Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
American U2 Spy Plane Makes First Flight in Support of Inspectors
Aired February 18, 2003 - 08:19 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: Coalition aircraft patrolling Iraq's southern no fly zones struck a mobile early warning radar system earlier this morning, that according to U.S. Central Command. Now, the system which provided the information for Iraq's air defense was about 250 miles southwest of Baghdad. The strike comes as an American U2 spy plane makes its first flight in support of U.N. weapons inspectors in Baghdad.
That's where we find Nic Robertson this morning, as he's been for weeks, in Baghdad -- good morning, Nic.
What's the latest?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, that aircraft that over flew Baghdad was flying at exactly this time yesterday. The Iraq's foreign ministry here said that it was in the air for four hours and 20 minutes over Iraq's air space, flying in support of the U.N. mission here on the ground, of the U.N. inspectors.
Talking with a unofficial today, he did confirm that the U.N. had given Iraqi authorities the 48 hours advanced notice that Iraqi officials had called for that aircraft to fly over Iraqi air space.
What is unclear at this time, and if we take one step back to last week, Iraq's position was it would have let this aircraft fly because it said it couldn't guarantee its safety. The reason it said it couldn't guarantee the safety, because as long as allied aircraft were patrolling the northern and southern no fly zones, they said that their air defense systems would fire on those aircraft and they couldn't guarantee, therefore they might not fly, or might not fire, rather, at the U2 aircraft.
Well, a U.N. spokesman today refusing to say whether or not the allied aircraft had paused there and made a gap in their flight plans in the northern and southern no fly zones where the U2 aircraft flew over. Also, the spokesman saying today that still the majority of scientists that the U.N. has asked to interview privately here recently have not gone ahead. The reason, they say, mostly because the scientists want to have the interviews recorded on audiotape and the U.N. says that's not on -- Paula.
ZAHN: Nic Robertson, thank you for that live update from 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
Inspectors>
Aired February 18, 2003 - 08:19 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Coalition aircraft patrolling Iraq's southern no fly zones struck a mobile early warning radar system earlier this morning, that according to U.S. Central Command. Now, the system which provided the information for Iraq's air defense was about 250 miles southwest of Baghdad. The strike comes as an American U2 spy plane makes its first flight in support of U.N. weapons inspectors in Baghdad.
That's where we find Nic Robertson this morning, as he's been for weeks, in Baghdad -- good morning, Nic.
What's the latest?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, that aircraft that over flew Baghdad was flying at exactly this time yesterday. The Iraq's foreign ministry here said that it was in the air for four hours and 20 minutes over Iraq's air space, flying in support of the U.N. mission here on the ground, of the U.N. inspectors.
Talking with a unofficial today, he did confirm that the U.N. had given Iraqi authorities the 48 hours advanced notice that Iraqi officials had called for that aircraft to fly over Iraqi air space.
What is unclear at this time, and if we take one step back to last week, Iraq's position was it would have let this aircraft fly because it said it couldn't guarantee its safety. The reason it said it couldn't guarantee the safety, because as long as allied aircraft were patrolling the northern and southern no fly zones, they said that their air defense systems would fire on those aircraft and they couldn't guarantee, therefore they might not fly, or might not fire, rather, at the U2 aircraft.
Well, a U.N. spokesman today refusing to say whether or not the allied aircraft had paused there and made a gap in their flight plans in the northern and southern no fly zones where the U2 aircraft flew over. Also, the spokesman saying today that still the majority of scientists that the U.N. has asked to interview privately here recently have not gone ahead. The reason, they say, mostly because the scientists want to have the interviews recorded on audiotape and the U.N. says that's not on -- Paula.
ZAHN: Nic Robertson, thank you for that live update from 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
Inspectors>
