CNN - NATO bombs Chinese embassy - 1999-05-08 - 10:02 a.m. (E)
Channel: malgent
Transcript
Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)
[0:01] process. We do validate the target if
[0:04] they are legitimate military targets
[0:07] with all the informations we can get.
[0:11] These targets then will be placed on the
[0:12] master target list consistent to NATO
[0:16] plans
[0:17] and those targets once they are
[0:19] legitimate we are going to attack.
[0:22] Yeah. I have no evidence that we are
[0:24] using old maps, wrong maps.
[0:28] >> Okay. Mark, please.
[0:30] >> Okay. U couple of points. Um I
[0:33] appreciate that the review process is
[0:35] still underway, but could you at least
[0:37] tell us something which you must know uh
[0:40] which is uh and which can no longer be a
[0:43] necessary secret, which is what kind of
[0:45] weapons were you using? Was this an
[0:47] attack by laser television guided
[0:50] weapons or by um or by television or or
[0:54] by satellite guided munitions such as
[0:56] cruise missiles? Could you at least tell
[0:58] us that? And on the matter of niche, how
[1:01] far away did this bomb miss? It seems
[1:03] quite a long way for a bomb to go over
[1:06] um given your previous record
[1:09] on the NATO. Yes, I do can say you can
[1:13] tell you that it was a NATO aircraft and
[1:15] we did hit um the target which was
[1:18] supposed to be the headquarters of um
[1:21] this um facility we are talk I'm I was
[1:24] talking about with smart weapons.
[1:28] on the niche um part we are the whole
[1:32] process is still um under review as I
[1:35] said we were using cluster bombs on the
[1:39] niche target because as I already
[1:42] mentioned cluster bombs are um used in
[1:45] um aerial targets where we know that
[1:49] collateral damage could not occur and as
[1:53] we are under review it would be a
[1:54] speculation if I would continue.
[1:58] And the reason why some of the clusters
[2:02] obviously did go astray or maybe
[2:07] because of technical malfunction could
[2:09] have been inadvertedly released.
[2:12] >> Okay, Pavle, please.
[2:14] >> Thank you, Jimmy. Uh, General, can you
[2:16] tell us how many bombs uh did hit the
[2:20] embassy? Was it just one or more? Thank
[2:22] you.
[2:24] I I would I'm not in the position to go
[2:28] on on more details on the number of
[2:30] bombs. Uh it was more than one.
[2:33] >> Okay, I'll take just a couple of more
[2:34] questions. Craig, go ahead.
[2:38] >> General, just to be sure I understand
[2:40] what you were saying about the the uh
[2:42] embassy and the headquarters of the uh
[2:47] building you were trying to hit. Uh we
[2:49] were told this morning that the two were
[2:51] close together, but you seem to be
[2:53] saying uh you don't know where the
[2:55] building you wanted to hit was that
[2:57] that's why the embassy was hit. Is that
[2:59] correct?
[3:01] >> This morning of course um as the u
[3:06] incident happened uh we wanted to give
[3:09] you the information which were available
[3:12] to us by the time. So you all you know
[3:15] it's always a very difficult situation
[3:17] you to give you because you need it uh
[3:21] the amount of information which is
[3:23] necessary on the on one side and on the
[3:25] other side we have to be very honest we
[3:28] want to be credible and we need to talk
[3:31] to um
[3:33] the pilots
[3:34] in this special occasion on the NATO
[3:36] aircraft what happened so that we know
[3:39] really what was going on and that's why
[3:41] I think it's fair uh to you and also
[3:44] fair to us um just to mention it this
[3:47] afternoon. We did target
[3:51] this target because we thought it was
[3:53] the headquarter.
[3:55] >> Uh sorry, sorry, pardon me. We've got a
[3:58] system here which uh make Mr. Fair
[4:00] fairest to everybody concerned. George,
[4:02] please.
[4:04] >> The BR The BR incident, the Nisha
[4:07] incident shows how risky targeting
[4:09] downtown target. Uh the question raises
[4:12] itself. Is it worthwhile doing so? Do
[4:14] you have as as much benefit out of it
[4:17] then it's worthwhile doing it to
[4:19] targeting downtown?
[4:21] Well, we had unfortunately to target um
[4:26] some targets downtown Belgrad in the
[4:28] past and we hit them because they were
[4:31] they did belong to the command structure
[4:34] of a regime which we think is a brutal
[4:38] regime.
[4:40] talking and listening and seeing the
[4:42] pictures and uh what's happening in in
[4:44] Kosovo. So, um yes, we do continue to
[4:48] find legitimate targets which are
[4:50] totally agreed by those countries who
[4:53] want to end this war this conflict. If
[4:56] if I if I may just at this stage also
[4:59] intervene and what George what General
[5:02] Yats made very clear in the briefing
[5:04] today is that yes, we did make a bad
[5:07] mistake yesterday night. That's clear
[5:09] and we're being very open about that.
[5:11] That's the only way we can be. But that
[5:14] wasn't the only thing that happened last
[5:15] night. A lot of other things happened. A
[5:18] lot of things which are going to have a
[5:20] very long-term impact on the war machine
[5:23] of President Melovich. Not just the fact
[5:26] that the Hotel Yugoslavia, the head of
[5:29] Arcan's Tigers was struck, hopefully in
[5:32] a way which will undermine his ability
[5:35] to carry out his paramilitary
[5:36] activities. But I think if you look at
[5:38] the list, you'll see that the
[5:40] overwhelming number of targets were very
[5:43] high value targets and were struck
[5:46] effectively and with the accuracy that
[5:48] we always try to achieve. Let's have a
[5:51] quick look at the list. The military
[5:53] command structure at the broad doafichi
[5:56] presidential command center. Ministry of
[5:58] Defense Headquarters south, National
[6:01] Military Headquarters North. Electric
[6:03] power generation and distribution was
[6:05] also hit in the capital with four
[6:07] transformer yards attacked. I've
[6:09] mentioned the hotel Yugoslavia. There
[6:10] was also Batonichka airfield outside
[6:13] Belgrade. NATO aircraft also
[6:15] successfully struck lines of
[6:16] communication including bridges at Muri,
[6:19] Rasca, Milveso, Bari, Usuchi, Madlitch
[6:22] and Kubric. Communication sites located
[6:24] in Katchak, Guchevac, Ultiche, Novisad
[6:27] and several others in the Belgrade area
[6:30] were also successfully uh targeted. Fuel
[6:33] storage which is one of our priorities
[6:35] as you well know was again struck last
[6:37] night with attacks on storage sites in
[6:39] PGA, Pirani, Katchak and as General Yet
[6:42] said we also struck uh priority
[6:45] facilities ammunition storage in two
[6:47] locations parts in and Cuperture. So I
[6:50] want to emphasize that last night there
[6:52] was a very extensive range of operations
[6:56] and we are going successfully and
[6:59] accurately after those military targets
[7:02] which alone at the end of the day can
[7:04] back up the diplomatic efforts which we
[7:06] are hoping are going to achieve a result
[7:09] and keeping the pressure up on Mallich
[7:11] and so please don't dismiss that. Uh
[7:14] last night a great deal of what was done
[7:16] was done accurately and professionally.
[7:18] Of course, everything is overshadowed as
[7:20] we expect, as we recognize, by this one
[7:23] very, very bad mistake, but we continue
[7:26] to go after those military power
[7:28] structures which alone can make melovich
[7:31] stop the war in Kosovo, and that has to
[7:32] remain our priority. I apologize for
[7:34] General for adding on to his answer
[7:36] there, but I just thought we really have
[7:38] to put this thing in the right context.
[7:39] Okay, Jake, final question to you and
[7:41] then we stop for today.
[7:42] >> Thank you, Sky News. Um, General, um,
[7:45] the shape briefing this morning
[7:47] mentioned that, um, the building, the
[7:48] procurement facility was also a weapons
[7:51] warehouse. So far as you were concerned,
[7:53] was it a weapons warehouse in the sense
[7:55] that munitions were actually being
[7:56] stored there? Secondly, you mentioned
[7:58] NATO's regret at the potential damage to
[8:00] the diplomatic process here. Um, does
[8:03] NATO on its map of Bgrade have clearly
[8:06] marked the embassies of all the various
[8:08] countries, particularly security council
[8:09] members, as ones to avoid? And if so,
[8:12] where did NATO believe the Chinese
[8:14] embassy was located?
[8:17] >> Well, let me let me start with a second
[8:20] question first. Particularly as we were
[8:22] not going to attack the Chinese embassy,
[8:27] uh there was not uh we were not in the
[8:30] process of trying to find it where it
[8:31] is, but going to the intelligent uh to
[8:34] the intelligence part of the house. We
[8:36] have not only the map of Belgrade as
[8:38] intelligence source. We have all
[8:40] different kind of intelligent sources
[8:42] which give us the best and precise
[8:44] information which could ever be. And
[8:46] once again we did not we did not go
[8:49] after an embassy and that's why um this
[8:53] question
[8:55] I think should be should I would say
[8:57] should be refused but we we yes of
[9:01] course we do know where the embassies uh
[9:03] are.
[9:07] Okay.
[9:09] >> Okay.
[9:10] >> A weapons warehouse or
[9:12] >> I I I'm not aware of the um the weapons
[9:14] warehouse. Um have no information on
[9:16] that.
[9:18] >> Okay. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you
[9:19] very much. We'll have another briefing
[9:21] tomorrow at 10:30 and another briefing
[9:23] at 3:00.
[9:24] >> We've been listening to Major General
[9:26] Walter Yurtz and Jamie Sheay,
[9:28] spokespersons for NATO as they conduct
[9:30] the daily briefing from NATO. Earlier we
[9:33] heard from the secretary general Javier
[9:34] Salana of NATO as they expressed
[9:36] profound regret over what is being
[9:38] called a mistake. The bombing attack of
[9:40] the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.
[9:43] According to General Yurtz uh it was
[9:46] something that uh they send regret to
[9:48] even as military people was a mistake, a
[9:51] terrible error and something that uh the
[9:54] military aspect of NATO will make sure
[9:56] won't happen again. Having said all
[9:59] that, General went on to detail what he
[10:02] says is the most extensive attacks to
[10:04] date on Mallosvich's military complex in
[10:07] Belgrade, listing several headquarters
[10:09] which were attacked, command and control
[10:11] centers as well as power generating
[10:14] facilities. Uh also moving along to Nich
[10:16] where an airfield was attacked by a
[10:18] so-called cluster bomb which are
[10:19] generally used in areas where not as
[10:21] tight precision is required. uh NATO
[10:24] owning up to civilian casualties there
[10:26] that they say were not intended. The
[10:28] intended target in Belgrade was
[10:30] apparently a so-called federal
[10:31] directorate for supply and procurement.
[10:35] Apparently NATO mistaking uh the Chinese
[10:38] embassy for that particular building.
[10:40] Jamie Sheay pointing out at the end the
[10:41] spokesman saying a great deal was done
[10:43] accurately and professionally uh in that
[10:45] campaign obviously overshadowed by the
[10:48] situation at the Chinese embassy in
[10:49] Belgrade. Let's turn now to our retired
[10:51] Air Force General Larry Frell who was
[10:53] listening to that briefing with us. Uh
[10:54] General Frell, good to have you with us.
[10:56] >> Miles, good to see you.
[10:57] >> All right. First of all, um you get the
[10:59] sense uh reading between the lines as
[11:01] you listen to the general uh that
[11:02] basically they just uh pinpointed the
[11:05] wrong building. Is that the way you read
[11:06] it?
[11:07] >> Yeah, they they that's that's an
[11:09] interesting point. They said the wrong
[11:10] building. So I take it from that that it
[11:12] was not it implies that there was not a
[11:14] weapons malfunction. So then the
[11:16] question is how did they come to target
[11:18] that as the the Chinese embassy as the
[11:21] building they were actually going after.
[11:23] So they they thought it was something
[11:24] else and uh I think they have some
[11:26] notion of what happened. They just don't
[11:28] know exactly how they came to have the
[11:31] wrong information in this uh targeting
[11:33] cycle.
[11:33] >> He was asked on followup about the how
[11:35] upto-date the maps are. His indication
[11:38] are is or his statement was not using
[11:40] outofdate or old or wrong maps. Is it
[11:43] possible, however, there might be
[11:44] something in a database somewhere which
[11:46] might have caused some confusion?
[11:48] >> That's a possibility. That's a
[11:50] possibility. Although the databases
[11:52] they're using now or databases derived
[11:55] from uh uh satellite intelligence and
[11:57] and things like that. It's not the
[11:59] traditional maps that you and I would be
[12:01] familiar with, but it's a very
[12:02] sophisticated database. So it probably
[12:05] given the the nature of what they're
[12:06] doing in the stakes, particularly as
[12:08] targets are focused upon in central
[12:10] Bgrade, I I suspect it's a high priority
[12:12] to have up-to-date information before
[12:14] you make a target list. You bet. That
[12:16] would be a high priority and that's in
[12:18] fact probably what they're intensively
[12:20] looking at now is uh the information
[12:22] they have in their in their database and
[12:24] they're probably going to be uh uh doing
[12:26] some double-checking on that.
[12:28] >> All right. What what do you think
[12:29] general the implications to the general
[12:32] course of the air war will be? There's
[12:33] been a lot of talk about how the
[12:35] targeting list has been limited in some
[12:37] ways in the past and uh perhaps this uh
[12:40] particular night of attacks went right
[12:42] to the heart of Melvich's command and
[12:43] control. Do you s suspect NATO will come
[12:46] back off of that in the days to come?
[12:50] >> If they do, I believe it will only be
[12:52] momentary uh just to make sure they have
[12:54] their procedures correct. I mean, we
[12:56] have to look back and see that they've
[12:57] really had quite phenomenal success and
[13:00] and accuracy in in attacking things in
[13:02] urban areas. Uh, and the last night's
[13:05] attacks against the leadership category
[13:07] of targets, which is the highest
[13:09] category, indicates they're really
[13:10] trying to get after the leadership to
[13:12] include a resident of Mallosvich. I
[13:14] would expect to see the intensity
[13:16] continue perhaps with a pause to make
[13:18] sure they've got their their targeting
[13:20] cycle correct. the uh situation in Nich
[13:23] using uh the cluster bomb down there. Uh
[13:26] cluster bombs by their nature would
[13:28] extend over a fairly broad area. Um your
[13:31] opinion is that an appropriate weapon
[13:33] given the nature of that airfield and
[13:35] surrounding communities.
[13:37] >> Yeah. Given the fact that they were
[13:38] going after aircraft in the open on the
[13:40] airfield, the airfield is a fairly large
[13:42] area. It's an appropriate munition. Now,
[13:44] keep in mind that even though it's an
[13:46] area weapon, the centrid of that uh that
[13:50] pattern that's going to be laid down can
[13:51] be very accurately targeted. We just we
[13:54] don't have enough information to know
[13:55] right now what happened. Uh keep in
[13:57] mind, too, that the impact of the weapon
[13:59] was about a kilometer away from where uh
[14:02] the target itself actually is.