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CNN Live At Daybreak

International News Desk

Aired August 14, 2003 - 05:52   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: Of course, we're following several international stories throughout the day here on CNN. So let's see what's going on right now.
Our senior international editor, David Clinch, is here, and of course the big story this morning Liberia.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes. Good morning, Carol.

A busy night, a busy morning for us this morning. Incredible exclusive CNN coverage from Liberia of another contingent, a larger, a much larger contingent now, of up to 200 U.S. Marines arriving in Liberia. Not a complete surprise. But as our two reporters there, Gaven Morris and Jeff Koinange have been making clear, the U.S. has been a little bit to and fro on this in recent days. Colin Powell saying maybe there would be more troops, but probably not a lot. Well, it depends on your definition of a lot.

But 200 new U.S. troops on the ground. They'll mostly stay here at the airport. We see some pictures of them there deploying at the airport. A contingent of them now heading down to the seaport, though, and that's a key goal for them during the day today and tomorrow to help the West Africans there open up that seaport and, again, remember, the real point here, opening up the airport, opening up the seaport to get food aid, medical aid in for the hundreds of thousands of people in Liberia who are suffering.

COSTELLO: And Americans are also securing the waters off of Liberia's shore, too.

CLINCH: Absolutely, the ships, you know, and to a certain degree it's symbolic. But every, as every day goes by, more U.S. troops on the ground, the involvement is deeper. Colin Powell and others, though, very aware the deeper the involvement, the higher the level of responsibility. And they're trying to play it very carefully here.

But our reporters making it clear, you know, everybody remembers Somalia and the troops coming on the beach there. You know, these pictures look like this, but the reception in the streets in Liberia expected to be very different from that which U.S. troops received in Somalia.

So, amazing coverage from Liberia. We'll be on that story all day today.

We're also following up on this deal on the Lockerbie, on PanAm 103. It's a very complicated deal that'll play out or not play out over a series of years with the families finally getting the money they've been demanding. The Libyans finally, apparently, are accepting responsibility for this terrorist act. A lot of interesting aspects to it. Just exactly what kind of responsibility are the Liberians -- Libyans taking, I should say -- and, you know, the question of whether you really ever should do deals with people like Muammar Qaddafi. So we'll be on that story during the day today.

And on Iraq, we've got a press conference coming up from Baghdad within the next hour or so with the commander there of troops on the ground. He's facing some questions not only from us, but from U.S. troops on the ground about these year long rotations they're now having to do and whether they'll actually get to go home at all in that year. It's a tough question. That's around 6:30 or so.

COSTELLO: All right, we'll be right here.

David Clinch, many thanks.

CLINCH: OK.

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 14, 2003 - 05:52   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Of course, we're following several international stories throughout the day here on CNN. So let's see what's going on right now.
Our senior international editor, David Clinch, is here, and of course the big story this morning Liberia.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes. Good morning, Carol.

A busy night, a busy morning for us this morning. Incredible exclusive CNN coverage from Liberia of another contingent, a larger, a much larger contingent now, of up to 200 U.S. Marines arriving in Liberia. Not a complete surprise. But as our two reporters there, Gaven Morris and Jeff Koinange have been making clear, the U.S. has been a little bit to and fro on this in recent days. Colin Powell saying maybe there would be more troops, but probably not a lot. Well, it depends on your definition of a lot.

But 200 new U.S. troops on the ground. They'll mostly stay here at the airport. We see some pictures of them there deploying at the airport. A contingent of them now heading down to the seaport, though, and that's a key goal for them during the day today and tomorrow to help the West Africans there open up that seaport and, again, remember, the real point here, opening up the airport, opening up the seaport to get food aid, medical aid in for the hundreds of thousands of people in Liberia who are suffering.

COSTELLO: And Americans are also securing the waters off of Liberia's shore, too.

CLINCH: Absolutely, the ships, you know, and to a certain degree it's symbolic. But every, as every day goes by, more U.S. troops on the ground, the involvement is deeper. Colin Powell and others, though, very aware the deeper the involvement, the higher the level of responsibility. And they're trying to play it very carefully here.

But our reporters making it clear, you know, everybody remembers Somalia and the troops coming on the beach there. You know, these pictures look like this, but the reception in the streets in Liberia expected to be very different from that which U.S. troops received in Somalia.

So, amazing coverage from Liberia. We'll be on that story all day today.

We're also following up on this deal on the Lockerbie, on PanAm 103. It's a very complicated deal that'll play out or not play out over a series of years with the families finally getting the money they've been demanding. The Libyans finally, apparently, are accepting responsibility for this terrorist act. A lot of interesting aspects to it. Just exactly what kind of responsibility are the Liberians -- Libyans taking, I should say -- and, you know, the question of whether you really ever should do deals with people like Muammar Qaddafi. So we'll be on that story during the day today.

And on Iraq, we've got a press conference coming up from Baghdad within the next hour or so with the commander there of troops on the ground. He's facing some questions not only from us, but from U.S. troops on the ground about these year long rotations they're now having to do and whether they'll actually get to go home at all in that year. It's a tough question. That's around 6:30 or so.

COSTELLO: All right, we'll be right here.

David Clinch, many thanks.

CLINCH: OK.

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