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American Morning

Showdown: Iraq: Sending a Message

Aired October 11, 2002 - 09:08   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.


PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. Senate early this morning passed a resolution giving President Bush broad authority to use force against Iraq. Now with the full Congress behind him, Mr. Bush turns his attention to the international community. He is warning Iraq that it will be dealt with fully and finally. Those are his words. Baghdad said it was not surprised, but how about the people in northern Iraq?
Brent Sadler is one of the few Western journalists to report live from the Kurdish-controlled area. He joins us now from the city of Erbil.

Good morning.

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

This area of northern Iraq, about 1/10th of the country as a whole, is controlled largely by two main Kurdish political parties. It's been this way since the northern area here was declared a safe haven after the Gulf War in 1991. This region protected in the skies overhead by United States and British war planes, but as things stand now, no American or British troops on the ground here.

Let me tell you about how difficult it was to get here, and let's just show some video now of a river crossing we had to do over the Tigress to get into this Kurdish-controlled country. A very primitive setting, as you can see. Powered rowing boats actually used, about half a dozen of them, to load up very heavy equipment, more than 100 boxes, about 3,000 pounds piled on to those rowing boats. Very heavily loaded, and crossed over the river, and were met on the other side by representatives of the Kurdish and Democratic Party, one of the two main parties here. The other one is the PUK, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. We're be hearing a lot about those two political parties as these weeks and months unfold.

The river crossing you are seeing there is a vital lifeline for this Kurdish enclave. Some 20,000 people have crossed here in the past year alone. Families from the United States and Canada visiting relatives here, having to go back and forth from northern Iraq and the Syrian shore, on the other side of the river Tigress here. A very difficult, complicated journey, but this crossing is obviously important here for this semi-isolated zone. There are other ways into Iran and Turkey, but that Syrian lifeline very important for the Kurds to maintain here.

As we take a look at other video we sent in a short time ago, let's take a little look around Erbil here, which is the provincial capital of this area. Taxi cabs here painted the same colors as they are in Baghdad, and the police who control the traffic say it's pretty quiet, it's Friday, a day off. The same police unit as you see in Baghdad insist on maintaining institutions along Iraqi lines. They say they are not wanting to form a breakaway Kurdish state by no means. They want to be a part of a Democratic federal Iraq in the future.

The Kurds, their leaders say they are ready to take apart in assisting the United States in its effort, both politically and militarily, if necessary, to bring about change in Baghdad should that become necessary.

Back to you, Paula.

ZAHN: Brent, what does the local population say about how any military strike in Iraq might affect them?

SADLER: Certainly, Paula, there is a very big concern here amongst politicians and Kurds alike, that any action and, indeed, no action could rebound against what they call this liberated zone of northern Iraq. They've had this, if you like, autonomy for the last 11 years. They've been able to live without the shadow, they say, of Saddam Hussein hanging over them, without repression, they say, and even though they have great difficulties, not least United States sanctions, which apply to this region as much as they do to the region in Baghdad, 200 miles to the south, they are concerned, of course, that whatever happens for or against military action, they are vulnerable, and they say they're particularly concerned that if the military pressure builds against the Iraqi regime in Baghdad, that Saddam Hussein could take some sort of scare measure, punitive action against the Kurdish north here -- Paula.

ZAHN: In closing, I know you're really familiar with this region, traveled extensively through it. How different is it this time around?

SADLER: Very different. I was last here in this area having crossed that river zone some 11 years ago. That was a time when I saw the Kurds taking part in an uprising against Iraqi troops outside Kacook (ph). which is one of the main oil fields, obviously, very important for Saddam Hussein as it is for the Kurds, and in those times, back in the spring of '91, the Iraqis came in, and this whole area was reoccupied by the Iraqi forces and journalists and Kurds fled to the north, and you recall back in '91 of that spring, pretty horrendous scene of Kurds fleeing to the northern Iraqi Turkish border and massive crisis at that time. People here have not forgotten what happened 11 years ago -- Paula.

ZAHN: Brent Sadler, thanks for the update. Appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired October 11, 2002 - 09:08   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. Senate early this morning passed a resolution giving President Bush broad authority to use force against Iraq. Now with the full Congress behind him, Mr. Bush turns his attention to the international community. He is warning Iraq that it will be dealt with fully and finally. Those are his words. Baghdad said it was not surprised, but how about the people in northern Iraq?
Brent Sadler is one of the few Western journalists to report live from the Kurdish-controlled area. He joins us now from the city of Erbil.

Good morning.

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

This area of northern Iraq, about 1/10th of the country as a whole, is controlled largely by two main Kurdish political parties. It's been this way since the northern area here was declared a safe haven after the Gulf War in 1991. This region protected in the skies overhead by United States and British war planes, but as things stand now, no American or British troops on the ground here.

Let me tell you about how difficult it was to get here, and let's just show some video now of a river crossing we had to do over the Tigress to get into this Kurdish-controlled country. A very primitive setting, as you can see. Powered rowing boats actually used, about half a dozen of them, to load up very heavy equipment, more than 100 boxes, about 3,000 pounds piled on to those rowing boats. Very heavily loaded, and crossed over the river, and were met on the other side by representatives of the Kurdish and Democratic Party, one of the two main parties here. The other one is the PUK, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. We're be hearing a lot about those two political parties as these weeks and months unfold.

The river crossing you are seeing there is a vital lifeline for this Kurdish enclave. Some 20,000 people have crossed here in the past year alone. Families from the United States and Canada visiting relatives here, having to go back and forth from northern Iraq and the Syrian shore, on the other side of the river Tigress here. A very difficult, complicated journey, but this crossing is obviously important here for this semi-isolated zone. There are other ways into Iran and Turkey, but that Syrian lifeline very important for the Kurds to maintain here.

As we take a look at other video we sent in a short time ago, let's take a little look around Erbil here, which is the provincial capital of this area. Taxi cabs here painted the same colors as they are in Baghdad, and the police who control the traffic say it's pretty quiet, it's Friday, a day off. The same police unit as you see in Baghdad insist on maintaining institutions along Iraqi lines. They say they are not wanting to form a breakaway Kurdish state by no means. They want to be a part of a Democratic federal Iraq in the future.

The Kurds, their leaders say they are ready to take apart in assisting the United States in its effort, both politically and militarily, if necessary, to bring about change in Baghdad should that become necessary.

Back to you, Paula.

ZAHN: Brent, what does the local population say about how any military strike in Iraq might affect them?

SADLER: Certainly, Paula, there is a very big concern here amongst politicians and Kurds alike, that any action and, indeed, no action could rebound against what they call this liberated zone of northern Iraq. They've had this, if you like, autonomy for the last 11 years. They've been able to live without the shadow, they say, of Saddam Hussein hanging over them, without repression, they say, and even though they have great difficulties, not least United States sanctions, which apply to this region as much as they do to the region in Baghdad, 200 miles to the south, they are concerned, of course, that whatever happens for or against military action, they are vulnerable, and they say they're particularly concerned that if the military pressure builds against the Iraqi regime in Baghdad, that Saddam Hussein could take some sort of scare measure, punitive action against the Kurdish north here -- Paula.

ZAHN: In closing, I know you're really familiar with this region, traveled extensively through it. How different is it this time around?

SADLER: Very different. I was last here in this area having crossed that river zone some 11 years ago. That was a time when I saw the Kurds taking part in an uprising against Iraqi troops outside Kacook (ph). which is one of the main oil fields, obviously, very important for Saddam Hussein as it is for the Kurds, and in those times, back in the spring of '91, the Iraqis came in, and this whole area was reoccupied by the Iraqi forces and journalists and Kurds fled to the north, and you recall back in '91 of that spring, pretty horrendous scene of Kurds fleeing to the northern Iraqi Turkish border and massive crisis at that time. People here have not forgotten what happened 11 years ago -- Paula.

ZAHN: Brent Sadler, thanks for the update. Appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com