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CNN Live At Daybreak

International Wrap, Eye on World

Aired December 18, 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: Our International Desk is certainly staying on top of developments in Iraq and elsewhere. Our senior international editor, David Clinch, is here.
Should we start with Princess Diana? That's really fascinating.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes, fascinating stuff -- Princess Diana. Now, the timing, you know, strikes as very interesting on this, because we've been keeping an eye on this court case going on in Scotland -- Mohamed al Fayed, the father of Dodi al Fayed, trying to push in a Scottish court for a full public inquiry into the death of Princess Diana and his son, Dodi, in Paris.

Now, Mohamed al Fayed has his own theories -- I'm not going to repeat them right now -- of who was behind or what caused and what he says was behind the deaths of these two.

This inquiry, though, the timing of it turns out is not necessarily -- certainly not connected to that and not necessarily suspicious or remarkable in any way, other than the fact that the British authorities -- who, being British, stick to the rules -- have been waiting officially for the French inquiry to finish into the deaths. The French inquiry went on for most of last year...

COSTELLO: I thought that was done a long time ago.

CLINCH: Well, officially it finished only a couple of months -- or actually the beginning of November, I believe. Now, that inquiry concluded quite some time ago that the cause of the death was effectively accidental, that the chauffer was drunk at the time and driving too fast.

The inquiry continued, though, to give a full acquittal for the paparazzi, who were chasing the car, effectively relieving them of any guilt in causing the deaths.

Now, again, the British, sticking to the rules, say that is now over. We assume -- or we're told, actually, that they got official notification that that inquiry was finished. Now, they've announced their own. It will begin on January the 6th into the deaths of both. Dodi Fayed was also a British citizen. British law requires that an inquest will take place into the death under similar circumstances...

COSTELLO: So, what exactly will that involve?

CLINCH: Well, this is the thing. We don't know precisely, but what we're being told at this point is that it will be a very different thing from the public inquiry into the circumstances, the entire circumstances, of the deaths that Mohamed al Fayed would want and is pushing for. It would be in some ways a simple inquest into the cause of death, not...

COSTELLO: So, they'll get all the records perhaps from France and...

CLINCH: They would. I mean, to a certain extent what we're being told is that this would primarily be a medical inquest. What caused their deaths? But obviously, in a circumstance like this, in an accident, there always will be an aspect of that which incorporates what caused the accident that caused their deaths.

We just don't know at this point how far beyond that investigation of the simple accident and cause of death that they will go.

But very interesting stuff. Starting January the 6th, we're told, in London, an official inquiry.

COSTELLO: Interesting.

CLINCH: Will they take her body? Will they need her body? I mean, it's horrible to think about. We don't know. We do not know at this point. There are some very interesting aspects to this story that we will be looking into as we go forward.

COSTELLO: All right, David, many thanks.

CLINCH: OK.

COSTELLO: We'll let you get back to work.

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 18, 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: Our International Desk is certainly staying on top of developments in Iraq and elsewhere. Our senior international editor, David Clinch, is here.
Should we start with Princess Diana? That's really fascinating.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Yes, fascinating stuff -- Princess Diana. Now, the timing, you know, strikes as very interesting on this, because we've been keeping an eye on this court case going on in Scotland -- Mohamed al Fayed, the father of Dodi al Fayed, trying to push in a Scottish court for a full public inquiry into the death of Princess Diana and his son, Dodi, in Paris.

Now, Mohamed al Fayed has his own theories -- I'm not going to repeat them right now -- of who was behind or what caused and what he says was behind the deaths of these two.

This inquiry, though, the timing of it turns out is not necessarily -- certainly not connected to that and not necessarily suspicious or remarkable in any way, other than the fact that the British authorities -- who, being British, stick to the rules -- have been waiting officially for the French inquiry to finish into the deaths. The French inquiry went on for most of last year...

COSTELLO: I thought that was done a long time ago.

CLINCH: Well, officially it finished only a couple of months -- or actually the beginning of November, I believe. Now, that inquiry concluded quite some time ago that the cause of the death was effectively accidental, that the chauffer was drunk at the time and driving too fast.

The inquiry continued, though, to give a full acquittal for the paparazzi, who were chasing the car, effectively relieving them of any guilt in causing the deaths.

Now, again, the British, sticking to the rules, say that is now over. We assume -- or we're told, actually, that they got official notification that that inquiry was finished. Now, they've announced their own. It will begin on January the 6th into the deaths of both. Dodi Fayed was also a British citizen. British law requires that an inquest will take place into the death under similar circumstances...

COSTELLO: So, what exactly will that involve?

CLINCH: Well, this is the thing. We don't know precisely, but what we're being told at this point is that it will be a very different thing from the public inquiry into the circumstances, the entire circumstances, of the deaths that Mohamed al Fayed would want and is pushing for. It would be in some ways a simple inquest into the cause of death, not...

COSTELLO: So, they'll get all the records perhaps from France and...

CLINCH: They would. I mean, to a certain extent what we're being told is that this would primarily be a medical inquest. What caused their deaths? But obviously, in a circumstance like this, in an accident, there always will be an aspect of that which incorporates what caused the accident that caused their deaths.

We just don't know at this point how far beyond that investigation of the simple accident and cause of death that they will go.

But very interesting stuff. Starting January the 6th, we're told, in London, an official inquiry.

COSTELLO: Interesting.

CLINCH: Will they take her body? Will they need her body? I mean, it's horrible to think about. We don't know. We do not know at this point. There are some very interesting aspects to this story that we will be looking into as we go forward.

COSTELLO: All right, David, many thanks.

CLINCH: OK.

COSTELLO: We'll let you get back to work.

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