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Iraq Weapons Inspections to Begin

Aired November 18, 2002 - 14:01   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.


MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Baghdad, where nearly four years of freedom from U.N.'s weapons inspections is over or very soon will be. As you know, if you've been watching CNN, a U.N. advance team arrived in Iraq from nearby Cyprus today and it should get to work, in earnest, in a little more than a week.
CNN's Nic Robertson, live, from Baghdad with an update.

Nic, what kind of reception did they get?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at the airport, the head of the inspection team, Hans Blix and his associate from the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed El Baradei met by an old interlocutor very familiar previous inspection teams, Major-General Hussam Amin. He is the head of the Iraqi national monitoring directorate. He is the man Han Blix will be dealing with a lot.

Mohamed El Baradei, when they met, said that he hoped that there would be high-level meetings in the near future. And, indeed, this evening, just a few hours ago, both those top weapons inspectors' meeting with President Saddam Hussein's chief scientific adviser Amer Sa'adi, meeting at the foreign ministry. We have no comment from them, coming out of that meeting. However, an indication that, perhaps, things are going well for them.

Hans Blix very, very clear, when he arrived, he said he had one thing, one mission, one question to accomplish, while he was here and this is to find out if Iraq does have weapons of mass destruction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANS BLIX, CHIEF U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: We have come here for one single reason and that is because the world wants to have assurances that there are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The situation is tense, at the moment, but there is a new opportunity, and we are here to provide inspection, which is credible, inspection that, credibly, is the only thing that is in the interest of Iraq and in the interest of the world, and we will try to do so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now, that is what the editorials in Iraqi newspapers are calling for. They're calling for the inspectors to be independent, calling for them to be unbiased and calling for them to be honest. Now, those same editorials pointing out from the Iraqi government that the Iraqi government believes some of the U.N. weapons inspectors in the past -- and they point a finger at U.S. weapon inspectors -- that some of them have been spies, informing, first, the United States government, before informing the United Nations. Hans Blix has said anyone caught on his teams doing that will be off the team -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: So essentially today, Nic, a travel day; tomorrow what happens?

ROBERTSON: What happens tomorrow, we can expect to see some of that equipment that we saw unloaded today. We saw antennas coming off the back of that transport aircraft at the airport. We know that there was cleaning equipment going on it. It may sound pretty strange that they want to bring in cleaning equipment.

But let's not forget, these are laboratories, high- tech laboratories, for examining very detailed data. They do need to be very clean and that communications equipment we saw coming off, likely to be, possibly, part of the secure communications, we have been told this advance team will install. Their job to have those premises ready for the first inspectors to get to work on the 27th of November. Of course, full inspections probably won't get underway until a little bit later, at least, until after December the 8th, when Iraq makes a full declaration of all its weapons of mass destruction procurement, production, etcetera -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: Nic Roberts, live from Baghdad. Thank you very much. A little high-tech house cleaning going on by the United Nations.

Well, the Bush administration looking ahead to the next few deadlines in the weapons inspections protocol, while keeping both eyes very open on any potential breaches.

CNN's Frank Buckley, live, from the White House. So far, so good, it seems, I guess, Frank?

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, on the ground, perhaps, Marty, but the White House believes that material breaches have already taken place in the air over Iraq. With the multiple incidents now, four in the past four days in which coalition aircraft have come under fire from Iraqi anti-aircraft batteries.

These are considered violations of the U.N. Security Council Resolution, according to the U.S. They could be referred as material breaches to the Security Council, but so far the U.S. has not done that, despite the fact that the president has repeatedly said there is a zero-tolerance policy, with regard to Iraq. White House spokesman Scott McClellan was asked about that within the hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The ultimate issue here is the disarmament of weapons of mass destruction by Saddam Hussein. I've continued to emphasize our policy is one of zero tolerance, when it comes to disarmament, and that's what we will continue to pursue.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BUCKLEY: U.S. Officials have also repeatedly said that they believe that they will know fairly quickly whether or not Saddam Hussein and Iraq intend to comply with the Security Council resolution. They say that these material breaches go toward showing his intention to comply.

So at this point, Marty, the U.S. position, yes, that there have been violations. They could be referred to the Security Council but, so far, no indication that these alleged material breaches will be referred to the Security Council -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: Frank, since these breaches have been going on for years. Why can't they go now? They already seem to have enough evidence?

BUCKLEY: They could, in fact, go now, if you buy into the U.S. position. The White House position is yes, we could go to the Security Council right now, and that the White House is continuing to retain that option. It may be sensible politically, however, to wait until at least one or two inspections get underway.

It also appears as though the White House is going to be waiting until December 8. That's when the full inventory of any weapons of mass destruction has to be declared by Iraq. And so far, at least the indications we're getting from the White House is that the White House is eager to see what will happen with the release of that declaration.

SAVIDGE: Frank Buckley, live, from the White House. Thanks 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 November 18, 2002 - 14:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Baghdad, where nearly four years of freedom from U.N.'s weapons inspections is over or very soon will be. As you know, if you've been watching CNN, a U.N. advance team arrived in Iraq from nearby Cyprus today and it should get to work, in earnest, in a little more than a week.
CNN's Nic Robertson, live, from Baghdad with an update.

Nic, what kind of reception did they get?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at the airport, the head of the inspection team, Hans Blix and his associate from the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed El Baradei met by an old interlocutor very familiar previous inspection teams, Major-General Hussam Amin. He is the head of the Iraqi national monitoring directorate. He is the man Han Blix will be dealing with a lot.

Mohamed El Baradei, when they met, said that he hoped that there would be high-level meetings in the near future. And, indeed, this evening, just a few hours ago, both those top weapons inspectors' meeting with President Saddam Hussein's chief scientific adviser Amer Sa'adi, meeting at the foreign ministry. We have no comment from them, coming out of that meeting. However, an indication that, perhaps, things are going well for them.

Hans Blix very, very clear, when he arrived, he said he had one thing, one mission, one question to accomplish, while he was here and this is to find out if Iraq does have weapons of mass destruction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANS BLIX, CHIEF U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: We have come here for one single reason and that is because the world wants to have assurances that there are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The situation is tense, at the moment, but there is a new opportunity, and we are here to provide inspection, which is credible, inspection that, credibly, is the only thing that is in the interest of Iraq and in the interest of the world, and we will try to do so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now, that is what the editorials in Iraqi newspapers are calling for. They're calling for the inspectors to be independent, calling for them to be unbiased and calling for them to be honest. Now, those same editorials pointing out from the Iraqi government that the Iraqi government believes some of the U.N. weapons inspectors in the past -- and they point a finger at U.S. weapon inspectors -- that some of them have been spies, informing, first, the United States government, before informing the United Nations. Hans Blix has said anyone caught on his teams doing that will be off the team -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: So essentially today, Nic, a travel day; tomorrow what happens?

ROBERTSON: What happens tomorrow, we can expect to see some of that equipment that we saw unloaded today. We saw antennas coming off the back of that transport aircraft at the airport. We know that there was cleaning equipment going on it. It may sound pretty strange that they want to bring in cleaning equipment.

But let's not forget, these are laboratories, high- tech laboratories, for examining very detailed data. They do need to be very clean and that communications equipment we saw coming off, likely to be, possibly, part of the secure communications, we have been told this advance team will install. Their job to have those premises ready for the first inspectors to get to work on the 27th of November. Of course, full inspections probably won't get underway until a little bit later, at least, until after December the 8th, when Iraq makes a full declaration of all its weapons of mass destruction procurement, production, etcetera -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: Nic Roberts, live from Baghdad. Thank you very much. A little high-tech house cleaning going on by the United Nations.

Well, the Bush administration looking ahead to the next few deadlines in the weapons inspections protocol, while keeping both eyes very open on any potential breaches.

CNN's Frank Buckley, live, from the White House. So far, so good, it seems, I guess, Frank?

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, on the ground, perhaps, Marty, but the White House believes that material breaches have already taken place in the air over Iraq. With the multiple incidents now, four in the past four days in which coalition aircraft have come under fire from Iraqi anti-aircraft batteries.

These are considered violations of the U.N. Security Council Resolution, according to the U.S. They could be referred as material breaches to the Security Council, but so far the U.S. has not done that, despite the fact that the president has repeatedly said there is a zero-tolerance policy, with regard to Iraq. White House spokesman Scott McClellan was asked about that within the hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The ultimate issue here is the disarmament of weapons of mass destruction by Saddam Hussein. I've continued to emphasize our policy is one of zero tolerance, when it comes to disarmament, and that's what we will continue to pursue.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BUCKLEY: U.S. Officials have also repeatedly said that they believe that they will know fairly quickly whether or not Saddam Hussein and Iraq intend to comply with the Security Council resolution. They say that these material breaches go toward showing his intention to comply.

So at this point, Marty, the U.S. position, yes, that there have been violations. They could be referred to the Security Council but, so far, no indication that these alleged material breaches will be referred to the Security Council -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: Frank, since these breaches have been going on for years. Why can't they go now? They already seem to have enough evidence?

BUCKLEY: They could, in fact, go now, if you buy into the U.S. position. The White House position is yes, we could go to the Security Council right now, and that the White House is continuing to retain that option. It may be sensible politically, however, to wait until at least one or two inspections get underway.

It also appears as though the White House is going to be waiting until December 8. That's when the full inventory of any weapons of mass destruction has to be declared by Iraq. And so far, at least the indications we're getting from the White House is that the White House is eager to see what will happen with the release of that declaration.

SAVIDGE: Frank Buckley, live, from the White House. Thanks 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