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CNN Live At Daybreak

International News Desk

Aired August 19, 2003 - 05:35   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: We're going to be following a lot of international stories today, so let's check in with David Clinch, our senior international editor -- good morning, David.
DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Hi, Carol.

Good morning.

Yes, a lot of stories. Iraq still very much top of the agenda, both in Baghdad and in London today, the inquiry there. But in Iraq, you heard L. Paul Bremer, the top U.S. administrator in Iraq there, telling CNN last night that the attacks on the U.S. soldiers and, more importantly, the attacks on the infrastructure there in Iraq, are costing billions, billions of dollars, which, of course, the U.S. and others will have to put up to rebuild that infrastructure.

But one of the interesting things we're hearing more and more reports about is that Islamic militants from all over the region are heading into Iraq to take part in these attacks against the U.S. soldiers, in particular, but also against the infrastructure. Now, we haven't really been able to confirm that, but it's definitely an interesting aspect of the story. Effectively, a Jihad in Iraq against the U.S., something which the Americans have feared since they arrived. Now apparently becoming more and more organized as more of these disaffected militants...

COSTELLO: We always want to say is there anything they can do to stop this, but this kind of thing is very difficult to stop, isn't it?

CLINCH: It is very difficult to stop. Guerrilla wars are always very difficult to stop and they're difficult enough to stop if it's just Saddam loyalists and people like that. But if you've got people flowing into the country from outside, it becomes even more difficult.

COSTELLO: Yes, and it's very hard to secure the borders, too.

CLINCH: Absolutely. And reports we're reading in some of the British newspapers today of an increasing amount of Saudis, young Saudis coming across the border -- probably impossible to police that border properly -- coming in to take part in that fight. So we're watching that very closely.

And another story in the Arab world today, very different, but in some ways related, it's a story we've been following, actually, in Lebanon and Syria for the -- and in Jordan -- for the last few weeks of what is really the equivalent of "American Idol," the show that's so popular here, a show called "Superstar" being shown on Lebanese TV has become immensely popular there. And you wonder how this is related to Iraq.

Well, basically, this is related because it's the other side of the Arab world. This is a brand new thing for the Arab world. You know, it's popular in Europe, popular in America, but this is a fascinating new departure for Arab TV. This became so popular, it's actually competitors from different countries around the Arab world. And the countries themselves got incredibly into this show. There was a riot when the Lebanese contestant was knocked out in the semifinals. The king of Jordan was the first to congratulate the young Jordanian girl that won last night.

COSTELLO: The king of Jordan?

CLINCH: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: Oh.

CLINCH: And she'll apparently meet him in Jordan tomorrow. Now, but, again, you know, the interesting aspect of the story is that it is the new Arab world, not the Arab world...

COSTELLO: Yes, because, you know, we always hear about the evils of Western culture but...

CLINCH: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: But they're borrowing it.

CLINCH: And they may very well be evil. That's not for us to say. But what the point is, really, that there are two Arab worlds right now, the Arab world that is interested in being militant against the United States and the Arab world that's fascinated by pop idol, you know, music, American culture, all of those things. So those two things going on at exactly the same time in the Arab world.

And then one other story that caught my eye, a tragedy, really, in Ireland, where I'm from, obviously. Apparently the government put a new law in place banning happy hours in pubs in Ireland.

COSTELLO: Oh, no.

CLINCH: Well, that's bad enough. Apparently too many people are getting drunk, believe it or not, in Irish pubs. That's bad enough, but apparently there's now also a new law that will come into effect later in the year banning smoking in pubs in Ireland.

COSTELLO: Oh!

CLINCH: So less drinking and no smoking. That's the death of the Irish pub as we know it, unfortunately.

COSTELLO: There could be a revolt.

CLINCH: I know. I may need to go to Ireland to look into this further.

COSTELLO: Oh, thank you, David.

We appreciate it.

CLINCH: All right.

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 19, 2003 - 05:35   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to be following a lot of international stories today, so let's check in with David Clinch, our senior international editor -- good morning, David.
DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Hi, Carol.

Good morning.

Yes, a lot of stories. Iraq still very much top of the agenda, both in Baghdad and in London today, the inquiry there. But in Iraq, you heard L. Paul Bremer, the top U.S. administrator in Iraq there, telling CNN last night that the attacks on the U.S. soldiers and, more importantly, the attacks on the infrastructure there in Iraq, are costing billions, billions of dollars, which, of course, the U.S. and others will have to put up to rebuild that infrastructure.

But one of the interesting things we're hearing more and more reports about is that Islamic militants from all over the region are heading into Iraq to take part in these attacks against the U.S. soldiers, in particular, but also against the infrastructure. Now, we haven't really been able to confirm that, but it's definitely an interesting aspect of the story. Effectively, a Jihad in Iraq against the U.S., something which the Americans have feared since they arrived. Now apparently becoming more and more organized as more of these disaffected militants...

COSTELLO: We always want to say is there anything they can do to stop this, but this kind of thing is very difficult to stop, isn't it?

CLINCH: It is very difficult to stop. Guerrilla wars are always very difficult to stop and they're difficult enough to stop if it's just Saddam loyalists and people like that. But if you've got people flowing into the country from outside, it becomes even more difficult.

COSTELLO: Yes, and it's very hard to secure the borders, too.

CLINCH: Absolutely. And reports we're reading in some of the British newspapers today of an increasing amount of Saudis, young Saudis coming across the border -- probably impossible to police that border properly -- coming in to take part in that fight. So we're watching that very closely.

And another story in the Arab world today, very different, but in some ways related, it's a story we've been following, actually, in Lebanon and Syria for the -- and in Jordan -- for the last few weeks of what is really the equivalent of "American Idol," the show that's so popular here, a show called "Superstar" being shown on Lebanese TV has become immensely popular there. And you wonder how this is related to Iraq.

Well, basically, this is related because it's the other side of the Arab world. This is a brand new thing for the Arab world. You know, it's popular in Europe, popular in America, but this is a fascinating new departure for Arab TV. This became so popular, it's actually competitors from different countries around the Arab world. And the countries themselves got incredibly into this show. There was a riot when the Lebanese contestant was knocked out in the semifinals. The king of Jordan was the first to congratulate the young Jordanian girl that won last night.

COSTELLO: The king of Jordan?

CLINCH: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: Oh.

CLINCH: And she'll apparently meet him in Jordan tomorrow. Now, but, again, you know, the interesting aspect of the story is that it is the new Arab world, not the Arab world...

COSTELLO: Yes, because, you know, we always hear about the evils of Western culture but...

CLINCH: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: But they're borrowing it.

CLINCH: And they may very well be evil. That's not for us to say. But what the point is, really, that there are two Arab worlds right now, the Arab world that is interested in being militant against the United States and the Arab world that's fascinated by pop idol, you know, music, American culture, all of those things. So those two things going on at exactly the same time in the Arab world.

And then one other story that caught my eye, a tragedy, really, in Ireland, where I'm from, obviously. Apparently the government put a new law in place banning happy hours in pubs in Ireland.

COSTELLO: Oh, no.

CLINCH: Well, that's bad enough. Apparently too many people are getting drunk, believe it or not, in Irish pubs. That's bad enough, but apparently there's now also a new law that will come into effect later in the year banning smoking in pubs in Ireland.

COSTELLO: Oh!

CLINCH: So less drinking and no smoking. That's the death of the Irish pub as we know it, unfortunately.

COSTELLO: There could be a revolt.

CLINCH: I know. I may need to go to Ireland to look into this further.

COSTELLO: Oh, thank you, David.

We appreciate it.

CLINCH: All right.

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