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U.N. Weapons Inspectors Run Into Problems; White House Concerned about Nuclear Capabilities in North Korea, Iran
Aired December 13, 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: Busted in Baghdad.
Senior Iraqi and U.N. officials were called to a disease control center in Baghdad today after weapons inspectors encountered problems there.
Questions arose about procedures for tagging items for monitoring and about several doors that were locked. One Iraqi official arrived with a hand drill. There was a 15-minute meeting, and the officials emerged to say the dispute had been resolved.
White House officials are giving the U.N.'s chief weapons inspector their first assessment today of Iraq's declaration on weapons of mass destruction. And they're saying the nearly 12,000- page inventory misses the mark by a mile, leaving a lot of questions unanswered. Our senior White House correspondent, John King, with more on that.
What's next, John?
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, as that briefing is under way, the U.S. officials offering their preliminary assessment to U.N. inspectors in New York.
A very interesting strategy of late. The White House press secretary Ari Fleischer saying he will have no comment, no preliminary assessment, no public preliminary assessment either from the podium here at the White House or, he says, we won't hear one from the president until the president can give us a comprehensive assessment.
That part of the administration's strategy, to take some time and consider what to do next.
But up in New York today, U.S. officials are telling the U.N. weapons inspectors that their reading, their initial reading of the Iraqi report is that it falls way short of the test that was put to Iraq. U.S. officials say this is not a full and complete and accurate description of Iraq's weapons programs.
They say for example, there is no evidence, no proof in there at all that Iraq has destroyed mustard gas and other chemical and biological weapons it had promised to destroy. They also say that this document falls far short, at least in their initial read, of giving a full accounting of Iraq's nuclear weapons program.
Those consultations will continue. U.S. officials say in the short term, the most important things for them are more inspectors on the ground in Iraq, more aggressive inspections on the ground each and every day.
This comes, of course, at the same time the president is confronting new developments with North Korea's nuclear programs. President Bush called President Kim Dae-Jung of South Korea today so the two leaders could make sure they are working in unison in dealing with this crisis.
Some at the White House asking why is there talk of a possible military confrontation with Iraq, no such talk when it comes to North Korea, even though North Korea's nuclear program is clearly more advanced?
Ari Fleischer says the president handles each situation as he sees it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: The world is not -- cannot just be treated as a photocopy machine, the policies in one part of the world need to be identically copied for another. It's a much more complicated endeavor than that.
And so the president will continue to work in concert with our allies. And the fact of the matter is diplomacy, often the best diplomacy, takes time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: The third member of what the president called the Axis of Evil also receiving attention here at the White House.
Iran has two nuclear facilities that have caught the attention of the White House. The White House says it wants international inspectors to get into Iran, that it has serious concerns these plants are for nuclear weapons development, not, as Iran says, to produce electricity -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Live from the White House, John King. Thanks, John.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Concerned about Nuclear Capabilities in North Korea, Iran>
Aired December 13, 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: Busted in Baghdad.
Senior Iraqi and U.N. officials were called to a disease control center in Baghdad today after weapons inspectors encountered problems there.
Questions arose about procedures for tagging items for monitoring and about several doors that were locked. One Iraqi official arrived with a hand drill. There was a 15-minute meeting, and the officials emerged to say the dispute had been resolved.
White House officials are giving the U.N.'s chief weapons inspector their first assessment today of Iraq's declaration on weapons of mass destruction. And they're saying the nearly 12,000- page inventory misses the mark by a mile, leaving a lot of questions unanswered. Our senior White House correspondent, John King, with more on that.
What's next, John?
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, as that briefing is under way, the U.S. officials offering their preliminary assessment to U.N. inspectors in New York.
A very interesting strategy of late. The White House press secretary Ari Fleischer saying he will have no comment, no preliminary assessment, no public preliminary assessment either from the podium here at the White House or, he says, we won't hear one from the president until the president can give us a comprehensive assessment.
That part of the administration's strategy, to take some time and consider what to do next.
But up in New York today, U.S. officials are telling the U.N. weapons inspectors that their reading, their initial reading of the Iraqi report is that it falls way short of the test that was put to Iraq. U.S. officials say this is not a full and complete and accurate description of Iraq's weapons programs.
They say for example, there is no evidence, no proof in there at all that Iraq has destroyed mustard gas and other chemical and biological weapons it had promised to destroy. They also say that this document falls far short, at least in their initial read, of giving a full accounting of Iraq's nuclear weapons program.
Those consultations will continue. U.S. officials say in the short term, the most important things for them are more inspectors on the ground in Iraq, more aggressive inspections on the ground each and every day.
This comes, of course, at the same time the president is confronting new developments with North Korea's nuclear programs. President Bush called President Kim Dae-Jung of South Korea today so the two leaders could make sure they are working in unison in dealing with this crisis.
Some at the White House asking why is there talk of a possible military confrontation with Iraq, no such talk when it comes to North Korea, even though North Korea's nuclear program is clearly more advanced?
Ari Fleischer says the president handles each situation as he sees it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: The world is not -- cannot just be treated as a photocopy machine, the policies in one part of the world need to be identically copied for another. It's a much more complicated endeavor than that.
And so the president will continue to work in concert with our allies. And the fact of the matter is diplomacy, often the best diplomacy, takes time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: The third member of what the president called the Axis of Evil also receiving attention here at the White House.
Iran has two nuclear facilities that have caught the attention of the White House. The White House says it wants international inspectors to get into Iran, that it has serious concerns these plants are for nuclear weapons development, not, as Iran says, to produce electricity -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Live from the White House, John King. Thanks, John.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Concerned about Nuclear Capabilities in North Korea, Iran>
