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American Morning
Rising Tensions
Aired January 15, 2003 - 08:33 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: Weapons inspectors spent four hours today inside Saddam Hussein's oldest palace in Baghdad. It is the second visit to a presidential palace since inspections resumed, and comes as the U.S. is turning up the heat in Baghdad.
Let's turn to Rym Brahimi standing by in Baghdad with a live update.
Good morning, Rym.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
You're right. The timing is particularly interesting. The rhetoric has been stepped up in Washington, and also in Baghdad. Now, this comes, if you can see that, just as chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix and his counterpart from the IAEA, Mohamed Elbaradei, prepare to go come to Baghdad. They've been to Washington and going to other capitals in the world, asking Iraq to be now more proactive, rather than just give passive access to capitals. Well, Iraq seems to be changing its tone, with General Hossam Amin, who is, in essence, the interlocutor to the inspectors here in Iraq, saying only a short while ago on Iraqi, on the local Iraqi station that belongs to the president's son, that Iraq has no more outstanding issues to discuss, that it has cooperated beyond the requirements of the Security Council resolution.
Now that change of tone follows the speech of President Saddam Hussein, in which he, again, reiterated the allegations, that the inspectors are gathering intelligence, rather than anything else, and also it comes as Iraq has increasingly been vocal about complaints, complaining about inspectors freezing sites, complaining also about them violating traffic rules.
Now another interesting thing I'd like to show you, Paula. This is the newspaper owned by the president's son, Babil (ph), and there is an editorial right here that says that -- that talks about the anger of the Iraqis regard to these inspections, saying the inspectors have double standards, they're destroying weapons here, and not in Israel, and also saying, asking what is the point in cooperating, asking their government to stop cooperating.
ZAHN: And what is the latest reaction to how tough President Bush was yesterday in his interlude with reporters?
BRAHIMI: Well, that's an interesting thing. There hasn't been an immediate reaction to that. But again, the same sort of rhetoric. Again, General Hossam Amin, saying we have no more -- nothing else to say or to add. We've been cooperating beyond what has been required. And this is very interesting. There seems to be a shift in turn.
Now whether this is for internal consumption or whether this is the message that Iraq wants to accepted to the world. We will probably find out when Hans Blix and Mohammad Elbaradei come to Iraq on Sunday, and discuss with the Iraqis whether indeed there's just rhetoric, and then they will continue their cooperation, or whether they seem to be wanting to put a halt to that as well -- Paula.
ZAHN: Thanks, Rym. Appreciate it.
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 January 15, 2003 - 08:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Weapons inspectors spent four hours today inside Saddam Hussein's oldest palace in Baghdad. It is the second visit to a presidential palace since inspections resumed, and comes as the U.S. is turning up the heat in Baghdad.
Let's turn to Rym Brahimi standing by in Baghdad with a live update.
Good morning, Rym.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
You're right. The timing is particularly interesting. The rhetoric has been stepped up in Washington, and also in Baghdad. Now, this comes, if you can see that, just as chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix and his counterpart from the IAEA, Mohamed Elbaradei, prepare to go come to Baghdad. They've been to Washington and going to other capitals in the world, asking Iraq to be now more proactive, rather than just give passive access to capitals. Well, Iraq seems to be changing its tone, with General Hossam Amin, who is, in essence, the interlocutor to the inspectors here in Iraq, saying only a short while ago on Iraqi, on the local Iraqi station that belongs to the president's son, that Iraq has no more outstanding issues to discuss, that it has cooperated beyond the requirements of the Security Council resolution.
Now that change of tone follows the speech of President Saddam Hussein, in which he, again, reiterated the allegations, that the inspectors are gathering intelligence, rather than anything else, and also it comes as Iraq has increasingly been vocal about complaints, complaining about inspectors freezing sites, complaining also about them violating traffic rules.
Now another interesting thing I'd like to show you, Paula. This is the newspaper owned by the president's son, Babil (ph), and there is an editorial right here that says that -- that talks about the anger of the Iraqis regard to these inspections, saying the inspectors have double standards, they're destroying weapons here, and not in Israel, and also saying, asking what is the point in cooperating, asking their government to stop cooperating.
ZAHN: And what is the latest reaction to how tough President Bush was yesterday in his interlude with reporters?
BRAHIMI: Well, that's an interesting thing. There hasn't been an immediate reaction to that. But again, the same sort of rhetoric. Again, General Hossam Amin, saying we have no more -- nothing else to say or to add. We've been cooperating beyond what has been required. And this is very interesting. There seems to be a shift in turn.
Now whether this is for internal consumption or whether this is the message that Iraq wants to accepted to the world. We will probably find out when Hans Blix and Mohammad Elbaradei come to Iraq on Sunday, and discuss with the Iraqis whether indeed there's just rhetoric, and then they will continue their cooperation, or whether they seem to be wanting to put a halt to that as well -- Paula.
ZAHN: Thanks, Rym. Appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
