Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Inspectors Express Hope for More Cooperation

Aired February 10, 2003 - 08:32   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.


JONATHAN KARL, CNN ANCHOR: Chief weapons inspector Hans Blix says talks were productive, but there are some key issues which they failed to make progress on.
For reaction, we go to senior international correspondent Nic Robertson.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Well, the way it's being played in Iraqi papers here, they're saying that the talks were conducted in a positive atmosphere. They're saying that they hope when Hans Blix and Mohammed ElBaradei make their report to the U.N. later this week, that they are fair and professional about it.

Of course, there was a huge amount of criticism in Iraq when they left last time, because Iraqi officials said while the two weapon chiefs were positive, while they were here and they left, their language changed, and it became much more negative.

Now what we heard when they left is that the weapon chiefs were cautiously optimistic, that they believed possibly that they were beginning to see the beginnings of a change of heart from Iraqi officials. They talked while they were here about a number of documents that were handed over. They said these documents weren't in themselves a breakthrough.

The language, we're beginning to here now, now Hans Blix has left here, is that there was no new evidence in these documents. The fear in Iraq by officials will be that perhaps Hans Blix, while trying to be a little bit upbeat here, would not have so much positive to go back to New York with, and certainly a lot of people here in this city and this country very anxious now, anxious to hear that report the U.N. Security Council later in this week, anxious because they know it could really mean for them the difference between war and peace at this time-- Jonathan.

KARL: Nic Robertson, thank you.

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 February 10, 2003 - 08:32   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN ANCHOR: Chief weapons inspector Hans Blix says talks were productive, but there are some key issues which they failed to make progress on.
For reaction, we go to senior international correspondent Nic Robertson.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Well, the way it's being played in Iraqi papers here, they're saying that the talks were conducted in a positive atmosphere. They're saying that they hope when Hans Blix and Mohammed ElBaradei make their report to the U.N. later this week, that they are fair and professional about it.

Of course, there was a huge amount of criticism in Iraq when they left last time, because Iraqi officials said while the two weapon chiefs were positive, while they were here and they left, their language changed, and it became much more negative.

Now what we heard when they left is that the weapon chiefs were cautiously optimistic, that they believed possibly that they were beginning to see the beginnings of a change of heart from Iraqi officials. They talked while they were here about a number of documents that were handed over. They said these documents weren't in themselves a breakthrough.

The language, we're beginning to here now, now Hans Blix has left here, is that there was no new evidence in these documents. The fear in Iraq by officials will be that perhaps Hans Blix, while trying to be a little bit upbeat here, would not have so much positive to go back to New York with, and certainly a lot of people here in this city and this country very anxious now, anxious to hear that report the U.N. Security Council later in this week, anxious because they know it could really mean for them the difference between war and peace at this time-- Jonathan.

KARL: Nic Robertson, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com