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CNN Live Today

State, Defense Depts. Host Iraqi Opposition Leaders

Aired August 09, 2002 - 13:31   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Some of Saddam Hussein's most determined enemies are to meet today with officials of the U.S. government. The departments of State and Defense will host six Iraqi opposition leaders, some of whom like each other about as much as they like the man in Baghdad.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux has more from Crawford, Texas. She is there with the president, who is on a working vacation -- or something like that.

Suzanne, what do they hope to accomplish?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, that meeting is going to start about 3:00 this afternoon. Here is what they are hoping to accomplish. Administration officials telling us, first of all, that the United States hopes to broaden its contacts with Iraqi opposition groups beyond the Iraqi National Congress. That's the umbrella organization that has receiving a lion's share of U.S. funding in the past. They hope to work with a variety of different groups.

Secondly, administration officials say they want it make U.S. policy in Iraq very clear that is about regime change, the ousting of Saddam Hussein, but also about fulfilling those UN obligations to get rid of weapons of mass destruction.

Again, they also want to encourage these groups, as you mentioned before, some of these opposition groups, who do not even like each other, perhaps to get along a little bit better. There has been some jockeying of powers, some disputes, and administration officials say it will be of no use to the United States if in fact these groups can't even work together.

And then finally, administration officials are saying that the Pentagon as well as the State Department, while they have had their disputes over just how to carry out U.S. policy, regime change, whether or not to use the military or not, they do want to show a united front, some solidarity, in actually meeting together with these opposition groups -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Suzanne, what does the administration see as its greatest challenge in trying to work together with all these different kinds of groups?

MALVEAUX: Really, Fredricka, the greatest challenges are the fact these groups have such varied interests. You have the Kurds in the north; they are deadset against the United States attacking. They are really worried about losing their autonomy. There is another group that wants to return back to the monarchy; they don't want to have anything do with democracy. Another group -- several groups, as a matter of fact, who aren't particularly excited about getting rid of these weapons of mass destruction.

One thing that administration officials are concerned with is the big question: When you get rid of Saddam Hussein, what are you looking at? Are you looking at a country that could fall apart, break apart, between the Kurds, the Shiites in the south. That is a major concern for the administration. And among the opposition groups, they are saying, Once that happened, what kind of support are we going to get. They want to see major support from the United States and the international community -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Suzanne Malveaux, thank you very much, from Crawford, Texas. Appreciate it.

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