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CNN Sunday Morning
More U.N. Advance Team Members Arrive in Iraq
Aired November 24, 2002 - 07:10 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.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: Now, on to the resumption of U.N. weapons inspections in Iraq. A few more members of the advance team, along with communications gear and some computers have arrived in Baghdad from Cyprus.
CNN's Nic Robertson joins us now live from Baghdad with the latest -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the very latest from here, the Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri has published a letter that he's sent to secretary general of the United Nations, Kofi Annan. In that letter it is a follow up to Iraq's acceptance of U.N. resolution 1441, but at the time, Iraq said it would follow up with its concerns.
Now, this is quite a lengthy document, but essentially what it sets out to do is to say that, the resolution, just the very enforcement and procedures of the resolution contradict what Iraq says is international law. As I say, this is a lengthy document, but that is the headline from it.
Now, as you say, the inspection mission is stepping up a pace here. Several more technicians arrive Saturday. They have now brought in several tons of equipment, some of it piling up outside the U.N. headquarters here. It includes a satellite dish, computer equipment, equipment for laboratories, we understand.
One of the issues that the U.N. inspection team are addressing at this stage is a request by Arab nations to put more Arabs on the inspection teams. The 300 inspectors who are on the roster for weapons inspections of this kind, six are Jordanians, and one are Moroccan.
So, the U.N. weapons inspection teams looking at broadening out their base operators to include more members, more scientists from Arab nations.
SAN MIGUEL: And Nic, one quick question, getting back to this letter from Foreign Minister Sabri, not entirely unexpected, believe it was promised, in a letter he wrote on Kofi Annan, on November 11, but do we expect this at all to delay any kind of situation with the inspections, and is this part of what the Bush administration might call cheat-and-retreat delay tactics?
ROBERTSON: It doesn't appear to be that. As you say, the Iraqis have laid the ground saying that they would submit this. What Iraq appears to want to do here is to formally put forward all the reasons why it feels that the procedures contained within resolution 1441, the very nature of 1441 -- they're putting forward all their grievances with the resolution. It's, essentially, they said at the time, we expect it, but we have reservations. These are those reservations, but there was -- there was no indication at this time, that this time, that it will stop the inspectors starting their work. The inspectors are due to go to work -- due to go to work Wednesday.
There are 18 of them arriving on Monday, and they'll be getting to work very quickly. There's no indication that in any way this document from Foreign Minister Naji Sabri to Kofi Annan, secretary general of the United Nations, is going to stop for that in any way.
SAN MIGUEL: OK, Nic Robertson reporting live from 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 November 24, 2002 - 07:10 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: Now, on to the resumption of U.N. weapons inspections in Iraq. A few more members of the advance team, along with communications gear and some computers have arrived in Baghdad from Cyprus.
CNN's Nic Robertson joins us now live from Baghdad with the latest -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the very latest from here, the Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri has published a letter that he's sent to secretary general of the United Nations, Kofi Annan. In that letter it is a follow up to Iraq's acceptance of U.N. resolution 1441, but at the time, Iraq said it would follow up with its concerns.
Now, this is quite a lengthy document, but essentially what it sets out to do is to say that, the resolution, just the very enforcement and procedures of the resolution contradict what Iraq says is international law. As I say, this is a lengthy document, but that is the headline from it.
Now, as you say, the inspection mission is stepping up a pace here. Several more technicians arrive Saturday. They have now brought in several tons of equipment, some of it piling up outside the U.N. headquarters here. It includes a satellite dish, computer equipment, equipment for laboratories, we understand.
One of the issues that the U.N. inspection team are addressing at this stage is a request by Arab nations to put more Arabs on the inspection teams. The 300 inspectors who are on the roster for weapons inspections of this kind, six are Jordanians, and one are Moroccan.
So, the U.N. weapons inspection teams looking at broadening out their base operators to include more members, more scientists from Arab nations.
SAN MIGUEL: And Nic, one quick question, getting back to this letter from Foreign Minister Sabri, not entirely unexpected, believe it was promised, in a letter he wrote on Kofi Annan, on November 11, but do we expect this at all to delay any kind of situation with the inspections, and is this part of what the Bush administration might call cheat-and-retreat delay tactics?
ROBERTSON: It doesn't appear to be that. As you say, the Iraqis have laid the ground saying that they would submit this. What Iraq appears to want to do here is to formally put forward all the reasons why it feels that the procedures contained within resolution 1441, the very nature of 1441 -- they're putting forward all their grievances with the resolution. It's, essentially, they said at the time, we expect it, but we have reservations. These are those reservations, but there was -- there was no indication at this time, that this time, that it will stop the inspectors starting their work. The inspectors are due to go to work -- due to go to work Wednesday.
There are 18 of them arriving on Monday, and they'll be getting to work very quickly. There's no indication that in any way this document from Foreign Minister Naji Sabri to Kofi Annan, secretary general of the United Nations, is going to stop for that in any way.
SAN MIGUEL: OK, Nic Robertson reporting live from 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
