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CNN Live At Daybreak

International Wrap, Eye on World

Aired November 12, 2003 - 06:35   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: We've been telling you about that breaking news out of Iraq this morning, more violence; this time against the Italians.
We want to bring in our senior international editor now, David Clinch, to talk with us more about that and what it might mean.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Good morning, Carol.

Well, initially for the Italians, we're hearing at least 12 Italian soldiers killed in Nasiriyah, perhaps more. The building almost completely destroyed. We're trying to get pictures on that.

We're hearing now first reports from the Italian prime minister in Rome speaking to his people there, saying Italy will not be intimidated by those who carried out this attack and is committed to keeping its troops there -- very much in line with what the United States president, George Bush, has been saying.

But regardless of whether they will be intimidated or not, we are being told that in Washington today, L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator in Iraq, is in D.C. today for talks on a rethink -- at least a rethink on the political approach in Iraq, an effort we're told to accelerate the handing over of power to Iraqis either to the Governing Council or perhaps to some other new political entity that could be formed.

Now, the problem there, we're told again by sources in Washington and, coincidentally, Governing Council members in Baghdad, are telling us that part of the problem there is that there is a major disagreement in the administration itself about exactly how fast you should go and who should you hand over to.

COSTELLO: Well, for a lot of good reasons.

CLINCH: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: The Iraqi Governing Council is -- I mean, if they want to, like, let's say, set up an interim president, like, who would that be?

CLINCH: Right. It's what we call or refer to generally as the Karzai factor. Ahmed Karzai in Afghanistan, conveniently, you could say in retrospect, was as good a candidate as possible for a president in Afghanistan. If you tried to apply the same model in Iraq, which we hear they're thinking about, who is the Karzai of Iraq? That person is yet to emerge.

We'll be talking to Iraqi Governing Council members in Iraq today, who are at the (AUDIO GAP) that they are the ones being criticized here. They say that the U.S. administration has a lot of responsibility to bear for even the delay in getting a new constitution, in the delay and training Iraqis to take the place of Americans. So, they say it's at least partially the fault of the U.S. administration.

COSTELLO: Understand. Anything else to tell us about?

CLINCH: Well, we obviously will be in Rome today following up. Berlusconi is saying that they will not be intimidated, but the Italian public has a very serious question in their mind today about the Italian commitment to staying. A lot of these countries now that have committed troops are getting a taste of what Americans have been getting a taste of for months -- their own soldiers being killed out there. And it will be a big public relations problem in Italy.

And President Bush is going to Europe next week in London. A big story we're covering there already, the massive question about security there as anti-Bush protests are brewing for London next week. That will be a big story.

COSTELLO: All right, David Clinch, many thanks.

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 November 12, 2003 - 06:35   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We've been telling you about that breaking news out of Iraq this morning, more violence; this time against the Italians.
We want to bring in our senior international editor now, David Clinch, to talk with us more about that and what it might mean.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Good morning, Carol.

Well, initially for the Italians, we're hearing at least 12 Italian soldiers killed in Nasiriyah, perhaps more. The building almost completely destroyed. We're trying to get pictures on that.

We're hearing now first reports from the Italian prime minister in Rome speaking to his people there, saying Italy will not be intimidated by those who carried out this attack and is committed to keeping its troops there -- very much in line with what the United States president, George Bush, has been saying.

But regardless of whether they will be intimidated or not, we are being told that in Washington today, L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator in Iraq, is in D.C. today for talks on a rethink -- at least a rethink on the political approach in Iraq, an effort we're told to accelerate the handing over of power to Iraqis either to the Governing Council or perhaps to some other new political entity that could be formed.

Now, the problem there, we're told again by sources in Washington and, coincidentally, Governing Council members in Baghdad, are telling us that part of the problem there is that there is a major disagreement in the administration itself about exactly how fast you should go and who should you hand over to.

COSTELLO: Well, for a lot of good reasons.

CLINCH: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: The Iraqi Governing Council is -- I mean, if they want to, like, let's say, set up an interim president, like, who would that be?

CLINCH: Right. It's what we call or refer to generally as the Karzai factor. Ahmed Karzai in Afghanistan, conveniently, you could say in retrospect, was as good a candidate as possible for a president in Afghanistan. If you tried to apply the same model in Iraq, which we hear they're thinking about, who is the Karzai of Iraq? That person is yet to emerge.

We'll be talking to Iraqi Governing Council members in Iraq today, who are at the (AUDIO GAP) that they are the ones being criticized here. They say that the U.S. administration has a lot of responsibility to bear for even the delay in getting a new constitution, in the delay and training Iraqis to take the place of Americans. So, they say it's at least partially the fault of the U.S. administration.

COSTELLO: Understand. Anything else to tell us about?

CLINCH: Well, we obviously will be in Rome today following up. Berlusconi is saying that they will not be intimidated, but the Italian public has a very serious question in their mind today about the Italian commitment to staying. A lot of these countries now that have committed troops are getting a taste of what Americans have been getting a taste of for months -- their own soldiers being killed out there. And it will be a big public relations problem in Italy.

And President Bush is going to Europe next week in London. A big story we're covering there already, the massive question about security there as anti-Bush protests are brewing for London next week. That will be a big story.

COSTELLO: All right, David Clinch, many thanks.

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.