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American Morning
U.N. Inspectors Visiting Seven Sites
Aired December 30, 2002 - 07:32 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: In Iraq today, United Nations inspectors are once again on the hunt for weapons of mass destruction. They are visiting seven sites, including a water treatment facility and a communications center.
And in Baghdad with more on these latest searches, let's turn to our own Rym Brahimi -- good morning, Rym.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
Well, the inspectors do seem, indeed, to have picked up their pace. They had slowed down somewhat after those two interviews with the scientists. Yesterday there were only three sites or three teams of inspections going out. Today, as you said, at least seven, and sometimes they also split up into different teams. One of them that went to the Iran-Iraq border was going to see that communications facility you were mentioning, another the water treatment facility, another one, the biological team, a health lab, a health laboratory. There are a lot of laboratories here, of course, a lot of things still that the U.N. weapons inspectors will be wanting to check.
Now, as these inspections continue, still a lot of skepticism in the media and with regards to the, what people are being told here in Iraq about the inspection process as the U.S. sees it.
Again, the media campaign saying that the U.S. is not interested in inspections, but in overthrowing the regime. And what they're saying is here, Paula, let me show you, there's an editorial here in the "Al Thora (ph)" newspaper. This means Revolution. This is the newspaper that's run by the ruling Baath Party. Well, their editorial here is actually condemning the U.S. administration for how it's treating North Korea, for its double standards, if you will, saying that the U.S. administration is willing to deal with North Korea with diplomacy when North Korea has said that it is working on weapons of mass destruction. Iraq, on the other hand, it says, has none and yet we are still threatened with war, is what they're saying -- Paula.
ZAHN: Let's talk a little bit more about the latest developments with the pressure that's being put on the inspectors to try to get Iraqi scientists to leave the country for questioning. What's the latest on that?
BRAHIMI: That's going to be very tricky, Paula. The last time I spoke to people from the U.N. on that issue, well, there were a lot of questions about that. The problem, you see, Paula, is that from a perspective of just purely international law, it's very difficult to force someone to leave their country if they don't want to. Now, so far the two Iraqi scientists that have been interviewed formally by the U.N. weapons inspectors have said that they don't want to leave the country. They said that they hadn't been asked so far, but if they were to be asked, they wouldn't leave. One of them was actually quite annoyed and sort of stood up and told the press would any Iraqi leave his country like that?
So this is very tricky. And, of course, as you know, the U.N., the Chief U.N. weapons inspector, Hans Blix, has been keen to say we are not a defection agency, we are not a kidnapping agency, and abduction agency, either, which is what it could amount to if they were forced to.
So it's a very tricky situation. And of course, there's always this Damocles sword hanging over their heads of if they don't comply is it material breach or is it not? So a very, very difficult situation here -- Paula.
ZAHN: Thanks so much for the update.
Rym Brahimi.
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 30, 2002 - 07:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: In Iraq today, United Nations inspectors are once again on the hunt for weapons of mass destruction. They are visiting seven sites, including a water treatment facility and a communications center.
And in Baghdad with more on these latest searches, let's turn to our own Rym Brahimi -- good morning, Rym.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
Well, the inspectors do seem, indeed, to have picked up their pace. They had slowed down somewhat after those two interviews with the scientists. Yesterday there were only three sites or three teams of inspections going out. Today, as you said, at least seven, and sometimes they also split up into different teams. One of them that went to the Iran-Iraq border was going to see that communications facility you were mentioning, another the water treatment facility, another one, the biological team, a health lab, a health laboratory. There are a lot of laboratories here, of course, a lot of things still that the U.N. weapons inspectors will be wanting to check.
Now, as these inspections continue, still a lot of skepticism in the media and with regards to the, what people are being told here in Iraq about the inspection process as the U.S. sees it.
Again, the media campaign saying that the U.S. is not interested in inspections, but in overthrowing the regime. And what they're saying is here, Paula, let me show you, there's an editorial here in the "Al Thora (ph)" newspaper. This means Revolution. This is the newspaper that's run by the ruling Baath Party. Well, their editorial here is actually condemning the U.S. administration for how it's treating North Korea, for its double standards, if you will, saying that the U.S. administration is willing to deal with North Korea with diplomacy when North Korea has said that it is working on weapons of mass destruction. Iraq, on the other hand, it says, has none and yet we are still threatened with war, is what they're saying -- Paula.
ZAHN: Let's talk a little bit more about the latest developments with the pressure that's being put on the inspectors to try to get Iraqi scientists to leave the country for questioning. What's the latest on that?
BRAHIMI: That's going to be very tricky, Paula. The last time I spoke to people from the U.N. on that issue, well, there were a lot of questions about that. The problem, you see, Paula, is that from a perspective of just purely international law, it's very difficult to force someone to leave their country if they don't want to. Now, so far the two Iraqi scientists that have been interviewed formally by the U.N. weapons inspectors have said that they don't want to leave the country. They said that they hadn't been asked so far, but if they were to be asked, they wouldn't leave. One of them was actually quite annoyed and sort of stood up and told the press would any Iraqi leave his country like that?
So this is very tricky. And, of course, as you know, the U.N., the Chief U.N. weapons inspector, Hans Blix, has been keen to say we are not a defection agency, we are not a kidnapping agency, and abduction agency, either, which is what it could amount to if they were forced to.
So it's a very tricky situation. And of course, there's always this Damocles sword hanging over their heads of if they don't comply is it material breach or is it not? So a very, very difficult situation here -- Paula.
ZAHN: Thanks so much for the update.
Rym Brahimi.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
