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CNN Live Today

Aziz in Custody, Not Necessarily Behind Bars

Aired April 25, 2003 - 10:05   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go halfway around the world to the former seat of power for Hijazi, Aziz and the rest of Saddam Hussein's regime.
Our Rym Brahimi is in Baghdad with the latest from the Iraqi capital. Rym, hello.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello again to you.

Well, indeed this is quite a big catch for the U.S. military. Interestingly enough, however, Farouk Al-Hijazi was not on the list of 55 most wanted Iraqi officials that was drafted by the U.S. military. Although Farouk Hijazi may have a lot to tell his captors right now, he was suspected in '93 of having been behind the plots to assassinate president George Bush Sr. in Kuwait, that this was what the U.S. has attributed it to. They said it was an attempt by Iraq to assassinate the former president. Well, if that's the case, he will have a lot of things to tell them again.

But he was also considered by some media reports -- and again, that hasn't been proven at all -- to have been the man sent over to Afghanistan in '98 to establish links with al Qaeda. Again, no proof of that, There are just media reports. But definitely this man, who was number third highest ranking in President Saddam Hussein's security apparatus definitely is quite a big catch.

Also, a big catch, of course, Tariq Aziz, the deputy prime minister of Iraq. He was one of President Saddam Hussein's closest aides for years and years and years. They go way back to the 1950s when they were students together, when they were members of the then banned Baath Party.

We caught up with the family of Tariq Aziz. CNN's Nic Robertson went to the house of Tariq Aziz and spoke to some relatives who said that Tariq Aziz decided to surrender. He surrendered at 11:00 p.m. on Thursday. He was mainly concerned this would take place in a dignified manner. Of course, interesting that only a few -- the day the war started Tariq Aziz came out to prove that he hadn't been killed or hadn't defected as there were a lot of rumors around and he said he had said prior to that that he would die rather than surrendering to U.S. forces.

Well, he has surrendered. Probably his calculation would have been that he would be safer in U.S. custody than in the hands of the Iraqis at the time when of course, there's a lot of resentment now coming out towards the Iraqi regime. And it would also bring the certainty for many Iraqis that the regime is definitely gone. But that's probably the only uncertainty there will be.

There's still a lot of -- the situation in Baghdad not stable. Just a few moments ago there was gunfire just coming from the mosque in the background here. So definitely still a city very much in movement right here. Back to you.

KAGAN: Absolutely. Rym Brahimi in Baghdad. Rym, thank you very 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 25, 2003 - 10:05   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go halfway around the world to the former seat of power for Hijazi, Aziz and the rest of Saddam Hussein's regime.
Our Rym Brahimi is in Baghdad with the latest from the Iraqi capital. Rym, hello.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello again to you.

Well, indeed this is quite a big catch for the U.S. military. Interestingly enough, however, Farouk Al-Hijazi was not on the list of 55 most wanted Iraqi officials that was drafted by the U.S. military. Although Farouk Hijazi may have a lot to tell his captors right now, he was suspected in '93 of having been behind the plots to assassinate president George Bush Sr. in Kuwait, that this was what the U.S. has attributed it to. They said it was an attempt by Iraq to assassinate the former president. Well, if that's the case, he will have a lot of things to tell them again.

But he was also considered by some media reports -- and again, that hasn't been proven at all -- to have been the man sent over to Afghanistan in '98 to establish links with al Qaeda. Again, no proof of that, There are just media reports. But definitely this man, who was number third highest ranking in President Saddam Hussein's security apparatus definitely is quite a big catch.

Also, a big catch, of course, Tariq Aziz, the deputy prime minister of Iraq. He was one of President Saddam Hussein's closest aides for years and years and years. They go way back to the 1950s when they were students together, when they were members of the then banned Baath Party.

We caught up with the family of Tariq Aziz. CNN's Nic Robertson went to the house of Tariq Aziz and spoke to some relatives who said that Tariq Aziz decided to surrender. He surrendered at 11:00 p.m. on Thursday. He was mainly concerned this would take place in a dignified manner. Of course, interesting that only a few -- the day the war started Tariq Aziz came out to prove that he hadn't been killed or hadn't defected as there were a lot of rumors around and he said he had said prior to that that he would die rather than surrendering to U.S. forces.

Well, he has surrendered. Probably his calculation would have been that he would be safer in U.S. custody than in the hands of the Iraqis at the time when of course, there's a lot of resentment now coming out towards the Iraqi regime. And it would also bring the certainty for many Iraqis that the regime is definitely gone. But that's probably the only uncertainty there will be.

There's still a lot of -- the situation in Baghdad not stable. Just a few moments ago there was gunfire just coming from the mosque in the background here. So definitely still a city very much in movement right here. Back to you.

KAGAN: Absolutely. Rym Brahimi in Baghdad. Rym, thank you very 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