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Were Iraqis Able to Listen to or Read Bush's Speech?
Aired May 02, 2003 - 05:07 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.
ARTHEL NEVILLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Were Iraqis able to listen to or read President Bush's speech? And if so, what's the reaction?
For those answers, we take you right to CNN's Rym Brahimi in Baghdad -- good morning, Rym.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Arthel.
Well, indeed, good questions, both of them. First of all, it turns out quite a few Iraqis heard that Bush did pronounce a speech. Now, not all of them were able to listen to it. Those who did listen to it on the new Iraqi broadcast or through Iranian radio, others were just told by their neighbors, their friends, through word of mouth.
Now, when you ask them what their reaction is -- and sometimes you have to tell them what Bush said to get that reaction -- well, one reaction is clear among many people was the war may be over for President Bush and President Saddam Hussein. For us it's not over. We need electricity and we need security. That message has been made quite clear in the past few weeks, actually, by a lot of people who still complain that they're not being delivered on the main promise, which was a better life. They say Saddam may be gone but we still need improvement here.
Now, in another development, Arthel, we understand the Associated Press is reporting the capture of a senior Baath Party official, a very close aide to Saddam Hussein, Mizban Khadr Hadi. Now, he was in charge, he was elevated, if you will, to the position of military commander of the central Euphrates region. This is when they divided Iraq in four military regions before the war and gave one commander each region.
Now, he was a very close member, a trusted aide, as I said, to Saddam Hussein. He was also a member of the Baath Party Revolution Command Council and, quite significantly, he had also been put in charge of that region, which includes the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala -- Arthel.
NEVILLE: OK, Rym Brahimi, thank you very much for that report.
And combat may be over, but sporadic fighting continues and so does the rebuilding in Iraq. Follow it all on our Web site, Special Report: The New Iraq. Just to go cnn.com, AOL keyword: CNN.
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 May 2, 2003 - 05:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ARTHEL NEVILLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Were Iraqis able to listen to or read President Bush's speech? And if so, what's the reaction?
For those answers, we take you right to CNN's Rym Brahimi in Baghdad -- good morning, Rym.
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Arthel.
Well, indeed, good questions, both of them. First of all, it turns out quite a few Iraqis heard that Bush did pronounce a speech. Now, not all of them were able to listen to it. Those who did listen to it on the new Iraqi broadcast or through Iranian radio, others were just told by their neighbors, their friends, through word of mouth.
Now, when you ask them what their reaction is -- and sometimes you have to tell them what Bush said to get that reaction -- well, one reaction is clear among many people was the war may be over for President Bush and President Saddam Hussein. For us it's not over. We need electricity and we need security. That message has been made quite clear in the past few weeks, actually, by a lot of people who still complain that they're not being delivered on the main promise, which was a better life. They say Saddam may be gone but we still need improvement here.
Now, in another development, Arthel, we understand the Associated Press is reporting the capture of a senior Baath Party official, a very close aide to Saddam Hussein, Mizban Khadr Hadi. Now, he was in charge, he was elevated, if you will, to the position of military commander of the central Euphrates region. This is when they divided Iraq in four military regions before the war and gave one commander each region.
Now, he was a very close member, a trusted aide, as I said, to Saddam Hussein. He was also a member of the Baath Party Revolution Command Council and, quite significantly, he had also been put in charge of that region, which includes the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala -- Arthel.
NEVILLE: OK, Rym Brahimi, thank you very much for that report.
And combat may be over, but sporadic fighting continues and so does the rebuilding in Iraq. Follow it all on our Web site, Special Report: The New Iraq. Just to go cnn.com, AOL keyword: CNN.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
