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First U.N. Team Readies for Weapons Inspections
Aired November 25, 2002 - 14:06 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: The first team of U.N. weapons inspectors is settling in for a first night in Baghdad. Seventeen inspectors arrived earlier today with the stated intention of going out into the field on Wednesday.
CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is monitoring events for us now in Baghdad -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, those inspectors, some from Russia, we're told, some from the United States, some from Australia and some from Europe, as well. We're not being told exactly where they'll be going with their first inspections. They are now settled in their hotel for the night. It's already quite late here in Baghdad. They arrived here, just as the sun was beginning to set.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Touching down just before dusk, a U.N. transport aircraft brings to an end an almost four-year absence of U.N. weapons experts in Baghdad. Hidden from view, 17 inspectors forming the first inspection team, are quickly loaded on to a waiting bus, before being whisked away.
First stop for those inspectors, their hotel. Too late in the day to begin any real work.
MELISSA FLEMIN, IAEA SPOKESWOMAN: All I can say is that there is a broad range of nationalities of the inspectors that are here today.
ROBERTSON: The 11 missile chemical and biological weapons experts and six nuclear scientists are accompanied for the first time by uniformed and armed U.N. security guards are due to begin their first inspections Wednesday. That tight schedule unchanged, despite a 15-page protest letter sent by Iraq's foreign minister to the United Nations, to complain the U.N. resolution authorizing inspections could be used by the U.S. as a pretext for war.
FLEMIN: We have no expectations. We come in here with, let's say, hope, that things will go well this time, and that we will get what is required of Iraq in our mandate, Security Council Resolution 1441.
ROBERTSON: Over the last week, an advance team of almost 40 technicians has been installing communications and computer equipment, as well as refurbishing laboratories at the U.N. inspection team's head quarters. Although much work remains to be done, some vehicles and office space has been readied for these first inspectors. Likely, first to be targeted by the U.N., dual-use sites, such as Al-Nasa (ph), north of Baghdad, where inspectors believe equipment used for civilian industrial processes could also have been used to work on weapons of mass destruction. Inspectors will check monitoring equipment, such as cameras, installed by inspection teams in the 1990s and replace any found faulty.
The aim for these inspectors -- to figure out exactly what has happened in Iraq over the past four years.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Now, these inspectors are not ruling out a surprise visit to one of the highly contentious presidential palaces, but it does appear as if, for the time being, they're going to have a softly, softly approach while they begin this first phase of their work. They will be joined, we're told, on the 8th of December by 35 more inspectors. That is the day Iraq has to declare all its weapons of mass destruction. That is the day it appears when the weapons inspection program will really ramp up its work here, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, as you can imagine, Nic, there are a lot of eager people all across the world, particularly here in the United States, wanting to know what, indeed, is discovered. When will we get a solid initial report? Do you have a timeline yet?
ROBERTSON: Hans Blix, the head of this inspection program, has to report 60 days after the inspections begin work, so that is 60 days after Wednesday. So it'll be late January when he files his report to the United Nations. And really, it is at the U.N. Security Council that the information will be delivered first. It's certainly not going to be made public, as they go along, and that will be the first real quantitative read on exactly how the process has been going.
Obviously, there will be indicators along the way for the U.N. inspectors on Iraqi compliance. These may be telltale signs they could be something more serious. The inspectors just don't know that. But the end of January, likely, before the first really important and thorough readout -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Our Nic Robertson from Baghdad. Thanks so much, Nic.
Well, as you know, The former chief U.N. weapons inspector was Richard Butler. And Hans Blix has replaced Butler as the point man in the weapons inspections now. Blix is back at U.N. headquarters in New York, where he's expected today to brief U.N. officials on his recent meetings with Iraqi officials.
CNN's senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth has more on what's going on today at the U.N.
Hi, Richard.
RICHARD ROTH, SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Hello, Kyra.
Well, in about 90 minutes or so, Hans Blix will go into the Security Council, a place he's quite familiar with, for yet another briefing. Blix was in Baghdad last week and he will tell the ambassadors on the council what he heard and learned.
It's possible the United States will tell Mr. Blix they'd like to see him and his inspectors be a bit more confrontational. Blix, though, is following a steady firm approach. You heard Nic Robertson say "softly, softly." People in Washington would like him to be more aggressive. He has said to an interviewer, that's an American term. He wants his inspectors to be dynamic. Over the weekend, the U.N. received that letter that Nic Robertson talked about an angry diatribe about the Security Council, using the resolution as a cover for an act of war against Iraq. Security Council ambassadors reacted to Iraq's letter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADOLFO AGUILAR ZINSER, MEXICAN AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: We are examining it and we are encouraged by the fact that the inspectors are there and are beginning to do the work.
QUESTION: Well, it doesn't seem that they've changed their attitude very much.
FAYSSAL MEKDAD, SYRIAN DEPUTY AMB. TO U.N. In explaining their position, they have the right to do it.
QUESTION: But aren't you worried about their tone, saying they still don't accept this resolution?
MEKDAD: They -- I mean, did not change anything in their acceptance of the resolution. It's there at the beginning and in the (inaudible).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: While the Iraqi letter provides fuel for thought, the Oil for Food Program, also being discussed by the Security Council this afternoon -- a vote likely to extend this humanitarian aid program to the people of Iraq by six months. However, the U.S. is very interested in examining more of the products that Iraq is allowed to import to make sure they are not used into dual-use items and used in any Iraqi war effort -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Richard Roth in the U.N., thank you.
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 25, 2002 - 14:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The first team of U.N. weapons inspectors is settling in for a first night in Baghdad. Seventeen inspectors arrived earlier today with the stated intention of going out into the field on Wednesday.
CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is monitoring events for us now in Baghdad -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, those inspectors, some from Russia, we're told, some from the United States, some from Australia and some from Europe, as well. We're not being told exactly where they'll be going with their first inspections. They are now settled in their hotel for the night. It's already quite late here in Baghdad. They arrived here, just as the sun was beginning to set.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Touching down just before dusk, a U.N. transport aircraft brings to an end an almost four-year absence of U.N. weapons experts in Baghdad. Hidden from view, 17 inspectors forming the first inspection team, are quickly loaded on to a waiting bus, before being whisked away.
First stop for those inspectors, their hotel. Too late in the day to begin any real work.
MELISSA FLEMIN, IAEA SPOKESWOMAN: All I can say is that there is a broad range of nationalities of the inspectors that are here today.
ROBERTSON: The 11 missile chemical and biological weapons experts and six nuclear scientists are accompanied for the first time by uniformed and armed U.N. security guards are due to begin their first inspections Wednesday. That tight schedule unchanged, despite a 15-page protest letter sent by Iraq's foreign minister to the United Nations, to complain the U.N. resolution authorizing inspections could be used by the U.S. as a pretext for war.
FLEMIN: We have no expectations. We come in here with, let's say, hope, that things will go well this time, and that we will get what is required of Iraq in our mandate, Security Council Resolution 1441.
ROBERTSON: Over the last week, an advance team of almost 40 technicians has been installing communications and computer equipment, as well as refurbishing laboratories at the U.N. inspection team's head quarters. Although much work remains to be done, some vehicles and office space has been readied for these first inspectors. Likely, first to be targeted by the U.N., dual-use sites, such as Al-Nasa (ph), north of Baghdad, where inspectors believe equipment used for civilian industrial processes could also have been used to work on weapons of mass destruction. Inspectors will check monitoring equipment, such as cameras, installed by inspection teams in the 1990s and replace any found faulty.
The aim for these inspectors -- to figure out exactly what has happened in Iraq over the past four years.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Now, these inspectors are not ruling out a surprise visit to one of the highly contentious presidential palaces, but it does appear as if, for the time being, they're going to have a softly, softly approach while they begin this first phase of their work. They will be joined, we're told, on the 8th of December by 35 more inspectors. That is the day Iraq has to declare all its weapons of mass destruction. That is the day it appears when the weapons inspection program will really ramp up its work here, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, as you can imagine, Nic, there are a lot of eager people all across the world, particularly here in the United States, wanting to know what, indeed, is discovered. When will we get a solid initial report? Do you have a timeline yet?
ROBERTSON: Hans Blix, the head of this inspection program, has to report 60 days after the inspections begin work, so that is 60 days after Wednesday. So it'll be late January when he files his report to the United Nations. And really, it is at the U.N. Security Council that the information will be delivered first. It's certainly not going to be made public, as they go along, and that will be the first real quantitative read on exactly how the process has been going.
Obviously, there will be indicators along the way for the U.N. inspectors on Iraqi compliance. These may be telltale signs they could be something more serious. The inspectors just don't know that. But the end of January, likely, before the first really important and thorough readout -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Our Nic Robertson from Baghdad. Thanks so much, Nic.
Well, as you know, The former chief U.N. weapons inspector was Richard Butler. And Hans Blix has replaced Butler as the point man in the weapons inspections now. Blix is back at U.N. headquarters in New York, where he's expected today to brief U.N. officials on his recent meetings with Iraqi officials.
CNN's senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth has more on what's going on today at the U.N.
Hi, Richard.
RICHARD ROTH, SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Hello, Kyra.
Well, in about 90 minutes or so, Hans Blix will go into the Security Council, a place he's quite familiar with, for yet another briefing. Blix was in Baghdad last week and he will tell the ambassadors on the council what he heard and learned.
It's possible the United States will tell Mr. Blix they'd like to see him and his inspectors be a bit more confrontational. Blix, though, is following a steady firm approach. You heard Nic Robertson say "softly, softly." People in Washington would like him to be more aggressive. He has said to an interviewer, that's an American term. He wants his inspectors to be dynamic. Over the weekend, the U.N. received that letter that Nic Robertson talked about an angry diatribe about the Security Council, using the resolution as a cover for an act of war against Iraq. Security Council ambassadors reacted to Iraq's letter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADOLFO AGUILAR ZINSER, MEXICAN AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: We are examining it and we are encouraged by the fact that the inspectors are there and are beginning to do the work.
QUESTION: Well, it doesn't seem that they've changed their attitude very much.
FAYSSAL MEKDAD, SYRIAN DEPUTY AMB. TO U.N. In explaining their position, they have the right to do it.
QUESTION: But aren't you worried about their tone, saying they still don't accept this resolution?
MEKDAD: They -- I mean, did not change anything in their acceptance of the resolution. It's there at the beginning and in the (inaudible).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: While the Iraqi letter provides fuel for thought, the Oil for Food Program, also being discussed by the Security Council this afternoon -- a vote likely to extend this humanitarian aid program to the people of Iraq by six months. However, the U.S. is very interested in examining more of the products that Iraq is allowed to import to make sure they are not used into dual-use items and used in any Iraqi war effort -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Richard Roth in the U.N., thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
