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CNN Live Today
Man Speaks From Inside Besieged Church of Nativity
Aired April 03, 2002 - 10:00 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are told up to 150 Palestinian men, women and children are holed up in the Church of the Nativity of Bethlehem in the West Bank. Israeli tanks sit outside the church, and Christian clergy are being blocked from going there.
And with more on that and what is happening in the Church of the Nativity, we want to go to the phones right now.
We have on the phone with us Anton Salman.
As I understand it, Mr. Salman, you are actually inside the church at this point?
ANTON SALMAN, ANTONIUS SOCIETY: Yes. I am inside the Church of the Nativity since yesterday night.
KAGAN: And can you tell us what brings you there?
SALMAN: What?
KAGAN: What brought you to the church? How did you end up inside the church?
SALMAN: In the afternoon, when the people entered the church, there were many rumors around Bethlehem that the people inside the church, and there were problems inside the church.
KAGAN: What...
SALMAN: The governor asked me to come with him to the church to see what is going on, so (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to solve the problem if there were any problems.
KAGAN: Describe to us how many people are inside the church, sir.
SALMAN: It's around 200 -- around 200.
KAGAN: And are we talking men, women, children?
SALMAN: Yes, mostly men.
KAGAN: Mostly men. Are they Palestinian gunmen? SALMAN: And they are from the Palestinian police and the Palestinian Authority police and the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) mostly from the Palestinian Authority police, who run away to the Church of the Nativity to implore protection inside the church after (UNINTELLIGIBLE) was bombed and shooting by Israeli tanks and soldiers.
KAGAN: And any clear...
SALMAN: And they saw their mosque, Umar, which is across from the Church of the Nativity, bombed (UNINTELLIGIBLE) from it. They were afraid, and they looked for a place to be secure, and so they find the only way, run to the church and find a place to stay in.
KAGAN: Well, they not only picked a secure place, they picked one of most holy places in the world to Christians all around the world and put that in peril. Do they realize that?
SALMAN: Once they thought about entering the church -- we understand here our history that the Church of the Nativity almost who are the same place to the people during all the wars that happened during their history. So from this point, they thought that the Church of the Nativity is the more safe place to enter, and from this point, they entered the church looking for protection, and still inside the church.
KAGAN: Can you describe for us the conditions inside the church right now, in terms of supplies, or if people are wounded?
SALMAN: Look, the situation is very bad. It's very bad from all forms. There is no food, and the food that is in the convent in the church is going very, very quickly, because the people here (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to the convent and again are being killed (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Second, there are ten injured people who are inside the church. One of them has very a serious injury, and he (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and he has been bleeding since yesterday. They give him the first aid, but that's not enough. The Red Cross did not agree to come to the church to help or to take out injured people.
(CROSSTALK)
KAGAN: So it sounds like these gunmen are going to have to leave the church in short order.
SALMAN: I don't understand the question (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
KAGAN: It sounds like you are on short supply, and you have wounded people inside the Church of the Nativity, and that you are going to have to leave.
SALMAN: The wounded people, they need to be hospitalized.
KAGAN: But what about the others?
SALMAN: The others I think (UNINTELLIGIBLE), it must be in the level of the high Palestinian political leader and negotiator of the Israelis, and the Israelis must come to negotiate for all what's going on in Palestine. And one of the problems are what's going in Bethlehem.
KAGAN: Right.
SALMAN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for solving all these problems.
KAGAN: But as far as this very specific problem of having people holed up inside of this very holy Christian site, do you know if talks are going on to try to get these people out?
SALMAN: Concerning what's going on in the church, yes, it's the most holy place in the world. And I am Christian. I am, myself, a Christian and I am a believer. And I saw it's very difficult for me to accept that one day people would be inside the Church of the Nativity. It is something that I can't accept, and I will not be ready to accept that these disasters, and especially inside the church -- a place like the Church of the Nativity.
KAGAN: And so, sir, as a Christian, you understand the significance of the site, that in a way you are holding hostage and the significance of that site to Christians around the world.
SALMAN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
KAGAN: In a way you are holding this holy site hostage.
SALMAN: I (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I have nothing do with all of these (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I entered to solve the problem here. I am a civilian, and looking to solve a problem -- humanitarian problem that the people are sitting here. We have (UNINTELLIGIBLE). I am not one of the persons who entered the church, was running from the fire, but I entered after that, after that maybe two hours.
KAGAN: And then, you went in trying to help. Why did you go in?
SALMAN: Why am I go in?
KAGAN: Yes.
SALMAN: I think there is a responsibility of any civilian in any community. And it's something that when you see somebody planning to attack your church, I don't think that you would say to me what is going on. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I believe in. You must find a solution for that, and the way to solve this is to help them.
KAGAN: Mr. Salman, just a couple of more questions for you. First of all, as we talk to you, we do hear some kind of guns or some kind of explosions in the background. Do you know what that is?
SALMAN: Where?
KAGAN: We are hearing in the background as we talk to you. Can you hear anything about that?
SALMAN: No. KAGAN: You can't. OK. And just one more time in terms of conditions there, how long do you think that the people who are holed up there can stay without additional supplies and medical help?
SALMAN: I can't say about things.
KAGAN: You can't put a time on it.
SALMAN: No, no, I can't say.
KAGAN: OK.
SALMAN: You can't say about it.
KAGAN: Anton Salman talking to us from inside the Church of the Nativity. Once again, sir, how many people are inside there with you.
SALMAN: Around 200.
KAGAN: Around 200 people, 100 to 200 people holed upside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Thank you so much for talking with us -- a very tense situation involving one of the holiest sites to Christians around the world.
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