Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

International News Desk

Aired September 17, 2003 - 05:37   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: The U.S. has angered the Arab world by vetoing a U.N. resolution to protect Yasser Arafat from Israel. But Arafat does have something to feel good about.
Our senior international editor David Clinch joins us to tell us what that might be.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Well, he feels good about the fact that he's still the center of attention. We've been talking about this for the last few days or so. The Israelis, in many people's opinion, making a serious miscalculation by talking about not just exiling him, which they've been talking about for a long time, but then talking about killing him. The U.S., actually, the irony here is actually wanted to support a resolution at least mildly condemning Israel for threatening to kill Arafat.

But they were left really with no choice. The Palestinian resolution in the form that it was put forward and supported by the Arabs did not do anything to include reference to Palestinian terrorism, Palestinian attacks on Israelis. And the Americans, you know, for all of their desire to not have Arafat be the center of attention or have Israel threatening to kill him, couldn't put themselves in the situation of supporting a resolution that was not balanced in that way. And so...

COSTELLO: So how might this affect the rest of the Arab world, that the United States didn't vote for this resolution?

CLINCH: Well, it -- in two ways. It keeps Arafat at the center of attention and that is, I suppose, what he's happy about. He said this morning in a press conference here it doesn't matter, we -- and by we he means him -- we are more important than any resolution. Well, you know, he wasn't a few days ago and a few weeks ago, before everybody started talking about him again. He was on the sidelines.

No longer on the sidelines. He's still holed up in his headquarters in Ramallah and probably politically speaking, at least, relatively happy to be that way.

COSTELLO: Relatively.

CLINCH: As a human being he may not be that happy. I mean he is stuck in this place. He's been there for, oh, I don't know, more than a year, well more than a year now. You know, he has a wife and a child. I'm not...

COSTELLO: But they're not even in the country, are they? CLINCH: They're in Paris, probably living in quite some luxury. But, nevertheless, I mean, you know, whatever you think about him, he has not seen his wife or child for more than a year. But on the political side, he is the center of attention again and there's not much that's going to change that right now.

COSTELLO: But by not voting for this resolution, doesn't that or might that make other Arab countries angry, angrier at the United States?

CLINCH: Io would think so. And when you're looking at a situation where the U.S. is determined or desperate to get better help and cooperation from Syria, Iran, other countries, in relation to terrorism, or just simply help in regard to Iraq, this does not sit well, you know?

And behind Iraq right from the start, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the center of attention for Arab countries. And it still is right now. And they are not happy with the U.S. for vetoing it, even though, of course, they probably understand why they couldn't support it so.

COSTELLO: I understand.

What else do you have?

CLINCH: Well, we've got lots of great stories out there today. On the lighter side, you can take your choice, basically. There's a story in Moscow today we're following of a Russian ballerina at the Bolshoi who's been fired because her boss said she was too fat.

COSTELLO: What?

CLINCH: The male ballerinas couldn't pick her up anymore. We'll get some more on that later on.

COSTELLO: Now, how fat are we talking? I mean what...

CLINCH: And then another story I like, Princess -- well, I don't know. I don't know.

COSTELLO: You don't know what her weight is?

CLINCH: She looks pretty light to me but, you know, we'll get some more pictures on that later on.

And then another story, a woman who probably won't have any trouble being picked up, Princess Stephanie of Monaco.

COSTELLO: Oh, my.

CLINCH: Princess Grace's daughter has married a -- her lover of some time, an acrobat, a Portuguese acrobat who works in the -- there he is -- who works in the...

COSTELLO: Isn't that her second circus lover? CLINCH: Yes, she used to go out with his boss, who ran the circus in Switzerland. She lives not in Monaco, but in some kind of luxury mobile home in Switzerland and follows the circus. She used to go out with his boss then married him. That's him on the bottom of that. That's his brother on the top. That's him there with Princess Stephanie. And they've just got married. She, the rumors in the British -- in the European papers are that she's pregnant again. That would be her fourth child, two by a bodyguard she used to go out with, another by she won't say who, but possibly another bodyguard. That's the rumor. And now perhaps by the circus man so.

COSTELLO: You're really into this story, aren't you?

CLINCH: I like that one. Well, we'll get some more on that story later today.

COSTELLO: Thank you, David.

We appreciate it.

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 September 17, 2003 - 05:37   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. has angered the Arab world by vetoing a U.N. resolution to protect Yasser Arafat from Israel. But Arafat does have something to feel good about.
Our senior international editor David Clinch joins us to tell us what that might be.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Well, he feels good about the fact that he's still the center of attention. We've been talking about this for the last few days or so. The Israelis, in many people's opinion, making a serious miscalculation by talking about not just exiling him, which they've been talking about for a long time, but then talking about killing him. The U.S., actually, the irony here is actually wanted to support a resolution at least mildly condemning Israel for threatening to kill Arafat.

But they were left really with no choice. The Palestinian resolution in the form that it was put forward and supported by the Arabs did not do anything to include reference to Palestinian terrorism, Palestinian attacks on Israelis. And the Americans, you know, for all of their desire to not have Arafat be the center of attention or have Israel threatening to kill him, couldn't put themselves in the situation of supporting a resolution that was not balanced in that way. And so...

COSTELLO: So how might this affect the rest of the Arab world, that the United States didn't vote for this resolution?

CLINCH: Well, it -- in two ways. It keeps Arafat at the center of attention and that is, I suppose, what he's happy about. He said this morning in a press conference here it doesn't matter, we -- and by we he means him -- we are more important than any resolution. Well, you know, he wasn't a few days ago and a few weeks ago, before everybody started talking about him again. He was on the sidelines.

No longer on the sidelines. He's still holed up in his headquarters in Ramallah and probably politically speaking, at least, relatively happy to be that way.

COSTELLO: Relatively.

CLINCH: As a human being he may not be that happy. I mean he is stuck in this place. He's been there for, oh, I don't know, more than a year, well more than a year now. You know, he has a wife and a child. I'm not...

COSTELLO: But they're not even in the country, are they? CLINCH: They're in Paris, probably living in quite some luxury. But, nevertheless, I mean, you know, whatever you think about him, he has not seen his wife or child for more than a year. But on the political side, he is the center of attention again and there's not much that's going to change that right now.

COSTELLO: But by not voting for this resolution, doesn't that or might that make other Arab countries angry, angrier at the United States?

CLINCH: Io would think so. And when you're looking at a situation where the U.S. is determined or desperate to get better help and cooperation from Syria, Iran, other countries, in relation to terrorism, or just simply help in regard to Iraq, this does not sit well, you know?

And behind Iraq right from the start, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the center of attention for Arab countries. And it still is right now. And they are not happy with the U.S. for vetoing it, even though, of course, they probably understand why they couldn't support it so.

COSTELLO: I understand.

What else do you have?

CLINCH: Well, we've got lots of great stories out there today. On the lighter side, you can take your choice, basically. There's a story in Moscow today we're following of a Russian ballerina at the Bolshoi who's been fired because her boss said she was too fat.

COSTELLO: What?

CLINCH: The male ballerinas couldn't pick her up anymore. We'll get some more on that later on.

COSTELLO: Now, how fat are we talking? I mean what...

CLINCH: And then another story I like, Princess -- well, I don't know. I don't know.

COSTELLO: You don't know what her weight is?

CLINCH: She looks pretty light to me but, you know, we'll get some more pictures on that later on.

And then another story, a woman who probably won't have any trouble being picked up, Princess Stephanie of Monaco.

COSTELLO: Oh, my.

CLINCH: Princess Grace's daughter has married a -- her lover of some time, an acrobat, a Portuguese acrobat who works in the -- there he is -- who works in the...

COSTELLO: Isn't that her second circus lover? CLINCH: Yes, she used to go out with his boss, who ran the circus in Switzerland. She lives not in Monaco, but in some kind of luxury mobile home in Switzerland and follows the circus. She used to go out with his boss then married him. That's him on the bottom of that. That's his brother on the top. That's him there with Princess Stephanie. And they've just got married. She, the rumors in the British -- in the European papers are that she's pregnant again. That would be her fourth child, two by a bodyguard she used to go out with, another by she won't say who, but possibly another bodyguard. That's the rumor. And now perhaps by the circus man so.

COSTELLO: You're really into this story, aren't you?

CLINCH: I like that one. Well, we'll get some more on that story later today.

COSTELLO: Thank you, David.

We appreciate it.

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