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Chemical Warheads Discovered in Iraq

Aired January 16, 2003 - 14:06   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: As we first reported about an hour ago, chemical warheads discovered in Iraq, the U.N. says the warheads are in excellent condition. There are 11, or possibly 12 in all, discovered in chemical warheads discovered in a bunker in Southern Iraq. The warheads are empty of chemicals, as tends to be the case until they're actually used. And as we must point out, no weaponized chemicals have been found. There's been reaction already at U.N. headquarters in New York.
And for that, we turn to CNN's Michael Okwu -- Michael.

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, hello to you.

A Western diplomatic source telling me just moments ago that at first glance, at first glance, it does not appear that these warheads were accounted for in the 12,000-page Iraqi weapons declaration, which of course could provide a serious problem for the Iraqis, if, in fact, this is the case. Sources also telling me that U.S. ambassador John Negroponte was given the news when an assistant handed him a wire copy essentially telling him about this story, and at that point he stopped the proceedings inside the Security Council and told the other council members, and read it, in fact.

The U.N. then released a statement, reading essentially that "during the course of their inspection, the team discovered 11 empty 122 millimeter chemical warheads and one warhead that requires further evaluation. The warheads were in excellent condition and were similar to ones imported by Iraq during the late 1980s." Western diplomats reacted with caution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY GREENSTOCK, BRITISH AMB. TO U.N.: I want to hear the inspectors' report on that before I make any judgment. It sounds as though it's interesting news, but I want to hear what the inspectors' judgment is of the significance of that before I make any public comment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN NEGROPONTE, U.S. AMB. TO U.N.: It's very difficult to react on the basis of a press report. I'm sure that the inspectors are giving this their most rapid attention possible, and I'm sure we'll be getting further information, but I simply can't enter into that kind of hypothetical proposition without having more facts at my fingertips. But I'm sure that we'll be learning more as the day and the week progresses.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OKWU: You heard Sir Jeremy Greenstock, the British ambassador, making reference to the weapons inspector -- of course, that would be chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix -- who may very well be taking a clear look at this report at this time. Sources telling CNN that he is going to be making the determination as to whether this is a significant enough development, and that powers -- Western powers -- as well as the U.N. officials may be poring through that 12,000-page document yet again to make sure that their -- to find out whether or not that their suspicions are correct, it is not, in fact, included in the declaration. Blix would have to make the decision whether this is a significant enough development that he would then fly back from Baghdad, perhaps, or at the very least, send over some sort of handwritten note to the Security Council, telling them they should convene and discuss this latest issue -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Michael Okwu, live from the U.N., thank you.

Now to Baghdad, our Rym Brahimi -- any response from the Iraqis, Rym?

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kyra. Well, we're actually just waiting for a response from the Iraqi officials, but we have had a response from the director of planning of the UNMOVIC team here, the team that are the experts in chemical, biological, and missile fields. Dimitri Perricos has just told me that this was not a smoking gun.

Now, he explained that they went to this ammunition depot, a team of his -- it was actually a joint team of inspectors went to an ammunition depot that is located about 150 kilometers southwest of Baghdad, they found these 11 empty chemical warheads, and that one warhead that seemed to raise questions, and that they need to further inquire about.

He said that was because it seemed to have been modified in one way or another. They just wanted to make sure that it hadn't been filled with anything. If it had been filled with something, with what. Basically just check it.

They took samples, X-rays. They're going to be inquiring about that. But also, the whole issue, he said, needs further inquiry or further investigation because these chemical warheads, empty, alone, aren't that significant. They would need a lot of other things around them for them to actually be more significant, and that's probably going to be what the inspectors are going to be working on in the next few weeks, I would imagine. But, again, Dimitri Perricos, the team leader of the UNMOVIC team here in Baghdad saying this finding is not a smoking gun so far -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Rym Brahimi, live from Baghdad. Thank you.

So far, we've heard the "told you sos" from the Bush administration, but officials are already pointing to statements just today out of Baghdad denying Iraq harbored any contraband weapons. Our coverage continues with CNN White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, President Bush arrived here at the White House, the south lawn, just moments ago. We're waiting to see if he has any comment directly on the latest discovery. But clearly, the White House is emboldened by this latest development. They are still taking a kind of waiting and see approach until they have more information.

But the White House arguing that, first of all, that they have always said that there is a body of evidence to show that Saddam Hussein has chemical, biological, and a nuclear weapons program, that he has been developing that. They also say that Saddam Hussein cannot be trusted, that he has not come clean in accounting for his weapons of mass destruction.

Earlier today, President Bush in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He was talking about medical malpractice, but he also took the opportunity, again, to issue a stern warning to Saddam Hussein, that the administration is running out of patience, Saddam Hussein is running out of time, and that the U.S. is still determined to lead a coalition to forcibly disarm him, if he does not do so voluntarily.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So far, the evidence hasn't been very good that he is disarming, and time is running out. At some point in time, the United States' patience will run out. In the name of peace, if he does not disarm, I will lead a coalition of the willing to disarm Saddam Hussein.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And the argument of the administration has always been if you take aggressive inspections and also if you interview Iraqi scientists that they would be able to point you in the right direction of where those biological, chemical, nuclear components may be.

They are seeing the fruits of that, the senior administration officials pleased that this is moving forward.

The White House spokesman Ari Fleischer earlier today saying look to January 27 as an important date. They're not saying it's a deadline, but rather, the jump start of perhaps a timetable.

This is when the U.N. inspectors will give their final report to the U.N. Security Council to show them what they have actually found, what they believe they have, but at the same time, the White House saying, Look, we will go ahead and make some decisions in the weeks to come. That depends on the events, how they unfold. But yes, they're looking to January 27. Hans Blix was looking to issue a report some time in March. The administration against that, really trying to push to get information as quickly as possible, to make those decision in the weeks to come whether or not they'll use military force against Iraq -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Live from the White House, Suzanne Malveaux, 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 January 16, 2003 - 14:06   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: As we first reported about an hour ago, chemical warheads discovered in Iraq, the U.N. says the warheads are in excellent condition. There are 11, or possibly 12 in all, discovered in chemical warheads discovered in a bunker in Southern Iraq. The warheads are empty of chemicals, as tends to be the case until they're actually used. And as we must point out, no weaponized chemicals have been found. There's been reaction already at U.N. headquarters in New York.
And for that, we turn to CNN's Michael Okwu -- Michael.

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, hello to you.

A Western diplomatic source telling me just moments ago that at first glance, at first glance, it does not appear that these warheads were accounted for in the 12,000-page Iraqi weapons declaration, which of course could provide a serious problem for the Iraqis, if, in fact, this is the case. Sources also telling me that U.S. ambassador John Negroponte was given the news when an assistant handed him a wire copy essentially telling him about this story, and at that point he stopped the proceedings inside the Security Council and told the other council members, and read it, in fact.

The U.N. then released a statement, reading essentially that "during the course of their inspection, the team discovered 11 empty 122 millimeter chemical warheads and one warhead that requires further evaluation. The warheads were in excellent condition and were similar to ones imported by Iraq during the late 1980s." Western diplomats reacted with caution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMY GREENSTOCK, BRITISH AMB. TO U.N.: I want to hear the inspectors' report on that before I make any judgment. It sounds as though it's interesting news, but I want to hear what the inspectors' judgment is of the significance of that before I make any public comment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN NEGROPONTE, U.S. AMB. TO U.N.: It's very difficult to react on the basis of a press report. I'm sure that the inspectors are giving this their most rapid attention possible, and I'm sure we'll be getting further information, but I simply can't enter into that kind of hypothetical proposition without having more facts at my fingertips. But I'm sure that we'll be learning more as the day and the week progresses.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OKWU: You heard Sir Jeremy Greenstock, the British ambassador, making reference to the weapons inspector -- of course, that would be chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix -- who may very well be taking a clear look at this report at this time. Sources telling CNN that he is going to be making the determination as to whether this is a significant enough development, and that powers -- Western powers -- as well as the U.N. officials may be poring through that 12,000-page document yet again to make sure that their -- to find out whether or not that their suspicions are correct, it is not, in fact, included in the declaration. Blix would have to make the decision whether this is a significant enough development that he would then fly back from Baghdad, perhaps, or at the very least, send over some sort of handwritten note to the Security Council, telling them they should convene and discuss this latest issue -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Michael Okwu, live from the U.N., thank you.

Now to Baghdad, our Rym Brahimi -- any response from the Iraqis, Rym?

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kyra. Well, we're actually just waiting for a response from the Iraqi officials, but we have had a response from the director of planning of the UNMOVIC team here, the team that are the experts in chemical, biological, and missile fields. Dimitri Perricos has just told me that this was not a smoking gun.

Now, he explained that they went to this ammunition depot, a team of his -- it was actually a joint team of inspectors went to an ammunition depot that is located about 150 kilometers southwest of Baghdad, they found these 11 empty chemical warheads, and that one warhead that seemed to raise questions, and that they need to further inquire about.

He said that was because it seemed to have been modified in one way or another. They just wanted to make sure that it hadn't been filled with anything. If it had been filled with something, with what. Basically just check it.

They took samples, X-rays. They're going to be inquiring about that. But also, the whole issue, he said, needs further inquiry or further investigation because these chemical warheads, empty, alone, aren't that significant. They would need a lot of other things around them for them to actually be more significant, and that's probably going to be what the inspectors are going to be working on in the next few weeks, I would imagine. But, again, Dimitri Perricos, the team leader of the UNMOVIC team here in Baghdad saying this finding is not a smoking gun so far -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Rym Brahimi, live from Baghdad. Thank you.

So far, we've heard the "told you sos" from the Bush administration, but officials are already pointing to statements just today out of Baghdad denying Iraq harbored any contraband weapons. Our coverage continues with CNN White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, President Bush arrived here at the White House, the south lawn, just moments ago. We're waiting to see if he has any comment directly on the latest discovery. But clearly, the White House is emboldened by this latest development. They are still taking a kind of waiting and see approach until they have more information.

But the White House arguing that, first of all, that they have always said that there is a body of evidence to show that Saddam Hussein has chemical, biological, and a nuclear weapons program, that he has been developing that. They also say that Saddam Hussein cannot be trusted, that he has not come clean in accounting for his weapons of mass destruction.

Earlier today, President Bush in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He was talking about medical malpractice, but he also took the opportunity, again, to issue a stern warning to Saddam Hussein, that the administration is running out of patience, Saddam Hussein is running out of time, and that the U.S. is still determined to lead a coalition to forcibly disarm him, if he does not do so voluntarily.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So far, the evidence hasn't been very good that he is disarming, and time is running out. At some point in time, the United States' patience will run out. In the name of peace, if he does not disarm, I will lead a coalition of the willing to disarm Saddam Hussein.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And the argument of the administration has always been if you take aggressive inspections and also if you interview Iraqi scientists that they would be able to point you in the right direction of where those biological, chemical, nuclear components may be.

They are seeing the fruits of that, the senior administration officials pleased that this is moving forward.

The White House spokesman Ari Fleischer earlier today saying look to January 27 as an important date. They're not saying it's a deadline, but rather, the jump start of perhaps a timetable.

This is when the U.N. inspectors will give their final report to the U.N. Security Council to show them what they have actually found, what they believe they have, but at the same time, the White House saying, Look, we will go ahead and make some decisions in the weeks to come. That depends on the events, how they unfold. But yes, they're looking to January 27. Hans Blix was looking to issue a report some time in March. The administration against that, really trying to push to get information as quickly as possible, to make those decision in the weeks to come whether or not they'll use military force against Iraq -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Live from the White House, Suzanne Malveaux, 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