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CNN Live At Daybreak
Retired U.S. Lieutenant General Jay Garner Arrives in Baghdad
Aired April 21, 2003 - 06:02 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: Iraqis are taking small steps as they move toward a new government.
CNN's Rula Amin is in Baghdad to explain just how difficult this process is.
Rula -- it seems to be getting more difficult each day.
RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is difficult, Carol, because there is no system in place. Today, however, Jay Garner, the lieutenant general who is going to run Iraq, arrived in Baghdad. He is going to be here permanently now. We are told this is a permanent move. Ahead of him is a challenging task.
Now, his first stop will be an Iraqi hospital here in the capital. It was one of the hospitals where many of the war casualties were treated, and it was a hospital that was looted. The doctors had a lot to ask for. He said that he wanted to help, but that it will take time.
He is here to head an office called the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Aid in Iraq. He is here with about 20 aides, but as (UNINTELLIGIBLE) grows, so will his staff. He's going to have about 450 people helping him in running Iraq.
He is going to have to get the water and power back. He has to run -- to start getting the schools, the universities, the public services -- everything has to start running again.
How to do it is going to be very difficult, because now most of the old bureaucracy is at home. Many of them have been working for the Iraqi government's regime. And now, how does he bring them back? Does he want them back? Does he want their help? Or is he going to bring new people in? All of these are questions on many Iraqis' minds, as they watch the U.S. run their country.
Now, one person, who was in exile and considered an opposition leader, just a week ago, announced himself as the governor of Baghdad. And yesterday, we heard from one of his deputies that he was going to attend an (UNINTELLIGIBLE) meeting on behalf of Iraq. Today, we heard from U.S. officials saying they don't recognized Mohamed al Zubaidi as the governor of Baghdad.
So in this case, we are going to see many people who are claiming posts, claiming roles and power, and Garner will have to deal with all of these people. It's a complex composition here in Iraq. There are Shiite Iraqis, Sunni Iraqis, the Kurds, the Muslims, the Christians. And he has to tackle all of the sensitivities in order to be able to form an interim government in Iraq. This is one of his main goals here: to have an interim government in Iraq, as well as deliver aid to the 24 million Iraqis -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Tough job ahead for General Garner. Rula Amin 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.
Baghdad>
Aired April 21, 2003 - 06:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Iraqis are taking small steps as they move toward a new government.
CNN's Rula Amin is in Baghdad to explain just how difficult this process is.
Rula -- it seems to be getting more difficult each day.
RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is difficult, Carol, because there is no system in place. Today, however, Jay Garner, the lieutenant general who is going to run Iraq, arrived in Baghdad. He is going to be here permanently now. We are told this is a permanent move. Ahead of him is a challenging task.
Now, his first stop will be an Iraqi hospital here in the capital. It was one of the hospitals where many of the war casualties were treated, and it was a hospital that was looted. The doctors had a lot to ask for. He said that he wanted to help, but that it will take time.
He is here to head an office called the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Aid in Iraq. He is here with about 20 aides, but as (UNINTELLIGIBLE) grows, so will his staff. He's going to have about 450 people helping him in running Iraq.
He is going to have to get the water and power back. He has to run -- to start getting the schools, the universities, the public services -- everything has to start running again.
How to do it is going to be very difficult, because now most of the old bureaucracy is at home. Many of them have been working for the Iraqi government's regime. And now, how does he bring them back? Does he want them back? Does he want their help? Or is he going to bring new people in? All of these are questions on many Iraqis' minds, as they watch the U.S. run their country.
Now, one person, who was in exile and considered an opposition leader, just a week ago, announced himself as the governor of Baghdad. And yesterday, we heard from one of his deputies that he was going to attend an (UNINTELLIGIBLE) meeting on behalf of Iraq. Today, we heard from U.S. officials saying they don't recognized Mohamed al Zubaidi as the governor of Baghdad.
So in this case, we are going to see many people who are claiming posts, claiming roles and power, and Garner will have to deal with all of these people. It's a complex composition here in Iraq. There are Shiite Iraqis, Sunni Iraqis, the Kurds, the Muslims, the Christians. And he has to tackle all of the sensitivities in order to be able to form an interim government in Iraq. This is one of his main goals here: to have an interim government in Iraq, as well as deliver aid to the 24 million Iraqis -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Tough job ahead for General Garner. Rula Amin 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.
Baghdad>
