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CNN Live Sunday

Blix, ElBaradei Finish Meeting With Iraqi Officials

Aired February 09, 2003 - 18:05   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.


CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Whether Iraq is in a game of hide-and- seek with U.N. inspectors or a high stakes bluff with the U.S., the next hand in the showdown with Iraq is set to play out this week. And there is intense activity on several fronts today. My colleague, Martin Savidge, is in Kuwait City with the international developments there -- Marty.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Carol. In Baghdad today, chief weapons inspector Hans Blix and his atomic energy counterpart, Mohamed ElBaradei, held a new round of talks with Iraqi officials. ElBaradei says that he's beginning to see a change of heart by Iraq, indicating more cooperation.

Will it be enough, though, to avert war? CNN's Nic Robertson is in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei say after their three rounds of technical talks here that they feel cautiously optimistic. They'll be able to leave Baghdad feeling cautiously optimistic.

They have discussed the use of U-2 surveillance flights. That situation right now is that Iraq will and it promises to get back to the U.N. weapons chiefs before they make their highly detailed report to the U.N. Security Council next Friday, on the 14th of February, that Iraq will say yes or no to the use of the U-2 surveillance aircraft.

Hans Blix, Mohamed ElBaradei also saying, very importantly, that Iraq had given them a number of highly critical documents on issues such as VX, on anthrax, on missiles, all things, all issues that they came here to Baghdad to discuss. They say these are not breakthrough documents at this stage, but important. Hans Blix says that he believes Iraq is accepting or showing the potential that it realizes that it does need to begin to disarm.

HANS BLIX, U.N. CHIEF WEAPONS INSPECTOR: These two days we've had talks with our Iraqi colleagues. I hope I have seen in those days a beginning of taking these remaining disarmament issues more seriously.

ROBERTSON: At their political meetings, Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei said that they'd stressed to the political leaders they met that the importance and critical nature of the time right now. They met with the foreign minister, Naji Sabri, they met with the vice president, Taha Yassin Ramadan. They told them that it was important for Iraq to move substantially now on the critical issues of cooperation.

They also said that they had talked about legislation, that Iraq should pass legislation outlawing weapons of mass destruction. And they said one of the things that they would be looking for in the next few days to find a measure of Iraq's new commitment was that Iraq, somebody -- someone in Iraq's leadership should make a public announcement to all Iraqis, saying, essentially, that weapons of mass destruction are part of the country's history, not part of its future. Mohamed ElBaradei saying that for him, he sensed the potential here that Iraq perhaps was ready for the potential to change.

MOHAMED ELBARADEI, DIRECTOR GENERAL, IAEA: These were the three objectives that we came for. Full inspection, full Iraqi cooperation, movement on the remaining disarmament issues. And I think we made good progress on all these issues.

ROBERTSON: Now, General Amer al-Saadi, who headed the Iraqi side of the technical talks, President Saddam Hussein's top scientific adviser, said that he'd put forward and Iraq had put forward a number of new proposals to the U.N. weapons inspectors. Not only were they going to expand the Iraqi commission that was looking into the whereabouts of other chemical warheads in the country, that would cover all weapons of mass destruction.

He said that Iraq was also going to form a new committee. This new committee to be headed by Amir Rashid (ph), the former oil minister, that would search and scour Iraq for documents that may have been mislaid, that were lost, documents that would help resolve some of the outstanding issues.

He also said that Iraq has suggested a new technical method, a highly technical method and sophisticated, he said, for determining from Iraq's destroyed weapons of mass destruction exactly what had been destroyed, what quantities of VX or what quantities of anthrax. He said he needed the U.N. support for that, but said overall, Iraq's position all along was that it had been telling the truth.

GEN. AMER AL-SAADI, HUSSEIN SCIENTIFIC ADVISER: We've been truthful throughout, from the time we began to work with the 1441, and our track record is clean, whereas the other side has not. They have claimed all kinds of things in the Blair dossier and in the CIA report, and even what Mr. Powell has shown to us the other day. And none of these actually proofs of anything that Iraq is -- has done or is doing.

ROBERTSON: On the issue of had Iraq done enough to avoid the potential for conflict at this time, General Amer al-Saadi said he thought that if a country were judged fairly, that if its actions were judged by fair-minded people, then the only conclusion could be that Iraq was working and that there was -- it was going along with Resolution 1441, and there is no need for war.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad. (END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: White House is scoffing at Iraq's new steps toward cooperation. President Bush says this is not the right time for U.N. inspectors to be negotiating deals with Baghdad. But is the progress in Iraq enough to sway the folks in Washington? For that, we go to CNN White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, White House officials say this is just the kind of posturing they expected from Saddam Hussein in the 11th hour, but some administration officials are saying they're concerned this may erode international support to forcibly disarm Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): At an annual Republican retreat, a message from President Bush to Saddam Hussein -- too little, too late.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He wants the world to think that hide and seek is a game that we should play, and it's over.

MALVEAUX: Iraq's renewed offer to more fully cooperate with weapons inspectors dismissed out of hand.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: There is nothing in Resolution 1441 that talks about making a little bit of progress. There is nothing in 1441 that allows the Iraqis to sit there and meter out a little bit of cooperation here, a little bit of cooperation there, in order to deceive the world and to make the world think that they're trying to cooperate.

MALVEAUX: Another slap to the White House, reports of a possible plan by France and Germany to push for tougher inspections inside Iraq. A senior administration official said the mission of inspectors is not to negotiate but to verify Saddam Hussein is disarming.

U.S. officials now worry Security Council members are simply delaying, making the tough decision whether going to war is necessary.

COLIN POWELL, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Everyone who voted for that resolution last November knew that this moment might come, and this is not the time to step back and ignore the fact that that moment is now upon us.

SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), MICHIGAN: We should not be treating the Security Council of the United Nations as though it's some kind of a stumbling block or a roadblock. We ought to look at that as an asset, a way to rally world opinion to try to get rid of the threat.

MALVEAUX: But Powell says war with Iraq can still avoided. Americans don't agree.

A new CNN/"TIME" poll say most believe it's inevitable, from 63 percent in January to 75 percent now. But even so, most Americans don't believe Iraq poses an immediate threat to the U.S. Only 39 percent say yes, but 60 percent say no.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: President Bush and his advisers say they'll wait until Friday, when U.N. weapons inspectors report their findings to the U.N. Security Council before making any final decisions. In the meantime, the president will be meeting with leaders of Australia and Ecuador and also be visiting with U.S. troops here. All in preparation for a possible war -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: Suzanne, all eyes are going to be on that Friday. Thank you 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 February 9, 2003 - 18:05   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Whether Iraq is in a game of hide-and- seek with U.N. inspectors or a high stakes bluff with the U.S., the next hand in the showdown with Iraq is set to play out this week. And there is intense activity on several fronts today. My colleague, Martin Savidge, is in Kuwait City with the international developments there -- Marty.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Carol. In Baghdad today, chief weapons inspector Hans Blix and his atomic energy counterpart, Mohamed ElBaradei, held a new round of talks with Iraqi officials. ElBaradei says that he's beginning to see a change of heart by Iraq, indicating more cooperation.

Will it be enough, though, to avert war? CNN's Nic Robertson is in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei say after their three rounds of technical talks here that they feel cautiously optimistic. They'll be able to leave Baghdad feeling cautiously optimistic.

They have discussed the use of U-2 surveillance flights. That situation right now is that Iraq will and it promises to get back to the U.N. weapons chiefs before they make their highly detailed report to the U.N. Security Council next Friday, on the 14th of February, that Iraq will say yes or no to the use of the U-2 surveillance aircraft.

Hans Blix, Mohamed ElBaradei also saying, very importantly, that Iraq had given them a number of highly critical documents on issues such as VX, on anthrax, on missiles, all things, all issues that they came here to Baghdad to discuss. They say these are not breakthrough documents at this stage, but important. Hans Blix says that he believes Iraq is accepting or showing the potential that it realizes that it does need to begin to disarm.

HANS BLIX, U.N. CHIEF WEAPONS INSPECTOR: These two days we've had talks with our Iraqi colleagues. I hope I have seen in those days a beginning of taking these remaining disarmament issues more seriously.

ROBERTSON: At their political meetings, Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei said that they'd stressed to the political leaders they met that the importance and critical nature of the time right now. They met with the foreign minister, Naji Sabri, they met with the vice president, Taha Yassin Ramadan. They told them that it was important for Iraq to move substantially now on the critical issues of cooperation.

They also said that they had talked about legislation, that Iraq should pass legislation outlawing weapons of mass destruction. And they said one of the things that they would be looking for in the next few days to find a measure of Iraq's new commitment was that Iraq, somebody -- someone in Iraq's leadership should make a public announcement to all Iraqis, saying, essentially, that weapons of mass destruction are part of the country's history, not part of its future. Mohamed ElBaradei saying that for him, he sensed the potential here that Iraq perhaps was ready for the potential to change.

MOHAMED ELBARADEI, DIRECTOR GENERAL, IAEA: These were the three objectives that we came for. Full inspection, full Iraqi cooperation, movement on the remaining disarmament issues. And I think we made good progress on all these issues.

ROBERTSON: Now, General Amer al-Saadi, who headed the Iraqi side of the technical talks, President Saddam Hussein's top scientific adviser, said that he'd put forward and Iraq had put forward a number of new proposals to the U.N. weapons inspectors. Not only were they going to expand the Iraqi commission that was looking into the whereabouts of other chemical warheads in the country, that would cover all weapons of mass destruction.

He said that Iraq was also going to form a new committee. This new committee to be headed by Amir Rashid (ph), the former oil minister, that would search and scour Iraq for documents that may have been mislaid, that were lost, documents that would help resolve some of the outstanding issues.

He also said that Iraq has suggested a new technical method, a highly technical method and sophisticated, he said, for determining from Iraq's destroyed weapons of mass destruction exactly what had been destroyed, what quantities of VX or what quantities of anthrax. He said he needed the U.N. support for that, but said overall, Iraq's position all along was that it had been telling the truth.

GEN. AMER AL-SAADI, HUSSEIN SCIENTIFIC ADVISER: We've been truthful throughout, from the time we began to work with the 1441, and our track record is clean, whereas the other side has not. They have claimed all kinds of things in the Blair dossier and in the CIA report, and even what Mr. Powell has shown to us the other day. And none of these actually proofs of anything that Iraq is -- has done or is doing.

ROBERTSON: On the issue of had Iraq done enough to avoid the potential for conflict at this time, General Amer al-Saadi said he thought that if a country were judged fairly, that if its actions were judged by fair-minded people, then the only conclusion could be that Iraq was working and that there was -- it was going along with Resolution 1441, and there is no need for war.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad. (END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: White House is scoffing at Iraq's new steps toward cooperation. President Bush says this is not the right time for U.N. inspectors to be negotiating deals with Baghdad. But is the progress in Iraq enough to sway the folks in Washington? For that, we go to CNN White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, White House officials say this is just the kind of posturing they expected from Saddam Hussein in the 11th hour, but some administration officials are saying they're concerned this may erode international support to forcibly disarm Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): At an annual Republican retreat, a message from President Bush to Saddam Hussein -- too little, too late.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He wants the world to think that hide and seek is a game that we should play, and it's over.

MALVEAUX: Iraq's renewed offer to more fully cooperate with weapons inspectors dismissed out of hand.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: There is nothing in Resolution 1441 that talks about making a little bit of progress. There is nothing in 1441 that allows the Iraqis to sit there and meter out a little bit of cooperation here, a little bit of cooperation there, in order to deceive the world and to make the world think that they're trying to cooperate.

MALVEAUX: Another slap to the White House, reports of a possible plan by France and Germany to push for tougher inspections inside Iraq. A senior administration official said the mission of inspectors is not to negotiate but to verify Saddam Hussein is disarming.

U.S. officials now worry Security Council members are simply delaying, making the tough decision whether going to war is necessary.

COLIN POWELL, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Everyone who voted for that resolution last November knew that this moment might come, and this is not the time to step back and ignore the fact that that moment is now upon us.

SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), MICHIGAN: We should not be treating the Security Council of the United Nations as though it's some kind of a stumbling block or a roadblock. We ought to look at that as an asset, a way to rally world opinion to try to get rid of the threat.

MALVEAUX: But Powell says war with Iraq can still avoided. Americans don't agree.

A new CNN/"TIME" poll say most believe it's inevitable, from 63 percent in January to 75 percent now. But even so, most Americans don't believe Iraq poses an immediate threat to the U.S. Only 39 percent say yes, but 60 percent say no.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: President Bush and his advisers say they'll wait until Friday, when U.N. weapons inspectors report their findings to the U.N. Security Council before making any final decisions. In the meantime, the president will be meeting with leaders of Australia and Ecuador and also be visiting with U.S. troops here. All in preparation for a possible war -- Martin.

SAVIDGE: Suzanne, all eyes are going to be on that Friday. Thank you 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