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CNN Live At Daybreak

Royal Welcome in Iraq?

Aired June 10, 2003 - 06:07   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A London investment banker has come home, home to Iraq that is, where two of his ancestors were once kings. He's receiving a royal welcome, from some of the Iraqi people at least, but the U.S. government may not be so happy to see him.
Jane Arraf live in Baghdad this morning with the latest wrinkle in the U.S. vision for a new Iraq.

Good morning -- Jane.

Jane?

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Carol, we're here at the tomb of the -- sorry about that. We're here at the tomb of the Iraqi royal family. Now, the last of the Iraqi royal family was actually killed in 1958 during the revolution. The ones who have remained have gone into exile, and that includes Sharif Ali, who has come back today for the first time since he was 2 years old to this country he calls home. He has been in exile, though, all this time.

Now, he came back to a small but loyal crowd of supporters. There are a lot of people here who have very fond memories of the monarchy from that time when the British installed the first king, King Faisal, in 1921, to the time of the revolution when the monarchy ended in '58, was perhaps one of the best times in the memories of older Iraqis. It was calm, it was stable, it was peaceful, and Sharif Ali believes he can do the same thing now.

Now, he is advocating a constitutional monarchy, which means an elected parliament but a head of state, and that would be him. He's not the closest in line to the throne, but he is the one that has made the biggest bid to play a role in this new Iraq. And he's come home after all these years to what he hopes will be a future somehow in the remaking of this country -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Jane Arraf reporting live from Baghdad. Wish we could ask you some questions, but she's having a little trouble with her earpiece 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 June 10, 2003 - 06:07   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A London investment banker has come home, home to Iraq that is, where two of his ancestors were once kings. He's receiving a royal welcome, from some of the Iraqi people at least, but the U.S. government may not be so happy to see him.
Jane Arraf live in Baghdad this morning with the latest wrinkle in the U.S. vision for a new Iraq.

Good morning -- Jane.

Jane?

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Carol, we're here at the tomb of the -- sorry about that. We're here at the tomb of the Iraqi royal family. Now, the last of the Iraqi royal family was actually killed in 1958 during the revolution. The ones who have remained have gone into exile, and that includes Sharif Ali, who has come back today for the first time since he was 2 years old to this country he calls home. He has been in exile, though, all this time.

Now, he came back to a small but loyal crowd of supporters. There are a lot of people here who have very fond memories of the monarchy from that time when the British installed the first king, King Faisal, in 1921, to the time of the revolution when the monarchy ended in '58, was perhaps one of the best times in the memories of older Iraqis. It was calm, it was stable, it was peaceful, and Sharif Ali believes he can do the same thing now.

Now, he is advocating a constitutional monarchy, which means an elected parliament but a head of state, and that would be him. He's not the closest in line to the throne, but he is the one that has made the biggest bid to play a role in this new Iraq. And he's come home after all these years to what he hopes will be a future somehow in the remaking of this country -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Jane Arraf reporting live from Baghdad. Wish we could ask you some questions, but she's having a little trouble with her earpiece 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.