Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
White House Turning Up Heat on Iraq
Aired January 24, 2003 - 08:11 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: Meanwhile, the White House is turning up the heat on Iraq only three days from that key report we've just been talking about to the U.N. Security Council. But there is a lot of defiant talk coming out of Baghdad today, where Nic Robertson has the very latest -- good morning, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Good morning, Paula.
Well, one of the things we're hearing here, Iraq's ruling Revolution Command Council passing new legislation saying that anyone caught perpetrating an armed robbery during a time of war will face the death penalty, that anyone falsifying their military papers will face 10 to 15 years in jail, an indication there the country perhaps preparing for war.
Also hearing today, it's the Muslim holy day, Friday, the Friday prayers. We're hearing a message of intolerance towards the U.N. representatives here coming from the imams, the religious leaders in those mosques. What they are saying is that the visit earlier this week by a team of inspectors to a mosque was, in fact, a provocative act. Now, the U.N. says this was just a private visit, but the way it's being told to Iraqis now is that this was a provocative act.
Also, a message from President Saddam Hussein's son, Udeh Saddam Hussein, on Iraqi television saying that the United States should listen very carefully to those warning it about going to war with Iraq. He had a very stark message for the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UDAY SADDAM HUSSEIN, SADDAM HUSSEIN'S SON: If they come, what they cried about on September the 11th and what they saw as a big thing will seem like a picnic to them, a real picnic. They will be hurt and they will pay an unimaginable price.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: So, a very clear message to the United States there, Paula, from the president's son.
ZAHN: And, Nic, any reaction yet to what Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz had to say yesterday about inspectors being denied the chance to sit down and privately interview Iraqi scientists?
ROBERTSON: Well, Iraqi officials here, Paula insist that they're doing their best to convince those scientists to go into the interviews. But they say the scientists are just too afraid that something they say will be misrepresented and therefore they say the only way they'll go into those interviews is with an Iraqi official.
Now, this is coming from the most senior Iraqi official that deals with the U.N. inspectors here.
ZAHN: Nic Robertson, thanks so much for the update.
We're going to have to leave this there at this hour. See you in the next hour.
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 24, 2003 - 08:11 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Meanwhile, the White House is turning up the heat on Iraq only three days from that key report we've just been talking about to the U.N. Security Council. But there is a lot of defiant talk coming out of Baghdad today, where Nic Robertson has the very latest -- good morning, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Good morning, Paula.
Well, one of the things we're hearing here, Iraq's ruling Revolution Command Council passing new legislation saying that anyone caught perpetrating an armed robbery during a time of war will face the death penalty, that anyone falsifying their military papers will face 10 to 15 years in jail, an indication there the country perhaps preparing for war.
Also hearing today, it's the Muslim holy day, Friday, the Friday prayers. We're hearing a message of intolerance towards the U.N. representatives here coming from the imams, the religious leaders in those mosques. What they are saying is that the visit earlier this week by a team of inspectors to a mosque was, in fact, a provocative act. Now, the U.N. says this was just a private visit, but the way it's being told to Iraqis now is that this was a provocative act.
Also, a message from President Saddam Hussein's son, Udeh Saddam Hussein, on Iraqi television saying that the United States should listen very carefully to those warning it about going to war with Iraq. He had a very stark message for the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UDAY SADDAM HUSSEIN, SADDAM HUSSEIN'S SON: If they come, what they cried about on September the 11th and what they saw as a big thing will seem like a picnic to them, a real picnic. They will be hurt and they will pay an unimaginable price.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: So, a very clear message to the United States there, Paula, from the president's son.
ZAHN: And, Nic, any reaction yet to what Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz had to say yesterday about inspectors being denied the chance to sit down and privately interview Iraqi scientists?
ROBERTSON: Well, Iraqi officials here, Paula insist that they're doing their best to convince those scientists to go into the interviews. But they say the scientists are just too afraid that something they say will be misrepresented and therefore they say the only way they'll go into those interviews is with an Iraqi official.
Now, this is coming from the most senior Iraqi official that deals with the U.N. inspectors here.
ZAHN: Nic Robertson, thanks so much for the update.
We're going to have to leave this there at this hour. See you in the next hour.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
