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Live From...
Today's Weapons Inspections Go Smoothly
Aired November 27, 2002 - 13:05 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: A couple of travel glitches, an air raid siren, but all in all, an apparently smooth first day on the job for weapons inspectors in Iraq. Night has fallen now, and the teams are no doubt going over the results of the day's work.
CNN Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson followed one group as it searched for weapons of mass destruction.
Nic joins us now from Baghdad -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, first a couple of notes about the group we didn't follow. They traveled about 75 miles southwest of Baghdad. They went to a missile testing site. They said everything they wanted to see, they saw.
They were very happy with the inspection that they made. They cross referenced all the data that they were looking for with what they had on their computers.
Now, we followed a team of nuclear experts to the east of Baghdad, just to the outskirts of the city. They went onto that site at about -- the Tahadi site at about 9:00 a.m.
Now, this was about a mile square complex. It had about 12 large warehouse-type buildings. It was surrounded by a high wall with barbed wire on it. There were armed guards at the gate. We couldn't go in, but we could see through holes in the wall that the inspectors were going from building to building. They had -- appeared to be holding documents. At some points, they appeared to take photographs.
Now, after about three hours, they left, headed back to their base. Then Iraqi officials took us into the site. They took us to one of the buildings there. This building contained what looked like heavy industrial motors that were being reconditioned.
Now, that was the only building we saw. We talked with the director general of the Tahadi plant. He told us that the inspectors have been able to go everywhere, see everything that they had wanted to see.
When we asked the director general if there was anything at his plant that linked it to weapons of mass destruction, he had absolutely no, categorically not.
He said that the inspectors went away happy, he said. Now, the inspection teams themselves appear to essentially mirror that, giving quite an upbeat message on their first day at work at that particular site, at least saying they have got to see everything they wanted to see.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACQUES BAUTE, IAEA TEAM LEADER: The team were able to complete the inspection work it had planned to carry out with the cooperation of the Iraqi side, and we had access to what we wanted to see. We hope that the Iraqi response today reflects the future pattern of cooperation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: So, all in all, the first day, Kyra, seems to have been a success so far.
PHILLIPS: Nic Robertson, live from Baghdad. Thanks, Nic.
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 27, 2002 - 13:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: A couple of travel glitches, an air raid siren, but all in all, an apparently smooth first day on the job for weapons inspectors in Iraq. Night has fallen now, and the teams are no doubt going over the results of the day's work.
CNN Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson followed one group as it searched for weapons of mass destruction.
Nic joins us now from Baghdad -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, first a couple of notes about the group we didn't follow. They traveled about 75 miles southwest of Baghdad. They went to a missile testing site. They said everything they wanted to see, they saw.
They were very happy with the inspection that they made. They cross referenced all the data that they were looking for with what they had on their computers.
Now, we followed a team of nuclear experts to the east of Baghdad, just to the outskirts of the city. They went onto that site at about -- the Tahadi site at about 9:00 a.m.
Now, this was about a mile square complex. It had about 12 large warehouse-type buildings. It was surrounded by a high wall with barbed wire on it. There were armed guards at the gate. We couldn't go in, but we could see through holes in the wall that the inspectors were going from building to building. They had -- appeared to be holding documents. At some points, they appeared to take photographs.
Now, after about three hours, they left, headed back to their base. Then Iraqi officials took us into the site. They took us to one of the buildings there. This building contained what looked like heavy industrial motors that were being reconditioned.
Now, that was the only building we saw. We talked with the director general of the Tahadi plant. He told us that the inspectors have been able to go everywhere, see everything that they had wanted to see.
When we asked the director general if there was anything at his plant that linked it to weapons of mass destruction, he had absolutely no, categorically not.
He said that the inspectors went away happy, he said. Now, the inspection teams themselves appear to essentially mirror that, giving quite an upbeat message on their first day at work at that particular site, at least saying they have got to see everything they wanted to see.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACQUES BAUTE, IAEA TEAM LEADER: The team were able to complete the inspection work it had planned to carry out with the cooperation of the Iraqi side, and we had access to what we wanted to see. We hope that the Iraqi response today reflects the future pattern of cooperation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: So, all in all, the first day, Kyra, seems to have been a success so far.
PHILLIPS: Nic Robertson, live from Baghdad. Thanks, Nic.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
