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American Morning

Interview With Hussain al-Shahristani

Aired December 15, 2003 - 09:34   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.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hussain al-Shahristani is seeing Saddam's capture differently than most. he was once Iraq's top nuclear scientists. But in 1979 after refusing to take part in Saddam's weapons program he says he was tortured and thrown in prison for twelve years.
In 1991, al-Sharistani managed to escape. Is now currently the director of Iraqi Refugee Aid Council. He joins us this morning from there. Mr. Shahristani, thank you for joining us. Forgive me for mangling your name there for a moment. Appreciate your time.

And I'm curious to know, what was your reaction when you first -- as someone who was imprisoned and tortured by Saddam Hussein -- when you first got word that he had been captured and he had been captured alive, what was your reaction?

HUSSAIN AL-SHAHRISTANI, FRM. IRAQI NUCLEAR SCIENTIST: Well, this is a day that we have been waiting for over, a million Iraqi families who have lost their loved ones to this regime and to this man have been waiting for this day to see him arrested and put on trial to face his victims and answer their questions.

O'BRIEN: So that's what you would like to see next. You would like him to face trial. Would you like that to be a trial in Iraq, by Iraqi judges?

AL-SHAHRISTANI: Yes, definitely I would like to see him tried in Iraq by Iraqi judges. But I would like to see that process set up by an elected authority, Iraqi authority. I'd like to see the Iraqi people elect their representative in an assembly and that assembly set up a court.

I would like to see a short trial, the same trial that he has put me and many other Iraqis through. I would like that trial to be up to international procedures and standards, and witnessed by the U.N. and other international bodies and the human rights.

But I would like that trial to be done in Iraq, and for him to face his victims, the Iraqi people, and people -- and answer their questions and accusations.

O'BRIEN: Mr. al-Shahristani, I'm curious to know what your reaction was when -- you've heard details about exactly how Saddam Hussein was captured, where he was found, the spider hole, the conditions, the fact that he had a pistol on him and yet never fired a shot. What's your reaction to that? Are you surprised by those details? AL-SHAHRISTANI: I personally was not surprised because I've always felt that he was really a coward person. But the image that he has tried to portray over the years, spending a huge amount of Iraqi wealth on his propaganda machinery, to portray himself as the big hero of the Arabs and the Iraqis and the courageous leader and so on.

It's just shown him what he is in reality, a coward person, surrendering like a rat in a hole, and without even having the courage to use a pistol that was with him.

Now this man has sent more than 1 million Iraqi youth to wars to fight for and die for him. And yet he didn't have the courage to fire a single shot in his own defense.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk a little bit about chemical and biological weapons. Back in February you said that there was this elaborate concealment structure with more than 2,000 special officers trained to move around these sort of tunnels under Baghdad. Right now no indication of that. Where are the weapons of mass destruction? Do you think that, in fact, there will be some found?

AL-SHAHRISTANI: Well, I mean, this is a question really for Saddam to answer now. I mean, based on the information I had at that time talking to some Iraqis who were forced to work on those programs, they told us that there were such weapons around. Not in large quantities, but he did have chemical and biological weapons.

And the fact that he has not used them yet, or till his surrender, is surprising. But I'm still of the opinion that there must be some of these weapons around, and I think one of the questions that the Iraqis would like to find out from him is how much and where and whether they constitute any serious danger to the Iraqi people now.

O'BRIEN: Hussain al-Shahristani joining us this morning from London. Thank you, sire, for your time. 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 December 15, 2003 - 09:34   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hussain al-Shahristani is seeing Saddam's capture differently than most. he was once Iraq's top nuclear scientists. But in 1979 after refusing to take part in Saddam's weapons program he says he was tortured and thrown in prison for twelve years.
In 1991, al-Sharistani managed to escape. Is now currently the director of Iraqi Refugee Aid Council. He joins us this morning from there. Mr. Shahristani, thank you for joining us. Forgive me for mangling your name there for a moment. Appreciate your time.

And I'm curious to know, what was your reaction when you first -- as someone who was imprisoned and tortured by Saddam Hussein -- when you first got word that he had been captured and he had been captured alive, what was your reaction?

HUSSAIN AL-SHAHRISTANI, FRM. IRAQI NUCLEAR SCIENTIST: Well, this is a day that we have been waiting for over, a million Iraqi families who have lost their loved ones to this regime and to this man have been waiting for this day to see him arrested and put on trial to face his victims and answer their questions.

O'BRIEN: So that's what you would like to see next. You would like him to face trial. Would you like that to be a trial in Iraq, by Iraqi judges?

AL-SHAHRISTANI: Yes, definitely I would like to see him tried in Iraq by Iraqi judges. But I would like to see that process set up by an elected authority, Iraqi authority. I'd like to see the Iraqi people elect their representative in an assembly and that assembly set up a court.

I would like to see a short trial, the same trial that he has put me and many other Iraqis through. I would like that trial to be up to international procedures and standards, and witnessed by the U.N. and other international bodies and the human rights.

But I would like that trial to be done in Iraq, and for him to face his victims, the Iraqi people, and people -- and answer their questions and accusations.

O'BRIEN: Mr. al-Shahristani, I'm curious to know what your reaction was when -- you've heard details about exactly how Saddam Hussein was captured, where he was found, the spider hole, the conditions, the fact that he had a pistol on him and yet never fired a shot. What's your reaction to that? Are you surprised by those details? AL-SHAHRISTANI: I personally was not surprised because I've always felt that he was really a coward person. But the image that he has tried to portray over the years, spending a huge amount of Iraqi wealth on his propaganda machinery, to portray himself as the big hero of the Arabs and the Iraqis and the courageous leader and so on.

It's just shown him what he is in reality, a coward person, surrendering like a rat in a hole, and without even having the courage to use a pistol that was with him.

Now this man has sent more than 1 million Iraqi youth to wars to fight for and die for him. And yet he didn't have the courage to fire a single shot in his own defense.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk a little bit about chemical and biological weapons. Back in February you said that there was this elaborate concealment structure with more than 2,000 special officers trained to move around these sort of tunnels under Baghdad. Right now no indication of that. Where are the weapons of mass destruction? Do you think that, in fact, there will be some found?

AL-SHAHRISTANI: Well, I mean, this is a question really for Saddam to answer now. I mean, based on the information I had at that time talking to some Iraqis who were forced to work on those programs, they told us that there were such weapons around. Not in large quantities, but he did have chemical and biological weapons.

And the fact that he has not used them yet, or till his surrender, is surprising. But I'm still of the opinion that there must be some of these weapons around, and I think one of the questions that the Iraqis would like to find out from him is how much and where and whether they constitute any serious danger to the Iraqi people now.

O'BRIEN: Hussain al-Shahristani joining us this morning from London. Thank you, sire, for your time. 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