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CNN Live At Daybreak

Security Officials in Saudi Arabia Bracing for Another Terrorist Attack

Aired November 10, 2003 - 05:33   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: Security officials in Saudi Arabia are bracing for another terrorist attack. Government sources tell CNN they have deployed thousands of troops to the holy city of Mecca to provide additional security until Ramadan is over. In the meantime, the official death toll from Saturday's car bombing in Riyadh has risen to 17 now. Officials say they expect the number to climb into the mid-20s.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage says al Qaeda is trying to topple the pro-Western Saudi royal family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD ARMITAGE, DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE: It's quite clear to me that al Qaeda wants to take down the royal family and the government of Saudi Arabia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And we're going to take you live to Saudi Arabia in the next hour of CNN DAYBREAK. Saudi Arabia, as I've said, pledges to hunt down the attackers involved in this weekend's suicide bombing in Riyadh.

Our senior international editor, David Clinch, is with us now.

And Richard Armitage also said that the U.S. is willing to help in the investigation.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Right. Although he said it in a very interesting way, Carol. He said that the U.S. is willing to cooperate with the Saudi government if that's what they wish. Now, I'm not sure if that's precisely the words. I'll need to double check on that. But reflecting, I think, it's a coincidence, of course, that he happened to be in Saudi Arabia yesterday. But the point of his visit there to Saudi Arabia, we're told, was to increase the pressure on Saudi Arabia to crack down on these very terrorists who carried out this attack.

And it points out one of the very interesting dynamics that we're seeing playing out in this, our coverage of this story. The United States can't blame Saudi Arabia for being a victim of this very same violence that the United States is a victim of. But, on the other hand, they want to see greater freedom in Saudi Arabia. They want to see Saudi Arabia change itself so that the threat from these fundamentalists in Saudi Arabia to the royal family is removed. So very interesting sort of stance that the United States has to take now. The Saudi government is the victim of the same terror that the United States is, but the U.S. is continuing to put pressure on the Saudi government to change itself.

COSTELLO: Well, the big irony here is many, many Americans feel that Saudi Arabia was coddling members of al Qaeda, or people loyal to al Qaeda.

CLINCH: Right. I know. And...

COSTELLO: And now, supposedly, al Qaeda is attacking Saudi Arabia.

CLINCH: Absolutely. And if you look at the speech that President Bush laid out last week in his grand vision of the age of liberty, the idea that freedom needed to come to these parts of Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, in order to remove the threat of fundamental attacks, it, again, creates this strange position that the United States has to take in regard to Saudi Arabia. They don't want to be seen to be protecting the royal family. But, on the other hand, if the royal family and the upper echelons in the Saudi -- in Saudi Arabia are the victims of terror, they can't ignore that fact, either.

So a very difficult situation for the United States.

COSTELLO: So do you think the Saudis will allow the United States to help?

CLINCH: That'll, that remains to be seen. It's certainly been a problem in the past for the United States. On our front, though, on the media front, there certainly is some progress in the fact that we've been able to get our Nic Robertson into the country. That's something that's been very difficult in the past. They are allowing foreign media in. So we're there today and Nic will be live in the next hour.

COSTELLO: All right, thanks, David Clinch.

CLINCH: OK.

COSTELLO: 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




Terrorist Attack>


Aired November 10, 2003 - 05:33   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Security officials in Saudi Arabia are bracing for another terrorist attack. Government sources tell CNN they have deployed thousands of troops to the holy city of Mecca to provide additional security until Ramadan is over. In the meantime, the official death toll from Saturday's car bombing in Riyadh has risen to 17 now. Officials say they expect the number to climb into the mid-20s.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage says al Qaeda is trying to topple the pro-Western Saudi royal family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD ARMITAGE, DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE: It's quite clear to me that al Qaeda wants to take down the royal family and the government of Saudi Arabia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And we're going to take you live to Saudi Arabia in the next hour of CNN DAYBREAK. Saudi Arabia, as I've said, pledges to hunt down the attackers involved in this weekend's suicide bombing in Riyadh.

Our senior international editor, David Clinch, is with us now.

And Richard Armitage also said that the U.S. is willing to help in the investigation.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Right. Although he said it in a very interesting way, Carol. He said that the U.S. is willing to cooperate with the Saudi government if that's what they wish. Now, I'm not sure if that's precisely the words. I'll need to double check on that. But reflecting, I think, it's a coincidence, of course, that he happened to be in Saudi Arabia yesterday. But the point of his visit there to Saudi Arabia, we're told, was to increase the pressure on Saudi Arabia to crack down on these very terrorists who carried out this attack.

And it points out one of the very interesting dynamics that we're seeing playing out in this, our coverage of this story. The United States can't blame Saudi Arabia for being a victim of this very same violence that the United States is a victim of. But, on the other hand, they want to see greater freedom in Saudi Arabia. They want to see Saudi Arabia change itself so that the threat from these fundamentalists in Saudi Arabia to the royal family is removed. So very interesting sort of stance that the United States has to take now. The Saudi government is the victim of the same terror that the United States is, but the U.S. is continuing to put pressure on the Saudi government to change itself.

COSTELLO: Well, the big irony here is many, many Americans feel that Saudi Arabia was coddling members of al Qaeda, or people loyal to al Qaeda.

CLINCH: Right. I know. And...

COSTELLO: And now, supposedly, al Qaeda is attacking Saudi Arabia.

CLINCH: Absolutely. And if you look at the speech that President Bush laid out last week in his grand vision of the age of liberty, the idea that freedom needed to come to these parts of Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, in order to remove the threat of fundamental attacks, it, again, creates this strange position that the United States has to take in regard to Saudi Arabia. They don't want to be seen to be protecting the royal family. But, on the other hand, if the royal family and the upper echelons in the Saudi -- in Saudi Arabia are the victims of terror, they can't ignore that fact, either.

So a very difficult situation for the United States.

COSTELLO: So do you think the Saudis will allow the United States to help?

CLINCH: That'll, that remains to be seen. It's certainly been a problem in the past for the United States. On our front, though, on the media front, there certainly is some progress in the fact that we've been able to get our Nic Robertson into the country. That's something that's been very difficult in the past. They are allowing foreign media in. So we're there today and Nic will be live in the next hour.

COSTELLO: All right, thanks, David Clinch.

CLINCH: OK.

COSTELLO: 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




Terrorist Attack>