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CNN Live At Daybreak

Latest on U.N. Bombing in Baghdad

Aired August 20, 2003 - 05:31   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: Now for the latest on the U.N. bombing in Baghdad. Secretary General Kofi Annan says U.N. staffers will stay in Iraq despite the attack that killed at least 17 people. He actually said that just a few hours ago. He cut short a vacation and he's now on the way back to New York for a meeting later today of the U.N. Security Council.
Now, as I said, just over an hour ago Annan addressed reporters from the Stockholm airport. He spoke of the U.N.'s resolve to continue its mission.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: There are many other United Nations officials who remain in Iraq and we will continue our work. We should not be distracted nor deterred by this senseless and brutal act of violence. Those who killed our colleagues have committed a crime, a crime not only against the United Nations, but against Iraq itself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: But how do his staffers feel?

Let's take you live to Baghdad now and Rym Brahimi -- and, Rym, I understand many of them have been telling you they're not going anywhere, even though they were supposed to leave today or tomorrow.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we understand, Carol, I spoke to the spokesman of Sergio de Mello, who was the U.N. envoy who was killed in the blast yesterday. Salim Lone, his spokesman, said that they've been talking amongst U.N. colleagues, a lot of people who were asked to leave because they were actually planning to have their regular leave, basically, from Iraq, have actually decided that they will not go right now. That's at least what they're saying for the time being.

We also understand that the injured have been carried or are being carried to neighboring Jordan for treatment. But all morning, Carol, we've been seeing relatives of the U.N. workers here, the local Iraqi workers, pouring into the compound, trying to find out what has happened to their loved ones.

It's a very difficult situation to manage and it seems that a lot of people still don't know whether their loved ones are injured or dead and where they would have been taken -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Do we know at all how many people may still be underneath the rubble in that Canal Hotel?

BRAHIMI: It's very difficult to say. We have the impression that there may not be all that many people to be found, at least not alive, and that's because, I don't know if you can see this behind me, but there's been very heavy machinery, bulldozers, basically, sifting through that rubble and when you use heavy machinery, that's usually a sign that there isn't any hope of finding people alive.

The other issue is it doesn't seem that everybody has been accounted for. And for the time being, we're still hearing that at least seven people have been killed, if not more, and close to 100 injured. But, again, there's teams, two military, two U.S. military units working on that. They've been working all along non-stop. They've been trying to find out what they could. And there's also a forensic team that's on the job trying to investigate this bombing -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, you be careful out there.

Rym Brahimi reporting live from Baghdad.

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 20, 2003 - 05:31   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now for the latest on the U.N. bombing in Baghdad. Secretary General Kofi Annan says U.N. staffers will stay in Iraq despite the attack that killed at least 17 people. He actually said that just a few hours ago. He cut short a vacation and he's now on the way back to New York for a meeting later today of the U.N. Security Council.
Now, as I said, just over an hour ago Annan addressed reporters from the Stockholm airport. He spoke of the U.N.'s resolve to continue its mission.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: There are many other United Nations officials who remain in Iraq and we will continue our work. We should not be distracted nor deterred by this senseless and brutal act of violence. Those who killed our colleagues have committed a crime, a crime not only against the United Nations, but against Iraq itself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: But how do his staffers feel?

Let's take you live to Baghdad now and Rym Brahimi -- and, Rym, I understand many of them have been telling you they're not going anywhere, even though they were supposed to leave today or tomorrow.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we understand, Carol, I spoke to the spokesman of Sergio de Mello, who was the U.N. envoy who was killed in the blast yesterday. Salim Lone, his spokesman, said that they've been talking amongst U.N. colleagues, a lot of people who were asked to leave because they were actually planning to have their regular leave, basically, from Iraq, have actually decided that they will not go right now. That's at least what they're saying for the time being.

We also understand that the injured have been carried or are being carried to neighboring Jordan for treatment. But all morning, Carol, we've been seeing relatives of the U.N. workers here, the local Iraqi workers, pouring into the compound, trying to find out what has happened to their loved ones.

It's a very difficult situation to manage and it seems that a lot of people still don't know whether their loved ones are injured or dead and where they would have been taken -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Do we know at all how many people may still be underneath the rubble in that Canal Hotel?

BRAHIMI: It's very difficult to say. We have the impression that there may not be all that many people to be found, at least not alive, and that's because, I don't know if you can see this behind me, but there's been very heavy machinery, bulldozers, basically, sifting through that rubble and when you use heavy machinery, that's usually a sign that there isn't any hope of finding people alive.

The other issue is it doesn't seem that everybody has been accounted for. And for the time being, we're still hearing that at least seven people have been killed, if not more, and close to 100 injured. But, again, there's teams, two military, two U.S. military units working on that. They've been working all along non-stop. They've been trying to find out what they could. And there's also a forensic team that's on the job trying to investigate this bombing -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, you be careful out there.

Rym Brahimi reporting live from Baghdad.

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