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CNN Live At Daybreak
Iraq Bracing for Battle
Aired March 19, 2003 - 06:32 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: Saddam Hussein is defying President Bush's ultimatum to get out of Iraq, and an equally defiant Iraqi parliament backed up its president early this morning.
The Pentagon says it is ready for war. That's its message to President Bush, as the deadline for war looms closer.
And the so-called "coalition of the willing" has now grown to 30 nations. That's according to the State Department. But not all of those countries will be providing troops.
In the meantime, the White House has another warning for Saddam Hussein.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Saddam Hussein has led Iraq to many mistakes in the past, principally by developing weapons of mass destruction. Saddam Hussein, if he doesn't leave the country, will make his final mistake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And we take you now live to the center of the showdown. Our Rym Brahimi is standing by in Baghdad.
Rym -- a lot said in Iraq this morning. Tough words coming from the Iraqi parliament and the information minister there.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol, and actually warnings from here as well, from here warnings to the United States, to its people, and especially to its soldiers.
Iraq's information minister spoke to reporters, saying that the soldiers should be warned to keep their eyes open, U.S. soldiers based in Kuwait are being lied to when they're told by their superiors that this will be an easy operation to come in and invade Iraq. They're not being told the realities of what's going to happen.
Listen to how he put it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMED SA'EED AL-SAHAF, IRAQI INFORMATION MINISTER: They are deceiving their soldiers and their officers that aggression against Iraq and invading Iraq will be like a picnic. Well, this is a very stupid lie they are telling their soldiers. What they are facing is a definite death.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRAHIMI: Now, this address by the minister of information, Mohammed Sa'eed al-Sahaf, to reporters followed shortly an extraordinary session at the country's national assembly. Some 250 deputies or parliament members gathered to reject the ultimatum that was put forward by President Bush to force President Saddam Hussein to leave power. The members of parliament, each of them, talking in praise of the president, each of them making a very clear pledge of allegiance, a show of loyalty, one of many that we've been shown on Iraqi TV in the past 24 hours since that ultimatum was issued.
As for the people in Iraq, well, Baghdad is pretty much a city in waiting by now. A lot of streets are much more deserted than they would be usually. The shop windows are empty. Children have not been going to school for the past couple of days. All you see here and there are mainly, in the evenings especially, which used to be such a lively moment here in Baghdad, well, now it's quieted down, slowed down a lot. And you just see sand bags here and there, and people putting more sand bags together -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And, Rym, quickly, the parliament met this morning, but Saddam Hussein was nowhere in sight.
BRAHIMI: No, not yet, but we're expecting to hear from him probably on the news this afternoon or this evening. In the past 24 hours, he's been seen many times chairing a series of meetings. He's dressed now in his military uniform. He's been talking to the leading members of the ruling Baath Party, talking to his ministers, to his military commanders, each time saying the same thing, warning the Americans that Iraq will be a graveyard for soldiers who intrude and who try to invade -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Rym Brahimi reporting live from Baghdad this morning.
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 March 19, 2003 - 06:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Saddam Hussein is defying President Bush's ultimatum to get out of Iraq, and an equally defiant Iraqi parliament backed up its president early this morning.
The Pentagon says it is ready for war. That's its message to President Bush, as the deadline for war looms closer.
And the so-called "coalition of the willing" has now grown to 30 nations. That's according to the State Department. But not all of those countries will be providing troops.
In the meantime, the White House has another warning for Saddam Hussein.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Saddam Hussein has led Iraq to many mistakes in the past, principally by developing weapons of mass destruction. Saddam Hussein, if he doesn't leave the country, will make his final mistake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And we take you now live to the center of the showdown. Our Rym Brahimi is standing by in Baghdad.
Rym -- a lot said in Iraq this morning. Tough words coming from the Iraqi parliament and the information minister there.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol, and actually warnings from here as well, from here warnings to the United States, to its people, and especially to its soldiers.
Iraq's information minister spoke to reporters, saying that the soldiers should be warned to keep their eyes open, U.S. soldiers based in Kuwait are being lied to when they're told by their superiors that this will be an easy operation to come in and invade Iraq. They're not being told the realities of what's going to happen.
Listen to how he put it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMED SA'EED AL-SAHAF, IRAQI INFORMATION MINISTER: They are deceiving their soldiers and their officers that aggression against Iraq and invading Iraq will be like a picnic. Well, this is a very stupid lie they are telling their soldiers. What they are facing is a definite death.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRAHIMI: Now, this address by the minister of information, Mohammed Sa'eed al-Sahaf, to reporters followed shortly an extraordinary session at the country's national assembly. Some 250 deputies or parliament members gathered to reject the ultimatum that was put forward by President Bush to force President Saddam Hussein to leave power. The members of parliament, each of them, talking in praise of the president, each of them making a very clear pledge of allegiance, a show of loyalty, one of many that we've been shown on Iraqi TV in the past 24 hours since that ultimatum was issued.
As for the people in Iraq, well, Baghdad is pretty much a city in waiting by now. A lot of streets are much more deserted than they would be usually. The shop windows are empty. Children have not been going to school for the past couple of days. All you see here and there are mainly, in the evenings especially, which used to be such a lively moment here in Baghdad, well, now it's quieted down, slowed down a lot. And you just see sand bags here and there, and people putting more sand bags together -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And, Rym, quickly, the parliament met this morning, but Saddam Hussein was nowhere in sight.
BRAHIMI: No, not yet, but we're expecting to hear from him probably on the news this afternoon or this evening. In the past 24 hours, he's been seen many times chairing a series of meetings. He's dressed now in his military uniform. He's been talking to the leading members of the ruling Baath Party, talking to his ministers, to his military commanders, each time saying the same thing, warning the Americans that Iraq will be a graveyard for soldiers who intrude and who try to invade -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Rym Brahimi reporting live from Baghdad this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
