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Technical Talks Iraqi Officials Have Called Set to Begin Saturday
Aired February 28, 2003 - 13:03 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.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: There are new developments coming out of Baghdad this hour. With the story on that, CNN's Nic Robertson -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Marty, the technical talks that Iraqi officials have called for before they go ahead and begin destroying the Al Samoud II missiles are set to begin here Saturday morning.
Now these talks, the U.N. says, are to set out a timeline for the destruction. They are to set out an action plan. That is, the methodology used to destroy not only the missiles, the propellants, some 380 missile engines and many parts of the manufacturing process that Iraq has here in Baghdad and in other parts of the country. But the U.N. says, was not open for debate on this particular issue and these talks will be those items, those items all that have been listed do have to be destroyed, and that, they hope will begin Saturday after those talks. Those talks to set out a timeline, Marty.
SAVIDGE: Nic, any idea exactly how they're going to destroy them? blow them up, crush them, whatever?
ROBERTSON: We've seen in the past a number of different techniques used for the missile bodies themselves, may be crushed using some heavy equipment. We've seen that in the past. They've used heavy equipment, again, to break some of the casts that have been used for manufacturing the -- some components of the missile engines. But as long as it is verifiably destroyed, and those are the keywords for the U.N. weapons inspectors, verifiable destruction, and that means that the U.N. has seen it destroyed, the items they've spent the last week or so tagging and destroying, that they're destroyed, not able to be put back together in any way, shape or form and reused. That's what the U.N. expects to achieve through this particular process -- Marty.
SAVIDGE: All right, Nic, we'll keep an eye on these crucial development. Thanks very much, Nic Robertson in Baghdad.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Saturday>
Aired February 28, 2003 - 13:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: There are new developments coming out of Baghdad this hour. With the story on that, CNN's Nic Robertson -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Marty, the technical talks that Iraqi officials have called for before they go ahead and begin destroying the Al Samoud II missiles are set to begin here Saturday morning.
Now these talks, the U.N. says, are to set out a timeline for the destruction. They are to set out an action plan. That is, the methodology used to destroy not only the missiles, the propellants, some 380 missile engines and many parts of the manufacturing process that Iraq has here in Baghdad and in other parts of the country. But the U.N. says, was not open for debate on this particular issue and these talks will be those items, those items all that have been listed do have to be destroyed, and that, they hope will begin Saturday after those talks. Those talks to set out a timeline, Marty.
SAVIDGE: Nic, any idea exactly how they're going to destroy them? blow them up, crush them, whatever?
ROBERTSON: We've seen in the past a number of different techniques used for the missile bodies themselves, may be crushed using some heavy equipment. We've seen that in the past. They've used heavy equipment, again, to break some of the casts that have been used for manufacturing the -- some components of the missile engines. But as long as it is verifiably destroyed, and those are the keywords for the U.N. weapons inspectors, verifiable destruction, and that means that the U.N. has seen it destroyed, the items they've spent the last week or so tagging and destroying, that they're destroyed, not able to be put back together in any way, shape or form and reused. That's what the U.N. expects to achieve through this particular process -- Marty.
SAVIDGE: All right, Nic, we'll keep an eye on these crucial development. Thanks very much, Nic Robertson in Baghdad.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Saturday>
