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CNN Live At Daybreak

'International News Desk'

Aired November 11, 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: General Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will be a guest on AMERICAN MORNING today to talk about the situation in Iraq. Of course, as I said, that starts at 7:00 Eastern. And General Myers will be there around 7:15 this morning.
General Myers is likely to touch on Veteran's Day. Our international desk already is following just how U.S. troops in Iraq are handling this day.

Our senior international editor, David Clinch, is here to talk about that -- good morning.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Carol, good morning.

This is a day on which wars past meet wars present. We've been looking at some material shot today in Baghdad of U.S. troops marking Veteran's Day. It's also, of course, Armistice Day. British troops in Britain will be marking Armistice today. But watching some of this material coming in from Baghdad this morning, the 1st Infantry Division marking Veteran's Day there, listening to what some of the soldiers are saying, that one particular soldier remembering his own grandfather, who died in the First World War from mustard gas.

A fascinating story. This soldier outlining that when his grandfather died, they found a huge bank account, $75,000, something like that. His grandfather had been receiving something like $13 a month for all of these years because he had been a victim of mustard gas in the First World War. This account had gone on unnoticed for years and they found the $75,000.

That soldier indicating what that meant to him personally, but also talking about what those wars past means to him now, being out there fighting in Iraq, and asking his colleagues to remember that, in his words, they're all part of something larger than ourselves. He said they are on the forefront of freedom and liberty.

Now, what's interesting about that is that is exactly the vision of the war in Iraq that President Bush has outlined recently; Colin Powell, also, yesterday; and Prime Minister Blair last night in London; all outlining this vision of the war in Iraq and the war on terror, which they, of course, see as the same thing, being part of that tradition of fighting for freedom and liberty.

Not everybody agrees with that, of course. As we've seen Prime Minister Blair already noting the fact that it's inevitable that there will be protests against President Bush when he turns up in London next week.

But from the point of view of the Bush administration and for most of the U.S. troops there at that ceremony in Baghdad today, they see themselves as part of that continuing tradition -- First World War, Second World War, Korea, Vietnam and beyond -- all part of fighting for a freedom and liberty that they believe in.

The question, of course, of whether the war in Iraq and the war on terror are the same thing becoming more interesting. We heard General Sanchez, the leader of the ground forces there in Iraq today, indicating that they have at least 20 suspected al Qaeda operatives in their custody in Iraq who have been captured, he says, amongst hundreds who they believe are now in the country. They've captured about 20. They're still questioning them, looking into exactly what they're affiliations are. But, again, confirming that from the U.S. military point of view, al Qaeda is there in Iraq.

COSTELLO: Yes, but did al Qaeda come in after the...

CLINCH: Right, well...

COSTELLO: ... end of active combat or...

CLINCH: Of course, another serious question, which we will continue to look at, about whether al Qaeda links were there before, as were claimed, or whether that's, in fact, something that has been created by the occupation. The fact is now the U.S. says al Qaeda is there. And, of course, al Qaeda now claiming responsibility for the attack in Saudi Arabia.

So war on terror, war in Iraq, part of the war for the age of liberty that President Bush has outlooked in his foreign policy speech.

COSTELLO: All right, David Clinch, many thanks.

We appreciate it.

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 November 11, 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: General Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will be a guest on AMERICAN MORNING today to talk about the situation in Iraq. Of course, as I said, that starts at 7:00 Eastern. And General Myers will be there around 7:15 this morning.
General Myers is likely to touch on Veteran's Day. Our international desk already is following just how U.S. troops in Iraq are handling this day.

Our senior international editor, David Clinch, is here to talk about that -- good morning.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Carol, good morning.

This is a day on which wars past meet wars present. We've been looking at some material shot today in Baghdad of U.S. troops marking Veteran's Day. It's also, of course, Armistice Day. British troops in Britain will be marking Armistice today. But watching some of this material coming in from Baghdad this morning, the 1st Infantry Division marking Veteran's Day there, listening to what some of the soldiers are saying, that one particular soldier remembering his own grandfather, who died in the First World War from mustard gas.

A fascinating story. This soldier outlining that when his grandfather died, they found a huge bank account, $75,000, something like that. His grandfather had been receiving something like $13 a month for all of these years because he had been a victim of mustard gas in the First World War. This account had gone on unnoticed for years and they found the $75,000.

That soldier indicating what that meant to him personally, but also talking about what those wars past means to him now, being out there fighting in Iraq, and asking his colleagues to remember that, in his words, they're all part of something larger than ourselves. He said they are on the forefront of freedom and liberty.

Now, what's interesting about that is that is exactly the vision of the war in Iraq that President Bush has outlined recently; Colin Powell, also, yesterday; and Prime Minister Blair last night in London; all outlining this vision of the war in Iraq and the war on terror, which they, of course, see as the same thing, being part of that tradition of fighting for freedom and liberty.

Not everybody agrees with that, of course. As we've seen Prime Minister Blair already noting the fact that it's inevitable that there will be protests against President Bush when he turns up in London next week.

But from the point of view of the Bush administration and for most of the U.S. troops there at that ceremony in Baghdad today, they see themselves as part of that continuing tradition -- First World War, Second World War, Korea, Vietnam and beyond -- all part of fighting for a freedom and liberty that they believe in.

The question, of course, of whether the war in Iraq and the war on terror are the same thing becoming more interesting. We heard General Sanchez, the leader of the ground forces there in Iraq today, indicating that they have at least 20 suspected al Qaeda operatives in their custody in Iraq who have been captured, he says, amongst hundreds who they believe are now in the country. They've captured about 20. They're still questioning them, looking into exactly what they're affiliations are. But, again, confirming that from the U.S. military point of view, al Qaeda is there in Iraq.

COSTELLO: Yes, but did al Qaeda come in after the...

CLINCH: Right, well...

COSTELLO: ... end of active combat or...

CLINCH: Of course, another serious question, which we will continue to look at, about whether al Qaeda links were there before, as were claimed, or whether that's, in fact, something that has been created by the occupation. The fact is now the U.S. says al Qaeda is there. And, of course, al Qaeda now claiming responsibility for the attack in Saudi Arabia.

So war on terror, war in Iraq, part of the war for the age of liberty that President Bush has outlooked in his foreign policy speech.

COSTELLO: All right, David Clinch, many thanks.

We appreciate it.

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