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CNN Sunday Morning
'TIME': Iran Is Building Facility to Enrich Uranium
Aired March 09, 2003 - 08:03 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.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: New sauce being poured on the world's raw nuclear nerves. "TIME" magazine is reporting that Iran is building a facility to enrich uranium, a key component of nuclear weapons. Now "TIME" says the plant is pretty sophisticated, as Heidi just mentioned. The magazine says work on the facility is far more advanced than most experts thought.
And what is worrying about that is it likely violates the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that Iran has signed. Unsettling news at the United Nations, no doubt, where Michael Okwu joins us this morning. Michael, what's the latest?
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, the IAEA here has no comment on this. Of course, the IAEA being the U.N. international watchdog agency dealing with nuclear issues. And its director general, Mohamed ElBaradei, is now on his way back to Vienna, where he's based. Of course, ElBaradei visited this particular site recently in Iran and he noted that there should be some further investigation there.
Now this is just the sort of thing that the Security Council is very concerned about. Last week they met up to essentially establish a program of work. That is, a number of issues that they should discuss in the upcoming month. As far as we know, the issue of Iran was not on the docket. However, it may very well have to be something that is put on the docket.
The Security Council diplomats have been concerned all along, to follow up on something that Dana Bash was saying just earlier, about a full plate here. They've been discussing Iraq with such great focus and fervor here that there is always concern about diplomats looking over their shoulders to think about what was going on in North Korea and now possibly with Iran.
The big issue here at the U.N. is unity. Security Council diplomats very concerned that since there is very little unity on the Security Council about Iraq, what is going to happen when they have to deal with other issues in the world like this one? So diplomats waking up this morning very unhappy, one can imagine, with this development. Something that they may have to discuss when they convene earlier this week -- Anderson.
COOPER: Michael, that is something we're going to be exploring later on with someone from "TIME" magazine. This is clearly our top story today and something we're going to be looking into a lot.
A question, though. Let's talk a little bit about Iraq. What are we expecting this week regarding the U.N. and Iraq?
OKWU: Well, the Security Council, Anderson, meets behind closed doors tomorrow afternoon at about 4:00. You can imagine that there will be some horse trading, some arm twisting, some fist banging on tables. Again, figuratively, if not literally.
Essentially, they're going to be looking into this second resolution that the United States and Great Britain have put forward. And it's setting, as you know, a deadline of March 17 for the Iraqis to comply. Of course, at this point, it doesn't look like the United States has its nine votes, but just recently Reuters are reporting that Secretary of State Colin Powell has a very strong chance at this point to get those nine or 10 votes. It remains to be seen how that will be played out tomorrow. Of course, those six swing votes on the Security Council have been concerned for quite some time now that there's been so much focus them and not enough compromise -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right. Michael Okwu live at the United Nations. Appreciate it. Thanks 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 March 9, 2003 - 08:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: New sauce being poured on the world's raw nuclear nerves. "TIME" magazine is reporting that Iran is building a facility to enrich uranium, a key component of nuclear weapons. Now "TIME" says the plant is pretty sophisticated, as Heidi just mentioned. The magazine says work on the facility is far more advanced than most experts thought.
And what is worrying about that is it likely violates the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that Iran has signed. Unsettling news at the United Nations, no doubt, where Michael Okwu joins us this morning. Michael, what's the latest?
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, the IAEA here has no comment on this. Of course, the IAEA being the U.N. international watchdog agency dealing with nuclear issues. And its director general, Mohamed ElBaradei, is now on his way back to Vienna, where he's based. Of course, ElBaradei visited this particular site recently in Iran and he noted that there should be some further investigation there.
Now this is just the sort of thing that the Security Council is very concerned about. Last week they met up to essentially establish a program of work. That is, a number of issues that they should discuss in the upcoming month. As far as we know, the issue of Iran was not on the docket. However, it may very well have to be something that is put on the docket.
The Security Council diplomats have been concerned all along, to follow up on something that Dana Bash was saying just earlier, about a full plate here. They've been discussing Iraq with such great focus and fervor here that there is always concern about diplomats looking over their shoulders to think about what was going on in North Korea and now possibly with Iran.
The big issue here at the U.N. is unity. Security Council diplomats very concerned that since there is very little unity on the Security Council about Iraq, what is going to happen when they have to deal with other issues in the world like this one? So diplomats waking up this morning very unhappy, one can imagine, with this development. Something that they may have to discuss when they convene earlier this week -- Anderson.
COOPER: Michael, that is something we're going to be exploring later on with someone from "TIME" magazine. This is clearly our top story today and something we're going to be looking into a lot.
A question, though. Let's talk a little bit about Iraq. What are we expecting this week regarding the U.N. and Iraq?
OKWU: Well, the Security Council, Anderson, meets behind closed doors tomorrow afternoon at about 4:00. You can imagine that there will be some horse trading, some arm twisting, some fist banging on tables. Again, figuratively, if not literally.
Essentially, they're going to be looking into this second resolution that the United States and Great Britain have put forward. And it's setting, as you know, a deadline of March 17 for the Iraqis to comply. Of course, at this point, it doesn't look like the United States has its nine votes, but just recently Reuters are reporting that Secretary of State Colin Powell has a very strong chance at this point to get those nine or 10 votes. It remains to be seen how that will be played out tomorrow. Of course, those six swing votes on the Security Council have been concerned for quite some time now that there's been so much focus them and not enough compromise -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right. Michael Okwu live at the United Nations. Appreciate it. Thanks 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
