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Baghdad Has Tough Words for Washington
Aired October 01, 2002 - 13:03 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Tough words from Baghdad aimed at Washington. The government says it will not be pressured by evil people into accepting new rules for weapons inspections. Those rules would be in the form of a new resolution pushed by the U.S. and Britain in the U.N. Security Council.
CNN's Jane Arraf is in Baghdad to tell us about the government's latest hard line -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Kyra, it's the strongest warning yet from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein that while the inspectors are welcome to come back and pick up where they left off four years ago, they are not welcome to roam around the palaces any time they want. That was after a cabinet meeting in which he issued that warning, and more warnings from Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, who was in Ankara, trying to tell Turkey, Iraq's neighbor and a NATO ally, and key ally of the U.S., that if they participate in a U.S. strike, then they are going to share some of the consequences.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TARIQ AZIZ, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, IRAQ (through translator): We have had a full discussion regarding the American threat, and we are convinced in Baghdad and Ankara those threats would harm Baghdad and Ankara at the same time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARRAF: Now, that warning isn't likely to go very far. Turkey is a U.S. ally, and has already thrown in its lot with the United States in terms of attacking Iraq. It's made clear that Iraq has to actually let these weapons inspectors back in -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Jane, what about the safety of weapons inspectors? Is this a concern? Would Saddam hurt these inspectors in any way?
ARRAF: Well, once he lets them in, he probably won't hurt them. Now, in the past, when they have been here, and they were here for over seven years, they were harassed quite a lot, but they weren't hurt. Now, these people, you have to understand, we see them as weapons inspectors, the West does, the Iraqi government sees them as spies, people that want to come in, and not just look for weapons of mass destruction, but actually try to get to the heart of the palaces, try to get Saddam Hussein, and that's kind of the way they're treated, they're kept in really quite bad hotels, they are not allowed to live in houses, their lives are very controlled. And they're seen as being here for a specific mission. But having said that, there haven't been any real instances where they have been harmed by the Iraqis, apart from possibly a few cases of food poisoning to the former chief weapons inspector, Richard Butler. But their safety doesn't seem to be an issue. The real question is will they be able to come back -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Jane Arraf in Baghdad. Thanks, Jane.
Iraq's rejection of a new resolution keeps it on a collision course with President Bush. Today, Mr. Bush said the United Nations should show some backbone by adopting a resolution to tighten inspections under threat of military force. Mr. Bush had a message for Congress as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't want to get a resolution which ties my hands, a resolution which is weaker than that which was passed out of the Congress in 1998.
Congress, in 1998, passed a very strong resolution. They wisely recognized that Saddam Hussein is a threat. He was a threat in '98, and he's more of a threat four years later.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Also sounding off in Washington today, Senator John McCain. McCain is unhappy at three Democratic members of the House who traveled to Baghdad calling for peace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: These are members of Congress. If these members of Congress want to go to the floor of the House and criticize the president of the United States until the cows come home, fine with me. But don't go overseas, don't go to Baghdad, and question the credibility of the president of the United States. That is not appropriate behavior, and I don't think it will be very well received by the majority of the American people. It's totally inappropriate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The three House Democrats are Jim McDermott of Washington, David Bonier of Michigan, and Mike Thompson of California.
One other angle to follow today. It is playing out in Vienna, where another round of meetings is taking place between an Iraqi envoy and the chief U.N. weapons inspector.
CNN's Christiane Amanpour is in Vienna to tell us what is happening there -- Christiane.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the meeting has broken up. The two days of meetings have now ended, and we're waiting to know whether they were successful in the context that they were being held here, and there will be a press conference, we are told, shortly.
We've been waiting for about two hours for that to know whether Hans Blix, the chief U.N. weapons inspector is satisfied with the agreements that the Iraqis have made in order to have a smooth operation inside Iraq for the weapons inspectors.
We know also that they have been trying to get the sensitive sites unblocked, if you like. There are a whole load of so-called sensitive sites inside Iraq, ministry buildings that the Iraqis have unilaterally restricted over the past few years. They have wanted -- obviously, Hans Blix and the weapons inspectors here want to get free and unfettered access, unrestricted access to all the sites inside Iraq.
So we're waiting to know whether he's had any success on that. The presidential sites, which have been a matter of great debate, have not come up here for debate, because that situation was agreed to by the U.N. secretary-general four years ago.
There are restrictions on weapons inspectors' ability to go to those so-called presidential sites in Iraq, but that, apparently is being left for the Security Council to decide and to resolve.
We also know that the Iraqis have handed over what we are being told is several CD-ROMs with a lot of accumulated evidence and documentation about what has been going on at dual-use facilities inside Iraq. These are facilities that can be used for military purposes, but that can -- sorry, these are facilities that can be used for civilian purposes, but that can also be used for military purposes, and the weapons inspectors want to know whether any military activity has been going on there since they were last in Iraq four years ago.
So, a lot we're waiting to hear. Hans Blix, the chief weapons inspector, has had to report back to the Security Council before he comes out here to brief the press. We understand they're going over wording, we understand the Iraqi chief of delegation will also address the press.
But of course, the question here is even if Hans Blix is satisfied with what has been going on, will whatever is agreed to here ever be implemented, given the fact that there is talk of a new resolution. Certainly, the United States is looking for a tough new weapons inspection resolution to be passed at the Security Council, and what will that mean for whatever was agreed here -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Christiane Amanpour in Vienna. Thanks, Christiane.
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 1, 2002 - 13:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Tough words from Baghdad aimed at Washington. The government says it will not be pressured by evil people into accepting new rules for weapons inspections. Those rules would be in the form of a new resolution pushed by the U.S. and Britain in the U.N. Security Council.
CNN's Jane Arraf is in Baghdad to tell us about the government's latest hard line -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Kyra, it's the strongest warning yet from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein that while the inspectors are welcome to come back and pick up where they left off four years ago, they are not welcome to roam around the palaces any time they want. That was after a cabinet meeting in which he issued that warning, and more warnings from Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, who was in Ankara, trying to tell Turkey, Iraq's neighbor and a NATO ally, and key ally of the U.S., that if they participate in a U.S. strike, then they are going to share some of the consequences.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TARIQ AZIZ, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, IRAQ (through translator): We have had a full discussion regarding the American threat, and we are convinced in Baghdad and Ankara those threats would harm Baghdad and Ankara at the same time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ARRAF: Now, that warning isn't likely to go very far. Turkey is a U.S. ally, and has already thrown in its lot with the United States in terms of attacking Iraq. It's made clear that Iraq has to actually let these weapons inspectors back in -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Jane, what about the safety of weapons inspectors? Is this a concern? Would Saddam hurt these inspectors in any way?
ARRAF: Well, once he lets them in, he probably won't hurt them. Now, in the past, when they have been here, and they were here for over seven years, they were harassed quite a lot, but they weren't hurt. Now, these people, you have to understand, we see them as weapons inspectors, the West does, the Iraqi government sees them as spies, people that want to come in, and not just look for weapons of mass destruction, but actually try to get to the heart of the palaces, try to get Saddam Hussein, and that's kind of the way they're treated, they're kept in really quite bad hotels, they are not allowed to live in houses, their lives are very controlled. And they're seen as being here for a specific mission. But having said that, there haven't been any real instances where they have been harmed by the Iraqis, apart from possibly a few cases of food poisoning to the former chief weapons inspector, Richard Butler. But their safety doesn't seem to be an issue. The real question is will they be able to come back -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Jane Arraf in Baghdad. Thanks, Jane.
Iraq's rejection of a new resolution keeps it on a collision course with President Bush. Today, Mr. Bush said the United Nations should show some backbone by adopting a resolution to tighten inspections under threat of military force. Mr. Bush had a message for Congress as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't want to get a resolution which ties my hands, a resolution which is weaker than that which was passed out of the Congress in 1998.
Congress, in 1998, passed a very strong resolution. They wisely recognized that Saddam Hussein is a threat. He was a threat in '98, and he's more of a threat four years later.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Also sounding off in Washington today, Senator John McCain. McCain is unhappy at three Democratic members of the House who traveled to Baghdad calling for peace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: These are members of Congress. If these members of Congress want to go to the floor of the House and criticize the president of the United States until the cows come home, fine with me. But don't go overseas, don't go to Baghdad, and question the credibility of the president of the United States. That is not appropriate behavior, and I don't think it will be very well received by the majority of the American people. It's totally inappropriate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The three House Democrats are Jim McDermott of Washington, David Bonier of Michigan, and Mike Thompson of California.
One other angle to follow today. It is playing out in Vienna, where another round of meetings is taking place between an Iraqi envoy and the chief U.N. weapons inspector.
CNN's Christiane Amanpour is in Vienna to tell us what is happening there -- Christiane.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the meeting has broken up. The two days of meetings have now ended, and we're waiting to know whether they were successful in the context that they were being held here, and there will be a press conference, we are told, shortly.
We've been waiting for about two hours for that to know whether Hans Blix, the chief U.N. weapons inspector is satisfied with the agreements that the Iraqis have made in order to have a smooth operation inside Iraq for the weapons inspectors.
We know also that they have been trying to get the sensitive sites unblocked, if you like. There are a whole load of so-called sensitive sites inside Iraq, ministry buildings that the Iraqis have unilaterally restricted over the past few years. They have wanted -- obviously, Hans Blix and the weapons inspectors here want to get free and unfettered access, unrestricted access to all the sites inside Iraq.
So we're waiting to know whether he's had any success on that. The presidential sites, which have been a matter of great debate, have not come up here for debate, because that situation was agreed to by the U.N. secretary-general four years ago.
There are restrictions on weapons inspectors' ability to go to those so-called presidential sites in Iraq, but that, apparently is being left for the Security Council to decide and to resolve.
We also know that the Iraqis have handed over what we are being told is several CD-ROMs with a lot of accumulated evidence and documentation about what has been going on at dual-use facilities inside Iraq. These are facilities that can be used for military purposes, but that can -- sorry, these are facilities that can be used for civilian purposes, but that can also be used for military purposes, and the weapons inspectors want to know whether any military activity has been going on there since they were last in Iraq four years ago.
So, a lot we're waiting to hear. Hans Blix, the chief weapons inspector, has had to report back to the Security Council before he comes out here to brief the press. We understand they're going over wording, we understand the Iraqi chief of delegation will also address the press.
But of course, the question here is even if Hans Blix is satisfied with what has been going on, will whatever is agreed to here ever be implemented, given the fact that there is talk of a new resolution. Certainly, the United States is looking for a tough new weapons inspection resolution to be passed at the Security Council, and what will that mean for whatever was agreed here -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Christiane Amanpour in Vienna. Thanks, Christiane.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
