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CNN Live Sunday
Iraq Gets Ready for War
Aired March 09, 2003 - 17:02 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.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Baghdad is bracing for whatever may be heading its way. Most Iraqis believe that will be some kind of fight and apparently they are getting ready. CNN's Nic Robertson is in Baghdad where Iraqi officials are holding out hope that members of the U.N. Security Council block the U.S.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Iraq's main interlocutor with the U.N. inspectors here, General Houssam Amin saying that Iraq was preparing for war. However, he also said they were continuing to cooperate with the U.N. inspectors. However, did he not give any indication that Iraq would increase or speed up its rate of cooperation to meet the potential of a March 17 deadline for Iraq to deal with all of its outstanding weapons of mass destruction issues. Indeed, he indicated that such a resolution tabled at the U.N., he thought, would not get enough support to pass. And he indicated, as well, that the only reason Iraq was destroying its Al Samoud missiles was to win political support at the U.N. Security Council. When asked whether or not Iraq could speed up its destruction of the Al Samoud 2 missiles, he said Iraq was not going to succumb to United States pressure on that issue.
GEN. HOUSSAM AMIN, IRAQI NATIONAL MONITORING DIRECTORATE: Mr. Bush cannot say this is slow or fast. This is a technical thing, and I think Mr. Bush as the president of a super power should not put himself in this position.
ROBERTSON: Through the whole briefing, General Houssam Amin giving the impression that Iraq believes the U.N. Security Council at this time is too divided to support any motion put forward by the United States or Great Britain. However, he also indicated that he did not rule out the fact that that lack of support meant that the possibility of war was going away. He indicated that Iraq believed that war at this time appears to be inevitable. However, having said that, he also said that Iraq was considering, considering at this time inviting the two U.N. weapons chiefs, Hans Blix and Mohammed ElBaradei, inviting them to Baghdad for talks on that March 17 deadline.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 - 17:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Baghdad is bracing for whatever may be heading its way. Most Iraqis believe that will be some kind of fight and apparently they are getting ready. CNN's Nic Robertson is in Baghdad where Iraqi officials are holding out hope that members of the U.N. Security Council block the U.S.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Iraq's main interlocutor with the U.N. inspectors here, General Houssam Amin saying that Iraq was preparing for war. However, he also said they were continuing to cooperate with the U.N. inspectors. However, did he not give any indication that Iraq would increase or speed up its rate of cooperation to meet the potential of a March 17 deadline for Iraq to deal with all of its outstanding weapons of mass destruction issues. Indeed, he indicated that such a resolution tabled at the U.N., he thought, would not get enough support to pass. And he indicated, as well, that the only reason Iraq was destroying its Al Samoud missiles was to win political support at the U.N. Security Council. When asked whether or not Iraq could speed up its destruction of the Al Samoud 2 missiles, he said Iraq was not going to succumb to United States pressure on that issue.
GEN. HOUSSAM AMIN, IRAQI NATIONAL MONITORING DIRECTORATE: Mr. Bush cannot say this is slow or fast. This is a technical thing, and I think Mr. Bush as the president of a super power should not put himself in this position.
ROBERTSON: Through the whole briefing, General Houssam Amin giving the impression that Iraq believes the U.N. Security Council at this time is too divided to support any motion put forward by the United States or Great Britain. However, he also indicated that he did not rule out the fact that that lack of support meant that the possibility of war was going away. He indicated that Iraq believed that war at this time appears to be inevitable. However, having said that, he also said that Iraq was considering, considering at this time inviting the two U.N. weapons chiefs, Hans Blix and Mohammed ElBaradei, inviting them to Baghdad for talks on that March 17 deadline.
Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
