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American Morning
Chief Inspector Saying Baghdad Taking Steps to Make It Easier For Them
Aired January 20, 2003 - 08:03 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: Back to Iraq right now. The chief inspector this morning saying that Baghdad is taking steps to make it easier for them to do their work. New concessions now include encouraging private citizens to allow inspections on their properties -- this is a result of what happened last week in an Iraqi home -- and also allowing Iraqi scientists to meet with the inspectors.
New developments again announced in Baghdad just about two hours ago.
And Nic Robertson now follows up with us live -- Nic, hello again.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, that's right. One of the key things that Hans Blix came here with, he wanted to get a concession from Iraqi officials to allow them to interview their scientists in private. That's what appears to be happening. Iraqi officials saying they will encourage their scientists to hold talks with U.N. inspection teams in private.
Also, Iraqis saying that they will put an investigation team out in Iraq, their own investigation team, to find out if there are any more chemical warheads like the ones discovered last week. They say also that they are prepared to continue to discuss their declaration that they made last month to Hans Blix, who put it to the U.N. Security Council. There were many outstanding issues on that declaration. They say they are happy to go ahead and discuss those.
And another point Hans Blix said that they agreed on was that to allow the U.N. inspection teams into the homes of private Iraqis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANS BLIX, CHIEF U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: We had the other day, also, a visit to the home of a private scientist and some documents were found in that. We think that that confirmed our view that we must go to private sites because there have been, it's been stated that some of these sites have documents. And it was proven then.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Now, there were 3,000 pages of documents at that particular scientist's home. The U.N. inspectors believe that documents like this, perhaps squirreled away in private houses, could hold the key to whether or not there are still programs to produce weapons of mass destruction here -- Bill. HEMMER: Nic, I don't know if you can answer this question or not, but why now have these concessions been granted on behalf of the Iraqis to the U.N. team?
ROBERTSON: I put it to Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei in their press conference, wasn't this like 1996, 1997 for UNSCOM, where the Iraqis gave a full and final and complete declaration only a few months later to add to it and to add to it again. It appears to be like that now, that they are adding to the names of scientists that they are willing to now add further information.
They said no, that the program in place was good, the agreements were good. They felt they were on the right track, Bill.
HEMMER: It makes you wonder what's happening on the inside.
Nic, thanks.
Nic Robertson 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
Easier For Them>
Aired January 20, 2003 - 08:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Back to Iraq right now. The chief inspector this morning saying that Baghdad is taking steps to make it easier for them to do their work. New concessions now include encouraging private citizens to allow inspections on their properties -- this is a result of what happened last week in an Iraqi home -- and also allowing Iraqi scientists to meet with the inspectors.
New developments again announced in Baghdad just about two hours ago.
And Nic Robertson now follows up with us live -- Nic, hello again.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, that's right. One of the key things that Hans Blix came here with, he wanted to get a concession from Iraqi officials to allow them to interview their scientists in private. That's what appears to be happening. Iraqi officials saying they will encourage their scientists to hold talks with U.N. inspection teams in private.
Also, Iraqis saying that they will put an investigation team out in Iraq, their own investigation team, to find out if there are any more chemical warheads like the ones discovered last week. They say also that they are prepared to continue to discuss their declaration that they made last month to Hans Blix, who put it to the U.N. Security Council. There were many outstanding issues on that declaration. They say they are happy to go ahead and discuss those.
And another point Hans Blix said that they agreed on was that to allow the U.N. inspection teams into the homes of private Iraqis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANS BLIX, CHIEF U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: We had the other day, also, a visit to the home of a private scientist and some documents were found in that. We think that that confirmed our view that we must go to private sites because there have been, it's been stated that some of these sites have documents. And it was proven then.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Now, there were 3,000 pages of documents at that particular scientist's home. The U.N. inspectors believe that documents like this, perhaps squirreled away in private houses, could hold the key to whether or not there are still programs to produce weapons of mass destruction here -- Bill. HEMMER: Nic, I don't know if you can answer this question or not, but why now have these concessions been granted on behalf of the Iraqis to the U.N. team?
ROBERTSON: I put it to Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei in their press conference, wasn't this like 1996, 1997 for UNSCOM, where the Iraqis gave a full and final and complete declaration only a few months later to add to it and to add to it again. It appears to be like that now, that they are adding to the names of scientists that they are willing to now add further information.
They said no, that the program in place was good, the agreements were good. They felt they were on the right track, Bill.
HEMMER: It makes you wonder what's happening on the inside.
Nic, thanks.
Nic Robertson 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
Easier For Them>
