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CNN Sunday Morning

U.S. Shares Intelligence With U.N. Inspectors in Iraq

Aired December 22, 2002 - 09:04   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.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Now to the Iraq weapons hunt. The United Nations has been pressing the U.S. for more intelligence on Iraq's weapons programs and now it looks like the U.S. is complying. Let's get more from the White House correspondent Dana Bash.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.

The U.S. has said it hat been sharing some intelligence information with the United Nations, but now, after last week, the U.S. said that Iraq was not coming clean in its weapons of mass destruction programs. U.N. Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix called on the United States and Britain to give them more information, more intelligence information, to help inspectors with their search around Iraq to find whatever weapons programs they think that Saddam Hussein does have.

Now, U.S. officials are beginning in their handover with spy satellite photos; photos of what the U.S. says are Iraq's stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons. Now, in terms of what's next, the U.S. says that they're going to hand over this intelligence information piecemeal. They're very worried that methods and sources of the U.S. intelligence operation would be compromised and they don't want any of this information to go into Iraqi hands -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Now, Dana, can we switch gears a little bit to North Korea? Is the White House reacting in any way, to it?

BASH: No official reaction, here at the White House, yet on the North Korea's latest move. But, of course, since more than two months ago, North Korea announced that it was going to restart its nuclear program the U.S. has called on North Korea to stop that program, saying that in 1994 North Korea promised it would never do that again, it would not start its nuclear program ever again.

In response, the U.S., of course, has stopped fuel shipments to North Korea. And the U.S. is saying that if North Korea wants to begin negotiations over a non-aggression pact, which is what North Korea says they want with the U.S., the U.S. isn't going to starting the negotiations until all of these nuclear programs have ceased immediately -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dana Bash, thank you very much.

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 22, 2002 - 09:04   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Now to the Iraq weapons hunt. The United Nations has been pressing the U.S. for more intelligence on Iraq's weapons programs and now it looks like the U.S. is complying. Let's get more from the White House correspondent Dana Bash.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.

The U.S. has said it hat been sharing some intelligence information with the United Nations, but now, after last week, the U.S. said that Iraq was not coming clean in its weapons of mass destruction programs. U.N. Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix called on the United States and Britain to give them more information, more intelligence information, to help inspectors with their search around Iraq to find whatever weapons programs they think that Saddam Hussein does have.

Now, U.S. officials are beginning in their handover with spy satellite photos; photos of what the U.S. says are Iraq's stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons. Now, in terms of what's next, the U.S. says that they're going to hand over this intelligence information piecemeal. They're very worried that methods and sources of the U.S. intelligence operation would be compromised and they don't want any of this information to go into Iraqi hands -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Now, Dana, can we switch gears a little bit to North Korea? Is the White House reacting in any way, to it?

BASH: No official reaction, here at the White House, yet on the North Korea's latest move. But, of course, since more than two months ago, North Korea announced that it was going to restart its nuclear program the U.S. has called on North Korea to stop that program, saying that in 1994 North Korea promised it would never do that again, it would not start its nuclear program ever again.

In response, the U.S., of course, has stopped fuel shipments to North Korea. And the U.S. is saying that if North Korea wants to begin negotiations over a non-aggression pact, which is what North Korea says they want with the U.S., the U.S. isn't going to starting the negotiations until all of these nuclear programs have ceased immediately -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dana Bash, thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com