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American Morning
Serious Violation by Iraq?
Aired December 17, 2002 - 07:06 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Reports indicating that Baghdad may have committed a serious violation of a UN sanctions by deploying missiles that could reach U.S. troops in Kuwait -- surface-to-surface missiles we're talking about.
Live to Baghdad now to Nic Robertson for what he's gathering on this.
Nic -- hello.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Bill.
Well, Iraq does have three different types of missiles, the Al Hussein Scud variant capable of going about 405 miles. Of course, that is completely banned by UN Resolution 1441. Iraq says it doesn't have them, and weapons inspectors are here looking for them.
The other thing that the weapons inspectors are looking at here are the other two missile systems, the Al Samud (ph). Now, this is essentially a 150 kilometer, 90-mile missile. It has a liquid propellant. There's also the Al Abbabil (ph) missile. This is the same distance capable about 90 miles.
Now, what both the United States and Great Britain have outlined before, the governments have said that they believe these missile systems have been upgraded to go potentially 125 miles. We've seen inspectors here, and even the Iraqi news agency here, has commented on the amount of attention that weapons inspectors have paid to the missile sites.
Today, another team going to a site just north of Baghdad where they make tubular fiberglass components. Back in 1998, that site had very few employees. Now, it has 200. These tubular fiberglass sections are believed by inspectors to be involved in missiles. So, those sites are getting a lot of attention here -- Bill.
HEMMER: Nic, how many of these missiles were employed back in the 1991 Gulf War, January and late 1990 December?
ROBERTSON: The best assessment was that Iraq, through its declaration, purchase declarations, had perhaps as many as about 819 of the Scud missiles.
Now, all but a couple of those were accounted for. Iraq, at the end of the Gulf War, had used a number of them, a large proportion of them, but also claimed to have destroyed a number as well. Well, UN weapons inspectors sought out others and destroyed those.
However, there are, for example, 50 warheads still unaccounted for. There is believed to be chemical propellants still unaccounted for, and a number of other components, not only that, but the ability to upgrade them, the ability to extend their reach. So, these questions are still outstanding.
The UN inspection teams never had all of their questions fully answered, in part because Iraq destroyed the missiles, they said in their declarations, and the weapons inspectors could never fully prove it -- Bill.
HEMMER: Nic, thanks -- Nic Robertson again on the ground 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.
Aired December 17, 2002 - 07:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Reports indicating that Baghdad may have committed a serious violation of a UN sanctions by deploying missiles that could reach U.S. troops in Kuwait -- surface-to-surface missiles we're talking about.
Live to Baghdad now to Nic Robertson for what he's gathering on this.
Nic -- hello.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Bill.
Well, Iraq does have three different types of missiles, the Al Hussein Scud variant capable of going about 405 miles. Of course, that is completely banned by UN Resolution 1441. Iraq says it doesn't have them, and weapons inspectors are here looking for them.
The other thing that the weapons inspectors are looking at here are the other two missile systems, the Al Samud (ph). Now, this is essentially a 150 kilometer, 90-mile missile. It has a liquid propellant. There's also the Al Abbabil (ph) missile. This is the same distance capable about 90 miles.
Now, what both the United States and Great Britain have outlined before, the governments have said that they believe these missile systems have been upgraded to go potentially 125 miles. We've seen inspectors here, and even the Iraqi news agency here, has commented on the amount of attention that weapons inspectors have paid to the missile sites.
Today, another team going to a site just north of Baghdad where they make tubular fiberglass components. Back in 1998, that site had very few employees. Now, it has 200. These tubular fiberglass sections are believed by inspectors to be involved in missiles. So, those sites are getting a lot of attention here -- Bill.
HEMMER: Nic, how many of these missiles were employed back in the 1991 Gulf War, January and late 1990 December?
ROBERTSON: The best assessment was that Iraq, through its declaration, purchase declarations, had perhaps as many as about 819 of the Scud missiles.
Now, all but a couple of those were accounted for. Iraq, at the end of the Gulf War, had used a number of them, a large proportion of them, but also claimed to have destroyed a number as well. Well, UN weapons inspectors sought out others and destroyed those.
However, there are, for example, 50 warheads still unaccounted for. There is believed to be chemical propellants still unaccounted for, and a number of other components, not only that, but the ability to upgrade them, the ability to extend their reach. So, these questions are still outstanding.
The UN inspection teams never had all of their questions fully answered, in part because Iraq destroyed the missiles, they said in their declarations, and the weapons inspectors could never fully prove it -- Bill.
HEMMER: Nic, thanks -- Nic Robertson again on the ground 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.
