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CNN Live Sunday
Blix Weighs in on Azores Summit
Aired March 16, 2003 - 16:29 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: For more on what has been a delicate dance of diplomacy for months now, we go to Michael Okwu at the United Nations. Michael, going to be a lot of activity there tomorrow.
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, absolutely, Anderson. Tough words from the president today, and clearly a very tough week for the U.N. Security Council coming up ahead. Diplomats getting a much-needed day off today, but chief weapons inspector Hans Blix, punched in and also weighed in on the summit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANS BLIX, CHIEF WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Of course, it looks very -- very threatening. The whole thing, from messages from the Azores seems to me that I listen President Bush and he talks about the liberation of Iraq and talks about the misdeeds and about the use of weapons of mass destruction and so forth. As Blair and Aznar, I think, still were talking about the possibility of bringing together some consensus in the U.N. around a solution which would expect a declaration from president Saddam himself, about the adherence to disarmament and at the same time, concrete, some concrete steps to demonstrate, sort of down payment, if you call it here, on disarmament.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OKWU: Now, Blix is here today to put on the finishing touches his 30-page work program for Iraq. That includes a list of key disarmament tasks for the Iraqis. This, of course, a head of a closed-door session of the Security Council tomorrow afternoon.
In the meantime, France, Russia, and Germany have requested a ministerial meeting on Tuesday. The French, of course, coming forward to say they would accept some sort of 30-day deadline for the Iraqis without any kind of hidden trigger for military intervention.
U.S. officials have said there is absolutely no reason for such a ministerial meeting; that the Security Council should be focusing their energies on trying to adopt a resolution that enforces Resolution 1441.
Blix, of course, is still mulling over an Iraqi request to have him go back to Baghdad for further talks on disarmament, along with the chief nuclear weapons inspector. And his team has taking a look at a VX document. We understand that report has been turned into his team. That it has been translated at this point and he was -- at this point, just waiting to make a substantive assessment on it.
For Blix, who appeared, Anderson, to be something of being on the sidelines if the past few days. Being thrust right back into the middle of the field, the question is, for how long? -- Anderson.
COOPER: Michael, it was interesting, in that excerpt you played from Hans Blix. I mean, it was delivered in a very dry, you know, diplomatic, bureaucratic tone. Yet, I don't think I'm going out on a limb here, saying it sounded like direct criticism of the Bush administration?
OKWU: Well, we can all speculate about what the chief weapons inspector meant to say there. Clearly, this is a person who's been very much in the limelight and who has been a source of pressure now, at least, receiving pressure from the United States.
He's been saying, Anderson, all along he would like to continue the inspections process, that to really finish the work that was called on him by Resolution 1441. He would need not just days or weeks, but possibly months. Clearly that is a position that the Russians, the French, the Germans, the Chinese all support at this point.
Hans Blix, of course, has been criticized by some in the administration who feel that he has been a little too soft, so perhaps Mr. Blix in his own way bouncing back, and throwing some verbal attack of the United States. But Blix making it very clear not to misinterpret him. Saying he will not use the word "division" and did not want to use the word "criticism" when it came to the United States -- Anderson.
COOPER: Just one more question, Mike. You said the Security Council is meeting tomorrow. John King at the White House, telling us that it seems like there will be a flurry of calls, perhaps tonight, perhaps tomorrow, Bush administration, the Blair government, as well, sort of trying to get other people on the Security Council on board.
But it they don't, if they have the sense they don't have the votes to pass a new resolution, it's likely they won't even submit one. So what is the Security Council meeting about tomorrow? What's going to happen there?
OKWU: Well, to be clear about it, the meeting tomorrow is a meeting that was called on by the Germans, along with the French and the Russians. And what they want to do is to get the council to convene to talk about in much more substantive ways, the chief weapons inspectors' report to the council. That is, his work program to the council.
Just to make it very clear there, there are other resolutions having to do with Iraq. And under preexisting resolutions, predating Resolution 1441, Blix is supposed to come forward with this work program, including a key list of remaining tasks for the Iraqis. And he's supposed to do this, and give the Iraqis something like 120 days to get them to comply with it. After which, there would be some sorts of monitoring of the Iraqis' weapons program. These countries, this other faction on the Security Council, wants to convene this meeting for that specific purpose and they want to talk about having ministers come on Tuesday. Clearly, it's not a meeting that the United States is very interested in -- Anderson.
COOPER: It's interesting, Michael, talking about what this meeting is about tomorrow, members of the U.N. Security Council, still talking about weapons inspectors from the Azores Summit. Really didn't hear any of the leaders -- President Bush, Prime Minister Blair, really talking about weapons inspectors at all. It sound awfully like they had moved even beyond that.
Michael Okwu at the U.N., thank you very much. Appreciate it.
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 16, 2003 - 16:29 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: For more on what has been a delicate dance of diplomacy for months now, we go to Michael Okwu at the United Nations. Michael, going to be a lot of activity there tomorrow.
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, absolutely, Anderson. Tough words from the president today, and clearly a very tough week for the U.N. Security Council coming up ahead. Diplomats getting a much-needed day off today, but chief weapons inspector Hans Blix, punched in and also weighed in on the summit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANS BLIX, CHIEF WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Of course, it looks very -- very threatening. The whole thing, from messages from the Azores seems to me that I listen President Bush and he talks about the liberation of Iraq and talks about the misdeeds and about the use of weapons of mass destruction and so forth. As Blair and Aznar, I think, still were talking about the possibility of bringing together some consensus in the U.N. around a solution which would expect a declaration from president Saddam himself, about the adherence to disarmament and at the same time, concrete, some concrete steps to demonstrate, sort of down payment, if you call it here, on disarmament.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OKWU: Now, Blix is here today to put on the finishing touches his 30-page work program for Iraq. That includes a list of key disarmament tasks for the Iraqis. This, of course, a head of a closed-door session of the Security Council tomorrow afternoon.
In the meantime, France, Russia, and Germany have requested a ministerial meeting on Tuesday. The French, of course, coming forward to say they would accept some sort of 30-day deadline for the Iraqis without any kind of hidden trigger for military intervention.
U.S. officials have said there is absolutely no reason for such a ministerial meeting; that the Security Council should be focusing their energies on trying to adopt a resolution that enforces Resolution 1441.
Blix, of course, is still mulling over an Iraqi request to have him go back to Baghdad for further talks on disarmament, along with the chief nuclear weapons inspector. And his team has taking a look at a VX document. We understand that report has been turned into his team. That it has been translated at this point and he was -- at this point, just waiting to make a substantive assessment on it.
For Blix, who appeared, Anderson, to be something of being on the sidelines if the past few days. Being thrust right back into the middle of the field, the question is, for how long? -- Anderson.
COOPER: Michael, it was interesting, in that excerpt you played from Hans Blix. I mean, it was delivered in a very dry, you know, diplomatic, bureaucratic tone. Yet, I don't think I'm going out on a limb here, saying it sounded like direct criticism of the Bush administration?
OKWU: Well, we can all speculate about what the chief weapons inspector meant to say there. Clearly, this is a person who's been very much in the limelight and who has been a source of pressure now, at least, receiving pressure from the United States.
He's been saying, Anderson, all along he would like to continue the inspections process, that to really finish the work that was called on him by Resolution 1441. He would need not just days or weeks, but possibly months. Clearly that is a position that the Russians, the French, the Germans, the Chinese all support at this point.
Hans Blix, of course, has been criticized by some in the administration who feel that he has been a little too soft, so perhaps Mr. Blix in his own way bouncing back, and throwing some verbal attack of the United States. But Blix making it very clear not to misinterpret him. Saying he will not use the word "division" and did not want to use the word "criticism" when it came to the United States -- Anderson.
COOPER: Just one more question, Mike. You said the Security Council is meeting tomorrow. John King at the White House, telling us that it seems like there will be a flurry of calls, perhaps tonight, perhaps tomorrow, Bush administration, the Blair government, as well, sort of trying to get other people on the Security Council on board.
But it they don't, if they have the sense they don't have the votes to pass a new resolution, it's likely they won't even submit one. So what is the Security Council meeting about tomorrow? What's going to happen there?
OKWU: Well, to be clear about it, the meeting tomorrow is a meeting that was called on by the Germans, along with the French and the Russians. And what they want to do is to get the council to convene to talk about in much more substantive ways, the chief weapons inspectors' report to the council. That is, his work program to the council.
Just to make it very clear there, there are other resolutions having to do with Iraq. And under preexisting resolutions, predating Resolution 1441, Blix is supposed to come forward with this work program, including a key list of remaining tasks for the Iraqis. And he's supposed to do this, and give the Iraqis something like 120 days to get them to comply with it. After which, there would be some sorts of monitoring of the Iraqis' weapons program. These countries, this other faction on the Security Council, wants to convene this meeting for that specific purpose and they want to talk about having ministers come on Tuesday. Clearly, it's not a meeting that the United States is very interested in -- Anderson.
COOPER: It's interesting, Michael, talking about what this meeting is about tomorrow, members of the U.N. Security Council, still talking about weapons inspectors from the Azores Summit. Really didn't hear any of the leaders -- President Bush, Prime Minister Blair, really talking about weapons inspectors at all. It sound awfully like they had moved even beyond that.
Michael Okwu at the U.N., thank you very much. Appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
