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CNN Live At Daybreak

Bush Points to Saddam Hussein as Being Sponsor of Terrorism

Aired July 31, 2002 - 05:02   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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush has pointed to Iraq and Saddam Hussein as being sponsors of terrorism.

Our Mike Boettcher has looked into accusations that Iraq is aiding terrorists.

Here's his report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE BOETTCHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Viewed from this satellite image, this patch of land inside the river bend south of Baghdad seems like an odd place for a jetliner to be parked. There's no passenger airport around. But anti-terror coalition intelligence analysts familiar with this place, a few miles southeast of Baghdad, say it's not so odd.

They tell CNN they strongly suspect that this old airliner fuselage highlighted here is part of a terrorist training camp called Salman Pak, a place where, among other things, terrorists practice hijacking techniques.

Eleven years after the end of the Gulf War, Salman Pak is a major piece of evidence for those who want to make Saddam Hussein's Iraq the next target in the war against terror.

Iraq claims the fuselage is used for anti-terror training.

Tuesday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was blunt about an Iraq-al Qaeda connection.

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Are they in Iraq now? Yes.

BOETTCHER: Former CIA Director James Woolsey is the leading voice for those calling for Iraq to be targeted. He has the ear of the White House and was even sent by the Pentagon to Europe to investigate possible links between Iraq and the September 11 attacks.

JAMES WOOLSEY, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: And there's more than a little bit of smoke here. Is there material that would prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Saddam has been involved in specific terrorist acts against the United States, other than the attempt to kill President Bush in '93? Perhaps not. But we're still learning things and we, I think, need to stay tuned.

BOETTCHER: CNN has learned that coalition intelligence agencies have tracked high level meetings between Iraq and al Qaeda operatives dating back seven years. The first meeting, according to intelligence sources, occurred in the Sudan in 1994 when Osama bin Laden received an Iraqi delegation led by Iraqi intelligence chief Farouq Hijazi. Those same intelligence sources say another key meeting occurred in 1998 in Baghdad between Ayman el-Zawahri, bin Laden's top adviser, and Iraqi Vice President Taha Ramadan. That same year, more meetings during Saddam Hussein's birthday celebration.

Iraq strenuously denies it supports terrorism and any connection to al Qaeda.

TARIQ AZIZ, IRAQI DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: They're using everything. For instance, in the beginning, they said Iraq might have a connection with them, which is not true. Then they will find, they found the truth, that Iraq was not involved in this matter.

BOETTCHER: But last spring, CIA Director George Tenet told senators he could not rule out cooperation between al Qaeda and Iraq.

GEORGE TENET, CIA DIRECTOR: Their ties may be limited by divergent ideologies, but the two sides' mutual antipathy toward the United States and the Saudi royal family suggest that tactical cooperation between them is possible.

BOETTCHER: Is Saddam Hussein helping al Qaeda? The evidence still is circumstantial, but growing.

Mike Boettcher, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And CNN plans live coverage today of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on U.S. policy towards Iraq. That begins at 9:30 Eastern time, just about four and a half hours from now.

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