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CNN Live At Daybreak

International Wrap, Eye on World

Aired July 17, 2003 - 06:35   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: So, as the American president and the British prime minister mull over Iraq, the trouble, the sporadic violence continues there. The question: Who is to blame?
Our international desk is working on several angles. David Clinch joins us now.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes, good morning, Carol.

We spoke earlier about the opportunity we're taking today with Tony Blair's visit to Washington today and with George Tenet's appearance in front of a committee yesterday in Washington to look overall at the claims on weapons of mass destruction -- the pre-war weapons of mass destruction. But another issue, one that's being sort of swept to the background to some extent, is the pre-war claims of a link between Iraq and al Qaeda.

Now, you have to remember, you know, it's hard to remember now, but the whole move towards a war in Iraq was in the context of the war on terror. And one of the key justifications were claims which were controversial and complicated at the time of links between -- at the time before the war of links between al Qaeda and Iraq, suggestions that an al Qaeda-linked group, a group that is and was linked to al Qaeda operating in northern Iraq outside of Saddam Hussein's control may have had some links, visits, to Baghdad, maybe some links or just the potential that their being so close to Baghdad might give them access to weapons of mass destruction, suggestions, claims, that Iraq had harbored or had visits from al Qaeda leaders or top operatives in Baghdad.

All of those things are a matter of dispute. There certainly had been no evidence that has been presented to this point that gives you any more than a suggestion of some sketchy links.

COSTELLO: But there's kind of a new twist on that now.

CLINCH: Well, there are various twists to the investigation back to the pre-war claims, but the most interesting twist, of course, now is that the U.S. military in Iraq and U.S. officials here are indicating that there may in fact be al Qaeda links to the attack happening now against U.S. forces. And we've heard this mentioned -- not confirmed. Nobody is claiming that this is confirmed. But beneath this, though, I think it has to be made clear that nobody is suggesting that these al Qaeda people were there before the war.

And that creates something of an irony, because if there are al Qaeda people who are now being attracted to Iraq and who are now in Iraq attacking U.S. forces -- and our terror expert, Peter Bergen, pointed out this possibility -- Iraq has to be the No. 1 magnet for al Qaeda at the moment. We don't know whether they're there, but the irony of the suggestion that they may be coming to Iraq now, of course, is another question that we'll be looking at during the...

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: And killing Americans there.

CLINCH: Exactly.

COSTELLO: All right, David Clinch, 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 July 17, 2003 - 06:35   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: So, as the American president and the British prime minister mull over Iraq, the trouble, the sporadic violence continues there. The question: Who is to blame?
Our international desk is working on several angles. David Clinch joins us now.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes, good morning, Carol.

We spoke earlier about the opportunity we're taking today with Tony Blair's visit to Washington today and with George Tenet's appearance in front of a committee yesterday in Washington to look overall at the claims on weapons of mass destruction -- the pre-war weapons of mass destruction. But another issue, one that's being sort of swept to the background to some extent, is the pre-war claims of a link between Iraq and al Qaeda.

Now, you have to remember, you know, it's hard to remember now, but the whole move towards a war in Iraq was in the context of the war on terror. And one of the key justifications were claims which were controversial and complicated at the time of links between -- at the time before the war of links between al Qaeda and Iraq, suggestions that an al Qaeda-linked group, a group that is and was linked to al Qaeda operating in northern Iraq outside of Saddam Hussein's control may have had some links, visits, to Baghdad, maybe some links or just the potential that their being so close to Baghdad might give them access to weapons of mass destruction, suggestions, claims, that Iraq had harbored or had visits from al Qaeda leaders or top operatives in Baghdad.

All of those things are a matter of dispute. There certainly had been no evidence that has been presented to this point that gives you any more than a suggestion of some sketchy links.

COSTELLO: But there's kind of a new twist on that now.

CLINCH: Well, there are various twists to the investigation back to the pre-war claims, but the most interesting twist, of course, now is that the U.S. military in Iraq and U.S. officials here are indicating that there may in fact be al Qaeda links to the attack happening now against U.S. forces. And we've heard this mentioned -- not confirmed. Nobody is claiming that this is confirmed. But beneath this, though, I think it has to be made clear that nobody is suggesting that these al Qaeda people were there before the war.

And that creates something of an irony, because if there are al Qaeda people who are now being attracted to Iraq and who are now in Iraq attacking U.S. forces -- and our terror expert, Peter Bergen, pointed out this possibility -- Iraq has to be the No. 1 magnet for al Qaeda at the moment. We don't know whether they're there, but the irony of the suggestion that they may be coming to Iraq now, of course, is another question that we'll be looking at during the...

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: And killing Americans there.

CLINCH: Exactly.

COSTELLO: All right, David Clinch, 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.