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CNN Live At Daybreak
Iranian President Arrives in Beirut
Aired May 12, 2003 - 05:35 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: Iranian President Mohammad Khatami arrived in Beirut just about three hours ago. He's there for a state visit. It's the first time an Iranian president has set foot on Lebanese soil since the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
CNN's Brent Sadler joins us from Beirut with the significance of this -- good morning, Brent.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, this is, indeed, a very significant, very high profile visit by the Iranian president, Mohammad Khatami. He arrived in Beirut within the past two or three hours, had a very red carpet reception, well attended by all the main leaders here, including the deputy leader of Hezbollah, the militant Islamic group, which Israel and the United States accuse of being a terror organization.
Now from the airport where President Khatami was met by Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, President Emile Lahud, Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri, the Iranian leader left the airport and headed to the city center. And it was really here where we saw some incredible scenes of the Iranian leader with the Lebanese president really being greeted by tens of thousands of Lebanese Shiite supporters, support split between Hezbollah and the other Shiite group here, the main political party of Amal, which means hope.
Nevertheless, two major dominant Shiite parties here, representing about 40 percent of the Lebanese population. The Iranian president here for three days, really to help coordinate strategy between Lebanon, Syria and Iran, particularly in the light of the recent trip here some eight days ago by the U.S. secretary of state, Colin Powell, who, of course, is now in Cairo.
Mr. Powell urging the Lebanese as well as the Syrians to make efforts to disarm Hezbollah and also to shut the offices in Damascus of the radical Palestinian groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas.
So what we're seeing here is really an Iranian-Lebanese-Syrian response to the strategic, the much talked about strategic change in the situation in the Middle East now that U.S. troops are smack bang between the Syrians and the Iranians in the wake of the war on Iraq -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Brent Sadler, thanks for the live update.
Many thanks.
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 12, 2003 - 05:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Iranian President Mohammad Khatami arrived in Beirut just about three hours ago. He's there for a state visit. It's the first time an Iranian president has set foot on Lebanese soil since the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
CNN's Brent Sadler joins us from Beirut with the significance of this -- good morning, Brent.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, this is, indeed, a very significant, very high profile visit by the Iranian president, Mohammad Khatami. He arrived in Beirut within the past two or three hours, had a very red carpet reception, well attended by all the main leaders here, including the deputy leader of Hezbollah, the militant Islamic group, which Israel and the United States accuse of being a terror organization.
Now from the airport where President Khatami was met by Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, President Emile Lahud, Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri, the Iranian leader left the airport and headed to the city center. And it was really here where we saw some incredible scenes of the Iranian leader with the Lebanese president really being greeted by tens of thousands of Lebanese Shiite supporters, support split between Hezbollah and the other Shiite group here, the main political party of Amal, which means hope.
Nevertheless, two major dominant Shiite parties here, representing about 40 percent of the Lebanese population. The Iranian president here for three days, really to help coordinate strategy between Lebanon, Syria and Iran, particularly in the light of the recent trip here some eight days ago by the U.S. secretary of state, Colin Powell, who, of course, is now in Cairo.
Mr. Powell urging the Lebanese as well as the Syrians to make efforts to disarm Hezbollah and also to shut the offices in Damascus of the radical Palestinian groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas.
So what we're seeing here is really an Iranian-Lebanese-Syrian response to the strategic, the much talked about strategic change in the situation in the Middle East now that U.S. troops are smack bang between the Syrians and the Iranians in the wake of the war on Iraq -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Brent Sadler, thanks for the live update.
Many thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
