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White House Calls Warheads 'Troubling'
Aired January 17, 2003 - 13:08 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: Troubling and serious. That's the assessment today from the White House on the newly announced discovery of chemical warheads in Iraq. The U.S. says the empty warheads are just the type of weapon that Iraq has denied having.
More now from the White House. CNN's John King -- hi, John.
JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Kyra. And the White House seizing on this discovery by the weapons inspectors in Iraq to make a case it has been making for some time.
The White House now says these chemical warheads are evidence that Saddam Hussein was lying when he told the United Nations he no longer had weapons of mass destruction. The White House also says it is evidence that Saddam Hussein is not cooperating as he promised to do so with the U.N.'s weapons inspections -- the U.N. weapons inspectors inside Iraq.
The White House says it is not the burden for the inspectors to find the weapons. Saddam was supposed to lay out everything he has, and then lay out a plan to destroy them.
Here at the White House, they say this discovery does not mean the White House is ready to set a timetable for declaring when, perhaps, to give up on inspections and press for military confrontation. But Ari Fleischer telling reporters a short time ago, it is more evidence to the White House that Saddam Hussein is simply stalling and playing games again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Here's what we do know to date. The chemical warheads found by the inspectors were not -- not on the declared list that Iraq provided to the world indicating what weapons it said it possessed.
The fact that Iraq is in possession of undeclared chemical warheads, which the United Nations says are in excellent condition, is in and of itself a serious and troubling matter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Secretary of State Colin Powell quoted in a German paper this afternoon saying that by the end of the month, it will have been proven that Iraq is not cooperating with inspectors.
U.S. officials here tell us privately they're not sure exactly what the secretary was talking about, but that there are plans for the United States to be more detailed and more aggressive in making its case right around the same time Hans Blix presents a report to the Security Council. That would be on January 27.
It should not go unnoted, Kyra, that on January 28, the president will deliver his State of the Union address. White House officials tell us look in there as well for a decent-sized section of the speech to be dedicated to the president's latest assessment of the showdown with Iraq.
PHILLIPS: Live from the White House, our John King.
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 17, 2003 - 13:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Troubling and serious. That's the assessment today from the White House on the newly announced discovery of chemical warheads in Iraq. The U.S. says the empty warheads are just the type of weapon that Iraq has denied having.
More now from the White House. CNN's John King -- hi, John.
JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Kyra. And the White House seizing on this discovery by the weapons inspectors in Iraq to make a case it has been making for some time.
The White House now says these chemical warheads are evidence that Saddam Hussein was lying when he told the United Nations he no longer had weapons of mass destruction. The White House also says it is evidence that Saddam Hussein is not cooperating as he promised to do so with the U.N.'s weapons inspections -- the U.N. weapons inspectors inside Iraq.
The White House says it is not the burden for the inspectors to find the weapons. Saddam was supposed to lay out everything he has, and then lay out a plan to destroy them.
Here at the White House, they say this discovery does not mean the White House is ready to set a timetable for declaring when, perhaps, to give up on inspections and press for military confrontation. But Ari Fleischer telling reporters a short time ago, it is more evidence to the White House that Saddam Hussein is simply stalling and playing games again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Here's what we do know to date. The chemical warheads found by the inspectors were not -- not on the declared list that Iraq provided to the world indicating what weapons it said it possessed.
The fact that Iraq is in possession of undeclared chemical warheads, which the United Nations says are in excellent condition, is in and of itself a serious and troubling matter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Secretary of State Colin Powell quoted in a German paper this afternoon saying that by the end of the month, it will have been proven that Iraq is not cooperating with inspectors.
U.S. officials here tell us privately they're not sure exactly what the secretary was talking about, but that there are plans for the United States to be more detailed and more aggressive in making its case right around the same time Hans Blix presents a report to the Security Council. That would be on January 27.
It should not go unnoted, Kyra, that on January 28, the president will deliver his State of the Union address. White House officials tell us look in there as well for a decent-sized section of the speech to be dedicated to the president's latest assessment of the showdown with Iraq.
PHILLIPS: Live from the White House, our John King.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
