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American Morning
Role for U.N. Weapons Inspectors?
Aired May 08, 2003 - 07:03 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: The U.N. is asking the U.S. to let inspectors back in to check on a nuclear storage site near Baghdad. There are new reports of looting at the site. The U.S. already saying there is no role right now for U.N. inspectors back in that country.
Nic Robertson following the latest now from Baghdad.
Nic -- good afternoon there.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Bill.
This story goes back to when U.S. troops were beginning to take control in Iraq, the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna asked the U.S. troops to pay special attention to the al Tuwaitha (ph) site outside of Baghdad, one of Iraq's main nuclear research facilities.
Now, the troops are there today. They have secured some elements of the site, but Iraqi scientists took us back to see a storage depot just outside of that main site. Now, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, stored at this site is naturally-occurring uranium, several tons of it, low-enriched uranium, several tons of that, and many hundreds of sources of highly radioactive industrial radioactive material.
Now, when the Iraqi scientists took us into that site, it had been looted. Some of the drums containing the low-grade radioactive material had been carted off by people in the local villages. Those villagers tell us that they've been using these vessels to store water in, to drink water out of. Many of the high-grade, highly radioactive elements of material there, that store had been looted. We could see laying around there the lead vessels that these radioactive elements had been contained in. The looters literally breaking open these lead stores, taking out the highly radioactive material, and running off with it.
The International Atomic Energy Agency called on the United States to protect the site at the time. They say they want to come back, because they want to analyze the damage that's been done. They want to check up and catch up on what's happened to all of this radioactive material that they've been monitoring for over 10 years now. And their concerns go beyond the simple contamination for local villages.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MARK GWOZDECKY, IAEA SPOKESMAN: We're concerned on four levels, really. We're concerned about the potential for environmental contamination. We're concerned about the effects of radiation on the civilian population. We're concerned about the possibility of nuclear terrorism. This is the material that can be used for dirty bombs. And, ultimately, we are responsible for preventing the proliferation of material that might be used in a nuclear weapons program.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Now, U.S. troops on the site told us they were getting high readings from many of the buildings there. Iraqi scientists said that they got high readings from many areas in the local villages, and the villagers tell us that many of those radioactive elements are no longer there in the villages. They've been taken to Baghdad, and we know that very close to there, there is a street market. All manner of goods get sold there by people who often don't even know what they're selling.
The concern is for the International Atomic Energy Agency that these highly, highly radioactive sources could be literally anywhere, maybe even outside of Iraq now -- Bill.
HEMMER: Nic Robertson live in 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.
Aired May 8, 2003 - 07:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: The U.N. is asking the U.S. to let inspectors back in to check on a nuclear storage site near Baghdad. There are new reports of looting at the site. The U.S. already saying there is no role right now for U.N. inspectors back in that country.
Nic Robertson following the latest now from Baghdad.
Nic -- good afternoon there.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Bill.
This story goes back to when U.S. troops were beginning to take control in Iraq, the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna asked the U.S. troops to pay special attention to the al Tuwaitha (ph) site outside of Baghdad, one of Iraq's main nuclear research facilities.
Now, the troops are there today. They have secured some elements of the site, but Iraqi scientists took us back to see a storage depot just outside of that main site. Now, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, stored at this site is naturally-occurring uranium, several tons of it, low-enriched uranium, several tons of that, and many hundreds of sources of highly radioactive industrial radioactive material.
Now, when the Iraqi scientists took us into that site, it had been looted. Some of the drums containing the low-grade radioactive material had been carted off by people in the local villages. Those villagers tell us that they've been using these vessels to store water in, to drink water out of. Many of the high-grade, highly radioactive elements of material there, that store had been looted. We could see laying around there the lead vessels that these radioactive elements had been contained in. The looters literally breaking open these lead stores, taking out the highly radioactive material, and running off with it.
The International Atomic Energy Agency called on the United States to protect the site at the time. They say they want to come back, because they want to analyze the damage that's been done. They want to check up and catch up on what's happened to all of this radioactive material that they've been monitoring for over 10 years now. And their concerns go beyond the simple contamination for local villages.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MARK GWOZDECKY, IAEA SPOKESMAN: We're concerned on four levels, really. We're concerned about the potential for environmental contamination. We're concerned about the effects of radiation on the civilian population. We're concerned about the possibility of nuclear terrorism. This is the material that can be used for dirty bombs. And, ultimately, we are responsible for preventing the proliferation of material that might be used in a nuclear weapons program.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: Now, U.S. troops on the site told us they were getting high readings from many of the buildings there. Iraqi scientists said that they got high readings from many areas in the local villages, and the villagers tell us that many of those radioactive elements are no longer there in the villages. They've been taken to Baghdad, and we know that very close to there, there is a street market. All manner of goods get sold there by people who often don't even know what they're selling.
The concern is for the International Atomic Energy Agency that these highly, highly radioactive sources could be literally anywhere, maybe even outside of Iraq now -- Bill.
HEMMER: Nic Robertson live in 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.
