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CNN Sunday Morning

CIA Stands By Assessment of Iraqi Mobile Laboratories

Aired June 08, 2003 - 11:05   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: The CIA is standing by its assessment that mobile laboratories found in Iraq were built for the production of biological weapons. CNN's Chris Plante is at the Pentagon, as the pressure to produce weapons of mass destruction seems to build up there in Washington.
CHRIS PLANTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. That's right. Senior Bush administration officials are make the rounds of the Sunday talk shows today. And one of the major issues that they're confronting is continuing to defend their intelligence information, which was used to legitimize going to war with Iraq. The secretary of state, for his part, told Wolf Blitzer on CNN's "LATE EDITION" that he stands by the statements that he made to the United Nations Security Council on February 5.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: One element that I presented at that time, these biological vans, all I could show was a cartoon drawing of these vans. And everybody said are the vans really there? And voila, the vans showed up a few months later. We found them. So slowly but surely we are finding that capability.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLANTE: So the CIA and the administration continuing to stand by their assessment of these vans and of their other assessments of Iraq's chemical and biological weapons capabilities. They say they're just going to need more time before they can provide more proof. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right. Chris Plante from the Pentagon. Thanks very much this morning.

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 June 8, 2003 - 11:05   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The CIA is standing by its assessment that mobile laboratories found in Iraq were built for the production of biological weapons. CNN's Chris Plante is at the Pentagon, as the pressure to produce weapons of mass destruction seems to build up there in Washington.
CHRIS PLANTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. That's right. Senior Bush administration officials are make the rounds of the Sunday talk shows today. And one of the major issues that they're confronting is continuing to defend their intelligence information, which was used to legitimize going to war with Iraq. The secretary of state, for his part, told Wolf Blitzer on CNN's "LATE EDITION" that he stands by the statements that he made to the United Nations Security Council on February 5.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: One element that I presented at that time, these biological vans, all I could show was a cartoon drawing of these vans. And everybody said are the vans really there? And voila, the vans showed up a few months later. We found them. So slowly but surely we are finding that capability.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLANTE: So the CIA and the administration continuing to stand by their assessment of these vans and of their other assessments of Iraq's chemical and biological weapons capabilities. They say they're just going to need more time before they can provide more proof. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right. Chris Plante from the Pentagon. Thanks very much this morning.

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