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CNN Sunday Morning

Chief U.N. Weapons Inspectors Meet With Iraqi Officials

Aired February 09, 2003 - 08:59   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: As we mentioned a little bit earlier, the chief U.N. weapons inspectors are meeting again in Baghdad with Iraqi officials. And for more now, we're joined by Suzanne Malveaux. She is at the White House for some reaction from the White House. Suzanne, what can you tell us from there?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, any type of suggestion that this Franco-German notion of increased inspections really dismissed by the White House, saying that they have the authority to move forward if they decide to use military action, that they have it from previous resolutions to begin with, that all of this idea about intense expectations, way too late for that.

The president really entering a critical week now. He's going to be traveling from Camp David, going to West Virginia retreat where he'll be meeting with other Republicans to talk about the domestic agenda, namely the economic stimulus package, but as you can also imagine, in the days to come the White House really involved in this intense pressure, this diplomacy, not only pressure on Saddam Hussein, but also pressure on the members of the U.N. Security Council to do one of two things. Either to back a second resolution that says that Iraq is in material breach of previous resolutions that requires Iraq to disarm, or for those U.S. allies to get out of the way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNETH POLLACK, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: The decision by the United States to go to war will itself change the incentives of all of our different allies. Many of our allies which may have preferred not to go to war will now be faced with a different choice, whether to go with the United States to war or not go with the United States to war. And to pay the penalties of breaking with the United States on such a critically important issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So the administration's thinking is that it already has the authority to use military action against Iraq through previous resolutions. But, of course, they want to put that second resolution on the table to win broad international support, but they say that these countries are really going to have a really difficult decision to make in the weeks to come, but it's a decision that they will have to make -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Suzanne Malveaux, live from the White House. Thank you. MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Also watching all of this very intently is our Richard Roth, our senior U.N. correspondent, joining us from Larnaca, Cyprus, with the latest on the trips and the travails of Dr. Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei. Richard, what do you have from there?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, this may be trial balloon Sunday, Miles. While Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, the leading international arms inspectors were in Baghdad on their presumed final day of two days of talks, the German government and the French government may -- repeat may -- be working on some type of plan that would reportedly include increasing the number of inspectors and perhaps an idea of sending a U.N. peacekeeping force into Iraq. This would be contained in that second U.N. Security Council resolution.

However, a German Foreign Ministry spokesperson telling CNN that they don't know anything about it. It seems to be coming more from the defense side. However, Russia's defense minister, Sergei Ivanov, at that security conference that's been going on in Munich, didn't seem that opposed to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGEI IVANOV, RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): If the U.N. Security Council supports the idea, I have no doubt Russia will agree with that decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: Now, Germany, France and Russia, the big three, lined up against the United States and United Kingdom on the idea of how to go about disarming Iraq. And the frustration being felt now among the big five in the Security Council over the failure to disarm Iraq, despite that United Nations resolution passed unanimously last year, is what really is at the heart of all of this, Miles. The U.S. would not really be in favor of a U.N. peacekeeping force. Even the inspectors in the past have said they don't want soldiers with guns walking around with their inspectors. It would only lead to trouble, they have said.

All of this talk, though, sort of the beginning of negotiations for what will possibly be consideration of that second resolution. The U.S. looking for authorization for war. The other countries looking for how to disarm Iraq without going to war -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Richard, do you have the sense this is the beginning of the end game, diplomatically, at least? If you could just give us some signposts that lie on the horizon here. I know the report, which is due Valentine's Day at the Security Council will be much anticipated. What will the Security Council need to see there to change its stance?

ROTH: I think we're in overtime of the end game, Miles. We've had this go on now for months. The Security Council will listen to Hans Blix and Mr. ElBaradei on Friday, and many countries follow their words. Their word is their bond. I mean, they really put their faith in the inspectors' reports. Last time, Blix was more critical of Iraq; Mohamed ElBaradei said he needed months and he thought that Iraq was working well on the nuclear file.

Their words will go a long way towards perhaps shaking up who is in favor and who is not. But if it's a mixed report, we're going to have more of the same dialogue going on for weeks more about what to do with Iraq.

O'BRIEN: And a vote on another resolution, would it come very shortly thereafter, you think?

ROTH: Well, if somehow they could come to some agreement, it could come two weeks later. The last resolution, unanimously passed, took about seven and a half weeks to get to.

O'BRIEN: Interesting. All right, Richard Roth, we're in overtime, thank you very much -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, we have heard a little bit more now about the possible plan between France and Germany and now Russia. We've heard some reaction from the White House. Let's go now to Baghdad where the chief U.N. weapons inspectors are meeting again in Baghdad with Iraqi officials. Nic Robertson is stand by live now, and he joins us. Hi, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi.

Well, in their session of talks now for about half an hour, Hans Blix, Mohamed ElBaradei went into the foreign ministry here. They had had a lunchtime meeting with the vice president, Taha Yassin Ramadan. No indication that that was a technical level talk. We do know that another set of documents was handed to the weapons inspectors this morning. They did receive a set of documents from Iraqi officials yesterday.

So far, the U.N. inspectors have not characterized those documents. They do not appear at this stage to have had time to go through them completely. We don't know how important they are. Certainly the language they've used to characterize the meetings so far appears to be positive. They called the meetings "useful and substantial." They say they're dealing with the outstanding issues, such as VX nerve agents, such as anthrax, such as chemical warheads, all the issues that they said they wanted to come here to discuss.

What is unclear is if they've made progress on these issues, or maybe how many issues they have been able to -- how many items on their agenda they've been able to achieve here, Heidi.

COLLINS: Nic Robertson live from Baghdad, we appreciate it. Thanks.

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 February 9, 2003 - 08:59   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: As we mentioned a little bit earlier, the chief U.N. weapons inspectors are meeting again in Baghdad with Iraqi officials. And for more now, we're joined by Suzanne Malveaux. She is at the White House for some reaction from the White House. Suzanne, what can you tell us from there?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, any type of suggestion that this Franco-German notion of increased inspections really dismissed by the White House, saying that they have the authority to move forward if they decide to use military action, that they have it from previous resolutions to begin with, that all of this idea about intense expectations, way too late for that.

The president really entering a critical week now. He's going to be traveling from Camp David, going to West Virginia retreat where he'll be meeting with other Republicans to talk about the domestic agenda, namely the economic stimulus package, but as you can also imagine, in the days to come the White House really involved in this intense pressure, this diplomacy, not only pressure on Saddam Hussein, but also pressure on the members of the U.N. Security Council to do one of two things. Either to back a second resolution that says that Iraq is in material breach of previous resolutions that requires Iraq to disarm, or for those U.S. allies to get out of the way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNETH POLLACK, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: The decision by the United States to go to war will itself change the incentives of all of our different allies. Many of our allies which may have preferred not to go to war will now be faced with a different choice, whether to go with the United States to war or not go with the United States to war. And to pay the penalties of breaking with the United States on such a critically important issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So the administration's thinking is that it already has the authority to use military action against Iraq through previous resolutions. But, of course, they want to put that second resolution on the table to win broad international support, but they say that these countries are really going to have a really difficult decision to make in the weeks to come, but it's a decision that they will have to make -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Suzanne Malveaux, live from the White House. Thank you. MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Also watching all of this very intently is our Richard Roth, our senior U.N. correspondent, joining us from Larnaca, Cyprus, with the latest on the trips and the travails of Dr. Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei. Richard, what do you have from there?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, this may be trial balloon Sunday, Miles. While Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, the leading international arms inspectors were in Baghdad on their presumed final day of two days of talks, the German government and the French government may -- repeat may -- be working on some type of plan that would reportedly include increasing the number of inspectors and perhaps an idea of sending a U.N. peacekeeping force into Iraq. This would be contained in that second U.N. Security Council resolution.

However, a German Foreign Ministry spokesperson telling CNN that they don't know anything about it. It seems to be coming more from the defense side. However, Russia's defense minister, Sergei Ivanov, at that security conference that's been going on in Munich, didn't seem that opposed to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGEI IVANOV, RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): If the U.N. Security Council supports the idea, I have no doubt Russia will agree with that decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: Now, Germany, France and Russia, the big three, lined up against the United States and United Kingdom on the idea of how to go about disarming Iraq. And the frustration being felt now among the big five in the Security Council over the failure to disarm Iraq, despite that United Nations resolution passed unanimously last year, is what really is at the heart of all of this, Miles. The U.S. would not really be in favor of a U.N. peacekeeping force. Even the inspectors in the past have said they don't want soldiers with guns walking around with their inspectors. It would only lead to trouble, they have said.

All of this talk, though, sort of the beginning of negotiations for what will possibly be consideration of that second resolution. The U.S. looking for authorization for war. The other countries looking for how to disarm Iraq without going to war -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Richard, do you have the sense this is the beginning of the end game, diplomatically, at least? If you could just give us some signposts that lie on the horizon here. I know the report, which is due Valentine's Day at the Security Council will be much anticipated. What will the Security Council need to see there to change its stance?

ROTH: I think we're in overtime of the end game, Miles. We've had this go on now for months. The Security Council will listen to Hans Blix and Mr. ElBaradei on Friday, and many countries follow their words. Their word is their bond. I mean, they really put their faith in the inspectors' reports. Last time, Blix was more critical of Iraq; Mohamed ElBaradei said he needed months and he thought that Iraq was working well on the nuclear file.

Their words will go a long way towards perhaps shaking up who is in favor and who is not. But if it's a mixed report, we're going to have more of the same dialogue going on for weeks more about what to do with Iraq.

O'BRIEN: And a vote on another resolution, would it come very shortly thereafter, you think?

ROTH: Well, if somehow they could come to some agreement, it could come two weeks later. The last resolution, unanimously passed, took about seven and a half weeks to get to.

O'BRIEN: Interesting. All right, Richard Roth, we're in overtime, thank you very much -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, we have heard a little bit more now about the possible plan between France and Germany and now Russia. We've heard some reaction from the White House. Let's go now to Baghdad where the chief U.N. weapons inspectors are meeting again in Baghdad with Iraqi officials. Nic Robertson is stand by live now, and he joins us. Hi, Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi.

Well, in their session of talks now for about half an hour, Hans Blix, Mohamed ElBaradei went into the foreign ministry here. They had had a lunchtime meeting with the vice president, Taha Yassin Ramadan. No indication that that was a technical level talk. We do know that another set of documents was handed to the weapons inspectors this morning. They did receive a set of documents from Iraqi officials yesterday.

So far, the U.N. inspectors have not characterized those documents. They do not appear at this stage to have had time to go through them completely. We don't know how important they are. Certainly the language they've used to characterize the meetings so far appears to be positive. They called the meetings "useful and substantial." They say they're dealing with the outstanding issues, such as VX nerve agents, such as anthrax, such as chemical warheads, all the issues that they said they wanted to come here to discuss.

What is unclear is if they've made progress on these issues, or maybe how many issues they have been able to -- how many items on their agenda they've been able to achieve here, Heidi.

COLLINS: Nic Robertson live from Baghdad, we appreciate it. Thanks.

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