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CNN Live At Daybreak

International News Desk

Aired July 09, 2003 - 05:39   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.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Along with national news, of course, we're following a lot of international stories throughout the day here on CNN.
Let's see what's going on. Our senior international editor David Clinch joins us now -- David, how's it going?

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Fredricka, good morning.

Very well, thank you.

Iraq and Israel very much still on our agenda today. But we're also doing some follow-up coverage on the tragic story we were covering yesterday at this hour of the death of the two Iranian twins in Singapore following the operation to separate them. There will be a memorial service, we're told, today. There actually was a brief service this morning.

They are now, of course, tragically dead, but they are also separate. There were two separate coffins brought to a mosque in central Singapore this morning and we're told there'll be a private memorial service for them in Singapore attended by some of their family, relatives and other Iranians who are there in Singapore mourning them.

Of course, their home country, Iran, now awaiting the return of the bodies. We are told that will happen within the next day or two.

We did get some coverage during the day late yesterday from the father, actually, the adoptive father, the man who adopted the conjoined twins when they were very young, brought them up for the 27, 28 years of their lives. He was surprisingly to me, anyway, very, not just sad, as other Iranians were, but actually angry. He was saying that he had thought from the start that they were wrong to do this operation. His phrase, when asked about what had happened, was they took them to Singapore and they killed them which, you know, obviously reflects how sad he is.

But, again, surprisingly angry at the whole situation. Again, not their real father, but the man who had brought them up from birth, basically. So we'll probably get some more coverage of him when the bodies are, in fact, returned to Iran.

You know, the fascination of this story from the start, I think, has been not just about the medical aspects, but what it says about being an individual. You know, these two women were so...

WHITFIELD: The risks, willing to take.

CLINCH: ... determined to be separated, the doctors indicating yesterday that the reason they continued with the operation despite the ability, perhaps, to bring them out and stabilize them was that the sisters had said they wanted to be separated at any cost. And so they continued with the operation even after the first sister died and then tragically the second sister died.

They probably have learned some lessons medically. But the one lesson, I think, from the story is the determination, the bravery, if you want to look at it that way, of these two girls, determined to be separated at any cost.

WHITFIELD: And the doctors made that response to so many people who said why not, why not try to stabilize them at that point and discontinue the operation? But they made it very clear that this was the request that the sisters made.

CLINCH: Again, as all doctors do, apparently they were making it clear they were acting on the wishes of the sisters themselves, which we saw in press conferences in advance of the operation. Their determination was absolutely clear. They wanted to go through with this at any cost. Again, tragically, they lost their lives.

They are now separate. I don't know if that's an ironic ending for it. They are now separate. They will be buried in Iran in their hometown, we're being told, some time next week. They'll be returned within the next day or two.

WHITFIELD: All right. And in addition to that, as well as we're continuing to follow the president and (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

CLINCH: Yes, I'll come back in the 6:00 a.m. hour. We're watching President Bush in South Africa shortly. But the Iraq story, particularly the weapons of mass destruction prewar claims still haunting him and Prime Minister Blair, who we'll watch in the prime minister's question time regular on Wednesday at 7:00 a.m. Both of them still facing questions on that subject, who knew what and when regarding specifically that claim of Iraq trying to buy uranium from Nigeria, which is now being dismissed almost completely by the Bush administration.

Prime Minister Blair still facing some questions on that issue, though.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks, David.

Still the burning questions then.

CLINCH: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate it.

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 July 9, 2003 - 05:39   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Along with national news, of course, we're following a lot of international stories throughout the day here on CNN.
Let's see what's going on. Our senior international editor David Clinch joins us now -- David, how's it going?

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Fredricka, good morning.

Very well, thank you.

Iraq and Israel very much still on our agenda today. But we're also doing some follow-up coverage on the tragic story we were covering yesterday at this hour of the death of the two Iranian twins in Singapore following the operation to separate them. There will be a memorial service, we're told, today. There actually was a brief service this morning.

They are now, of course, tragically dead, but they are also separate. There were two separate coffins brought to a mosque in central Singapore this morning and we're told there'll be a private memorial service for them in Singapore attended by some of their family, relatives and other Iranians who are there in Singapore mourning them.

Of course, their home country, Iran, now awaiting the return of the bodies. We are told that will happen within the next day or two.

We did get some coverage during the day late yesterday from the father, actually, the adoptive father, the man who adopted the conjoined twins when they were very young, brought them up for the 27, 28 years of their lives. He was surprisingly to me, anyway, very, not just sad, as other Iranians were, but actually angry. He was saying that he had thought from the start that they were wrong to do this operation. His phrase, when asked about what had happened, was they took them to Singapore and they killed them which, you know, obviously reflects how sad he is.

But, again, surprisingly angry at the whole situation. Again, not their real father, but the man who had brought them up from birth, basically. So we'll probably get some more coverage of him when the bodies are, in fact, returned to Iran.

You know, the fascination of this story from the start, I think, has been not just about the medical aspects, but what it says about being an individual. You know, these two women were so...

WHITFIELD: The risks, willing to take.

CLINCH: ... determined to be separated, the doctors indicating yesterday that the reason they continued with the operation despite the ability, perhaps, to bring them out and stabilize them was that the sisters had said they wanted to be separated at any cost. And so they continued with the operation even after the first sister died and then tragically the second sister died.

They probably have learned some lessons medically. But the one lesson, I think, from the story is the determination, the bravery, if you want to look at it that way, of these two girls, determined to be separated at any cost.

WHITFIELD: And the doctors made that response to so many people who said why not, why not try to stabilize them at that point and discontinue the operation? But they made it very clear that this was the request that the sisters made.

CLINCH: Again, as all doctors do, apparently they were making it clear they were acting on the wishes of the sisters themselves, which we saw in press conferences in advance of the operation. Their determination was absolutely clear. They wanted to go through with this at any cost. Again, tragically, they lost their lives.

They are now separate. I don't know if that's an ironic ending for it. They are now separate. They will be buried in Iran in their hometown, we're being told, some time next week. They'll be returned within the next day or two.

WHITFIELD: All right. And in addition to that, as well as we're continuing to follow the president and (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

CLINCH: Yes, I'll come back in the 6:00 a.m. hour. We're watching President Bush in South Africa shortly. But the Iraq story, particularly the weapons of mass destruction prewar claims still haunting him and Prime Minister Blair, who we'll watch in the prime minister's question time regular on Wednesday at 7:00 a.m. Both of them still facing questions on that subject, who knew what and when regarding specifically that claim of Iraq trying to buy uranium from Nigeria, which is now being dismissed almost completely by the Bush administration.

Prime Minister Blair still facing some questions on that issue, though.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks, David.

Still the burning questions then.

CLINCH: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate it.

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