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American Morning

Iraqi Self-Rule

Aired September 24, 2003 - 07:07   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: One thing that President Bush is saying is that the United States will not be pushed into turning over control of Iraq too quickly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The primary goal of our coalition in Iraq is self-government for the people of Iraq, reached by orderly and democratic process. This process must unfold according to the needs of Iraqis, neither hurried nor delayed by the wishes of other parties.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The Iraqi minister of Public Works, Nasreen Barwari, agrees that Iraq is not ready for self-rule. She joins us now live from the Pentagon.

Good morning.

NASREEN BARWARI, IRAQI MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS: Good morning.

COSTELLO: The minister of Public Works, you've got to have the hardest job in the world these days.

BARWARI: I do, but it's also work that keeps me in touch with all of the Iraqis across the country. Progress is made in Iraq by the virtue of my appointment for the cabinet. This is a progress, and much more work has been done and much more needs to be done. We're talking about...

COSTELLO: Well, you know, we hear all of the bad things. We hear about the looting, we hear about the killing, we hear about there being no electricity. Tell us something good. How many people have electricity to depend on 24 hours a day in Iraq?

BARWARI: Well, we have to always remember that neglect on public services is something we all inherited after (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Iraq did not have a good public service or essential services met. So, all we're busy doing now in the cabinet is really restoring to pre-war levels. So, even though the percentage of coverage is not high, but we're working on it.

And that's why we need the help of the international community. We need the help from the U.S. government. We need the supplements, so that we can achieve the coverage that the Iraqi people deserve that will contribute to the stability and the progress. COSTELLO: Is the Iraqi Governing Council prepared to take total control right now?

BARWARI: Iraqi people have to be in the driving seat. However, we need help.

COSTELLO: So, that means it's not ready.

BARWARI: Well, we are a country of scientists and engineers, and there is a lot of skills and capacity there. It needs to be supported and helped through the process.

COSTELLO: Ahmad Chalabi, he was at the United Nations in New York. In fact, he may be still here. He says that the Iraqi Governing Council should take control right now. France thinks it should take control in a couple of months. What do you think? What's a timetable? Can we set a timetable?

BARWARI: We need to be involved in the process of the reconstruction of our country. We need to be involved in the decision-making and the implementation. And our decisions should be developed jointly with the coalition and the coalition provisional authority.

COSTELLO: So -- I don't know. I didn't hear a timetable in there. So, is there -- will it be a year? Will it be two years? Can it be six months?

BARWARI: Well, I don't like to give any timetable. All I'm saying if progress is made, empowerment for the Iraqis is happening with each day, and I think we have a lot of hope for the very near transit of authority.

COSTELLO: Well, Ahmed Chalabi is here saying that total control needs to be turned over to the Iraqi Governing Council. Might that create a rift within the Governing Council? And has it created a rift between Chalabi and President Bush?

BARWARI: Well, I think if both sides talk to each other and look for ways of engagement in ways that satisfy the Iraqi people, and also satisfy the American policy-makers who are involved in the reconstruction of Iraq.

COSTELLO: All right, Nasreem Barwari, minister of Public Works for Iraq and a member of the Governing Council there, many thanks.

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 24, 2003 - 07:07   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: One thing that President Bush is saying is that the United States will not be pushed into turning over control of Iraq too quickly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The primary goal of our coalition in Iraq is self-government for the people of Iraq, reached by orderly and democratic process. This process must unfold according to the needs of Iraqis, neither hurried nor delayed by the wishes of other parties.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The Iraqi minister of Public Works, Nasreen Barwari, agrees that Iraq is not ready for self-rule. She joins us now live from the Pentagon.

Good morning.

NASREEN BARWARI, IRAQI MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS: Good morning.

COSTELLO: The minister of Public Works, you've got to have the hardest job in the world these days.

BARWARI: I do, but it's also work that keeps me in touch with all of the Iraqis across the country. Progress is made in Iraq by the virtue of my appointment for the cabinet. This is a progress, and much more work has been done and much more needs to be done. We're talking about...

COSTELLO: Well, you know, we hear all of the bad things. We hear about the looting, we hear about the killing, we hear about there being no electricity. Tell us something good. How many people have electricity to depend on 24 hours a day in Iraq?

BARWARI: Well, we have to always remember that neglect on public services is something we all inherited after (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Iraq did not have a good public service or essential services met. So, all we're busy doing now in the cabinet is really restoring to pre-war levels. So, even though the percentage of coverage is not high, but we're working on it.

And that's why we need the help of the international community. We need the help from the U.S. government. We need the supplements, so that we can achieve the coverage that the Iraqi people deserve that will contribute to the stability and the progress. COSTELLO: Is the Iraqi Governing Council prepared to take total control right now?

BARWARI: Iraqi people have to be in the driving seat. However, we need help.

COSTELLO: So, that means it's not ready.

BARWARI: Well, we are a country of scientists and engineers, and there is a lot of skills and capacity there. It needs to be supported and helped through the process.

COSTELLO: Ahmad Chalabi, he was at the United Nations in New York. In fact, he may be still here. He says that the Iraqi Governing Council should take control right now. France thinks it should take control in a couple of months. What do you think? What's a timetable? Can we set a timetable?

BARWARI: We need to be involved in the process of the reconstruction of our country. We need to be involved in the decision-making and the implementation. And our decisions should be developed jointly with the coalition and the coalition provisional authority.

COSTELLO: So -- I don't know. I didn't hear a timetable in there. So, is there -- will it be a year? Will it be two years? Can it be six months?

BARWARI: Well, I don't like to give any timetable. All I'm saying if progress is made, empowerment for the Iraqis is happening with each day, and I think we have a lot of hope for the very near transit of authority.

COSTELLO: Well, Ahmed Chalabi is here saying that total control needs to be turned over to the Iraqi Governing Council. Might that create a rift within the Governing Council? And has it created a rift between Chalabi and President Bush?

BARWARI: Well, I think if both sides talk to each other and look for ways of engagement in ways that satisfy the Iraqi people, and also satisfy the American policy-makers who are involved in the reconstruction of Iraq.

COSTELLO: All right, Nasreem Barwari, minister of Public Works for Iraq and a member of the Governing Council there, many thanks.

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