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CNN Live Event/Special
Iraq's Perspective on Inspections
Aired December 12, 2002 - 10:04 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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We want to get now to Baghdad. There is a development in Baghdad right now, a press conference under way right now, Hossam Amin, who is the Iraqi general who is charge of putting together that report that was sent to the U.N.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
GEN. HOSSAM AMIN, NATL. MONITORING DIRECTORATE: ... monitoring and verification commission, UNMOVIC, and one complication which we don't (UNINTELLIGIBLE), in addition to one IAEA inspection team. The IAEA inspection team used to divide itself to several groups. They behave like independent inspection teams. In a sense today (ph), the IAEA inspection team divided itself into five groups. The inspection visits up to today became 55 -- sorry, 58 visits or inspections. Ten of the sites which had been inspected were accused by the so-called Blair Report, and they were allegedly safe (ph) to practice and conduct some prohibited activities. And the visits of the inspection teams proved that those allegations are grounded, and the report is absolutely (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Inspection teams also took many samples, and photocopied the comments from the sites which have been visited. The Iraq side used to take the same samples to avoid any misunderstanding in the future if the analyzes of those samples there is any question mark on any of the results.
And the communication group started to install the communications system which is necessary for the videotape -- of the videotaping and monitoring of some production lines, some factories and sites, which will be subjected to the ongoing monitoring by the comrades and by the different type of (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
The sides which have been visited belong to different (UNINTELLIGIBLE), such as the Military Industrialization Corporation, and the Ministry of Industry and Minerals, the Atomic Energy -- Iraqi Atomic Energy Agency, Agriculture Ministry, and high education ministry, in addition to some sites which belongs to the private sector. For instance, the alcohol or (UNINTELLIGIBLE) factories, which had been visited in the past week.
And in addition to that, one company which belonged to the Arabic states. It's called the Akai (ph) company, which produces the antibiotics, had been visited by the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) today.
The number of inspectors is increasing day after day, and the stuff, generally speaking, of UNMOVIC, and IAEA, become up to today about 150 persons. They are inspectors are supporting stuff, administrative, et cetera. But the inspectors who (UNINTELLIGIBLE) inspections are -- yesterday were total 47, and today about 65, which indicates a rising of the number of inspectors.
Thank you very much.
HARRIS: What we are listening to is General Hossam Amin, who has been briefing the press on the inspection regime from the perspective of Iraq, and right now, he's taking questions, and he's beginning at least his answers right now in -- obviously in a foreign language.
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 December 12, 2002 - 10:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We want to get now to Baghdad. There is a development in Baghdad right now, a press conference under way right now, Hossam Amin, who is the Iraqi general who is charge of putting together that report that was sent to the U.N.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
GEN. HOSSAM AMIN, NATL. MONITORING DIRECTORATE: ... monitoring and verification commission, UNMOVIC, and one complication which we don't (UNINTELLIGIBLE), in addition to one IAEA inspection team. The IAEA inspection team used to divide itself to several groups. They behave like independent inspection teams. In a sense today (ph), the IAEA inspection team divided itself into five groups. The inspection visits up to today became 55 -- sorry, 58 visits or inspections. Ten of the sites which had been inspected were accused by the so-called Blair Report, and they were allegedly safe (ph) to practice and conduct some prohibited activities. And the visits of the inspection teams proved that those allegations are grounded, and the report is absolutely (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Inspection teams also took many samples, and photocopied the comments from the sites which have been visited. The Iraq side used to take the same samples to avoid any misunderstanding in the future if the analyzes of those samples there is any question mark on any of the results.
And the communication group started to install the communications system which is necessary for the videotape -- of the videotaping and monitoring of some production lines, some factories and sites, which will be subjected to the ongoing monitoring by the comrades and by the different type of (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
The sides which have been visited belong to different (UNINTELLIGIBLE), such as the Military Industrialization Corporation, and the Ministry of Industry and Minerals, the Atomic Energy -- Iraqi Atomic Energy Agency, Agriculture Ministry, and high education ministry, in addition to some sites which belongs to the private sector. For instance, the alcohol or (UNINTELLIGIBLE) factories, which had been visited in the past week.
And in addition to that, one company which belonged to the Arabic states. It's called the Akai (ph) company, which produces the antibiotics, had been visited by the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) today.
The number of inspectors is increasing day after day, and the stuff, generally speaking, of UNMOVIC, and IAEA, become up to today about 150 persons. They are inspectors are supporting stuff, administrative, et cetera. But the inspectors who (UNINTELLIGIBLE) inspections are -- yesterday were total 47, and today about 65, which indicates a rising of the number of inspectors.
Thank you very much.
HARRIS: What we are listening to is General Hossam Amin, who has been briefing the press on the inspection regime from the perspective of Iraq, and right now, he's taking questions, and he's beginning at least his answers right now in -- obviously in a foreign language.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
