Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Blix Reports

Aired November 25, 2002 - 09:32   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.


PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The first group of weapons inspectors are on the ground in Baghdad, arriving in the capital about 20 minutes ago. But their boss, Hans Blix, is back in New York. He's here to brief the Security Council on inspections, only a day after Iraq fired off its angry letter to the U.N.
For more on that, let's turn to Richard Roth, who is on duty at the U.N.

Good morning, Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

In Baghdad, a short time ago, as you mentioned, 18 weapons inspectors, bio, chemical, nuclear experts, arrived there in the Iraqi capital. On Wednesday, the first true inspections begin for the first time in nearly four years, since the inspectors withdrew from Baghdad.

These inspectors, though, likely to revisit old sites where the U.N. had installed cameras and monitoring equipment. Intrusive, surprise raids not expected on that day.

The boss of the inspectors, Hans Blix, a short time ago entered U.N. headquarters in New York. Last week, he was in Iraq, meeting with Iraq's foreign minister and getting his old headquarters up to speed.

Naji Sabri, seen there, the foreign minister, wrote an angry 19- page letter to the United Nations over the weekend. He had promised a letter such as this. He accuses the U.N. of practicing terrorism and looking for an excuse to go to war. In the letter, he says the U.N. Security Council resolution, which puts the inspectors back in Iraq, the aim is very clear, he says, that it is to provide pretext in order to distort the position of Iraq. Iraq upset that thousands of pages of information could be misconstrued enough for an attack. So he says considering leaving out some information in these pages to be a material breach, means there is a premeditation to target Iraq.

Hans Blix will brief the Security Council several hours from now. The U.N. also expected to extend, once again, a humanitarian oil-for- food exchange program -- Paula.

ZAHN: Richard, Richard Butler was on our air, the former chief U.N. weapons inspector, and he characterized the letter as hilarious, saying that it is such a blatant piece of propaganda, totally expected. I'm just wondering if you are hearing anybody there say the same thing. ROTH: It's a little early, but it doesn't help Iraq's case with countries sympathetic to it, because the letter is so angry and accusatory about the United Nations, and Syria and Russia and China, occasional friends of Iraq, did sign onto the resolution. So as we go forward to the countdown to whatever, Iraq is certainly not making additional friends here, but the tone no surprise to longtime watchers of this contentious relationship between the U.N. and Baghdad.

ZAHN: All right, keep us posted. Richard, thanks so much for the update.

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 November 25, 2002 - 09:32   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The first group of weapons inspectors are on the ground in Baghdad, arriving in the capital about 20 minutes ago. But their boss, Hans Blix, is back in New York. He's here to brief the Security Council on inspections, only a day after Iraq fired off its angry letter to the U.N.
For more on that, let's turn to Richard Roth, who is on duty at the U.N.

Good morning, Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

In Baghdad, a short time ago, as you mentioned, 18 weapons inspectors, bio, chemical, nuclear experts, arrived there in the Iraqi capital. On Wednesday, the first true inspections begin for the first time in nearly four years, since the inspectors withdrew from Baghdad.

These inspectors, though, likely to revisit old sites where the U.N. had installed cameras and monitoring equipment. Intrusive, surprise raids not expected on that day.

The boss of the inspectors, Hans Blix, a short time ago entered U.N. headquarters in New York. Last week, he was in Iraq, meeting with Iraq's foreign minister and getting his old headquarters up to speed.

Naji Sabri, seen there, the foreign minister, wrote an angry 19- page letter to the United Nations over the weekend. He had promised a letter such as this. He accuses the U.N. of practicing terrorism and looking for an excuse to go to war. In the letter, he says the U.N. Security Council resolution, which puts the inspectors back in Iraq, the aim is very clear, he says, that it is to provide pretext in order to distort the position of Iraq. Iraq upset that thousands of pages of information could be misconstrued enough for an attack. So he says considering leaving out some information in these pages to be a material breach, means there is a premeditation to target Iraq.

Hans Blix will brief the Security Council several hours from now. The U.N. also expected to extend, once again, a humanitarian oil-for- food exchange program -- Paula.

ZAHN: Richard, Richard Butler was on our air, the former chief U.N. weapons inspector, and he characterized the letter as hilarious, saying that it is such a blatant piece of propaganda, totally expected. I'm just wondering if you are hearing anybody there say the same thing. ROTH: It's a little early, but it doesn't help Iraq's case with countries sympathetic to it, because the letter is so angry and accusatory about the United Nations, and Syria and Russia and China, occasional friends of Iraq, did sign onto the resolution. So as we go forward to the countdown to whatever, Iraq is certainly not making additional friends here, but the tone no surprise to longtime watchers of this contentious relationship between the U.N. and Baghdad.

ZAHN: All right, keep us posted. Richard, thanks so much for the update.

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