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Iraqi U.N. Ambassador Confirms Iraq Will Declare to Have No Weapons of Mass Destruction
Aired December 06, 2002 - 13:18 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: All right, we're going to break away from the courtroom situation with Winona Ryder and move directly over to the U.N., where we are expecting to hear from U.N. Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix. He was meeting with the Security Council today, talking about the documents expected from Iraq Saturday declaring its weapons of mass destruction. Let's listen in.
MOHAMMED AL-DOURI, IRAQI AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: ... to read it, to discuss it. And after that, they would give their own reaction of it. But hopefully, it will be successful for everybody.
QUESTION: Is it going to be in Arabic or in English or...
AL-DOURI: Both, both, both. In Arabic and English. This is huge one. So I don't know how -- they will deal with it. I don't know.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) Western suppliers or components for Iraq's past weapons programs? Do you intend to name Western suppliers...
QUESTION: Western companies...
AL-DOURI: yes, what we have to do with that?
QUESTION: If they have supplied components for Iraq's past weapons programs. Do you intend to name them?
AL-DOURI: I don't know what will be the content of this report. As far as I know, it will contain a very huge amount of information. And they will answer also some -- I mean, all the requirements (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Hopefully, that it will be satisfactory for everybody.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
AL-DOURI: Whenever it will arrive here, I will hand it to the Security Council.
QUESTION: Did Iraq intend make the report public? In other words are you going release it also to the media?
AL-DOURI: Well, I hope not. I hope not.
QUESTION: Why? AL-DOURI: Well, certainly, it will contain some information which are not for the public, I guess.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
AL-DOURI: There were new elements in the report, yes.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
AL-DOURI: Well I don't know. I am just like you. I've been informed that there is a new element in it.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
AL-DOURI: As you know, we said again and again that we have no more destruction weapons at all. Everything has been destroyed. And we have no intention of doing that again. So Iraq is clean of any kind of mass destruction weapons.
QUESTION: The U.S. says you have it...
AL-DOURI: Yes, (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I don't know what they need. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) What does they need? We did provide all information they need.
QUESTION: So, basically, you're saying that these allegations that are coming from Washington, that the United States has evidence that Iraq is producing or has some weapons of mass destruction and that this is incorrect? That this is a lie?
AL-DOURI: You know inspectors are now in Iraq. We are cooperating fully with them. They have the full access anywhere in Iraq. So, if Americans have this evidence, they have to tell inspectors there in Iraq to go and find these evidence.
QUESTION: What you're saying is they won't...
AL-DOURI: We are saying they would find nothing.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
AL-DOURI: There is no --- there no (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in Iraq. There is no mass destruction. This is very clear. We have not to repeat it again, again. I think it's enough. To ask about that question. We have no destruction weapons at all.
QUESTION: How many pages?
AL-DOURI: Huge one. Thousands. Thousands. Thousands. Thousands.
PHILLIPS: Iraqi ambassador to the U.N., Mohammed Al-Douri there speaking to reporters, as he just came out of the Security Council meeting, with U.N.'s Weapons Inspector Hans Blix and other various advisers, talking about tomorrow, a day before the actual deadline, that the request has come forward for documents from Iraq, stating what types of weapons of mass destruction the country has.
The ambassador clearly stating to reporters that Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction. Everybody's wondering, then, what's going to be in those documents. Thousands of pages come tomorrow and what that means with regard to a potential war against Iraq.
1323
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Michael Okwu is at the U.N. He's been covering the meeting today, has more from there. What do you think of what the ambassador had to say, Michael?
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a typical Al-Douri style. Very calm yet very forceful, searching around, looking for the next question. And maintaining all along, as he has for the past week, as the deadline has loomed closer on the horizon, that Iraq, in fact, has no weapons of mass destruction. Making the point here that the document would be handed over at, I believe he said, 8:00 in Baghdad. And then it would make its way here to the United States.
One thing that was new in there for us, is to find out he would actually get his hands on the document and then, personally, hand it over to the Security Council himself. Making the point several times there, that everything, everything that Iraq might have had has been destroyed.
The United States, no Western power, no one on the Security Council will find that Iraq has any evidence or there is any evidence of any weapons program there. He did say there were some new elements in it. It remains to be seen what exactly he meant by that.
Of course, Hans Blix, the chief weapons inspector, is still meeting behind closed doors with the counsel. He arrived earlier this morning, osentsively, to discuss their regularly-scheduled quarterly report on Iraq. And then, we understand that he's going to be discussing this document. Once, of course, that happens, it will open up a whole new chapter, a whole new dramatic chapter here, at the United Nations, focusing on Iraq.
What is supposed to be in this document is the $64,000 question. We've already discussed the fact that it's going to be lengthy, Kira. A Western diplomat here at the United Nations telling us it will run up to 12,000 pages, mainly, if not completely in Arabic. That, including its long length it will also be will be quite heavy. We understand it will be 60 kilos or 132 pounds....
PHILLIPS: Michael, I'm going to ask you to pause for a moment. I understand that Hans Blix is getting now ready to step to the podium and brief reporters.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
No Weapons of Mass Destruction>
Aired December 6, 2002 - 13:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we're going to break away from the courtroom situation with Winona Ryder and move directly over to the U.N., where we are expecting to hear from U.N. Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix. He was meeting with the Security Council today, talking about the documents expected from Iraq Saturday declaring its weapons of mass destruction. Let's listen in.
MOHAMMED AL-DOURI, IRAQI AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: ... to read it, to discuss it. And after that, they would give their own reaction of it. But hopefully, it will be successful for everybody.
QUESTION: Is it going to be in Arabic or in English or...
AL-DOURI: Both, both, both. In Arabic and English. This is huge one. So I don't know how -- they will deal with it. I don't know.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) Western suppliers or components for Iraq's past weapons programs? Do you intend to name Western suppliers...
QUESTION: Western companies...
AL-DOURI: yes, what we have to do with that?
QUESTION: If they have supplied components for Iraq's past weapons programs. Do you intend to name them?
AL-DOURI: I don't know what will be the content of this report. As far as I know, it will contain a very huge amount of information. And they will answer also some -- I mean, all the requirements (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Hopefully, that it will be satisfactory for everybody.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
AL-DOURI: Whenever it will arrive here, I will hand it to the Security Council.
QUESTION: Did Iraq intend make the report public? In other words are you going release it also to the media?
AL-DOURI: Well, I hope not. I hope not.
QUESTION: Why? AL-DOURI: Well, certainly, it will contain some information which are not for the public, I guess.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
AL-DOURI: There were new elements in the report, yes.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
AL-DOURI: Well I don't know. I am just like you. I've been informed that there is a new element in it.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
AL-DOURI: As you know, we said again and again that we have no more destruction weapons at all. Everything has been destroyed. And we have no intention of doing that again. So Iraq is clean of any kind of mass destruction weapons.
QUESTION: The U.S. says you have it...
AL-DOURI: Yes, (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I don't know what they need. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) What does they need? We did provide all information they need.
QUESTION: So, basically, you're saying that these allegations that are coming from Washington, that the United States has evidence that Iraq is producing or has some weapons of mass destruction and that this is incorrect? That this is a lie?
AL-DOURI: You know inspectors are now in Iraq. We are cooperating fully with them. They have the full access anywhere in Iraq. So, if Americans have this evidence, they have to tell inspectors there in Iraq to go and find these evidence.
QUESTION: What you're saying is they won't...
AL-DOURI: We are saying they would find nothing.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
AL-DOURI: There is no --- there no (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in Iraq. There is no mass destruction. This is very clear. We have not to repeat it again, again. I think it's enough. To ask about that question. We have no destruction weapons at all.
QUESTION: How many pages?
AL-DOURI: Huge one. Thousands. Thousands. Thousands. Thousands.
PHILLIPS: Iraqi ambassador to the U.N., Mohammed Al-Douri there speaking to reporters, as he just came out of the Security Council meeting, with U.N.'s Weapons Inspector Hans Blix and other various advisers, talking about tomorrow, a day before the actual deadline, that the request has come forward for documents from Iraq, stating what types of weapons of mass destruction the country has.
The ambassador clearly stating to reporters that Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction. Everybody's wondering, then, what's going to be in those documents. Thousands of pages come tomorrow and what that means with regard to a potential war against Iraq.
1323
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Michael Okwu is at the U.N. He's been covering the meeting today, has more from there. What do you think of what the ambassador had to say, Michael?
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a typical Al-Douri style. Very calm yet very forceful, searching around, looking for the next question. And maintaining all along, as he has for the past week, as the deadline has loomed closer on the horizon, that Iraq, in fact, has no weapons of mass destruction. Making the point here that the document would be handed over at, I believe he said, 8:00 in Baghdad. And then it would make its way here to the United States.
One thing that was new in there for us, is to find out he would actually get his hands on the document and then, personally, hand it over to the Security Council himself. Making the point several times there, that everything, everything that Iraq might have had has been destroyed.
The United States, no Western power, no one on the Security Council will find that Iraq has any evidence or there is any evidence of any weapons program there. He did say there were some new elements in it. It remains to be seen what exactly he meant by that.
Of course, Hans Blix, the chief weapons inspector, is still meeting behind closed doors with the counsel. He arrived earlier this morning, osentsively, to discuss their regularly-scheduled quarterly report on Iraq. And then, we understand that he's going to be discussing this document. Once, of course, that happens, it will open up a whole new chapter, a whole new dramatic chapter here, at the United Nations, focusing on Iraq.
What is supposed to be in this document is the $64,000 question. We've already discussed the fact that it's going to be lengthy, Kira. A Western diplomat here at the United Nations telling us it will run up to 12,000 pages, mainly, if not completely in Arabic. That, including its long length it will also be will be quite heavy. We understand it will be 60 kilos or 132 pounds....
PHILLIPS: Michael, I'm going to ask you to pause for a moment. I understand that Hans Blix is getting now ready to step to the podium and brief reporters.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
No Weapons of Mass Destruction>
