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CNN Live At Daybreak
Jay Garner's Remarks to the North
Aired April 23, 2003 - 05:33 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: Let's go live to Baghdad, and not waste any time, to talk about Jay Garner's remarks to the north. But he had a far different reception when he visited Baghdad.
Let's talk with Rula Amin -- good morning, Rula.
RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Carol, in Erbil, Jay Garner got a very warm reception. The Kurds there received him with flowers, with kisses, with American flags, with banners welcoming him into the town. They were very excited to see him there. They've known him since 1991 when he headed Operation Provide Comfort to help the Kurds after Saddam Hussein crushed the rebellion there following the Gulf War.
Now, in Erbil, Garner had a press conference and he told people that he has two main missions here, basically reconstruction, physical and political. He said he wants to turn the power on, the water on, restore medical services and make sure that people are back at schools.
He also said he wants to create the right environment for Iraqis to be able to choose their own leaders, a democratic process, he said, and he seemed very determined on that.
And for the Kurds, he had very good words. He was very optimistic. He praised their system there. He said it was marvelous and should be a model for the rest of Iraq.
But the rest of Iraq is far away from where the Kurdish controlled areas are. The infrastructure in the rest of Iraq, especially in the capital, has been badly damaged. There's still no power in Baghdad despite all the efforts by the U.S. troops and by Iraqi electricians. Some power had been restored to certain neighborhoods, but most still don't have any.
But people are determined to go on with their lives, nevertheless. Today we saw a movie theater actually showing two movies, an Italian and a French movie. And they were working on generators.
People are hopeful that Garner will deliver on his word, that power will be restored within a couple of days. And they're really desperate for this electrical power.
Now, on another issue, people here in the capital and in the rest of Iraq are watching what's happening in Karbala. The Shiite community performing a pilgrimage, a very holy pilgrimage, freely. And this is something that we did go and ask people about, how did they feel about it? We asked a Christian Iraqi and a Sunni Iraqi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I don't think it takes a political side. They were overwhelmed because they were oppressed for so long. It's like a man who has fasted and is then presented with food all of a sudden. After they start eating, they'll get too full, but they will calm down. People are just carried away because it's the first time. Nothing more. Nothing political.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): These are celebrations for our brothers, the Shia. There's no difference between us and the Shia. We are one religion. We have one religion, one god and one Prophet, who is named Mohammed. The people that started discriminating between the Shia and the Sunnis are the colonizers, the U.S. and Britain, who are trying to divide and conquer Iraq. Ali is our imam just like theirs. There is no difference between us and the Shia. We are both against the Americans and the British.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMIN: Now, people may not fear a pilgrimage, but we did hear some people concerned about the fact that some Iraqis are already calling for the establishment of an Islamic republic here in Iraq. People here, many of them are secular and this is not what they envisioned for a future, for the future of Iraq, at least a bright future -- Carol.
COSTELLO: 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
Aired April 23, 2003 - 05:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go live to Baghdad, and not waste any time, to talk about Jay Garner's remarks to the north. But he had a far different reception when he visited Baghdad.
Let's talk with Rula Amin -- good morning, Rula.
RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Carol, in Erbil, Jay Garner got a very warm reception. The Kurds there received him with flowers, with kisses, with American flags, with banners welcoming him into the town. They were very excited to see him there. They've known him since 1991 when he headed Operation Provide Comfort to help the Kurds after Saddam Hussein crushed the rebellion there following the Gulf War.
Now, in Erbil, Garner had a press conference and he told people that he has two main missions here, basically reconstruction, physical and political. He said he wants to turn the power on, the water on, restore medical services and make sure that people are back at schools.
He also said he wants to create the right environment for Iraqis to be able to choose their own leaders, a democratic process, he said, and he seemed very determined on that.
And for the Kurds, he had very good words. He was very optimistic. He praised their system there. He said it was marvelous and should be a model for the rest of Iraq.
But the rest of Iraq is far away from where the Kurdish controlled areas are. The infrastructure in the rest of Iraq, especially in the capital, has been badly damaged. There's still no power in Baghdad despite all the efforts by the U.S. troops and by Iraqi electricians. Some power had been restored to certain neighborhoods, but most still don't have any.
But people are determined to go on with their lives, nevertheless. Today we saw a movie theater actually showing two movies, an Italian and a French movie. And they were working on generators.
People are hopeful that Garner will deliver on his word, that power will be restored within a couple of days. And they're really desperate for this electrical power.
Now, on another issue, people here in the capital and in the rest of Iraq are watching what's happening in Karbala. The Shiite community performing a pilgrimage, a very holy pilgrimage, freely. And this is something that we did go and ask people about, how did they feel about it? We asked a Christian Iraqi and a Sunni Iraqi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I don't think it takes a political side. They were overwhelmed because they were oppressed for so long. It's like a man who has fasted and is then presented with food all of a sudden. After they start eating, they'll get too full, but they will calm down. People are just carried away because it's the first time. Nothing more. Nothing political.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): These are celebrations for our brothers, the Shia. There's no difference between us and the Shia. We are one religion. We have one religion, one god and one Prophet, who is named Mohammed. The people that started discriminating between the Shia and the Sunnis are the colonizers, the U.S. and Britain, who are trying to divide and conquer Iraq. Ali is our imam just like theirs. There is no difference between us and the Shia. We are both against the Americans and the British.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMIN: Now, people may not fear a pilgrimage, but we did hear some people concerned about the fact that some Iraqis are already calling for the establishment of an Islamic republic here in Iraq. People here, many of them are secular and this is not what they envisioned for a future, for the future of Iraq, at least a bright future -- Carol.
COSTELLO: 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
