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American Morning
Destruction of Banned Missiles Continues in Iraq
Aired March 10, 2003 - 07:08 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to move away from the diplomatic push at the U.N. right now. Iraq, meanwhile, says it's almost halfway through the destruction of the Al Samoud 2 missiles.
For more on that let's go to Baghdad and join Rym Brahimi, who can bring us up to date on what's happening there in the Iraqi capital with more.
Rym -- hello.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Bill.
Indeed, almost halfway through another six Al Samoud 2 missiles being destroyed today under the supervision of U.N. weapons experts. That brings to 52 the number of such missiles being destroyed here in Iraq.
Now, an Iraqi official from the National Monitoring Directorate spoke to reporters yesterday, saying Iraq was cooperating intensively with inspectors.
The official also said that Iraq was considering inviting chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix to Iraq, but said that decision hasn't been made. If it did, a letter would be sent inviting Hans Blix for the 17th of March.
A letter that has been sent, though, however, Bill, is a letter from Iraq's foreign minister to the secretary-general of the United Nations complaining that the leaflets dropped by the United States over southern Iraq asking Iraqi soldiers to surrender to U.S. forces if and when they make their push into Iraq, well, Iraq says that's a violation of the U.N. charter -- Bill.
HEMMER: Rym, there was also this report, not given orally on Friday by Hans Blix but in a written report that soon followed upon a pass-out at the U.N., about these unmanned drones that right now Iraq has possession of. Is there any response or any better description or clarification from the Iraqi side about this?
BRAHIMI: Well, a spokesman from UNMOVIC here in Baghdad has responded to that report that came in an article in a British newspaper. Now, the UNMOVIC spokesman said that Hans Blix, as you mentioned, did raise that issue in the 167-page report that he distributed to the members of the U.N. Security Council. Hans Blix said that Iraq had declared a type of unmanned drone that it had developed in the past two years. But then that raised questions of how far that drone went, whether it's respected the authorized limit for drones, and also whether another type of drone, the one referred to in the article, had also been developed.
UNMOVIC says for now it's still investigating, and it has been doing in the past few weeks. The investigation goes on -- Bill.
HEMMER: More to follow on this for certain. Rym Brahimi in Baghdad, thanks.
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 March 10, 2003 - 07:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to move away from the diplomatic push at the U.N. right now. Iraq, meanwhile, says it's almost halfway through the destruction of the Al Samoud 2 missiles.
For more on that let's go to Baghdad and join Rym Brahimi, who can bring us up to date on what's happening there in the Iraqi capital with more.
Rym -- hello.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Bill.
Indeed, almost halfway through another six Al Samoud 2 missiles being destroyed today under the supervision of U.N. weapons experts. That brings to 52 the number of such missiles being destroyed here in Iraq.
Now, an Iraqi official from the National Monitoring Directorate spoke to reporters yesterday, saying Iraq was cooperating intensively with inspectors.
The official also said that Iraq was considering inviting chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix to Iraq, but said that decision hasn't been made. If it did, a letter would be sent inviting Hans Blix for the 17th of March.
A letter that has been sent, though, however, Bill, is a letter from Iraq's foreign minister to the secretary-general of the United Nations complaining that the leaflets dropped by the United States over southern Iraq asking Iraqi soldiers to surrender to U.S. forces if and when they make their push into Iraq, well, Iraq says that's a violation of the U.N. charter -- Bill.
HEMMER: Rym, there was also this report, not given orally on Friday by Hans Blix but in a written report that soon followed upon a pass-out at the U.N., about these unmanned drones that right now Iraq has possession of. Is there any response or any better description or clarification from the Iraqi side about this?
BRAHIMI: Well, a spokesman from UNMOVIC here in Baghdad has responded to that report that came in an article in a British newspaper. Now, the UNMOVIC spokesman said that Hans Blix, as you mentioned, did raise that issue in the 167-page report that he distributed to the members of the U.N. Security Council. Hans Blix said that Iraq had declared a type of unmanned drone that it had developed in the past two years. But then that raised questions of how far that drone went, whether it's respected the authorized limit for drones, and also whether another type of drone, the one referred to in the article, had also been developed.
UNMOVIC says for now it's still investigating, and it has been doing in the past few weeks. The investigation goes on -- Bill.
HEMMER: More to follow on this for certain. Rym Brahimi in Baghdad, thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
