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CNN Sunday Morning

Iraq Prepares for War

Aired January 26, 2003 - 07:03   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.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Back to our top story of the morning, and the showdown in Iraq. The country's top science adviser says he believes a U.S.-led attack may be inevitable, regardless of what the inspectors find. For more now on the mood in Iraq, let's check with our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson. He is in Baghdad this morning. Good morning, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

Well, pretty much what General Amir al-Saadi said, and he's President Saddam Hussein's top scientific adviser, that he believed that war was essentially inevitable here. It's something along the lines that we've been hearing from Iraqi officials for a number of months now.

Basically, they've been saying to us that they think Resolution 1441 by the U.N. is really a United States front for aggression on Iraq, and they've been saying, they think it doesn't really matter what they do with the U.N. inspectors, whether they cooperate, don't cooperate, bend over backwards, whatever they do, they think that it's ultimately going to come to war.

We've seen in the last week here relations with the inspectors deteriorate, criticism coming from the mosques, farmer wanting to sue the U.N. weapons inspectors for damaging his property, the mood against them is swinging against them here. And I think what we're hearing here now from General Amir Al-Saadi is very focused on that issue, that they believe war probably is could very likely happen here -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Nic, I'd love to get your perspective on the World Economic Forum that we were just listening to, Secretary of State Colin Powell discussed the situation with Iraq. In particular, he said some of the key questions with regard to weapons inspections include the anthrax that was found the last time inspectors were there, three metric tons of growth material for deadly biological weapons and the mobile vans that are often used as labs for those deadly biological weapons.

What is your take on that?

ROBERTSON: Well, 30,000 chemical warheads, he said, so far the U.N.'s only found 60. The Iraqi officials here have heard always before. Their answer to this is -- A), we have no weapons of mass destruction, B) we've already done a huge amount to cooperate, and C), if you think we've got something, then prove it.

Of course the U.N. Resolution 1441 is set up for Iraq to demonstrate visibly, by cooperation, that it has dismantled its weapons of mass destruction program. The position we've been hearing from Iraqi officials is, we've already done that, if you think there's something else, then come and prove it. So, although no official reaction to Colin Powell yet, this is the position that his words will likely come up against here -- Heidi.

COLLINS: And finally, Nic, what is the mood of the people in Iraq, now that we've got one day until this report is actually delivered to the U.N. Security Council?

ROBERTSON: People are concerned. They see going on around them some of the similar things that they saw before the Gulf War. They see regular demonstrations on the streets. They see on the television meetings with President Saddam Hussein and his top cabinet officials. Last night he met with his vice chairman of the ruling command council, he met with his vice president, deputy prime minister, other close allies, the foreign minister.

When people see such a high grouping get together with the president, then they know that there's a lot at stake here. People are concerned about how they might survive the war. They know it could mean no electricity. They know it could mean no water. They know it could mean that they can't get out to the stores to buy food. They're concerned about how they're going to survive. Aid officials here we talked to say that Iraqis just don't have the wherewithal, as they did before 1991, to cope with another such crisis, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Nic Robertson, we are going with you much more this morning. We certainly appreciate your time.

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 January 26, 2003 - 07:03   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Back to our top story of the morning, and the showdown in Iraq. The country's top science adviser says he believes a U.S.-led attack may be inevitable, regardless of what the inspectors find. For more now on the mood in Iraq, let's check with our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson. He is in Baghdad this morning. Good morning, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

Well, pretty much what General Amir al-Saadi said, and he's President Saddam Hussein's top scientific adviser, that he believed that war was essentially inevitable here. It's something along the lines that we've been hearing from Iraqi officials for a number of months now.

Basically, they've been saying to us that they think Resolution 1441 by the U.N. is really a United States front for aggression on Iraq, and they've been saying, they think it doesn't really matter what they do with the U.N. inspectors, whether they cooperate, don't cooperate, bend over backwards, whatever they do, they think that it's ultimately going to come to war.

We've seen in the last week here relations with the inspectors deteriorate, criticism coming from the mosques, farmer wanting to sue the U.N. weapons inspectors for damaging his property, the mood against them is swinging against them here. And I think what we're hearing here now from General Amir Al-Saadi is very focused on that issue, that they believe war probably is could very likely happen here -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Nic, I'd love to get your perspective on the World Economic Forum that we were just listening to, Secretary of State Colin Powell discussed the situation with Iraq. In particular, he said some of the key questions with regard to weapons inspections include the anthrax that was found the last time inspectors were there, three metric tons of growth material for deadly biological weapons and the mobile vans that are often used as labs for those deadly biological weapons.

What is your take on that?

ROBERTSON: Well, 30,000 chemical warheads, he said, so far the U.N.'s only found 60. The Iraqi officials here have heard always before. Their answer to this is -- A), we have no weapons of mass destruction, B) we've already done a huge amount to cooperate, and C), if you think we've got something, then prove it.

Of course the U.N. Resolution 1441 is set up for Iraq to demonstrate visibly, by cooperation, that it has dismantled its weapons of mass destruction program. The position we've been hearing from Iraqi officials is, we've already done that, if you think there's something else, then come and prove it. So, although no official reaction to Colin Powell yet, this is the position that his words will likely come up against here -- Heidi.

COLLINS: And finally, Nic, what is the mood of the people in Iraq, now that we've got one day until this report is actually delivered to the U.N. Security Council?

ROBERTSON: People are concerned. They see going on around them some of the similar things that they saw before the Gulf War. They see regular demonstrations on the streets. They see on the television meetings with President Saddam Hussein and his top cabinet officials. Last night he met with his vice chairman of the ruling command council, he met with his vice president, deputy prime minister, other close allies, the foreign minister.

When people see such a high grouping get together with the president, then they know that there's a lot at stake here. People are concerned about how they might survive the war. They know it could mean no electricity. They know it could mean no water. They know it could mean that they can't get out to the stores to buy food. They're concerned about how they're going to survive. Aid officials here we talked to say that Iraqis just don't have the wherewithal, as they did before 1991, to cope with another such crisis, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Nic Robertson, we are going with you much more this morning. We certainly appreciate your time.

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