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American Morning
U.N. Teams Searched at Least Nine Sites Today in Iraq
Aired January 21, 2003 - 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Now on to Iraq and the weapons search. Twenty-four hours after Baghdad agrees to improve cooperation, inspectors spread out to nearly a dozen sites, including a huge complex south of Baghdad.
Let's catch up with Nic Robertson, who is standing by in Baghdad with the very latest from there.
Good morning -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
At least nine different sites being visited today, many of them revisits. We've seen them go back to a huge nuclear facility, go back to a missile facility. This has become the norm of the day here, many teams going out and revisiting sites.
The newspapers here commenting on the visit by Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, saying the talks were friendly and constructive. Both sides apparently agreeing to play down the war of words, at least the media here saying that they won't now speak out and call the inspectors spies, having said that they've got an agreement with the inspectors (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the inspectors not to ask provocative questions. But the war of words still appears to be on.
Taha Yasin Ramadan, the vice president here, when he was addressing a group of teachers here, said that it was time the international community questioned why, when Iraq was cooperating with the inspectors, the United States was still building a force in the region. And of course, Hans Blix, now on his way back to New York, has said that he hadn't got enough here to be able to feel confident to close the dossier on Iraq -- Paula.
ZAHN: You now have Saddam Hussein's science director saying he's encouraging Iraqi scientists to cooperate with the inspectors, but there is still no official word, is there, on whether the Iraqis will allow their scientists to be taken outside the country to be interviewed?
ROBERTSON: Well, that same advisor was asked the question: Will you advise your scientists to leave the country? And he said, no, that's the judgment we're going to leave up to them. He was asked, would he compel those scientists to take part in those private interviews with the U.N. inspectors? He said, no, that they would just encourage them to do it. Right now, it's expected that these interviews that are being talked about are only inside Iraq. The government here saying it's up to the scientists. So far, we're seeing a lot of reluctance on the part of those scientists to take up any offer to leave the country -- Paula.
ZAHN: Thanks so much, Nic -- Nic Robertson reporting from Baghdad this morning.
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 21, 2003 - 07:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Now on to Iraq and the weapons search. Twenty-four hours after Baghdad agrees to improve cooperation, inspectors spread out to nearly a dozen sites, including a huge complex south of Baghdad.
Let's catch up with Nic Robertson, who is standing by in Baghdad with the very latest from there.
Good morning -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
At least nine different sites being visited today, many of them revisits. We've seen them go back to a huge nuclear facility, go back to a missile facility. This has become the norm of the day here, many teams going out and revisiting sites.
The newspapers here commenting on the visit by Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, saying the talks were friendly and constructive. Both sides apparently agreeing to play down the war of words, at least the media here saying that they won't now speak out and call the inspectors spies, having said that they've got an agreement with the inspectors (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the inspectors not to ask provocative questions. But the war of words still appears to be on.
Taha Yasin Ramadan, the vice president here, when he was addressing a group of teachers here, said that it was time the international community questioned why, when Iraq was cooperating with the inspectors, the United States was still building a force in the region. And of course, Hans Blix, now on his way back to New York, has said that he hadn't got enough here to be able to feel confident to close the dossier on Iraq -- Paula.
ZAHN: You now have Saddam Hussein's science director saying he's encouraging Iraqi scientists to cooperate with the inspectors, but there is still no official word, is there, on whether the Iraqis will allow their scientists to be taken outside the country to be interviewed?
ROBERTSON: Well, that same advisor was asked the question: Will you advise your scientists to leave the country? And he said, no, that's the judgment we're going to leave up to them. He was asked, would he compel those scientists to take part in those private interviews with the U.N. inspectors? He said, no, that they would just encourage them to do it. Right now, it's expected that these interviews that are being talked about are only inside Iraq. The government here saying it's up to the scientists. So far, we're seeing a lot of reluctance on the part of those scientists to take up any offer to leave the country -- Paula.
ZAHN: Thanks so much, Nic -- Nic Robertson reporting from Baghdad this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
