Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Some Diverse Reaction After Iraq's Announcement
Aired February 28, 2003 - 09:34 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: There is some diverse reaction this morning after Iraq's announcement that it will go along with the U.N. demand to destroy its Al Samoud missiles. The French foreign minister says it means the inspections get results, while the U.S. and Britain remain unconvinced of that. They say this is a little bit of game playing. But Baghdad says it does not know how to destroy the weapons and needs some help from inspectors. We get more now from Nic Robertson in Baghdad.
Good morning, Nic.
What is the latest on when the destruction of the missiles might begin?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, I can't give you an exact time at the moment, because I don't think even the U.N. here knows here exactly what time of day. It will happen on Saturday. Certainly, they have to address Iraq's understanding of how to destroy the Al Samoud II missiles. There is a round of technical talks between U.N. inspectors and Iraqi officials scheduled for tomorrow morning.
Now, the reason those talks are taking place is because Iraqi officials say they don't know how to verifiably set about destroying the Al Samoud II missiles. Now the U.N. says it expects these talks to set out a timetable and action plan for the destruction. They say these talks are not about changing the parameters of what is to be destroyed and what is not to be destroyed. These talks are merely about determining how to do it and over what time period it should all happen.
The U.N. says it is holding these talks with a view that immediately afterward the destruction process should begin -- Paula.
ZAHN: Any reaction there to the maneuverings going on at the U.N.? Russia now saying it will probably veto that second resolution?
ROBERTSON: You know, Iraqi officials here really are looking to not only nations represented at the U.N. Security Council, and particularly those with veto power to support them right now, but they're also looking to perhaps what they would hope would be more friendly countries in the region. They have deployed a number of senior ministers and officials to Egypt for an upcoming summit of Arab leaders there, but I think the feeling of many, not only Iraqi officials, but people on the street here is that whatever they do is not going to be enough at this time to head off the possibility of war -- Paula. ZAHN: I couldn't help but hear about 30 seconds ago something that sounded like music. Do you know what that was that just went by? I could hear a string of something musical.
ROBERTSON: There is so much traffic here. We get a lot of music on the Fridays and the Thursdays here. This is the day of rest for a lot of people and it's a day when a lot of people get married.
And the way they set about it here, they take the whole family, the relatives, the friends, they drive down the street with the horns blaring and lot of music going on. And you know, you forger, and perhaps they forget for a little while that war could be quite close, and they kind of set that aside. And it's a bit of escapism for people, a chance to enjoy some of their aspects of their life -- Paula.
ZAHN: I hope you know I was paying attention to what you were saying, but I couldn't miss that.
Thanks, Nic.
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 28, 2003 - 09:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: There is some diverse reaction this morning after Iraq's announcement that it will go along with the U.N. demand to destroy its Al Samoud missiles. The French foreign minister says it means the inspections get results, while the U.S. and Britain remain unconvinced of that. They say this is a little bit of game playing. But Baghdad says it does not know how to destroy the weapons and needs some help from inspectors. We get more now from Nic Robertson in Baghdad.
Good morning, Nic.
What is the latest on when the destruction of the missiles might begin?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, I can't give you an exact time at the moment, because I don't think even the U.N. here knows here exactly what time of day. It will happen on Saturday. Certainly, they have to address Iraq's understanding of how to destroy the Al Samoud II missiles. There is a round of technical talks between U.N. inspectors and Iraqi officials scheduled for tomorrow morning.
Now, the reason those talks are taking place is because Iraqi officials say they don't know how to verifiably set about destroying the Al Samoud II missiles. Now the U.N. says it expects these talks to set out a timetable and action plan for the destruction. They say these talks are not about changing the parameters of what is to be destroyed and what is not to be destroyed. These talks are merely about determining how to do it and over what time period it should all happen.
The U.N. says it is holding these talks with a view that immediately afterward the destruction process should begin -- Paula.
ZAHN: Any reaction there to the maneuverings going on at the U.N.? Russia now saying it will probably veto that second resolution?
ROBERTSON: You know, Iraqi officials here really are looking to not only nations represented at the U.N. Security Council, and particularly those with veto power to support them right now, but they're also looking to perhaps what they would hope would be more friendly countries in the region. They have deployed a number of senior ministers and officials to Egypt for an upcoming summit of Arab leaders there, but I think the feeling of many, not only Iraqi officials, but people on the street here is that whatever they do is not going to be enough at this time to head off the possibility of war -- Paula. ZAHN: I couldn't help but hear about 30 seconds ago something that sounded like music. Do you know what that was that just went by? I could hear a string of something musical.
ROBERTSON: There is so much traffic here. We get a lot of music on the Fridays and the Thursdays here. This is the day of rest for a lot of people and it's a day when a lot of people get married.
And the way they set about it here, they take the whole family, the relatives, the friends, they drive down the street with the horns blaring and lot of music going on. And you know, you forger, and perhaps they forget for a little while that war could be quite close, and they kind of set that aside. And it's a bit of escapism for people, a chance to enjoy some of their aspects of their life -- Paula.
ZAHN: I hope you know I was paying attention to what you were saying, but I couldn't miss that.
Thanks, Nic.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
