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CNN Live Today

Iraqi-Americans Celebrate Baghdad's Fall in Dearborn

Aired April 28, 2003 - 11:08   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, CNN ANCHOR: About a third of Dearborn's 97,000 residents claim some Arab ancestry.
And our Jeff Flock is talking with some of the townspeople today.

Morning, Jeff.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Leon, good morning to you.

I think it's fair to say the president's going to get some mixed messages this morning from the folks. There are lot of people very thankful. We're sitting with some Iraqi refugees who have spent years literally in refugee camps. You're thankful for the U.S. invasion, yes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE; Sure. I'm very thanks to the United States government for helping me here, bringing us here. We didn't get help from our nations, which Saudi Arabia. I stay for six years.

FLOCK: In a refugee camp, right,

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And my brother, he's still there for 13 years. Which is 6,000 people still in the camp, the refugee camp.

FLOCK: There's still people who need to be accounted for. You recently talked to, was it your dad, in Baghdad? You said things are tough there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yesterday I talked to my dad in Baghdad. He said the lives are miserable at that time.

FLOCK: Do you think the U.S. has moved quickly enough to make things better?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, the United States, they move too slowly. The people suffering there in hospitals and food and electricity and all this stuff is going to be too slow. They should move like more faster for them so they can live. They are suffering right now, because Saddam and the past government.

FLOCK: Some people have been concerned that the U.S. protected oil fields very well, but didn't do a good job protecting the museum, and the hospitals and the businesses.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is like a country history. I mean, they should first time they get there, they should have -- they put securities in these places, because this is the history of Iraq. This is the oldest history of the Earth. This is like mean a lot of things to us. Each piece of it, even that big, will be worth millions of dollars. Of course, people's going to steal it. Most of this parts, most of this history went everywhere to the war.

FLOCK: Do you think the U.S. should have done a better job by protecting that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think should at least put some armies around it, they should have protect it, because this is like a big thing. It means a lot to us, you know what I'm saying.

FLOCK: But before we get away, your bottom line on it, you're thankful for the U.S.?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am thankful for the United States to get Saddam.

FLOCK: And what's to come in the future?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope in the future, we're going to have freedom in Iraq, like our freedom here. And we live peacefully, and we're not going to see war any more. We're not going to see fighting and bombs, and people live peacefully, and they live quietly, have no problem with no neighbor, no anyone, no terrorism, no nothing.

FLOCK: I think everyone can agree on that.

Gentlemen, I appreciate it. Thank you very much for your time this morning. Iraqi exiles are hopeful about the future of their country. They're going to -- you're going to be down to join the president a little bit later outside the hall. Didn't get a ticket to get inside, but they will be outside. We will be watching the day, going to be an interesting one.

Leon, back to you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good deal. Thanks, Jeff. We'll be watching ourselves as well.

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 28, 2003 - 11:08   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: About a third of Dearborn's 97,000 residents claim some Arab ancestry.
And our Jeff Flock is talking with some of the townspeople today.

Morning, Jeff.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Leon, good morning to you.

I think it's fair to say the president's going to get some mixed messages this morning from the folks. There are lot of people very thankful. We're sitting with some Iraqi refugees who have spent years literally in refugee camps. You're thankful for the U.S. invasion, yes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE; Sure. I'm very thanks to the United States government for helping me here, bringing us here. We didn't get help from our nations, which Saudi Arabia. I stay for six years.

FLOCK: In a refugee camp, right,

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And my brother, he's still there for 13 years. Which is 6,000 people still in the camp, the refugee camp.

FLOCK: There's still people who need to be accounted for. You recently talked to, was it your dad, in Baghdad? You said things are tough there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yesterday I talked to my dad in Baghdad. He said the lives are miserable at that time.

FLOCK: Do you think the U.S. has moved quickly enough to make things better?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, the United States, they move too slowly. The people suffering there in hospitals and food and electricity and all this stuff is going to be too slow. They should move like more faster for them so they can live. They are suffering right now, because Saddam and the past government.

FLOCK: Some people have been concerned that the U.S. protected oil fields very well, but didn't do a good job protecting the museum, and the hospitals and the businesses.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is like a country history. I mean, they should first time they get there, they should have -- they put securities in these places, because this is the history of Iraq. This is the oldest history of the Earth. This is like mean a lot of things to us. Each piece of it, even that big, will be worth millions of dollars. Of course, people's going to steal it. Most of this parts, most of this history went everywhere to the war.

FLOCK: Do you think the U.S. should have done a better job by protecting that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think should at least put some armies around it, they should have protect it, because this is like a big thing. It means a lot to us, you know what I'm saying.

FLOCK: But before we get away, your bottom line on it, you're thankful for the U.S.?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am thankful for the United States to get Saddam.

FLOCK: And what's to come in the future?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope in the future, we're going to have freedom in Iraq, like our freedom here. And we live peacefully, and we're not going to see war any more. We're not going to see fighting and bombs, and people live peacefully, and they live quietly, have no problem with no neighbor, no anyone, no terrorism, no nothing.

FLOCK: I think everyone can agree on that.

Gentlemen, I appreciate it. Thank you very much for your time this morning. Iraqi exiles are hopeful about the future of their country. They're going to -- you're going to be down to join the president a little bit later outside the hall. Didn't get a ticket to get inside, but they will be outside. We will be watching the day, going to be an interesting one.

Leon, back to you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good deal. Thanks, Jeff. We'll be watching ourselves as well.

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