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CNN Live At Daybreak
Saddam's Daughters Taking Refuge in Jordan
Aired August 01, 2003 - 06:05 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: Throughout the war and even afterward, we haven't heard much about the Saddam women. Well, we now know that two of his daughters are in Jordan, along with their nine children. The questions this morning: Why has Jordan allowed them in, and who will eventually grant them asylum?
Live on the phone from Amman, Jane Arraf.
Good morning -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.
Jordanian officials say the daughters and the grandchildren -- as you mentioned, nine of Saddam's grandchildren -- can stay here, essentially as long as they want under Jordanian protection. Now, they were allowed to come in, a source close to the family tells us, because simply they asked. They needed protection, and they asked to come, and there was no way the royal family could say no, according to these people. It's an Arab custom, particularly if they're women and children. If they ask for refuge, if they ask for protection, it really is very difficult for a government, a family, a tribe -- anything of the sort -- to say no to that sort of request, and that's essentially what's happened.
Now, the Jordanian government, which is, of course, apart from the Jordanian ruling family which has brought them in, has made clear that it supports the decision, but it was a humanitarian decision and doesn't have anything to do with politics. Of course, they are Saddam's daughters, so you can't completely divorce politics from this, but the main way they're being looked at is two women who have had a horrible time, their husbands killed, their brothers killed last week, women and children in need indeed of protection -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And, of course, their husbands were killed by Uday and Qusay Hussein on orders from their father. And the United States, you know, it doesn't really think that these women know much about Saddam's whereabouts. The question I have for you this morning: Will they stay in Jordan, or will they request asylum elsewhere?
ARRAF: They haven't requested asylum elsewhere, as far as we know, and when you think about it, there really aren't a lot of places, that they would probably want to go where they would be treated as well as there in Jordan. This really is more like a second home. Jordan is essentially the gateway to Iraq, and there's probably nowhere where they would feel safer, and there is certainly nowhere where they would be more protected. Now, in the past, Kurdish leaders in northern Iraq have said they would give them refuge, but that's really not the same as being taken in by the royal family of Jordan. And they probably likely will stay here and try to rebuild their lives, if there is any such thing after such a horrible experience over the last few years. But there is no talk that they're seeking asylum anywhere else at the moment -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jane Arraf reporting live for us by phone from Amman, Jordan, 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 August 1, 2003 - 06:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Throughout the war and even afterward, we haven't heard much about the Saddam women. Well, we now know that two of his daughters are in Jordan, along with their nine children. The questions this morning: Why has Jordan allowed them in, and who will eventually grant them asylum?
Live on the phone from Amman, Jane Arraf.
Good morning -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.
Jordanian officials say the daughters and the grandchildren -- as you mentioned, nine of Saddam's grandchildren -- can stay here, essentially as long as they want under Jordanian protection. Now, they were allowed to come in, a source close to the family tells us, because simply they asked. They needed protection, and they asked to come, and there was no way the royal family could say no, according to these people. It's an Arab custom, particularly if they're women and children. If they ask for refuge, if they ask for protection, it really is very difficult for a government, a family, a tribe -- anything of the sort -- to say no to that sort of request, and that's essentially what's happened.
Now, the Jordanian government, which is, of course, apart from the Jordanian ruling family which has brought them in, has made clear that it supports the decision, but it was a humanitarian decision and doesn't have anything to do with politics. Of course, they are Saddam's daughters, so you can't completely divorce politics from this, but the main way they're being looked at is two women who have had a horrible time, their husbands killed, their brothers killed last week, women and children in need indeed of protection -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And, of course, their husbands were killed by Uday and Qusay Hussein on orders from their father. And the United States, you know, it doesn't really think that these women know much about Saddam's whereabouts. The question I have for you this morning: Will they stay in Jordan, or will they request asylum elsewhere?
ARRAF: They haven't requested asylum elsewhere, as far as we know, and when you think about it, there really aren't a lot of places, that they would probably want to go where they would be treated as well as there in Jordan. This really is more like a second home. Jordan is essentially the gateway to Iraq, and there's probably nowhere where they would feel safer, and there is certainly nowhere where they would be more protected. Now, in the past, Kurdish leaders in northern Iraq have said they would give them refuge, but that's really not the same as being taken in by the royal family of Jordan. And they probably likely will stay here and try to rebuild their lives, if there is any such thing after such a horrible experience over the last few years. But there is no talk that they're seeking asylum anywhere else at the moment -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jane Arraf reporting live for us by phone from Amman, Jordan, 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.
