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Weapons Inspectors Not in Field Today

Aired November 29, 2002 - 14:30   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: U.N. weapons inspectors in Iraq were not in the field today. Instead, they are reviewing information gathered over the past two days. Yesterday, they visited an animal vaccine factory which had been the site of biological weapons in the past. The inspectors took samples and tracked down some missing equipment, saying they were satisfied with Iraqi cooperation. Now, one those U.N. inspectors is a Virginia man with a colorful personal life, all we say. he's a 53-year-old munitions expert with a reported preference for S&M. CNN's Deborah Feyerick is at the United Nations with more of this curious twist. It sounds a little tabloid, but I guess we've got to talk about it, right, Deb?
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, it is a little tabloid, no question, but it does raise some very serious questions. Jack McGeorge is a 53-year-old former marine and he worked with the Secret Service. He markets himself as an expert in chemical- biological missiles warfare. However, it's his private life that has really been raising eyebrows and has called into question the backgrounds of all of the U.N. Weapons inspectors, and that's because no formal background checks are done on any of the inspectors. All of the candidates are put forth by their own country and then those resumes are vetted. Here in the U.S., it goes to the State Department. The State Department then passes it on to the United Nations.

Well, Jack McGeorge turns up on several S&M, sadomasochism, web sites and that is what is really of curious nature. He said that if this came to light, he would resign. U.N. officials were caught offguard, but they say they have no intention of asking him to do so.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In light of the information that has come out about one of the U.N. weapons inspectors, Jack McGeorge, has he offered his resignation to UNMOVIC or has that been asked of him by the U.N.?

HUIA JIANG, SEC'Y GENERAL'S SPOKESMAN: Well, that he did say that if he were asked to resign, he would do so. But UNMOVIC -- I think the chairman, executive chairman, Dr. Blix, had no intention to fire McGeorge, because Dr. Blix considered he is a highly qualified and competent technical expert. And while Dr. Blix is not aware of any misconduct that require his resignation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: Critics of the U.N. team, however, say that it really does, in some levels, affect the job. They say what is happening is that it affects the inspectors' -- actually, their experience, the old inspectors are saying it's the new inspectors that really don't have the level of experience or level of expertise that they should have in order to be out in the field in Iraq. Part of the problem is that these used to be government positions that were held. That was changed back in 1999 after some very highly publicized spying scandals in which the U.S. government, specifically intelligence, was accused of using intelligence gathered in the field for their own intelligence missions.

So what happened is the change went into effect that only people like McGeorge who was in the private sector worked for the U.N. would actually be eligible to serve on these particular teams. Critics very negative about the qualifications of a number of these inspectors, saying that some don't even have any sort of high level security clearance, which they feel is needed to do a particularly sensitive job like this. Again, this may or may not have come to light, had the revelations about Jack McGeorge not surfaced. However, they did. And now it's a question of do the inspectors have the kind of qualifications that are needed to do this work.

Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Let's talk a little bit more about that, Deb, OK, the fact that there are no background checks. So how do we know that none of those inspectors in Baghdad right now have -- are sympathizers with the extremists? I mean, if no background checks have been done.

FEYERICK: Well, nobody does know that. Effectively, all of the governments rely on the resumes that are presented by the individual candidate. And it's based on the experience that is listed as to whether or not they are chosen. It's just impossible, says one U.N. official, to do exhaustive background checks on all of them, But if not done professional, it's also not done personally either.

PHILLIPS: So, do you think we will see a domino effect, now, and all these other inspectors will be checked out? You know reporters will be digging into the backgrounds now.

FEYERICK: Reporters will definitely be digging into the background, but the U.N. says it has no intention of changing the way it hires these inspectors.

PHILLIPS: OK, so let's say -- I know, I'm playing devil's advocate here. One more question. Let's say someone discovers something else about a different inspector, something, some skeletons in the closet. You were sort of talking about this when you and I were talking on the phone about it being possibly used as blackmail and they don't do the job they are supposed to do because they are worried about their personal past coming forward.

FEYERICK: Well, certainly, that is a particular concern, and critics say that is why it's necessary to do extensive background checks. Jack McGeorge has been upfront, it appears, about his role on these different web sites. That is not the issue. If somebody does have something that is particularly sensitive and somebody who's in a position to do harm finds it out, there obviously are concerns that blackmail could be used or that it could ultimately affect their job. Not in the case of Mr. McGeorge who is very upfront, it appears, but in the case of some others who may not be so upfront.

PHILLIPS: Deborah Feyerick at the U.N. Very interesting. Thanks so much for the insight,

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 29, 2002 - 14:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: U.N. weapons inspectors in Iraq were not in the field today. Instead, they are reviewing information gathered over the past two days. Yesterday, they visited an animal vaccine factory which had been the site of biological weapons in the past. The inspectors took samples and tracked down some missing equipment, saying they were satisfied with Iraqi cooperation. Now, one those U.N. inspectors is a Virginia man with a colorful personal life, all we say. he's a 53-year-old munitions expert with a reported preference for S&M. CNN's Deborah Feyerick is at the United Nations with more of this curious twist. It sounds a little tabloid, but I guess we've got to talk about it, right, Deb?
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, it is a little tabloid, no question, but it does raise some very serious questions. Jack McGeorge is a 53-year-old former marine and he worked with the Secret Service. He markets himself as an expert in chemical- biological missiles warfare. However, it's his private life that has really been raising eyebrows and has called into question the backgrounds of all of the U.N. Weapons inspectors, and that's because no formal background checks are done on any of the inspectors. All of the candidates are put forth by their own country and then those resumes are vetted. Here in the U.S., it goes to the State Department. The State Department then passes it on to the United Nations.

Well, Jack McGeorge turns up on several S&M, sadomasochism, web sites and that is what is really of curious nature. He said that if this came to light, he would resign. U.N. officials were caught offguard, but they say they have no intention of asking him to do so.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In light of the information that has come out about one of the U.N. weapons inspectors, Jack McGeorge, has he offered his resignation to UNMOVIC or has that been asked of him by the U.N.?

HUIA JIANG, SEC'Y GENERAL'S SPOKESMAN: Well, that he did say that if he were asked to resign, he would do so. But UNMOVIC -- I think the chairman, executive chairman, Dr. Blix, had no intention to fire McGeorge, because Dr. Blix considered he is a highly qualified and competent technical expert. And while Dr. Blix is not aware of any misconduct that require his resignation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: Critics of the U.N. team, however, say that it really does, in some levels, affect the job. They say what is happening is that it affects the inspectors' -- actually, their experience, the old inspectors are saying it's the new inspectors that really don't have the level of experience or level of expertise that they should have in order to be out in the field in Iraq. Part of the problem is that these used to be government positions that were held. That was changed back in 1999 after some very highly publicized spying scandals in which the U.S. government, specifically intelligence, was accused of using intelligence gathered in the field for their own intelligence missions.

So what happened is the change went into effect that only people like McGeorge who was in the private sector worked for the U.N. would actually be eligible to serve on these particular teams. Critics very negative about the qualifications of a number of these inspectors, saying that some don't even have any sort of high level security clearance, which they feel is needed to do a particularly sensitive job like this. Again, this may or may not have come to light, had the revelations about Jack McGeorge not surfaced. However, they did. And now it's a question of do the inspectors have the kind of qualifications that are needed to do this work.

Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Let's talk a little bit more about that, Deb, OK, the fact that there are no background checks. So how do we know that none of those inspectors in Baghdad right now have -- are sympathizers with the extremists? I mean, if no background checks have been done.

FEYERICK: Well, nobody does know that. Effectively, all of the governments rely on the resumes that are presented by the individual candidate. And it's based on the experience that is listed as to whether or not they are chosen. It's just impossible, says one U.N. official, to do exhaustive background checks on all of them, But if not done professional, it's also not done personally either.

PHILLIPS: So, do you think we will see a domino effect, now, and all these other inspectors will be checked out? You know reporters will be digging into the backgrounds now.

FEYERICK: Reporters will definitely be digging into the background, but the U.N. says it has no intention of changing the way it hires these inspectors.

PHILLIPS: OK, so let's say -- I know, I'm playing devil's advocate here. One more question. Let's say someone discovers something else about a different inspector, something, some skeletons in the closet. You were sort of talking about this when you and I were talking on the phone about it being possibly used as blackmail and they don't do the job they are supposed to do because they are worried about their personal past coming forward.

FEYERICK: Well, certainly, that is a particular concern, and critics say that is why it's necessary to do extensive background checks. Jack McGeorge has been upfront, it appears, about his role on these different web sites. That is not the issue. If somebody does have something that is particularly sensitive and somebody who's in a position to do harm finds it out, there obviously are concerns that blackmail could be used or that it could ultimately affect their job. Not in the case of Mr. McGeorge who is very upfront, it appears, but in the case of some others who may not be so upfront.

PHILLIPS: Deborah Feyerick at the U.N. Very interesting. Thanks so much for the insight,

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