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The New Iraq: Military Presence

Aired April 21, 2003 - 11:05   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.


LEON HARRIS, ANCHOR: We go to the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. That's where the new U.S. overseer is on the job trying to restore order there.
Our Jim Clancy is standing by to bring us up to date on that.

Jim, hello.

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you, Daryn.

Well, General Jay Garner, a retired U.S. Army general, is in Baghdad, his first visit as post-war administrator. He's saying right from the top, I don't run Iraq. Iraq is going to do that. I'm here to make it possible for them to take over those tasks. Now, did he visit some of the basic and most important infrastructure items on anybody's agenda? That would be the hospitals, where he talked with doctors and nurses. He also visited some water and sewage treatment plants, also making a visit to the south Baghdad power station to look at one of the number one priorities, and that's getting electricity back up and running.

He is very clear as he takes over this job, nobody is going to put him on a time schedule. He says he's going to do everything as fast as he can, but he's not going to make promises that he may not be able to keep.

Now, at the same time, the response to General Garner has been mixed. On one hand, many Iraqis, of course, say we don't know who he is. They agree they need someone to help run the country to put it back on its feet. Others say they want an Iraqi in that position. It would seem that General Garner would agree, but everyone has to look at the practical, what's going to work, and it may take a U.S. Army general to do it.

What's it going to take to find President Saddam Hussein and all of those in his inner circle of power? We're looking at that right now. One of the sons in law of President Saddam Hussein, along with one of his bodyguards, the son-in-law, Jamal Mustafa Hassan Al Tikriti (ph) turning himself over to the Iraqi National Congress overnight. He returned from Syria.

And the interesting thing about this, he and the bodyguard both coming from Damascus; it would seem that the Syrians may be applying pressure on Iraqi officials there in order to have them return to Baghdad, return to face U.S. custody, so to speak.

Now, it's important because, of course, Syria has come under a lot of pressure on that, but there's a sense here in the capital that the U.S. is being successful getting some of the members of the regime. A lot of speculation, too, about where Saddam Hussein is. Some people think he might be here in a safehouse, just inside Baghdad -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Interesting. I want to get back to this issue of an Iraqi running Iraq, or parts of it. What about this man who has made himself the self-proclaimed governor of Baghdad, Muhammed Zubady (ph)? What do you know about him?

CLANCY: Well, he has got big problems, in that I think that he has taken on a lot of responsibilities that really hadn't been handed to him yet and a lot of Iraqis and I think U.S. officials as well beginning to see that.

Remember, it was only a few days ago it was proclaimed they were going to send somebody to the OPEC meeting. The United States now saying, that isn't going to happen.

Meantime, just a short time ago, I was in the office of the police chief in Baghdad. In came more requests. His request saying the mayor's office wants so many police cars. Neither the police here in Baghdad nor the U.S. officials who are working in liaison with the police are going to grant that request. Many Iraqis that I talked to have that Mr. Zubady (ph) is trying to force himself, hoist himself really upon the public here.

KAGAN: Jim Clancy in Baghdad, thank you.

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 21, 2003 - 11:05   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, ANCHOR: We go to the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. That's where the new U.S. overseer is on the job trying to restore order there.
Our Jim Clancy is standing by to bring us up to date on that.

Jim, hello.

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you, Daryn.

Well, General Jay Garner, a retired U.S. Army general, is in Baghdad, his first visit as post-war administrator. He's saying right from the top, I don't run Iraq. Iraq is going to do that. I'm here to make it possible for them to take over those tasks. Now, did he visit some of the basic and most important infrastructure items on anybody's agenda? That would be the hospitals, where he talked with doctors and nurses. He also visited some water and sewage treatment plants, also making a visit to the south Baghdad power station to look at one of the number one priorities, and that's getting electricity back up and running.

He is very clear as he takes over this job, nobody is going to put him on a time schedule. He says he's going to do everything as fast as he can, but he's not going to make promises that he may not be able to keep.

Now, at the same time, the response to General Garner has been mixed. On one hand, many Iraqis, of course, say we don't know who he is. They agree they need someone to help run the country to put it back on its feet. Others say they want an Iraqi in that position. It would seem that General Garner would agree, but everyone has to look at the practical, what's going to work, and it may take a U.S. Army general to do it.

What's it going to take to find President Saddam Hussein and all of those in his inner circle of power? We're looking at that right now. One of the sons in law of President Saddam Hussein, along with one of his bodyguards, the son-in-law, Jamal Mustafa Hassan Al Tikriti (ph) turning himself over to the Iraqi National Congress overnight. He returned from Syria.

And the interesting thing about this, he and the bodyguard both coming from Damascus; it would seem that the Syrians may be applying pressure on Iraqi officials there in order to have them return to Baghdad, return to face U.S. custody, so to speak.

Now, it's important because, of course, Syria has come under a lot of pressure on that, but there's a sense here in the capital that the U.S. is being successful getting some of the members of the regime. A lot of speculation, too, about where Saddam Hussein is. Some people think he might be here in a safehouse, just inside Baghdad -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Interesting. I want to get back to this issue of an Iraqi running Iraq, or parts of it. What about this man who has made himself the self-proclaimed governor of Baghdad, Muhammed Zubady (ph)? What do you know about him?

CLANCY: Well, he has got big problems, in that I think that he has taken on a lot of responsibilities that really hadn't been handed to him yet and a lot of Iraqis and I think U.S. officials as well beginning to see that.

Remember, it was only a few days ago it was proclaimed they were going to send somebody to the OPEC meeting. The United States now saying, that isn't going to happen.

Meantime, just a short time ago, I was in the office of the police chief in Baghdad. In came more requests. His request saying the mayor's office wants so many police cars. Neither the police here in Baghdad nor the U.S. officials who are working in liaison with the police are going to grant that request. Many Iraqis that I talked to have that Mr. Zubady (ph) is trying to force himself, hoist himself really upon the public here.

KAGAN: Jim Clancy in Baghdad, thank you.

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