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Rym Brahimi: Iraq pledges more cooperation
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.N. weapons inspectors visited Iraq's Ibn Haytham missile research center Thursday, a day after U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell cited the facility as an example of Iraq's noncooperation with inspections. In his Security Council address Wednesday, Powell said Iraqis used trucks to move equipment from the site shortly before inspections began. CNN Correspondent Rym Brahimi filed the following report Thursday from the Iraqi capital: BRAHIMI: Iraqi officials have pledged more cooperation with United Nations weapons inspectors, ahead of this weekend's visit to Baghdad by chief weapons inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei. Iraqi officials say they are keen to discuss a lot of points -- questions -- that may have been raised by Blix and have been reported to the U.N. Security Council. Iraqi officials have also reacted very strongly to the presentation made Wednesday by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. One Iraqi official refuted every allegation that Iraq was in material breach of U.N. Resolution 1441, which orders Baghdad to disclose any weapons of mass destruction in its possession. Iraq has repeatedly said it does not possess such weapons. Iraq has refuted Powell's terrorist allegations, allegations about moving possible weapons of mass destruction to prevent inspectors from finding them. Every single allegation has been refuted. Gen. Amer al-Saadi, the top scientific adviser to Saddam Hussein, said that Powell was in violation of Resolution 1441 because it allegedly calls on countries to present evidence to U.N. weapons inspectors -- not to the public. He also said Powell's presentation was unconvincing and a "typical American show complete with stunts and special effects."
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