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CNN Live At Daybreak
The Mood in Baghdad
Aired April 14, 2003 - 06:15 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: As promised, we're going to take you now live to Baghdad. Things may be calming down a bit from the initial days of looting and lawlessness, only to be replaced by anti- U.S. street demonstrations.
CNN's Jim Clancy is live in Baghdad.
Tell us about them.
JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, what we're looking at really is the Iraqis stretching out, getting a feel for what President Bush told them to do, become liberated, have freedom. They're expressing freedom of speech standing in a square. They've come to the Palestine Hotel where there must be 2,500 journalists, satellite dishes and television cameras pointing to TV screens in living rooms all around the world. What a better place, even if you're only 25 or 30 people, a lot of people are going to see your protest.
And they did turn it on President George W. Bush. All kinds of demonstrations throughout the day, varying themes. Some of them protesting the U.S. presence in the capital. Some of them saying they want an Iraqi leader not a U.S. general in charge of their country. Some others even saying long live the Baath Party. Now that was the party, the political structure that supported President Saddam Hussein, but not a single person raising their voice for his return here.
Meantime, overnight outside the hotel, almost in the same position there, there was a firefight. There was a sniper who opened fire on U.S. troops. They responded in force. Three suspects were arrested. They were security guards at a club nearby.
Now although they're in custody and they are being questioned, it may be unlikely that they were actually involved in the sniping incident because that is one of the most exclusive clubs in the entire city. And as a result, they did have people there. In fact, the police had just met there the day before. A very nice, posh club where only the elite in Baghdad would go, only logical they would have some security guards in there. But who fired the shots at the Marines still yet to be determined. No injuries reported.
Meantime, on the streets of Baghdad, a welcomed site, a return of police on those streets. And as they did that, with the word that there are going to be joint patrols for unarmed Iraqi policeman will travel around the city with heavily armed U.S. Marines, there has been a retreat by the looters back to their homes. So there's a lot of hope here that order is returning to the capital, albeit slowly. There are still some areas, Carol, that are very insecure, but there's also a sense here that things are coming under control.
Back to you.
COSTELLO: Hopefully so. Wanted to ask you, too, if other Iraqi civil servants have now gone back to work?
CLANCY: Well others have. In fact, I was out at the power plant for a couple of days running. Electricity, one of the keys here, not only to bring back the street lights would -- which would help control looting at night and things like that, but just for the very life of this city. Critical health issues involved here, electricity for the hospitals. Also, health issues as regards water and sanitation for this city.
Now the workers at the electrical plant say they went back to work, they surveyed those sites, the power plants around the cities. Some minor repairs are needed. Most of the problem appears to be in the power grid. That's going to make a huge difference here, a difference that all of the people in Baghdad can see. It will send a message that at least someone's in charge, someone is able to turn the lights on in Baghdad.
COSTELLO: Understand. Jim Clancy, live from Baghdad, thanks so much.
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 April 14, 2003 - 06:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: As promised, we're going to take you now live to Baghdad. Things may be calming down a bit from the initial days of looting and lawlessness, only to be replaced by anti- U.S. street demonstrations.
CNN's Jim Clancy is live in Baghdad.
Tell us about them.
JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, what we're looking at really is the Iraqis stretching out, getting a feel for what President Bush told them to do, become liberated, have freedom. They're expressing freedom of speech standing in a square. They've come to the Palestine Hotel where there must be 2,500 journalists, satellite dishes and television cameras pointing to TV screens in living rooms all around the world. What a better place, even if you're only 25 or 30 people, a lot of people are going to see your protest.
And they did turn it on President George W. Bush. All kinds of demonstrations throughout the day, varying themes. Some of them protesting the U.S. presence in the capital. Some of them saying they want an Iraqi leader not a U.S. general in charge of their country. Some others even saying long live the Baath Party. Now that was the party, the political structure that supported President Saddam Hussein, but not a single person raising their voice for his return here.
Meantime, overnight outside the hotel, almost in the same position there, there was a firefight. There was a sniper who opened fire on U.S. troops. They responded in force. Three suspects were arrested. They were security guards at a club nearby.
Now although they're in custody and they are being questioned, it may be unlikely that they were actually involved in the sniping incident because that is one of the most exclusive clubs in the entire city. And as a result, they did have people there. In fact, the police had just met there the day before. A very nice, posh club where only the elite in Baghdad would go, only logical they would have some security guards in there. But who fired the shots at the Marines still yet to be determined. No injuries reported.
Meantime, on the streets of Baghdad, a welcomed site, a return of police on those streets. And as they did that, with the word that there are going to be joint patrols for unarmed Iraqi policeman will travel around the city with heavily armed U.S. Marines, there has been a retreat by the looters back to their homes. So there's a lot of hope here that order is returning to the capital, albeit slowly. There are still some areas, Carol, that are very insecure, but there's also a sense here that things are coming under control.
Back to you.
COSTELLO: Hopefully so. Wanted to ask you, too, if other Iraqi civil servants have now gone back to work?
CLANCY: Well others have. In fact, I was out at the power plant for a couple of days running. Electricity, one of the keys here, not only to bring back the street lights would -- which would help control looting at night and things like that, but just for the very life of this city. Critical health issues involved here, electricity for the hospitals. Also, health issues as regards water and sanitation for this city.
Now the workers at the electrical plant say they went back to work, they surveyed those sites, the power plants around the cities. Some minor repairs are needed. Most of the problem appears to be in the power grid. That's going to make a huge difference here, a difference that all of the people in Baghdad can see. It will send a message that at least someone's in charge, someone is able to turn the lights on in Baghdad.
COSTELLO: Understand. Jim Clancy, live from Baghdad, thanks so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
