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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Iraq Accepts U.N. Resolution, Bush Remains Skeptical

Aired November 13, 2002 - 17:00   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.


WOLF BLITZER, ANCHOR, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS: They say the document does not require punishment or dismissal of bishops who know about abuse but don't report it. That's a look at our news alert. WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice over): Iraq says yes to the U.N. but do they mean it?

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will not tolerate any deception, denial, or deceit period.

BLITZER: The U.S. may give inspectors an eye in the sky while war planners practice with a 3-D model of Baghdad. You'll get an exclusive look.

Looking for needles in a haystack? We'll show you what the weapons experts are up against. I'll speak with one who's been there, former U.N. Chief Inspector Richard Butler.

The experts say its for real and they're worried. Are new attacks coming? I'll ask Senator Richard Shelby, Vice Chairman of the Intelligence Committee. The research is in, a simple blood test may be the best way to predict a heart attack but it's not looking at your cholesterol. And, a concert promoter takes the gloves off with the gloved one.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (on camera): It's Wednesday, November 13, 2002. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. The countdown begins but is it a countdown to war or some kind of compromise? Baghdad today accepted a U.N. resolution calling for Iraq to disarm and to submit to weapons inspections but so many at the White House and elsewhere are watching to see if Saddam Hussein begins yet another shell game.

We have reports from Baghdad and the White House and we'll talk with the former Chief U.N. Weapons Inspector Richard Butler. Let's start with CNN's Rym Brahimi. She's joining us now live from Baghdad with the latest -- Rym.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the announcement was made here on Iraqi TV on state-run media that Iraq was accepting that resolution. It was made. You could see pictures of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in a meeting with the Revolution Command Council. That's the highest authority in the country that he chairs himself. He was also meeting with the highest ranking people from the Ba'ath Party.

Now, that announcement was made with the presenter also reading the nine-page letter that the Iraqi foreign minister wrote to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. It's a letter with very strong wording against the United States, Wolf. It's a letter that accepts the resolution without any conditions but it's also a letter that denounces the U.S. and Britain for having, it says, pressured the other members of the Security Council into accepting a resolution that paves the way for war -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Rym Brahimi in Baghdad thanks very much. And now that Iraq has announced it will comply with the terms of U.N. Resolution 1441, here is what it will have to do to live up to its words. Among other things, the resolution calls for weapons inspections to begin within 45 days of its adoption.

It gives Iraq 30 days to make "a full and complete declaration of all of its weapons programs," and it demands that weapons inspectors have unrestricted access to presidential sites, including Saddam Hussein's many presidential palaces. How is the White House reacting to today's Iraqi announcement? Let's go live to our National Correspondent Frank Buckley. He's joining us -- Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, White House officials say from their point of view it was never a question that Iraq would accept U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441. What remains an open question, however, they say is whether or not Saddam Hussein will allow the inspectors to do their job.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOHAMMED ALDOURI, IRAQI AMBASSADOR: Yes, I did deliver the letter to the Office of the Secretary-General.

BUCKLEY (voice over): Iraqi Ambassador Mohammed Aldouri confirming that Saddam Hussein and Iraq will comply with the U.N. Security Council resolution. A defiant nine-page letter telling U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan: "We are prepared to receive the inspectors within the assigned timetable despite," the letter says, "its bad contents." Inspectors will prove, say the Iraqis, that Iraq doesn't have any chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons.

ALDOURI: We tried to explain our position, saying that Iraq have and had not and will not have any mass destruction weapons, so we are not worried about the inspectors when they will be back in the country.

BUCKLEY: As the White House digested the letter, U.N. Secretary- General Kofi Annan arrived for a face-to-face meeting with the president who had pushed the U.N. to be more aggressive with Iraq on inspections.

BUSH: The U.N. stepped up to its responsibilities and I want to thank you for that Mr. Secretary-General.

BUCKLEY: Mr. Annan emerged from the meeting to say Iraq must now allow inspectors to do their job.

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: The issue is not the acceptance but performance on the ground.

BUCKLEY: The White House shares the view. Earlier in the day, President Bush said that the U.S. will have a zero tolerance policy if inspectors are blocked in any way.

BUSH: And I want to remind you all that inspectors are there to determine whether or not Saddam Hussein is willing to disarm. It's his choice to make and should he choose not to disarm, we will disarm him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BUCKLEY (on camera): And, by Monday the first group of inspectors should be on the ground in Iraq. By December 8 that full accounting you talked about, Wolf, should take place of all weapons of mass destruction if there are any in Iraq, the U.S. position if anything is omitted, that will be considered a material breach -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Frank Buckley at the White House, Frank thanks very much. And we're here now in the CNN map room where, as you can see, the U.N. inspectors will have a lot of ground to cover as they seek to determine whether or not Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. Joining me now someone who's been there, knows the situation about as well as anyone; Richard Butler, the former chief U.N. weapons inspectors. He's joining me live now from Sydney, Australia. Ambassador Butler thanks so much for joining us.

RICHARD BUTLER, FORMER CHIEF U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: I want to bring our viewers up to speed on the most recent information that UNSCOM, the former U.N. weapons inspection program that you headed had as far as what Iraq has. Let's go to the map over here and you can see various symbols. This symbol shows where the Iraqis have some research or production facilities. This symbol over here shows where those facilities, earlier facilities, were destroyed whether by U.N., by the U.N. weapons inspectors or other means.

This symbol shows where there's been some testing, Iraqi testing of various biological or chemical capabilities, and this shows some of their actual arms deployments, including out here in western Iraq, presumably not far away from Jordan and from Israel. As you hear about all of this, what are the most important sites you believe, Ambassador Butler that the U.N. inspectors should go after?

BUTLER: Well, Wolf, there are sites in each of the areas of weaponry and I just remind viewers that these are nuclear, chemical, and biological and the missiles to carry them.

At the end of our time in Iraq four years ago, I spoke to the general in charge of missiles, for example, and told them that they had to stop trying to develop further new illegal missiles. He refused. Now there is evidence that they continued with that program, so the new inspectorate will need to run that to ground and the same will be true in each of the areas, biological and chemical, but I would point in particular as well to nuclear.

There have been disturbing reports in the period without inspection that Saddam has got his nuclear team back to work. Some people who have defected, who worked in that team, have said that actually he was very close to making an atomic bomb. So, that will be a very important thing to try to run to ground and in that context I wish them well because this Iraqi statement that says we have no weapons at all is simply not true. It never was true and it does illustrate to me, Wolf, how hard this job is going to be for the new inspectors.

BLITZER: Ambassador Butler, I was going to say in that statement that they submitted that nine-page letter to the U.N. today...

BUTLER: Right.

BLITZER: ...they denied any of these capabilities. If you take a look at the huge size of Iraq out here, and they have these mobile capabilities to move...

BUTLER: Right.

BLITZER: ...biological weapons or whatever around, it's almost like finding a needle in a haystack.

BUTLER: Wolf, it's a tough job. You're dead right, no question of that but as I've pointed out since the resolution was adopted, the inspectorate has been given really quite extreme powers. I'm not saying that critically. These are the powers that I wished I had had four years ago. They should be able to go anywhere, any time, to interview any person, seize any document without hindrance.

Now, that's crucial and I deeply believe, Wolf, that if the inspectors are allowed to exercise those powers, no matter how big that haystack is, they will find the needle. They will get the truth if they're allowed to exercise those powers. But quite frankly, Wolf, I'm not sure that Saddam will allow them to do that and we are not off to a good start when this letter says we have no weapons. Wolf, quite simply that is not true but the inspectors will be able to demonstrate the truth or falsity of that if, if the Iraqis allow them to exercise their powers.

BLITZER: Ambassador Butler, I want to put another map up on the screen showing the presidential palaces, so-called presidential palaces, some of the most sensitive sites. This new resolution, of course, says these weapons inspectors have unrestricted access.

BUTLER: Right.

BLITZER: If you put that map up on the screen, you'll see that there were pre-Gulf War palaces, post-Gulf War palaces.

BUTLER: Right.

BLITZER: Reconstructed palaces. Talk about these palaces a little bit and what inspectors may or may not find if they're allowed inside of them.

BUTLER: Well, Wolf, this is a good example of the new stronger powers the inspectorate have because viewers, I'm sure, will recall that four years ago we had a big crisis around the palaces. Now, I never authorized any inspector to go to a palace because it was fruitless. We wouldn't have gotten in there.

But what the Iraqis did was that they declared presidential sites, these are areas around the palaces, and said that they were off limits as well. Wolf, in those presidential sites, we determined that there were 1,100 buildings, some of them as large as, you know, Giants or Yankee Stadium and really big warehouses.

We also knew that under some of the palaces as such, not just the sites the palaces, that there were subterranean caverns. There were storage areas below the ground. So, the total area of the presidential sites then, by the way, was some 50 square kilometers.

Now, that's a big area. That's a lot of buildings. Now the inspectors should be able to go to those places, including the palaces themselves where there are storage areas underground. We had information that it was in precisely such places that materials were being hidden.

BLITZER: Well, ambassador let me interrupt for a second, but if we talk about those palaces a little bit, as you know if the inspectors are allowed back in some of them are very elaborate, what advice do you have for them if they get even close to any of these sensitive sites?

BUTLER: Wolf, the biggest difficulty with the so-called sensitive sites is that Iraq has had time to clean them, to clear out of them materials that are illegal and bury them literally, put them underground out of view. The inspectorate will need to be able to go below the ground. I mean I don't pretend to give them advice. They're experts. They know what they're doing. But they will know that what I'm saying is true.

The simplest way of concealing missile parts, for example, chemical weapons, munitions, and so on is to bury them, is to put them underground. At the end of my time, we were starting to use ground penetrating radar. They're going to need that. They're going to need to be able to literally look underground.

BLITZER: It's going to be an awesome ordeal. The whole world will be watching. I'm sure no one closer than you, Ambassador Richard Butler. We'll be talking a lot in the coming days and weeks. Thanks so much for joining us today from Sydney, Australia.

BUTLER: My pleasure.

BLITZER: Thank you. And, western nations on alert, a message from Osama bin Laden caused security concerns worldwide, a preview of the terror that may be just around the corner. Plus, wanted dead or alive, the trail went cold on Osama bin Laden so where is he hiding? Now, we'll have a closer look when we come back. Also, fighting a war on two fronts, are U.S. troops being spread out too thin; but first, a look at news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice over): Korean connection? There are new reports linking Pakistan with North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Quoting administration sources, The Washington Post says Pakistan may have supplied information and possibly material as late as last summer.

House-to-house, Israeli troops stormed almost two dozen homes in Nablus on the West Bank looking for suspected Palestinian militants. Israel blames them for an attack on a kibbutz earlier this week that killed five Israelis, including a mother and her two young sons.

Iranian protests, students are staging demonstrations to protest the planned execution of a university professor. Iran's judiciary has sentenced the professor to death on charges he insulted Islam. The professor has refused to file an appeal, an apparent challenge to the hard line clerics who dominate the judiciary.

Catholics marched in Colombia appealing for the safe return of a kidnapped bishop. He and a priest were seized on their way to a religious ceremony apparently by leftist rebels.

Harvest of anger, tens of thousands of farmers staged a protest in South Korea. They're angry about plans to open the country to more imported agricultural products.

Carnival in Cologne, thousands of Germans dressed in colorful costumes to kick off the four-month carnival season which runs until Lent. That's a long time to party but people in Cologne say if anybody can do it, they can, and that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: It's barely 24 hours ago we got the tape but now the experts are convinced that the latest Osama bin Laden audiotape is indeed real and that it represents a threat that is also increasingly real. Here's CNN's Mike Boettcher with that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Day Two and President Bush had gotten Osama bin Laden's message.

BUSH: Whoever put this tape out has put the world on notice yet again that we're at war and that we need to take these messages very seriously.

BOETTCHER: And for good reason, words can kill, especially when they come from Osama bin Laden.

PETER BERGER, CNN TERRORISM CONSULTANT: There's been a pattern over the years when bin Laden makes certain kinds of public statements, they are followed within a few months or even a few weeks by real action.

BOETTCHER: In May, 1998 a bin Laden call for jihad against American civilians is followed weeks later by al Qaeda attacks on the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. In 2000, a bin Laden videotape appears, showing him wearing a Yemeni dagger. Within months, there is an attack on the USS Cole when it is in a Yemeni port. And last summer, this bin Laden tape, hailing the Cole bombing and calling for more attacks against Americans was followed by 9/11. Now, a new tape and a new target America's allies in Europe.

ABDEL BARI ATWAN, EDITOR, AL QUDS NEWSPAPER: It seems he is legitimizing the killing of the civilians of countries which participated in the war against terrorism. He singled out Britain, France, Germany, United States, and Australia and Canada, so it seems that future attacks could be targeted toward civilian populations, which is extremely alarming and dangerous.

BOETTCHER: What makes this latest threat so worrying to Abdel Bari Atwan is that it comes after a series of attacks, including the Bali nightclub bombing that al Qaeda has claimed credit for and the tone is far more aggressive than in the past. For Peter Berger, this marks a new phase.

BERGER: I call it al Qaeda 2.0, basically a second wave of terrorism. Al Qaeda's lost its base in Afghanistan. It's now a much more virtual organization that uses the Internet and the media to get its message across. It continues to exist but it's not in one place as it was largely in Afghanistan. It's not diffused and decentralized around the world posing, I think, still a very big threat.

BOETTCHER: A very big threat if al Qaeda's recent history is any guide.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOETTCHER (on camera): And this afternoon, we now know more about how Al-Jazeera, the Arabic network, received that videotape, or audiotape rather. It was delivered by an al Qaeda messenger to the Islamabad Bureau Chief of Al-Jazeera. He says it's a messenger who has delivered tapes before from bin Laden and al Qaeda -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Mike Boettcher with that important report, Mike thanks very much. So what of the man behind the threats? The latest tape from al Qaeda is likely to spur a new hunt for its leader.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice over): The search for Osama bin Laden never ended but the newly-released audiotape and the belief by U.S. officials that it is his voice have revived the old question, where is he? ATWAN: Osama bin Laden is alive and kicking and you know he would like to prove to everybody that all the stories which were published in the Arab press or American press that he was killed during the Tora Bora bombing is false.

BLITZER: CNN has been told by coalition intelligence sources that bin Laden was in the Tora Bora mountains of eastern Afghanistan late last year, that he was injured during the U.S. offensive there, and that he had surgery. Now, U.S. officials will only say that if bin Laden is alive he is likely hiding out somewhere along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, but he could be anywhere.

Intelligence sources say bin Laden might also head to Karachi, Pakistan, a teaming city of 14 million people, to his ancestral home of Yemen, possibly Indonesia or even Chechnya, all very rugged areas with plenty of places to hide and little government control.

PROF. TOM NICHOLS, NAVAL WAR COLLEGE: It's not that hard to move a lot of people around and be undiscovered in the short term. To keep doing it for months at a time is a lot harder.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (on camera): The FBI says it's now looking for a Kuwaiti born Canadian who may have ties to al Qaeda. The agency's Web site identifies the man as 39-year-old Amer El-Maati and it describes him as being armed and dangerous. Officials say he may be connected to possible terrorist threats in the United States, but they won't say whether he's believed to be in the United States right now.

Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, who's really the bigger threat to United States interests? We'll talk to Senator Richard Shelby. He's vice-chairman of the Intelligence Committee when we return. And, that's also our web question of the day. Log onto cnn.com/wolf, that's where you can vote. We'll have the results later this hour.

And, a better way to assess your risk of a heart attack, a simple blood test that could save your life but it has nothing to do with your cholesterol. We'll have that plus a lot more. First, today's news quiz. On what day are you most likely to die from a heart attack, Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, the answer coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. On the terror trail, the U.S. Border Patrol is stepping up its operations in Michigan. Instead of just stopping cars as they cross from Canada, agents are making random stops well inside U.S. territory looking for illegal immigrants and terrorists.

Border Patrol agents can conduct searches within 25 miles of any international border. Random inspections are common near the Mexican border but Michigan is one of the first northern states to be included in the program. Michigan is home to the nation's largest concentration of Arab-Americans. Officials worry the pending execution of this Pakistani man could spark retaliatory attacks against Americans. Mir Aimal Kansi was convicted of killing two CIA employees outside CIA headquarter in 1993. He's scheduled to be put to death in Virginia tomorrow. Militant Muslim groups in Pakistan are threatening retaliation against U.S. citizens. In a telephone interview from prison, Kansi says he does not want innocent Americans harmed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIR AIMAL KANSI, CONVICTED MURDERER: I may issue an appeal also through the media before my execution to all the people in Pakistan not to attack Americans there in our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Only a reprieve from the U.S. Supreme Court or the Virginia Governor Mark Warner could stop tomorrow's scheduled execution. Neither of those possibilities is considered very likely. And despite renewed concerns about homeland security, there has been no change so far in the national alert level. It remains at Code Yellow, the midway point on the five-level scale.

So, is America prepared for another terrorist attack and if it's necessary would America be able to wage the war on terror and a war against Iraq at the same time? Senator Richard Shelby is the Vice- Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He joins me now live from Capitol Hill. Let's talk about both of those issues, Senator Shelby. First of all, is the U.S. in your opinion prepared as it should be 14 months after 9/11 to deal with terror threats?

SEN. RICHARD SHELBY, SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Well, we're never over-prepared but we're better prepared than we were before September 11, 2001. We are at risk because we have an open society and there are a lot of people in this country that would do us harm even as we speak.

BLITZER: You know your colleague yesterday, Senator Bob Graham, said the U.S. is woefully unprepared, that the FBI has not met the challenge over these past 14 months.

SHELBY: Oh, I agree with Senator Graham. I just said we're better prepared but we haven't met the challenge. We've got a long way to go, a long, long way to go.

BLITZER: Well, that's shocking to a lot of Americans listening. Wasn't there a wake-up call on 9/11? What's taking so long?

SHELBY: I think part of it is the culture of the FBI to try to start the notion to stop terrorist attacks before they are implemented, as opposed to investigating a crime or anything like that in the past. It's like moving a carrier around in a creek, so to speak. They have made progress but they're not there yet to say tonight that we're safe in America. I think that would be foolish and not truthful. BLITZER: I know you've been briefed on this latest statement, this audio statement from Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda. What do you make of it? Is he alive?

SHELBY: Oh, I believe he's alive, Wolf. I've said on your program that I will always believed that he was alive until we had forensic evidence to show otherwise. He has not nine lives but 27 probably. I think this is a significant statement. It's audio and this is coming with the chatter; that is, increased traffic signals around the world, which pre-staged an attack somewhere in the past.

BLITZER: So you think that the U.S. should be prepared now, get read for another al Qaeda attack, a major attack?

SHELBY: Absolutely and I don't know where. I don't know if it's a hard target, a soft target, but I believe that was a strong signal and it was a significant message.

BLITZER: What represents in your opinion, and you are privy to the most sensitive information, intelligence information, a more significant threat to the United States, Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein?

SHELBY: Well, that's I think you have to weigh those differently. I think in the long run Saddam Hussein is because he will ultimately have nuclear weapons and probably the way to deliver them. He has now biological and chemical weapons and probably has some way to deliver them. In the short-run, terrorists will always be a threat.

BLITZER: Can the United States right now, Senator Shelby, in the next 60 -- 90 days fight a dual front war against Osama bin Laden, the war on terror as well as a war against Iraq?

SHELBY: Absolutely, we won't have any choice and I think we can do it. I agree with Secretary Rumsfeld's assessment there. And I think we will do it. And ultimately, we're going -- if there's no -- if Saddam Hussein doesn't do a 180-degree turn, I believe that there will be a regime change, as there should be. But the war on terrorism will go on -- it will go on for many, many years.

BLITZER: You're not under illusions. Will Saddam Hussein change stripes or will there be a war?

SHELBY: Oh, I think it'll be a war.

BLITZER: Senator Shelby, always speaking forthfully and directly. Thank you very much.

SHELBY: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our "Web Questions of The Day" is this, who's the bigger threat to the United States? Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein? We'll have the results later this hour. Vote at CNN.com/Wolf. While you're there, I'd love to hear from you. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also of course where you can read my daily online column, CNN.com/Wolf.

U.N. weapons inspectors may soon be on the way to Baghdad. A look at the high tech gadgets that will help them sniff out weapons when we return. Plus, urban combat, a 3-D view of what U.S. troops could face in urban warfare in Baghdad. And Michael Jackson in court. The man behind the mask takes the stand. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Coming up, we'll go to the Lawrence Livermore Lab and to the Pentagon for a look at some of the high-tech gear that may be used to find Iraq's suspected arsenal.

The Bush administration is reacting skeptically to the announcement that Saddam Hussein has agreed to accept U.N. Resolution 1441. It calls upon Iraq to disarm and submit to inspections by U.N. teams. Iraq announced its decision in a letter to the U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan.

U.N. weapons inspectors plan to head back to Iraq shortly. What kind of equipment will they have? CNN's Rusty Dornin took a trip to the Lawrence Livermore Lab near San Francisco to find out. She's joining me now live --Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, one of the devices probably the inspectors after Gulf War would have loved to have had is the Hanna (ph). Now, the Gulf War and the aftermath did inspire the development of this device, which does detect biological pathogens. Here to tell us a little bit more about how it works is Page Stoutland, who is the deputy chief of counterterrorism here at the lab.

How does this work? If an inspector takes a device like this into Iraq, how does it work?

PAGE STOUTLAND, DEPUTY CHIEF OF COUNTERTERRORISM, LAWRENCE LIVERMORE LAB: Well, this device is designed to detect things like anthrax, whether it be in inspections or whether it be in a homeland security application. Basically, what one does is that you've got to have a sample, whether it be gathered from the air or whether you take a swipe off a piece of paper, for example. You've then got a tube. You mix a solution, put it in the tube, stick it back in the device, get it ready to go and push start. Ten or 20 minutes later, you get a reading of whether it was anthrax, plague or something innocuous, for example.

DORNIN: Now, if I'm -- you know if I'm in a laboratory and I've been fooling around with biological agents and I know the inspectors are coming in, am I going to be able to clean it up so this device does not detect it.

STOUTLAND: Well, one doesn't know the answer to that. It really depends on the specifics of the situation. But of course, the reason we may be sending the inspectors in is because one hopes to find something. And so, devices like this would not be used alone but things like this might be able to help guide the sampling and act as something in addition to the normal sorts of things that might be done.

DORNIN: Also, the size of it, are the inspectors limited on the amount of things that they can take into some of these areas?

STOUTLAND: I'm sure they are. I don't know the details of that. We've designed a number of versions of instruments like this, whether they be large or small for different applications.

DORNIN: OK, Page Stoutland, thank you for joining us.

And apparently, inspectors from this lab did -- were involved after the Gulf War. They will not say whether there'll be folks from here going on this inspection --Wolf.

BLITZER: Rusty Dornin, I just learned something. Thanks to you. Thanks very much.

And Iraq's acceptance of the U.N. weapons inspections was not unexpected but it could complicate the U.S. strategy to disarm or depose Saddam Hussein. More from our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the U.S., the big dilemma comes not if Hussein says no, but if he keeps saying yes and U.N. inspectors actually find some banned weapons.

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: He could also decide to let them go in and say, "Yes, you're right. I had these but now I'm going to turn over a new leaf and that's all there is."

MCINTYRE: The problem, the Pentagon wouldn't believe it. Iraq has had too much time to hide the evidence where inspectors can't find it, including deep under ground.

RUMSFELD: What do you do next? And I think it's too early to know.

MCINTYRE: But if Iraq can appear to be compliant, international support could evaporate, leaving the U.S. with a very small coalition.

JAMES RUBIN, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: If Saddam Hussein were to do that kind of 180-degree turn from his behavior over the last decade, I think it would be a tragic mistake for the United States to use force anyway.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: So a big remaining question is, what would trigger U.S. military action? One new wrinkle, the U.S. is offering the U.N. inspection teams aerial surveillance from both manned and unmanned planes over Iraq. That would mean that if Iraq fired at planes patrolling in the no-fly zones or other places it might constitute defiance of the U.N. resolutions --Wolf.

BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon. Jamie, thanks very much.

And in case the inspection effort is thwarted, the U.S. military is going ahead with preparations of course for possible war, including street fighting in Baghdad. The latest 3-D imagery is being used as a planning tool. CNN now has some of those pictures. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LANG CRAIGHILL, SGI FEDERAL: In urban warfare, one of the most critical things is to understand the environment before you go in. In any type of engagement, there's smoke, fog. And this tool allows the operator to be familiar with the environment. This is actual imagery that's on the ground and the actual buildings that have been built up from that imagery. So this is precise, accurate geometry of what the city of Baghdad looks like.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And Jamie McIntyre's going to have much more on this story tomorrow here at 5:00 p.m. Eastern on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

We've seen numerous protests against war with Iraq recently. But usually, the marchers are older enough to read and write but not some of these young citizens, who took to the streets yesterday. Then, again, they live in the city known for its protests, Berkeley, California.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: If we want this world to survive in 1,000 years, we can't keep on killing each other off. Then we will all die and suffer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: About 200 children chaperoned by their parents marched to the city hall where they were met by city officials.

Please join me for a full hour of coverage, "SHOWDOWN IRAQ," tomorrow at noon Eastern and every weekday at noon Eastern. Among my guests, the man known as the logistics commander during the Gulf War, the retired lieutenant general is Gus Pagonis. He'll join me tomorrow at noon Eastern.

It's a top killer, but it can be stopped. Predicting heart attacks just got a little bit earlier. Dr. Sanjay Gupta will join us live with some medical news making headlines, news that could save your life. Plus, a masked man in the courtroom -- Michael Jackson testifies in his own defense.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Are you at risk for a heart attack? There's a test that can tell you better and it's better not just because of your cholesterol. We'll have details. That story coming up on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Earlier we asked -- on what day are you most likely to die from a heart attack? The answer, Monday. According to a 10-year study, up to 20 percent more people die from heart attacks on a Monday than any other day. Researchers suspect increased drinking over the weekend and the stress of going back to work are factors.

And cardiodoctors may want to take a new study to heart. It finds testing for a certain type of blood protein is a better indicator of who's at risk for heart disease than cholesterol screening. Our medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is joining us now live.

This is an amazing study if it's true, Sanjay. Tell us about it.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I'll tell you, Wolf, and it's not an unfamiliar story to hear about someone who is the picture of health, exercises, gets their cholesterol checked, which is low, yet still has a heart attack. Why does that occur? This is how one doctor put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. PAUL RIDKER, BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPTIAL: Well, we've known for some time that half of all heart attacks and strokes in the United States occur among individuals who actually have normal if not low cholesterol levels.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: So what is it? Doctors for a long time have been trying to figure it out. Wolf, just as you say, they think they may have it now. It's something called C-reactive protein. That's a name that you're probably going to hear more and more of.

What it is is it's a measure of inflammation, really just a simple blood test, inexpensive. If the number is very high, that tends to make you more at risk for a heart attack. If it's low, it tends to make you less at risk. What is interesting about this, Wolf, though is that's probably a better predictor even than of cholesterol, which has been sort of the gold standard and the crystal ball that doctors have used for so long. Look for C-reactive protein to become that new crystal ball in the future, Wolf.

BLITZER: What's taken so long to find this? It seems like it should have been done a long time ago.

GUPTA: Right, so why do -- why do heart attacks actually occur? They probably occur because those plaques actually get inflamed and they rupture. And that's what doctors are figuring out now. And that C-Reactive Protein -- they're figuring that out now and that C- Reactive Protein can actually be an indicator of how likely it is for those plaques to actually rupture, causing that catastrophic -- potentially catastrophic event.

Now, Wolf, these research projects have been in progress for quite some time. The particular study that's coming out just now was eight years in the making --Wolf.

BLITZER: So from what I hear you saying, that all of us should be getting this kind of test as quickly as possible?

GUPTA: Well, a couple of things about that. First of all, Wolf, it is a very important test. And not to sort of throw it out there quite to that degree yet but about 25 percent of people who have normal or low cholesterol may have significantly elevated C-reactive protein. And that's a very important thing. You may take a lot of solace in the fact that your cholesterol is very low, but you need to get that C-reactive protein checked as well.

The problem is, we don't know exactly how to interpret all the data. What we're waiting for -- or all doctors are waiting for are some guidelines from the American Heart Association and from the Centers for Disease Control. They're going to tell you what the numbers are and what to do with them once you get it checked.

BLITZER: All right, instead of listening so much about my -- worrying about my cholesterol count, I'll be worrying pretty soon about my C-reactive protein.

GUPTA: You got it, Wolf.

BLITZER: All of us are going to have to memorize that. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks for that important information. I hope my doctor was listening and watching and getting that test as quickly as possible.

He anointed himself pop star of the Millennium. Now, Michael Jackson is defending himself for being a no show at the turn of the century. A peek inside the courtroom drama. It's still to come. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Singer, Michael Jackson, is being asked to explain why he allegedly backed out of two concerts coinciding with the global Millennium celebrations. A promoter is suing the self-proclaimed king of pop for breach of contract and $21 million. CNN's Brian Cabell has details from central California.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Some of his fans were here at 5:00 this morning at the courthouse waiting for him. He didn't show up in his van until about 11:45, more than six hours later. And when he arrived, there were 200 fans waiting for him, screaming, squealing, and very excited. They actually had a lottery to determine who could go inside the courtroom.

In the courtroom, he came across as childlike, I would have to say. He looked around with childlike curiosity. The attorney, who questioned him as a hostile witness, questioned him almost as though he was a child. His answers were very weak voiced, but he had a smile on his face at times. He also had the oath read to him, the do you promise to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. He said he couldn't hear it the first time. He had it repeated to him.

This was a lawsuit that came out of a contract that was drawn up back in 1999. He was supposed to perform at four concerts. He performed at two charity concerts, but the last two, he did not. He says the promoter backed out of it. The promoter says Michael Jackson backed out of it. That's the crux of the conflict here. Twenty million dollars at stake. The trial is expected to last about five weeks.

I'm Brian Cabell, CNN, in Santa Maria, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Brian.

Time is running out for your turn to weigh in on our "Web Question of The Day." Who's the bigger threat to the United States? Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein? Log on to CNN.com/Wolf. That's where you can vote and we'll have the results immediately when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There must be an intriguing story behind our "Picture of The Day," but for now it remains a mystery of the deep. The commander of the confederate submarine, Humley (ph), apparently had a $20 gold piece in one pocket and a diamond ring and a diamond broach in the other when the sub sank in 1864. Scientists in South Carolina say they found the jewelry in what they think are remains of the captain's uniform. Explorers raised the Humley (ph) from its watery grave in August 2000.

Now, here's how you're weighing in our "Web Question of The Day." Earlier we asked this question -- look at this, 74 percent of you say Osama bin Laden is more serious of a threat to the United States than Saddam Hussein. Twenty-six percent of you say Saddam Hussein. This is not of course a scientific poll.

Some of your e-mails regarding our story yesterday on should women over 50 have babies. Anne rights this -- "Just because something is technically feasible and safe for the mother doesn't mean it should be done. Having a child at that age is the height of narcissism." Brad agrees -- "A woman's body goes through changes that prevent her from being able to bear children for a reason. People need to go with the flow and stop trying to alter nature's course."

That's all the time we have for today. Join me tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Eastern, also noon Eastern, "SHOWDOWN IRAQ." Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" is up next. 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 13, 2002 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, ANCHOR, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS: They say the document does not require punishment or dismissal of bishops who know about abuse but don't report it. That's a look at our news alert. WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice over): Iraq says yes to the U.N. but do they mean it?

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will not tolerate any deception, denial, or deceit period.

BLITZER: The U.S. may give inspectors an eye in the sky while war planners practice with a 3-D model of Baghdad. You'll get an exclusive look.

Looking for needles in a haystack? We'll show you what the weapons experts are up against. I'll speak with one who's been there, former U.N. Chief Inspector Richard Butler.

The experts say its for real and they're worried. Are new attacks coming? I'll ask Senator Richard Shelby, Vice Chairman of the Intelligence Committee. The research is in, a simple blood test may be the best way to predict a heart attack but it's not looking at your cholesterol. And, a concert promoter takes the gloves off with the gloved one.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (on camera): It's Wednesday, November 13, 2002. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. The countdown begins but is it a countdown to war or some kind of compromise? Baghdad today accepted a U.N. resolution calling for Iraq to disarm and to submit to weapons inspections but so many at the White House and elsewhere are watching to see if Saddam Hussein begins yet another shell game.

We have reports from Baghdad and the White House and we'll talk with the former Chief U.N. Weapons Inspector Richard Butler. Let's start with CNN's Rym Brahimi. She's joining us now live from Baghdad with the latest -- Rym.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the announcement was made here on Iraqi TV on state-run media that Iraq was accepting that resolution. It was made. You could see pictures of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in a meeting with the Revolution Command Council. That's the highest authority in the country that he chairs himself. He was also meeting with the highest ranking people from the Ba'ath Party.

Now, that announcement was made with the presenter also reading the nine-page letter that the Iraqi foreign minister wrote to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. It's a letter with very strong wording against the United States, Wolf. It's a letter that accepts the resolution without any conditions but it's also a letter that denounces the U.S. and Britain for having, it says, pressured the other members of the Security Council into accepting a resolution that paves the way for war -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Rym Brahimi in Baghdad thanks very much. And now that Iraq has announced it will comply with the terms of U.N. Resolution 1441, here is what it will have to do to live up to its words. Among other things, the resolution calls for weapons inspections to begin within 45 days of its adoption.

It gives Iraq 30 days to make "a full and complete declaration of all of its weapons programs," and it demands that weapons inspectors have unrestricted access to presidential sites, including Saddam Hussein's many presidential palaces. How is the White House reacting to today's Iraqi announcement? Let's go live to our National Correspondent Frank Buckley. He's joining us -- Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, White House officials say from their point of view it was never a question that Iraq would accept U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441. What remains an open question, however, they say is whether or not Saddam Hussein will allow the inspectors to do their job.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOHAMMED ALDOURI, IRAQI AMBASSADOR: Yes, I did deliver the letter to the Office of the Secretary-General.

BUCKLEY (voice over): Iraqi Ambassador Mohammed Aldouri confirming that Saddam Hussein and Iraq will comply with the U.N. Security Council resolution. A defiant nine-page letter telling U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan: "We are prepared to receive the inspectors within the assigned timetable despite," the letter says, "its bad contents." Inspectors will prove, say the Iraqis, that Iraq doesn't have any chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons.

ALDOURI: We tried to explain our position, saying that Iraq have and had not and will not have any mass destruction weapons, so we are not worried about the inspectors when they will be back in the country.

BUCKLEY: As the White House digested the letter, U.N. Secretary- General Kofi Annan arrived for a face-to-face meeting with the president who had pushed the U.N. to be more aggressive with Iraq on inspections.

BUSH: The U.N. stepped up to its responsibilities and I want to thank you for that Mr. Secretary-General.

BUCKLEY: Mr. Annan emerged from the meeting to say Iraq must now allow inspectors to do their job.

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: The issue is not the acceptance but performance on the ground.

BUCKLEY: The White House shares the view. Earlier in the day, President Bush said that the U.S. will have a zero tolerance policy if inspectors are blocked in any way.

BUSH: And I want to remind you all that inspectors are there to determine whether or not Saddam Hussein is willing to disarm. It's his choice to make and should he choose not to disarm, we will disarm him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BUCKLEY (on camera): And, by Monday the first group of inspectors should be on the ground in Iraq. By December 8 that full accounting you talked about, Wolf, should take place of all weapons of mass destruction if there are any in Iraq, the U.S. position if anything is omitted, that will be considered a material breach -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Frank Buckley at the White House, Frank thanks very much. And we're here now in the CNN map room where, as you can see, the U.N. inspectors will have a lot of ground to cover as they seek to determine whether or not Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. Joining me now someone who's been there, knows the situation about as well as anyone; Richard Butler, the former chief U.N. weapons inspectors. He's joining me live now from Sydney, Australia. Ambassador Butler thanks so much for joining us.

RICHARD BUTLER, FORMER CHIEF U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: I want to bring our viewers up to speed on the most recent information that UNSCOM, the former U.N. weapons inspection program that you headed had as far as what Iraq has. Let's go to the map over here and you can see various symbols. This symbol shows where the Iraqis have some research or production facilities. This symbol over here shows where those facilities, earlier facilities, were destroyed whether by U.N., by the U.N. weapons inspectors or other means.

This symbol shows where there's been some testing, Iraqi testing of various biological or chemical capabilities, and this shows some of their actual arms deployments, including out here in western Iraq, presumably not far away from Jordan and from Israel. As you hear about all of this, what are the most important sites you believe, Ambassador Butler that the U.N. inspectors should go after?

BUTLER: Well, Wolf, there are sites in each of the areas of weaponry and I just remind viewers that these are nuclear, chemical, and biological and the missiles to carry them.

At the end of our time in Iraq four years ago, I spoke to the general in charge of missiles, for example, and told them that they had to stop trying to develop further new illegal missiles. He refused. Now there is evidence that they continued with that program, so the new inspectorate will need to run that to ground and the same will be true in each of the areas, biological and chemical, but I would point in particular as well to nuclear.

There have been disturbing reports in the period without inspection that Saddam has got his nuclear team back to work. Some people who have defected, who worked in that team, have said that actually he was very close to making an atomic bomb. So, that will be a very important thing to try to run to ground and in that context I wish them well because this Iraqi statement that says we have no weapons at all is simply not true. It never was true and it does illustrate to me, Wolf, how hard this job is going to be for the new inspectors.

BLITZER: Ambassador Butler, I was going to say in that statement that they submitted that nine-page letter to the U.N. today...

BUTLER: Right.

BLITZER: ...they denied any of these capabilities. If you take a look at the huge size of Iraq out here, and they have these mobile capabilities to move...

BUTLER: Right.

BLITZER: ...biological weapons or whatever around, it's almost like finding a needle in a haystack.

BUTLER: Wolf, it's a tough job. You're dead right, no question of that but as I've pointed out since the resolution was adopted, the inspectorate has been given really quite extreme powers. I'm not saying that critically. These are the powers that I wished I had had four years ago. They should be able to go anywhere, any time, to interview any person, seize any document without hindrance.

Now, that's crucial and I deeply believe, Wolf, that if the inspectors are allowed to exercise those powers, no matter how big that haystack is, they will find the needle. They will get the truth if they're allowed to exercise those powers. But quite frankly, Wolf, I'm not sure that Saddam will allow them to do that and we are not off to a good start when this letter says we have no weapons. Wolf, quite simply that is not true but the inspectors will be able to demonstrate the truth or falsity of that if, if the Iraqis allow them to exercise their powers.

BLITZER: Ambassador Butler, I want to put another map up on the screen showing the presidential palaces, so-called presidential palaces, some of the most sensitive sites. This new resolution, of course, says these weapons inspectors have unrestricted access.

BUTLER: Right.

BLITZER: If you put that map up on the screen, you'll see that there were pre-Gulf War palaces, post-Gulf War palaces.

BUTLER: Right.

BLITZER: Reconstructed palaces. Talk about these palaces a little bit and what inspectors may or may not find if they're allowed inside of them.

BUTLER: Well, Wolf, this is a good example of the new stronger powers the inspectorate have because viewers, I'm sure, will recall that four years ago we had a big crisis around the palaces. Now, I never authorized any inspector to go to a palace because it was fruitless. We wouldn't have gotten in there.

But what the Iraqis did was that they declared presidential sites, these are areas around the palaces, and said that they were off limits as well. Wolf, in those presidential sites, we determined that there were 1,100 buildings, some of them as large as, you know, Giants or Yankee Stadium and really big warehouses.

We also knew that under some of the palaces as such, not just the sites the palaces, that there were subterranean caverns. There were storage areas below the ground. So, the total area of the presidential sites then, by the way, was some 50 square kilometers.

Now, that's a big area. That's a lot of buildings. Now the inspectors should be able to go to those places, including the palaces themselves where there are storage areas underground. We had information that it was in precisely such places that materials were being hidden.

BLITZER: Well, ambassador let me interrupt for a second, but if we talk about those palaces a little bit, as you know if the inspectors are allowed back in some of them are very elaborate, what advice do you have for them if they get even close to any of these sensitive sites?

BUTLER: Wolf, the biggest difficulty with the so-called sensitive sites is that Iraq has had time to clean them, to clear out of them materials that are illegal and bury them literally, put them underground out of view. The inspectorate will need to be able to go below the ground. I mean I don't pretend to give them advice. They're experts. They know what they're doing. But they will know that what I'm saying is true.

The simplest way of concealing missile parts, for example, chemical weapons, munitions, and so on is to bury them, is to put them underground. At the end of my time, we were starting to use ground penetrating radar. They're going to need that. They're going to need to be able to literally look underground.

BLITZER: It's going to be an awesome ordeal. The whole world will be watching. I'm sure no one closer than you, Ambassador Richard Butler. We'll be talking a lot in the coming days and weeks. Thanks so much for joining us today from Sydney, Australia.

BUTLER: My pleasure.

BLITZER: Thank you. And, western nations on alert, a message from Osama bin Laden caused security concerns worldwide, a preview of the terror that may be just around the corner. Plus, wanted dead or alive, the trail went cold on Osama bin Laden so where is he hiding? Now, we'll have a closer look when we come back. Also, fighting a war on two fronts, are U.S. troops being spread out too thin; but first, a look at news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice over): Korean connection? There are new reports linking Pakistan with North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Quoting administration sources, The Washington Post says Pakistan may have supplied information and possibly material as late as last summer.

House-to-house, Israeli troops stormed almost two dozen homes in Nablus on the West Bank looking for suspected Palestinian militants. Israel blames them for an attack on a kibbutz earlier this week that killed five Israelis, including a mother and her two young sons.

Iranian protests, students are staging demonstrations to protest the planned execution of a university professor. Iran's judiciary has sentenced the professor to death on charges he insulted Islam. The professor has refused to file an appeal, an apparent challenge to the hard line clerics who dominate the judiciary.

Catholics marched in Colombia appealing for the safe return of a kidnapped bishop. He and a priest were seized on their way to a religious ceremony apparently by leftist rebels.

Harvest of anger, tens of thousands of farmers staged a protest in South Korea. They're angry about plans to open the country to more imported agricultural products.

Carnival in Cologne, thousands of Germans dressed in colorful costumes to kick off the four-month carnival season which runs until Lent. That's a long time to party but people in Cologne say if anybody can do it, they can, and that's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: It's barely 24 hours ago we got the tape but now the experts are convinced that the latest Osama bin Laden audiotape is indeed real and that it represents a threat that is also increasingly real. Here's CNN's Mike Boettcher with that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Day Two and President Bush had gotten Osama bin Laden's message.

BUSH: Whoever put this tape out has put the world on notice yet again that we're at war and that we need to take these messages very seriously.

BOETTCHER: And for good reason, words can kill, especially when they come from Osama bin Laden.

PETER BERGER, CNN TERRORISM CONSULTANT: There's been a pattern over the years when bin Laden makes certain kinds of public statements, they are followed within a few months or even a few weeks by real action.

BOETTCHER: In May, 1998 a bin Laden call for jihad against American civilians is followed weeks later by al Qaeda attacks on the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. In 2000, a bin Laden videotape appears, showing him wearing a Yemeni dagger. Within months, there is an attack on the USS Cole when it is in a Yemeni port. And last summer, this bin Laden tape, hailing the Cole bombing and calling for more attacks against Americans was followed by 9/11. Now, a new tape and a new target America's allies in Europe.

ABDEL BARI ATWAN, EDITOR, AL QUDS NEWSPAPER: It seems he is legitimizing the killing of the civilians of countries which participated in the war against terrorism. He singled out Britain, France, Germany, United States, and Australia and Canada, so it seems that future attacks could be targeted toward civilian populations, which is extremely alarming and dangerous.

BOETTCHER: What makes this latest threat so worrying to Abdel Bari Atwan is that it comes after a series of attacks, including the Bali nightclub bombing that al Qaeda has claimed credit for and the tone is far more aggressive than in the past. For Peter Berger, this marks a new phase.

BERGER: I call it al Qaeda 2.0, basically a second wave of terrorism. Al Qaeda's lost its base in Afghanistan. It's now a much more virtual organization that uses the Internet and the media to get its message across. It continues to exist but it's not in one place as it was largely in Afghanistan. It's not diffused and decentralized around the world posing, I think, still a very big threat.

BOETTCHER: A very big threat if al Qaeda's recent history is any guide.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BOETTCHER (on camera): And this afternoon, we now know more about how Al-Jazeera, the Arabic network, received that videotape, or audiotape rather. It was delivered by an al Qaeda messenger to the Islamabad Bureau Chief of Al-Jazeera. He says it's a messenger who has delivered tapes before from bin Laden and al Qaeda -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Mike Boettcher with that important report, Mike thanks very much. So what of the man behind the threats? The latest tape from al Qaeda is likely to spur a new hunt for its leader.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice over): The search for Osama bin Laden never ended but the newly-released audiotape and the belief by U.S. officials that it is his voice have revived the old question, where is he? ATWAN: Osama bin Laden is alive and kicking and you know he would like to prove to everybody that all the stories which were published in the Arab press or American press that he was killed during the Tora Bora bombing is false.

BLITZER: CNN has been told by coalition intelligence sources that bin Laden was in the Tora Bora mountains of eastern Afghanistan late last year, that he was injured during the U.S. offensive there, and that he had surgery. Now, U.S. officials will only say that if bin Laden is alive he is likely hiding out somewhere along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, but he could be anywhere.

Intelligence sources say bin Laden might also head to Karachi, Pakistan, a teaming city of 14 million people, to his ancestral home of Yemen, possibly Indonesia or even Chechnya, all very rugged areas with plenty of places to hide and little government control.

PROF. TOM NICHOLS, NAVAL WAR COLLEGE: It's not that hard to move a lot of people around and be undiscovered in the short term. To keep doing it for months at a time is a lot harder.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (on camera): The FBI says it's now looking for a Kuwaiti born Canadian who may have ties to al Qaeda. The agency's Web site identifies the man as 39-year-old Amer El-Maati and it describes him as being armed and dangerous. Officials say he may be connected to possible terrorist threats in the United States, but they won't say whether he's believed to be in the United States right now.

Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, who's really the bigger threat to United States interests? We'll talk to Senator Richard Shelby. He's vice-chairman of the Intelligence Committee when we return. And, that's also our web question of the day. Log onto cnn.com/wolf, that's where you can vote. We'll have the results later this hour.

And, a better way to assess your risk of a heart attack, a simple blood test that could save your life but it has nothing to do with your cholesterol. We'll have that plus a lot more. First, today's news quiz. On what day are you most likely to die from a heart attack, Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, the answer coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. On the terror trail, the U.S. Border Patrol is stepping up its operations in Michigan. Instead of just stopping cars as they cross from Canada, agents are making random stops well inside U.S. territory looking for illegal immigrants and terrorists.

Border Patrol agents can conduct searches within 25 miles of any international border. Random inspections are common near the Mexican border but Michigan is one of the first northern states to be included in the program. Michigan is home to the nation's largest concentration of Arab-Americans. Officials worry the pending execution of this Pakistani man could spark retaliatory attacks against Americans. Mir Aimal Kansi was convicted of killing two CIA employees outside CIA headquarter in 1993. He's scheduled to be put to death in Virginia tomorrow. Militant Muslim groups in Pakistan are threatening retaliation against U.S. citizens. In a telephone interview from prison, Kansi says he does not want innocent Americans harmed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIR AIMAL KANSI, CONVICTED MURDERER: I may issue an appeal also through the media before my execution to all the people in Pakistan not to attack Americans there in our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Only a reprieve from the U.S. Supreme Court or the Virginia Governor Mark Warner could stop tomorrow's scheduled execution. Neither of those possibilities is considered very likely. And despite renewed concerns about homeland security, there has been no change so far in the national alert level. It remains at Code Yellow, the midway point on the five-level scale.

So, is America prepared for another terrorist attack and if it's necessary would America be able to wage the war on terror and a war against Iraq at the same time? Senator Richard Shelby is the Vice- Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He joins me now live from Capitol Hill. Let's talk about both of those issues, Senator Shelby. First of all, is the U.S. in your opinion prepared as it should be 14 months after 9/11 to deal with terror threats?

SEN. RICHARD SHELBY, SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Well, we're never over-prepared but we're better prepared than we were before September 11, 2001. We are at risk because we have an open society and there are a lot of people in this country that would do us harm even as we speak.

BLITZER: You know your colleague yesterday, Senator Bob Graham, said the U.S. is woefully unprepared, that the FBI has not met the challenge over these past 14 months.

SHELBY: Oh, I agree with Senator Graham. I just said we're better prepared but we haven't met the challenge. We've got a long way to go, a long, long way to go.

BLITZER: Well, that's shocking to a lot of Americans listening. Wasn't there a wake-up call on 9/11? What's taking so long?

SHELBY: I think part of it is the culture of the FBI to try to start the notion to stop terrorist attacks before they are implemented, as opposed to investigating a crime or anything like that in the past. It's like moving a carrier around in a creek, so to speak. They have made progress but they're not there yet to say tonight that we're safe in America. I think that would be foolish and not truthful. BLITZER: I know you've been briefed on this latest statement, this audio statement from Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda. What do you make of it? Is he alive?

SHELBY: Oh, I believe he's alive, Wolf. I've said on your program that I will always believed that he was alive until we had forensic evidence to show otherwise. He has not nine lives but 27 probably. I think this is a significant statement. It's audio and this is coming with the chatter; that is, increased traffic signals around the world, which pre-staged an attack somewhere in the past.

BLITZER: So you think that the U.S. should be prepared now, get read for another al Qaeda attack, a major attack?

SHELBY: Absolutely and I don't know where. I don't know if it's a hard target, a soft target, but I believe that was a strong signal and it was a significant message.

BLITZER: What represents in your opinion, and you are privy to the most sensitive information, intelligence information, a more significant threat to the United States, Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein?

SHELBY: Well, that's I think you have to weigh those differently. I think in the long run Saddam Hussein is because he will ultimately have nuclear weapons and probably the way to deliver them. He has now biological and chemical weapons and probably has some way to deliver them. In the short-run, terrorists will always be a threat.

BLITZER: Can the United States right now, Senator Shelby, in the next 60 -- 90 days fight a dual front war against Osama bin Laden, the war on terror as well as a war against Iraq?

SHELBY: Absolutely, we won't have any choice and I think we can do it. I agree with Secretary Rumsfeld's assessment there. And I think we will do it. And ultimately, we're going -- if there's no -- if Saddam Hussein doesn't do a 180-degree turn, I believe that there will be a regime change, as there should be. But the war on terrorism will go on -- it will go on for many, many years.

BLITZER: You're not under illusions. Will Saddam Hussein change stripes or will there be a war?

SHELBY: Oh, I think it'll be a war.

BLITZER: Senator Shelby, always speaking forthfully and directly. Thank you very much.

SHELBY: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our "Web Questions of The Day" is this, who's the bigger threat to the United States? Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein? We'll have the results later this hour. Vote at CNN.com/Wolf. While you're there, I'd love to hear from you. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also of course where you can read my daily online column, CNN.com/Wolf.

U.N. weapons inspectors may soon be on the way to Baghdad. A look at the high tech gadgets that will help them sniff out weapons when we return. Plus, urban combat, a 3-D view of what U.S. troops could face in urban warfare in Baghdad. And Michael Jackson in court. The man behind the mask takes the stand. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Coming up, we'll go to the Lawrence Livermore Lab and to the Pentagon for a look at some of the high-tech gear that may be used to find Iraq's suspected arsenal.

The Bush administration is reacting skeptically to the announcement that Saddam Hussein has agreed to accept U.N. Resolution 1441. It calls upon Iraq to disarm and submit to inspections by U.N. teams. Iraq announced its decision in a letter to the U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan.

U.N. weapons inspectors plan to head back to Iraq shortly. What kind of equipment will they have? CNN's Rusty Dornin took a trip to the Lawrence Livermore Lab near San Francisco to find out. She's joining me now live --Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, one of the devices probably the inspectors after Gulf War would have loved to have had is the Hanna (ph). Now, the Gulf War and the aftermath did inspire the development of this device, which does detect biological pathogens. Here to tell us a little bit more about how it works is Page Stoutland, who is the deputy chief of counterterrorism here at the lab.

How does this work? If an inspector takes a device like this into Iraq, how does it work?

PAGE STOUTLAND, DEPUTY CHIEF OF COUNTERTERRORISM, LAWRENCE LIVERMORE LAB: Well, this device is designed to detect things like anthrax, whether it be in inspections or whether it be in a homeland security application. Basically, what one does is that you've got to have a sample, whether it be gathered from the air or whether you take a swipe off a piece of paper, for example. You've then got a tube. You mix a solution, put it in the tube, stick it back in the device, get it ready to go and push start. Ten or 20 minutes later, you get a reading of whether it was anthrax, plague or something innocuous, for example.

DORNIN: Now, if I'm -- you know if I'm in a laboratory and I've been fooling around with biological agents and I know the inspectors are coming in, am I going to be able to clean it up so this device does not detect it.

STOUTLAND: Well, one doesn't know the answer to that. It really depends on the specifics of the situation. But of course, the reason we may be sending the inspectors in is because one hopes to find something. And so, devices like this would not be used alone but things like this might be able to help guide the sampling and act as something in addition to the normal sorts of things that might be done.

DORNIN: Also, the size of it, are the inspectors limited on the amount of things that they can take into some of these areas?

STOUTLAND: I'm sure they are. I don't know the details of that. We've designed a number of versions of instruments like this, whether they be large or small for different applications.

DORNIN: OK, Page Stoutland, thank you for joining us.

And apparently, inspectors from this lab did -- were involved after the Gulf War. They will not say whether there'll be folks from here going on this inspection --Wolf.

BLITZER: Rusty Dornin, I just learned something. Thanks to you. Thanks very much.

And Iraq's acceptance of the U.N. weapons inspections was not unexpected but it could complicate the U.S. strategy to disarm or depose Saddam Hussein. More from our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the U.S., the big dilemma comes not if Hussein says no, but if he keeps saying yes and U.N. inspectors actually find some banned weapons.

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: He could also decide to let them go in and say, "Yes, you're right. I had these but now I'm going to turn over a new leaf and that's all there is."

MCINTYRE: The problem, the Pentagon wouldn't believe it. Iraq has had too much time to hide the evidence where inspectors can't find it, including deep under ground.

RUMSFELD: What do you do next? And I think it's too early to know.

MCINTYRE: But if Iraq can appear to be compliant, international support could evaporate, leaving the U.S. with a very small coalition.

JAMES RUBIN, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: If Saddam Hussein were to do that kind of 180-degree turn from his behavior over the last decade, I think it would be a tragic mistake for the United States to use force anyway.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: So a big remaining question is, what would trigger U.S. military action? One new wrinkle, the U.S. is offering the U.N. inspection teams aerial surveillance from both manned and unmanned planes over Iraq. That would mean that if Iraq fired at planes patrolling in the no-fly zones or other places it might constitute defiance of the U.N. resolutions --Wolf.

BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon. Jamie, thanks very much.

And in case the inspection effort is thwarted, the U.S. military is going ahead with preparations of course for possible war, including street fighting in Baghdad. The latest 3-D imagery is being used as a planning tool. CNN now has some of those pictures. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LANG CRAIGHILL, SGI FEDERAL: In urban warfare, one of the most critical things is to understand the environment before you go in. In any type of engagement, there's smoke, fog. And this tool allows the operator to be familiar with the environment. This is actual imagery that's on the ground and the actual buildings that have been built up from that imagery. So this is precise, accurate geometry of what the city of Baghdad looks like.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And Jamie McIntyre's going to have much more on this story tomorrow here at 5:00 p.m. Eastern on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

We've seen numerous protests against war with Iraq recently. But usually, the marchers are older enough to read and write but not some of these young citizens, who took to the streets yesterday. Then, again, they live in the city known for its protests, Berkeley, California.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: If we want this world to survive in 1,000 years, we can't keep on killing each other off. Then we will all die and suffer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: About 200 children chaperoned by their parents marched to the city hall where they were met by city officials.

Please join me for a full hour of coverage, "SHOWDOWN IRAQ," tomorrow at noon Eastern and every weekday at noon Eastern. Among my guests, the man known as the logistics commander during the Gulf War, the retired lieutenant general is Gus Pagonis. He'll join me tomorrow at noon Eastern.

It's a top killer, but it can be stopped. Predicting heart attacks just got a little bit earlier. Dr. Sanjay Gupta will join us live with some medical news making headlines, news that could save your life. Plus, a masked man in the courtroom -- Michael Jackson testifies in his own defense.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Are you at risk for a heart attack? There's a test that can tell you better and it's better not just because of your cholesterol. We'll have details. That story coming up on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

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BLITZER: Earlier we asked -- on what day are you most likely to die from a heart attack? The answer, Monday. According to a 10-year study, up to 20 percent more people die from heart attacks on a Monday than any other day. Researchers suspect increased drinking over the weekend and the stress of going back to work are factors.

And cardiodoctors may want to take a new study to heart. It finds testing for a certain type of blood protein is a better indicator of who's at risk for heart disease than cholesterol screening. Our medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is joining us now live.

This is an amazing study if it's true, Sanjay. Tell us about it.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I'll tell you, Wolf, and it's not an unfamiliar story to hear about someone who is the picture of health, exercises, gets their cholesterol checked, which is low, yet still has a heart attack. Why does that occur? This is how one doctor put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. PAUL RIDKER, BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPTIAL: Well, we've known for some time that half of all heart attacks and strokes in the United States occur among individuals who actually have normal if not low cholesterol levels.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: So what is it? Doctors for a long time have been trying to figure it out. Wolf, just as you say, they think they may have it now. It's something called C-reactive protein. That's a name that you're probably going to hear more and more of.

What it is is it's a measure of inflammation, really just a simple blood test, inexpensive. If the number is very high, that tends to make you more at risk for a heart attack. If it's low, it tends to make you less at risk. What is interesting about this, Wolf, though is that's probably a better predictor even than of cholesterol, which has been sort of the gold standard and the crystal ball that doctors have used for so long. Look for C-reactive protein to become that new crystal ball in the future, Wolf.

BLITZER: What's taken so long to find this? It seems like it should have been done a long time ago.

GUPTA: Right, so why do -- why do heart attacks actually occur? They probably occur because those plaques actually get inflamed and they rupture. And that's what doctors are figuring out now. And that C-Reactive Protein -- they're figuring that out now and that C- Reactive Protein can actually be an indicator of how likely it is for those plaques to actually rupture, causing that catastrophic -- potentially catastrophic event.

Now, Wolf, these research projects have been in progress for quite some time. The particular study that's coming out just now was eight years in the making --Wolf.

BLITZER: So from what I hear you saying, that all of us should be getting this kind of test as quickly as possible?

GUPTA: Well, a couple of things about that. First of all, Wolf, it is a very important test. And not to sort of throw it out there quite to that degree yet but about 25 percent of people who have normal or low cholesterol may have significantly elevated C-reactive protein. And that's a very important thing. You may take a lot of solace in the fact that your cholesterol is very low, but you need to get that C-reactive protein checked as well.

The problem is, we don't know exactly how to interpret all the data. What we're waiting for -- or all doctors are waiting for are some guidelines from the American Heart Association and from the Centers for Disease Control. They're going to tell you what the numbers are and what to do with them once you get it checked.

BLITZER: All right, instead of listening so much about my -- worrying about my cholesterol count, I'll be worrying pretty soon about my C-reactive protein.

GUPTA: You got it, Wolf.

BLITZER: All of us are going to have to memorize that. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks for that important information. I hope my doctor was listening and watching and getting that test as quickly as possible.

He anointed himself pop star of the Millennium. Now, Michael Jackson is defending himself for being a no show at the turn of the century. A peek inside the courtroom drama. It's still to come. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Singer, Michael Jackson, is being asked to explain why he allegedly backed out of two concerts coinciding with the global Millennium celebrations. A promoter is suing the self-proclaimed king of pop for breach of contract and $21 million. CNN's Brian Cabell has details from central California.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Some of his fans were here at 5:00 this morning at the courthouse waiting for him. He didn't show up in his van until about 11:45, more than six hours later. And when he arrived, there were 200 fans waiting for him, screaming, squealing, and very excited. They actually had a lottery to determine who could go inside the courtroom.

In the courtroom, he came across as childlike, I would have to say. He looked around with childlike curiosity. The attorney, who questioned him as a hostile witness, questioned him almost as though he was a child. His answers were very weak voiced, but he had a smile on his face at times. He also had the oath read to him, the do you promise to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. He said he couldn't hear it the first time. He had it repeated to him.

This was a lawsuit that came out of a contract that was drawn up back in 1999. He was supposed to perform at four concerts. He performed at two charity concerts, but the last two, he did not. He says the promoter backed out of it. The promoter says Michael Jackson backed out of it. That's the crux of the conflict here. Twenty million dollars at stake. The trial is expected to last about five weeks.

I'm Brian Cabell, CNN, in Santa Maria, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Brian.

Time is running out for your turn to weigh in on our "Web Question of The Day." Who's the bigger threat to the United States? Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein? Log on to CNN.com/Wolf. That's where you can vote and we'll have the results immediately when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There must be an intriguing story behind our "Picture of The Day," but for now it remains a mystery of the deep. The commander of the confederate submarine, Humley (ph), apparently had a $20 gold piece in one pocket and a diamond ring and a diamond broach in the other when the sub sank in 1864. Scientists in South Carolina say they found the jewelry in what they think are remains of the captain's uniform. Explorers raised the Humley (ph) from its watery grave in August 2000.

Now, here's how you're weighing in our "Web Question of The Day." Earlier we asked this question -- look at this, 74 percent of you say Osama bin Laden is more serious of a threat to the United States than Saddam Hussein. Twenty-six percent of you say Saddam Hussein. This is not of course a scientific poll.

Some of your e-mails regarding our story yesterday on should women over 50 have babies. Anne rights this -- "Just because something is technically feasible and safe for the mother doesn't mean it should be done. Having a child at that age is the height of narcissism." Brad agrees -- "A woman's body goes through changes that prevent her from being able to bear children for a reason. People need to go with the flow and stop trying to alter nature's course."

That's all the time we have for today. Join me tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Eastern, also noon Eastern, "SHOWDOWN IRAQ." Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" is up next. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com