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CNN Sunday Morning
U.N. Weapons Inspectors Continue Work Inside Iraq
Aired December 22, 2002 - 09:29 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: U.N. weapons inspectors are scouring Iraq again today for weapons of mass destruction. Let's get the latest from CNN's Rym Brahimi in Baghdad -- Rym.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN INT'L CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka, we have, in fact, just received an update from the spokesman of the U.N. weapons inspectors. We understand that a couple of teams went out, a couple of teams of missile experts went out to two different sites.
One of them a space research center called al Batani (ph); now, that's a site that we believe previously hadn't been visited, but it in fact has been visited before. It was known to previous U.N. inspectors. Now, the other sites, mainly visited today by biological and chemical experts, were a detergent factory, another water facility in downtown Baghdad. And then, nuclear experts went out to three different sites today.
So, you can see, Fredricka, they really, really, quick picked up of that pace. You know, it used to be that they used to just go to one or two sites everyday, but now there's more than 100 inspectors on the ground so they're really going through a lot of places at the same time.
Now, at the same time the newspapers, there has been all this drumbeat of war over the declaration, the Iraq's weapons declaration, as you know. The U.S. saying that it is in material breach because there are a lot of holes in the declaration while Iraq is refusing that.
A lot of the state-run newspapers here today saying that this is not true. Iraq is not in material breach and the U.S. is just trying to find a pretext it to attack Iraq.
Another interesting item, Fredricka, in the newspaper this morning, in the main newspaper that's run by the ruling Ba'ath Party, saying that preparations are already under way to celebrate President Saddam Hussein's birthday, which is only in April. Maybe a message there that they're not worried -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Rym Brahimi from Baghdad, 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 - 09:29 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: U.N. weapons inspectors are scouring Iraq again today for weapons of mass destruction. Let's get the latest from CNN's Rym Brahimi in Baghdad -- Rym.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN INT'L CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka, we have, in fact, just received an update from the spokesman of the U.N. weapons inspectors. We understand that a couple of teams went out, a couple of teams of missile experts went out to two different sites.
One of them a space research center called al Batani (ph); now, that's a site that we believe previously hadn't been visited, but it in fact has been visited before. It was known to previous U.N. inspectors. Now, the other sites, mainly visited today by biological and chemical experts, were a detergent factory, another water facility in downtown Baghdad. And then, nuclear experts went out to three different sites today.
So, you can see, Fredricka, they really, really, quick picked up of that pace. You know, it used to be that they used to just go to one or two sites everyday, but now there's more than 100 inspectors on the ground so they're really going through a lot of places at the same time.
Now, at the same time the newspapers, there has been all this drumbeat of war over the declaration, the Iraq's weapons declaration, as you know. The U.S. saying that it is in material breach because there are a lot of holes in the declaration while Iraq is refusing that.
A lot of the state-run newspapers here today saying that this is not true. Iraq is not in material breach and the U.S. is just trying to find a pretext it to attack Iraq.
Another interesting item, Fredricka, in the newspaper this morning, in the main newspaper that's run by the ruling Ba'ath Party, saying that preparations are already under way to celebrate President Saddam Hussein's birthday, which is only in April. Maybe a message there that they're not worried -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Rym Brahimi from Baghdad, 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
