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Iraq Confirms it has Tried to Procure Aluminum Tubes

Aired December 02, 2002 - 10:01   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.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: As the world watches to see what, if anything, inspectors will uncover in these searchers, there is word of a surprising admission coming from Iraq.
CNN's chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, has details in an exclusive report. We check in with her now live from London.

Hello -- Christiane.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Leon, as you know, the chief weapons inspectors are expecting a full and formal accounting of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program by December the 8th, after which the U.N. Security Council and governments will pour over it to see just what is there and what isn't.

In the meantime, a high-ranking official has told CNN that Iraq has confirmed that it has tried at least half-a-dozen times to procure aluminum tubes. Now, you remember a few months ago, there was quite a big amount of news about these aluminum tubes with U.S. officials and officials in Britain accusing Iraq of wanting to use those aluminum tubes for its nuclear weapons program.

Well, high-ranking officials close to the U.N. weapons inspectors say that in discussions in Baghdad two weeks ago, the Iraqi senior officials, as I say, did admit to trying to import aluminum tubes, but insisted that they were not to be used for any nuclear weapons program. Rather, the Iraqis said that they were destined for their conventional missile program.

Now, according to this high-ranking official who spoke to CNN, the Iraqis gave details of the diameter, the thickness, the various measurements of these aluminum tubes, and weapons experts say that if, in fact, that turns out to be an accurate accounting, then these tubes could not be used as centrifuges to enrich uranium for a nuclear weapons program.

So, as I say, these officials are waiting for more details, that this is what they understand from the Iraqi officials.

And just one more issue on these aluminum tubes. They are not -- if what the Iraqis are saying pans out to be accurate, then they wouldn't be violating any prohibitions on weapons of mass destruction constraints. But nonetheless, they would be violating U.N. sanctions, because as you know, since 1991, these U.N. sanctions have prohibited Iraq from importing or trying to import any military-related equipment.

Iraq, as we know, does violate U.N. sanctions quite regularly with their illegal oil experts, for instance. But this, under the current situation, would not be the causes that belie the trigger for war; that the demands on Iraq to disarm its weapons of mass destruction program would be -- Leon.

HARRIS: Well, Christiane, is there anything on top of all of this to be read into the timing of this admission?

AMANPOUR: Well, this was two weeks ago, according to the official who spoke to us, when the chief U.N. weapons inspectors went back to Iraq for the first time in four years. So, this was their opportunity -- the Iraqi's opportunity to tell these weapons inspectors, according to this official, at least this piece of information. There may be more information, but we're not right now privy to it. And everybody is waiting, including the weapons inspectors, to have a fuller accounting about these aluminum tubes by December the 8th or around that date.

Again, if you remember, those aluminum tubes, when that report first surfaced, were used by both the U.S. and Britain as sort of their public body of evidence against Iraq when it came to accusing Iraq of trying to re-launch its nuclear weapons program.

HARRIS: That's right, exactly. Christiane Amanpour reporting to us now live from the streets of London -- thank you very much, Christiane.

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 2, 2002 - 10:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: As the world watches to see what, if anything, inspectors will uncover in these searchers, there is word of a surprising admission coming from Iraq.
CNN's chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, has details in an exclusive report. We check in with her now live from London.

Hello -- Christiane.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Leon, as you know, the chief weapons inspectors are expecting a full and formal accounting of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program by December the 8th, after which the U.N. Security Council and governments will pour over it to see just what is there and what isn't.

In the meantime, a high-ranking official has told CNN that Iraq has confirmed that it has tried at least half-a-dozen times to procure aluminum tubes. Now, you remember a few months ago, there was quite a big amount of news about these aluminum tubes with U.S. officials and officials in Britain accusing Iraq of wanting to use those aluminum tubes for its nuclear weapons program.

Well, high-ranking officials close to the U.N. weapons inspectors say that in discussions in Baghdad two weeks ago, the Iraqi senior officials, as I say, did admit to trying to import aluminum tubes, but insisted that they were not to be used for any nuclear weapons program. Rather, the Iraqis said that they were destined for their conventional missile program.

Now, according to this high-ranking official who spoke to CNN, the Iraqis gave details of the diameter, the thickness, the various measurements of these aluminum tubes, and weapons experts say that if, in fact, that turns out to be an accurate accounting, then these tubes could not be used as centrifuges to enrich uranium for a nuclear weapons program.

So, as I say, these officials are waiting for more details, that this is what they understand from the Iraqi officials.

And just one more issue on these aluminum tubes. They are not -- if what the Iraqis are saying pans out to be accurate, then they wouldn't be violating any prohibitions on weapons of mass destruction constraints. But nonetheless, they would be violating U.N. sanctions, because as you know, since 1991, these U.N. sanctions have prohibited Iraq from importing or trying to import any military-related equipment.

Iraq, as we know, does violate U.N. sanctions quite regularly with their illegal oil experts, for instance. But this, under the current situation, would not be the causes that belie the trigger for war; that the demands on Iraq to disarm its weapons of mass destruction program would be -- Leon.

HARRIS: Well, Christiane, is there anything on top of all of this to be read into the timing of this admission?

AMANPOUR: Well, this was two weeks ago, according to the official who spoke to us, when the chief U.N. weapons inspectors went back to Iraq for the first time in four years. So, this was their opportunity -- the Iraqi's opportunity to tell these weapons inspectors, according to this official, at least this piece of information. There may be more information, but we're not right now privy to it. And everybody is waiting, including the weapons inspectors, to have a fuller accounting about these aluminum tubes by December the 8th or around that date.

Again, if you remember, those aluminum tubes, when that report first surfaced, were used by both the U.S. and Britain as sort of their public body of evidence against Iraq when it came to accusing Iraq of trying to re-launch its nuclear weapons program.

HARRIS: That's right, exactly. Christiane Amanpour reporting to us now live from the streets of London -- thank you very much, Christiane.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.