iraq and in Baghdad to Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, the two U.N. weapons chiefs' report to the U.N. Security Council has been fairly positive on Iraqi television on Saturday afternoon. President Saddam Hussein appeared with some of his top political officials; the news commentator reading over those pictures, saying that it was clear to the world now that the United States and Great Britain were trying to cover up all the cooperation that Iraq was giving to the U.N. inspectors. And the news broadcast went on to say that it was time that the U.N. Security Council called the United States and Great Britain liars, that it was time the U.N. Security Council lifted the embargo on Iraq. It went on to say that it was time paragraph 14 of U.N. Resolution 687, that's the resolution that calls for all weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East to be disposed of, saying that it was time that that was enforced, and pointing in particular to Israel at this time.
Also the broadcast said that it was time the U.N. Security Council called on Israel to get out of Palestinian areas.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
