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CNN Sunday Morning
Iraq's National Assembly Meeting Gets Under Way
Aired November 10, 2002 - 11:01 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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: And now, to Baghdad where Iraq's National Assembly has been called into emergency session to discuss the new U.N. resolutions demanding Iraq's immediate disarmament. CNN's Jane Arraf is in the Iraqi capital right now.
Jane, have there been any results out of the meeting yet?
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Carol, there are no indications actually that that meeting has started yet. The president called for the emergency session, but indications are that it could actually take place tomorrow, but certainly in the next day or two.
Now, Iraq as we know, has until Friday to accept this resolution and the indications are that the Iraqi president will indeed say yes after this goes to the National Assembly. It will go to the Revolution Command Council, the highest body in the land, chaired by President Saddam Hussein.
Now, at the Arab League in Cairo, where Iraq's foreign minister is attending meetings, participants there are saying, as well, that Iraq is likely to say yes. The Iraqi foreign minister has issued a statement there calling on Arab states to take a list of actions if the U.S. does attack. They include things all the way from not participating in any attack to withdrawing oil exports to any country that participates and even cutting off the use of the U.S. dollar. Now, that's not likely to happen, but everyone at the Arab League hopes it won't come to that. They're desperately hoping to avert a war in the region.
As for people on the ground here, the Iraqi government is trying to prepare them for the return of weapons inspectors. Comment on Iraqi TV has been telling people this is still an evil American plan, but that will it let the weapons inspectors back in to inspect and certify that Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction -- Carol.
LIN: Jane, are the presidential sites still off limits, though, to inspectors?
ARRAF: Well, according to this resolution, which again, Iraq is -- does seem prepared to accept, nothing is off limits. Now, we'll see how it's implemented on the ground. But according to the resolution, again, there's unfettered, unconditional access to every site, and that includes those eight presidential sites that had been problems in the past.
Now, Iraq has argued they should be not off limits but should be subject to special rules, not because it says it's hiding anything, but because it says there are symbols of its sovereignty and dignity. However, if it accepts the resolution then nothing is off limits in this country --Carol.
LIN: I'm wondering if there's -- Jane, if there's any reaction to this report that the Bush administration is making an open invitation to Iraqi scientists to give out state secrets and in exchange, they will be allowed to defect and come here to the United States.
ARRAF: You know there have been defections over the past 10 years and in the past couple of years. And that's the source of -- there's a large Iraqi opposition outside the country, but not all the scientists actually want to defect.
Now, this is a huge, obviously, complicated country. One of the reasons it's so hard to figure out how to deal with disarmament and how to deal with anything that even talks about a regime change because it is very complicated. But having said that, there are a lot of scientists in the country, some of loyal to the regime, others who are not interested in defecting. Now, understandably, there will be some defections if they are allowed, but this is one of the things that Iraq is afraid of, and some of the allies, as well, that this resolution is a cover for things like defections and an attempt just to topple the Iraqi president, not actually to ensure no weapons here -- Carol.
LIN: All right, thank you very much. Jane Arraf will be covering the meeting of the Iraqi National Assembly as it gets under way.
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 November 10, 2002 - 11:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: And now, to Baghdad where Iraq's National Assembly has been called into emergency session to discuss the new U.N. resolutions demanding Iraq's immediate disarmament. CNN's Jane Arraf is in the Iraqi capital right now.
Jane, have there been any results out of the meeting yet?
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Carol, there are no indications actually that that meeting has started yet. The president called for the emergency session, but indications are that it could actually take place tomorrow, but certainly in the next day or two.
Now, Iraq as we know, has until Friday to accept this resolution and the indications are that the Iraqi president will indeed say yes after this goes to the National Assembly. It will go to the Revolution Command Council, the highest body in the land, chaired by President Saddam Hussein.
Now, at the Arab League in Cairo, where Iraq's foreign minister is attending meetings, participants there are saying, as well, that Iraq is likely to say yes. The Iraqi foreign minister has issued a statement there calling on Arab states to take a list of actions if the U.S. does attack. They include things all the way from not participating in any attack to withdrawing oil exports to any country that participates and even cutting off the use of the U.S. dollar. Now, that's not likely to happen, but everyone at the Arab League hopes it won't come to that. They're desperately hoping to avert a war in the region.
As for people on the ground here, the Iraqi government is trying to prepare them for the return of weapons inspectors. Comment on Iraqi TV has been telling people this is still an evil American plan, but that will it let the weapons inspectors back in to inspect and certify that Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction -- Carol.
LIN: Jane, are the presidential sites still off limits, though, to inspectors?
ARRAF: Well, according to this resolution, which again, Iraq is -- does seem prepared to accept, nothing is off limits. Now, we'll see how it's implemented on the ground. But according to the resolution, again, there's unfettered, unconditional access to every site, and that includes those eight presidential sites that had been problems in the past.
Now, Iraq has argued they should be not off limits but should be subject to special rules, not because it says it's hiding anything, but because it says there are symbols of its sovereignty and dignity. However, if it accepts the resolution then nothing is off limits in this country --Carol.
LIN: I'm wondering if there's -- Jane, if there's any reaction to this report that the Bush administration is making an open invitation to Iraqi scientists to give out state secrets and in exchange, they will be allowed to defect and come here to the United States.
ARRAF: You know there have been defections over the past 10 years and in the past couple of years. And that's the source of -- there's a large Iraqi opposition outside the country, but not all the scientists actually want to defect.
Now, this is a huge, obviously, complicated country. One of the reasons it's so hard to figure out how to deal with disarmament and how to deal with anything that even talks about a regime change because it is very complicated. But having said that, there are a lot of scientists in the country, some of loyal to the regime, others who are not interested in defecting. Now, understandably, there will be some defections if they are allowed, but this is one of the things that Iraq is afraid of, and some of the allies, as well, that this resolution is a cover for things like defections and an attempt just to topple the Iraqi president, not actually to ensure no weapons here -- Carol.
LIN: All right, thank you very much. Jane Arraf will be covering the meeting of the Iraqi National Assembly as it gets under way.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
