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CNN Live At Daybreak

President of Iraq Talking Tough This Morning

Aired August 08, 2002 - 05:14   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: The president of Iraq is talking tough this morning. Saddam Hussein says he is not afraid of the United States and is ready to repel any attack. He made his remarks in a speech to his people on the anniversary of the end of the Iraq- Iran war.

We go live to Baghdad now and CNN's Rym Brahimi -- good morning.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Well, as you said, the president of Iraq telling the Americans we're not afraid. And actually this is the first time that he's addressing the U.S. threats directly, saying, in effect, that so far I haven't responded but I was afraid that would you think that I am afraid of something and this is why I am responding now. That's what he's telling the United States essentially.

Now, his response, in essence, is twofold. On the one hand, something that actually seems like a call for dialogue and peace. The Iraqi president essentially referring to what the U.S., to the reasons the U.S. has quoted for actually including Iraq in its war on terror, saying there is another way.

Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SADDAM HUSSEIN, PRESIDENT, IRAQ: If they wanted peace and security for themselves and their people, the answer, this is not the course to take. The right course is of respect to the security and rights of others through dealing with others in peace and establishing the obligations required by way of a quotable dialogue and on the basis of international law and international provenance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRAHIMI: Now, the president is saying that if you choose the other way, if you choose the path of war, then you will be defeated and you will regret it. He's comparing the U.S. forces to forces of evil, to forces of darkness. And he's literally telling the U.S. that they would do better to think again -- Carol.

COSTELLO: As Yogi Berra says, it's deja vu all over again. It sounds so eerily familiar. When he mentions peace, do you think he's really serious about this?

BRAHIMI: Well, he's definitely trying, Carol, to convey the idea to the world public opinion that Iraq wants to be flexible, that Iraq would like to dialogue. He is referring to maybe serious attempts that have occurred in the past. Iraq has said in recent times that it is not, hasn't got anything against talking with the United States, and it's often tried to do so but trying to access the U.S. in a dialogue through side issues rather than the main issues that we see in the media.

So there's a bit of this and a bit of that. As you said, it's a lot of deja vu, the usual tough talk, the usual tough rhetoric. But I think, again, to come back to this call for dialogue, there's also something here, a charm offensive going on. But a charm offensive maybe more to the world public opinion than to anyone else, the message being well, you see, we're doing our best, we're trying to call on the U.S. for peace. We've invited members of the U.S. Congress to visit Iraq, to come and look at places that they think we're building weapons in and they haven't responded.

So this is essentially what's happening here, Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes, I think most Americans don't buy the charm offensive from Saddam Hussein.

Thank you very much.

Rym Brahimi reporting live from Baghdad this morning.

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