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U.N. Preparing Edited Report
Aired December 16, 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: Lab results are in. Is Iraq building weapons of mass destruction or not? The U.N.'s nuclear agency lab in Austria has received the first material samples from the weapons inspectors. Also, new developments in the Iraq weapons declaration. Michael Okwu now live from the U.N.
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, good afternoon to you. Chief weapons inspector Hans Blix has now received from all five permanent members of the Security Council suggestions about what portions of that document should be edited out. And yet still, however, it is unlikely that he will have any kind of sanitized or edited version to give to the rest of the council until tomorrow.
In addition, he has sent a letter to Baghdad essentially asking for a list of government officials and scientists who are currently and formerly associated with Iraq's secret weapons program.
Now, Blix is expecting to receive this list back by the end of month. The Iraqis have already indicated on the ground that they are willing to comply with this, and so U.N. officials tell us that it does not appear to be a problem.
Now, as editing of the document continues here at the U.N., as well as in the capitals of the five permanent member states of the council, as they continue to pore through this document, some of the things that they are really looking at, that remain unresolved and have been mentioned in previous U.N. reports are Iraq's claims that it destroyed 50 conventional warheads, seven missiles and propellants. The U.N. has never verified that.
In the chemical field, there's been no accounting for at least 500 mustard gas shells lost, Iraq says, after the Gulf War. Questions remain about whether Iraq weaponized a chemical agent VX.
In the biological field, U.N. officials hoping for full disclosure of the scope and nature of Iraq's biological program, which it concealed until 1995.
And then there's still further evidence needed that Iraq abandoned its clandestine nuclear weapons program. So, still lots of work here being done in capitals around the world, as well as in Blix's office. He is hoping to have some sort of preliminary assessment, or some sort of preliminary report to the council on Thursday -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. From the U.N., Michael Okwu. 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 December 16, 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: Lab results are in. Is Iraq building weapons of mass destruction or not? The U.N.'s nuclear agency lab in Austria has received the first material samples from the weapons inspectors. Also, new developments in the Iraq weapons declaration. Michael Okwu now live from the U.N.
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, good afternoon to you. Chief weapons inspector Hans Blix has now received from all five permanent members of the Security Council suggestions about what portions of that document should be edited out. And yet still, however, it is unlikely that he will have any kind of sanitized or edited version to give to the rest of the council until tomorrow.
In addition, he has sent a letter to Baghdad essentially asking for a list of government officials and scientists who are currently and formerly associated with Iraq's secret weapons program.
Now, Blix is expecting to receive this list back by the end of month. The Iraqis have already indicated on the ground that they are willing to comply with this, and so U.N. officials tell us that it does not appear to be a problem.
Now, as editing of the document continues here at the U.N., as well as in the capitals of the five permanent member states of the council, as they continue to pore through this document, some of the things that they are really looking at, that remain unresolved and have been mentioned in previous U.N. reports are Iraq's claims that it destroyed 50 conventional warheads, seven missiles and propellants. The U.N. has never verified that.
In the chemical field, there's been no accounting for at least 500 mustard gas shells lost, Iraq says, after the Gulf War. Questions remain about whether Iraq weaponized a chemical agent VX.
In the biological field, U.N. officials hoping for full disclosure of the scope and nature of Iraq's biological program, which it concealed until 1995.
And then there's still further evidence needed that Iraq abandoned its clandestine nuclear weapons program. So, still lots of work here being done in capitals around the world, as well as in Blix's office. He is hoping to have some sort of preliminary assessment, or some sort of preliminary report to the council on Thursday -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. From the U.N., Michael Okwu. 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
