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CNN Live Saturday

Interview With Hans Blix

Aired March 15, 2003 - 17:01   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: For now, we are going to be going to the U.N. where correspondent Richard Roth has been chasing down this story and meeting with Hans Blix today in an exclusive interview. And he joins us now from the U.N. -- Richard.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's Saturday night, soon. A lot of people in the country have invitations to go out. Well, Hans Blix, Mohamed ElBaradei, the leading international inspectors on Iraq, have another invitation from Baghdad to come back. It would be their fourth trip, including and since November. But it's too soon to say whether Blix and ElBaradei will return.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROTH (on camera): What's your reaction to the invitation?

HANS BLIX, CHIEF U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Well, I just learned about it, and we're going to translate it into detail. And we're going to study it. And I think we will need to discuss, Mr. ElBaradei and I, over the weekend.

I understand that it is in the line with the visits that we have paid before. We had one in the middle of January and we had another one in the middle of February, so it's about once a month. However, the situation is a little different now, tense. We are -- our major occupation at the moment is to finalize the work program, which we are to deliver to the Security Council. And we have said to the council that that should be ready by Monday night -- in English, at any rate, and it will contain then what we consider to be the key remaining disarmament tasks. And I think the council is very interested in that.

So I don't think we have any firm views on where the invitation will take us at the moment. We'll study the contents of it and discuss it.

ROTH: So are you saying you are too busy, maybe, to go back with key disarmament work?

BLIX: No, no, not necessarily. (UNINTELLIGIBLE). On the contrary, I think it perhaps makes it more important to consider how fast one can proceed with the key remaining disarmament tasks. But evidently, there are other movements at the political stage that are happening, and we would -- I certainly would look to talk to the president of the Security Council.

ROTH: Yes, how much would you use the council as your board of advisers and would you go guy what they said?

BLIX: We are a subsidiary organ to the Security Council, so it's natural that we report to the president of the council at any time when it is an important matter.

ROTH: One diplomat said it was a stunt, a last-minute stunt. How do you feel going back at such a time? Are they using you to stall? Or is there another attempt to get more information?

BLIX: Well, I certainly wouldn't use the word "stunt" about anything in this context, but we will have to give serious thought to what we -- what the answer will be, and to -- and properly translated first -- and today will be a day when we work on the key remaining disarmament tasks of the work program.

ROTH: If you did go back, what do you want to hear from them?

BLIX: I think everybody is talking now about speeding up the implementation of certain items in the Security Council. They're talking about the -- finalizing the disarmament, the destruction of the missiles, is one element. Another is to get the -- to get interviews going abroad. And a third one relates to clarifications about the unmanned vehicles, vehicles, and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of anthrax, et cetera. So there are a few issues that are on the table, that the council has focused on already. But we will have our proper list of what we consider to be key tasks.

ROTH: Anthrax information, you are awaiting? You have got VX information Friday evening. What can you update us with anthrax and VX? What is the importance of this mission now, even though I guess you are waiting for more translation?

BLIX: Not much that I can say about it yet. There's long letters and long explanations, and we will have that translated, about VX. What I can say is that Iraqis are very, very active in order to provide replies to questions which we had in the document we submitted to the council recently. And we will make an assessment of that. That's about all I can say at the moment.

ROTH: You're a dogged investigator, you come into work on a Saturday here. Is this the last weekend, do you think, for your work efforts?

BLIX: I don't know. I hope not. I hope that we can continue. But we'll see. It's -- it's not in our hands altogether.

ROTH: OK, Thank you very much, Dr. Blix.

BLIX: OK.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROTH: You heard Dr. Blix refer to the program of work, and you will be hearing that phrase over the next few days. What Blix asked for and how much time he wants to complete his program of work under a resolution approved years ago, but that's what he operates under now, that is the next round possibly of friction, as long as the military action does not take place by then.

Blix says he needs months, not days, not years, months to complete those priority tasks. But he is already moving up the time in which he is reporting to the council on it. And today, Fredricka, Russia, France, Germany, in a joint statement are saying there should be a ministers' meeting here, foreign ministers at the Security Council, possibly on Tuesday, in which to follow up Blix's report of the key disarmament tasks. They want to give him more time. They want to give Iraq more time to cooperate. And the U.S. and Britain will likely oppose this measure.

That's what you can look for in the next few days, plus along with a follow-up at the U.S., U.K., Spain summit in the Azores. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: And Richard, that proposed Tuesday meeting would be contingent upon who or what? Would it be as easy as the U.S. or Britain just say, we're not interested in that and it wouldn't take place?

ROTH: Well, we're awaiting some reaction to that meeting right now, whether the U.S. would go along with it -- they could -- they may not have to send their ministers, though it's likely they would. And we have seen what's happened in the last few weeks in the chamber. A lot of friction, a lot of finger pointing, heavy division still on display.

And also, Blix is likely to ask the Security Council should he go back to Iraq. So you may have him leaving shortly after that meeting.

WHITFIELD: All right, Richard Roth from the U.N. Thank you very much.

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 15, 2003 - 17:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: For now, we are going to be going to the U.N. where correspondent Richard Roth has been chasing down this story and meeting with Hans Blix today in an exclusive interview. And he joins us now from the U.N. -- Richard.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's Saturday night, soon. A lot of people in the country have invitations to go out. Well, Hans Blix, Mohamed ElBaradei, the leading international inspectors on Iraq, have another invitation from Baghdad to come back. It would be their fourth trip, including and since November. But it's too soon to say whether Blix and ElBaradei will return.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROTH (on camera): What's your reaction to the invitation?

HANS BLIX, CHIEF U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Well, I just learned about it, and we're going to translate it into detail. And we're going to study it. And I think we will need to discuss, Mr. ElBaradei and I, over the weekend.

I understand that it is in the line with the visits that we have paid before. We had one in the middle of January and we had another one in the middle of February, so it's about once a month. However, the situation is a little different now, tense. We are -- our major occupation at the moment is to finalize the work program, which we are to deliver to the Security Council. And we have said to the council that that should be ready by Monday night -- in English, at any rate, and it will contain then what we consider to be the key remaining disarmament tasks. And I think the council is very interested in that.

So I don't think we have any firm views on where the invitation will take us at the moment. We'll study the contents of it and discuss it.

ROTH: So are you saying you are too busy, maybe, to go back with key disarmament work?

BLIX: No, no, not necessarily. (UNINTELLIGIBLE). On the contrary, I think it perhaps makes it more important to consider how fast one can proceed with the key remaining disarmament tasks. But evidently, there are other movements at the political stage that are happening, and we would -- I certainly would look to talk to the president of the Security Council.

ROTH: Yes, how much would you use the council as your board of advisers and would you go guy what they said?

BLIX: We are a subsidiary organ to the Security Council, so it's natural that we report to the president of the council at any time when it is an important matter.

ROTH: One diplomat said it was a stunt, a last-minute stunt. How do you feel going back at such a time? Are they using you to stall? Or is there another attempt to get more information?

BLIX: Well, I certainly wouldn't use the word "stunt" about anything in this context, but we will have to give serious thought to what we -- what the answer will be, and to -- and properly translated first -- and today will be a day when we work on the key remaining disarmament tasks of the work program.

ROTH: If you did go back, what do you want to hear from them?

BLIX: I think everybody is talking now about speeding up the implementation of certain items in the Security Council. They're talking about the -- finalizing the disarmament, the destruction of the missiles, is one element. Another is to get the -- to get interviews going abroad. And a third one relates to clarifications about the unmanned vehicles, vehicles, and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of anthrax, et cetera. So there are a few issues that are on the table, that the council has focused on already. But we will have our proper list of what we consider to be key tasks.

ROTH: Anthrax information, you are awaiting? You have got VX information Friday evening. What can you update us with anthrax and VX? What is the importance of this mission now, even though I guess you are waiting for more translation?

BLIX: Not much that I can say about it yet. There's long letters and long explanations, and we will have that translated, about VX. What I can say is that Iraqis are very, very active in order to provide replies to questions which we had in the document we submitted to the council recently. And we will make an assessment of that. That's about all I can say at the moment.

ROTH: You're a dogged investigator, you come into work on a Saturday here. Is this the last weekend, do you think, for your work efforts?

BLIX: I don't know. I hope not. I hope that we can continue. But we'll see. It's -- it's not in our hands altogether.

ROTH: OK, Thank you very much, Dr. Blix.

BLIX: OK.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROTH: You heard Dr. Blix refer to the program of work, and you will be hearing that phrase over the next few days. What Blix asked for and how much time he wants to complete his program of work under a resolution approved years ago, but that's what he operates under now, that is the next round possibly of friction, as long as the military action does not take place by then.

Blix says he needs months, not days, not years, months to complete those priority tasks. But he is already moving up the time in which he is reporting to the council on it. And today, Fredricka, Russia, France, Germany, in a joint statement are saying there should be a ministers' meeting here, foreign ministers at the Security Council, possibly on Tuesday, in which to follow up Blix's report of the key disarmament tasks. They want to give him more time. They want to give Iraq more time to cooperate. And the U.S. and Britain will likely oppose this measure.

That's what you can look for in the next few days, plus along with a follow-up at the U.S., U.K., Spain summit in the Azores. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: And Richard, that proposed Tuesday meeting would be contingent upon who or what? Would it be as easy as the U.S. or Britain just say, we're not interested in that and it wouldn't take place?

ROTH: Well, we're awaiting some reaction to that meeting right now, whether the U.S. would go along with it -- they could -- they may not have to send their ministers, though it's likely they would. And we have seen what's happened in the last few weeks in the chamber. A lot of friction, a lot of finger pointing, heavy division still on display.

And also, Blix is likely to ask the Security Council should he go back to Iraq. So you may have him leaving shortly after that meeting.

WHITFIELD: All right, Richard Roth from the U.N. Thank you very much.

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