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CNN Saturday Morning News
Blix Makes Stops in Europe Before Heading to Baghdad
Aired November 16, 2002 - 07:02 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.
ARTHEL NEVILLE, CNN ANCHOR: All right, this hour's top story, U.N. weapons inspectors en route to Iraq. Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix is stopping in Paris to speak with French officials there before heading to Cyprus and then later to Baghdad.
Senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth is in Paris now, and he joins us there from our bureau.
And Richard, I'm going to right out, what's on the agenda there?
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, the main stop for Hans Blix en route to Baghdad this weekend is a stop at the French foreign ministry and a meeting there with the foreign minister of France. France played a key role on the Security Council and a unanimous vote two Fridays ago, which told Iraq to accept the return of the weapons inspectors.
Blix left New York Friday evening. He will transit out of Paris tonight, head to Vienna for an overnight stop, then on to Cyprus, where he will for the first time really get a good look at his first early-state team that will pave the way for the first full round of inspectors to come in later this month.
Blix held a news conference yesterday in New York City. He kind of indicated a moving-up of his timetable. Instead of mid-February, late February, as some thought, for his first report to the Security Council, it'll be January 27 or so.
Basically, the inspections, Arthel, are starting earlier, in his opinion. They're going to start just a few weeks after this first round of setting up a headquarters and setting up the phone lines and more established computer links.
So Blix will talk to the French, and he'll get his first look of Iraq in his new job as the weapons inspection agency boss, first time in two and a half years he'll get into Iraq, Arthel.
NEVILLE: Now, Rich, do you know if Mr. Blix thinks that an early start is a good thing?
ROTH: Well, he thinks that he can get his operations well under way. First -- initially, it was thought that the first round of some inspections would take place this month, later this month. Now it's been moved up a little bit. So the whole process just starts, but nothing has changed on the one key aspect of this timetable. Iraq on December 8 must provide a list, a dossier, of any weapons of mass destruction programs it has to the weapons inspectors. Iraq still insists it has no such programs.
Blix says he's there not to humiliate the people of Iraq. He just wants to see if there's still disarmament to take place there.
NEVILLE: Richard, have you been able to gauge the feelings amongst the French officials there, if they are apprehensive, anxious at this point?
ROTH: Well, the French government wants Iraq to accept the inspectors. France has hosted in the last few days the president of Mexico, the foreign minister of Russia. Both of these countries were more aligned with France during the heated debate on a Security Council resolution. All of them do not want the U.S. to go alone militarily and stage a unilateral attack without getting council approval.
Washington feels very strongly it doesn't need council approval. It'll accept a Washington -- excuse me, a U.N. debate, some more talking, but it doesn't want to have to go through a wait for a vote if it should come to that.
Blix says he's going to use common sense regarding Iraqi cooperation, but if there's a serious violation, he will interrupt the inspection process and go to the Security Council to report his findings immediately.
NEVILLE: Richard Roth, thank you very much for that report from Paris.
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 November 16, 2002 - 07:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ARTHEL NEVILLE, CNN ANCHOR: All right, this hour's top story, U.N. weapons inspectors en route to Iraq. Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix is stopping in Paris to speak with French officials there before heading to Cyprus and then later to Baghdad.
Senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth is in Paris now, and he joins us there from our bureau.
And Richard, I'm going to right out, what's on the agenda there?
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, the main stop for Hans Blix en route to Baghdad this weekend is a stop at the French foreign ministry and a meeting there with the foreign minister of France. France played a key role on the Security Council and a unanimous vote two Fridays ago, which told Iraq to accept the return of the weapons inspectors.
Blix left New York Friday evening. He will transit out of Paris tonight, head to Vienna for an overnight stop, then on to Cyprus, where he will for the first time really get a good look at his first early-state team that will pave the way for the first full round of inspectors to come in later this month.
Blix held a news conference yesterday in New York City. He kind of indicated a moving-up of his timetable. Instead of mid-February, late February, as some thought, for his first report to the Security Council, it'll be January 27 or so.
Basically, the inspections, Arthel, are starting earlier, in his opinion. They're going to start just a few weeks after this first round of setting up a headquarters and setting up the phone lines and more established computer links.
So Blix will talk to the French, and he'll get his first look of Iraq in his new job as the weapons inspection agency boss, first time in two and a half years he'll get into Iraq, Arthel.
NEVILLE: Now, Rich, do you know if Mr. Blix thinks that an early start is a good thing?
ROTH: Well, he thinks that he can get his operations well under way. First -- initially, it was thought that the first round of some inspections would take place this month, later this month. Now it's been moved up a little bit. So the whole process just starts, but nothing has changed on the one key aspect of this timetable. Iraq on December 8 must provide a list, a dossier, of any weapons of mass destruction programs it has to the weapons inspectors. Iraq still insists it has no such programs.
Blix says he's there not to humiliate the people of Iraq. He just wants to see if there's still disarmament to take place there.
NEVILLE: Richard, have you been able to gauge the feelings amongst the French officials there, if they are apprehensive, anxious at this point?
ROTH: Well, the French government wants Iraq to accept the inspectors. France has hosted in the last few days the president of Mexico, the foreign minister of Russia. Both of these countries were more aligned with France during the heated debate on a Security Council resolution. All of them do not want the U.S. to go alone militarily and stage a unilateral attack without getting council approval.
Washington feels very strongly it doesn't need council approval. It'll accept a Washington -- excuse me, a U.N. debate, some more talking, but it doesn't want to have to go through a wait for a vote if it should come to that.
Blix says he's going to use common sense regarding Iraqi cooperation, but if there's a serious violation, he will interrupt the inspection process and go to the Security Council to report his findings immediately.
NEVILLE: Richard Roth, thank you very much for that report from Paris.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
