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CNN Live At Daybreak

'International News Desk'

Aired January 15, 2004 - 05:32   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 want to talk about Iraq right now because we have some new numbers about the suicide rate there, and controversial numbers, to say the least.
Our senior international editor, David Clinch, joins us to explain the numbers.

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

This is a report that came out yesterday from the Pentagon itself talking about the number of U.S. military personnel that had committed suicide during the year 2003. Twenty-one was the number. Now, one of the interpretations of that is that that's an increase in the number over the previous year, statistically looks like a greater number than the military elsewhere.

Some of our military people are telling us and are telling our Pentagon reporters that the statistics are a bit of an illusion. There are less troops in Iraq than there are elsewhere, the statistics play a bit of a trick.

But nevertheless, we talked to a number of our reporters based in Iraq who are with the troops there. There is evidence that there are psychological and psychiatric problems for some of the troops there. But interestingly, some of the reporters were telling us the problems seem to be tied less to the war zone and the fighting -- of course, that's worrying and that is a concern for the troops.

But in many cases tied to the problems that they perceive back home. They've been away for so long. Some of them are getting what they refer euphemistically to these "Dear John" letters from wives or girlfriends at home who no longer want to see them or things like that. Some of them just have been out there for so long that they're just depressed. And that's an issue we think needs following up on.

We actually have an idea we're working on to send some of our reporters who have been embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq out to the bases now back in the U.S. when they rotate back to link up with the same troops they spent time with out in Iraq, to see what life back in the U.S. at their bases here is like.

COSTELLO: Well, it makes you wonder, that 21 number, that number of 21. Does that reflect the suicide rate in the general population? Because there are hundreds of thousands of soldiers in Iraq.

CLINCH: Right. Well, that's interesting. There are indications that the suicide rate is slightly greater in the military. But, again, you know, statistics make it very complicated. And, again, we're not indicating that this suicide rate in Iraq is necessarily much greater than it is in the military in general. It's just an illustration, I think, of the fact that these troops have been there for so long. And when they have these statistics start building up and up.

But the interesting point seeing that the problems, from the U.S. military's point of view, are the length of time rather than the actual fighting zone itself.

Another thing just briefly to mention on Iraq, a report has come out today from a media watchdog reporters network in Paris, Reporters Sans Frontiers they're called, about the killing of two reporters in Baghdad back in April. This is a story we reported on at the time. The U.S. military fired on the Palestine Hotel, where a lot of reporters were based at the time, killing two reporters.

A U.S. military investigation cleared the military of any wrongdoing. The Reporters Sans Frontiers report which they entitled "Two Murders and A Lie," pulling no punches there, indicates that from their point of view, what they call a criminal element of what happened is that U.S. military commanders, as far as they know, did not tell the people in the tanks that there were many reporters based in the Palestine. That's still to be determined absolutely.

But they're saying...

COSTELLO: It seems like it would be such common knowledge, though.

CLINCH: It does and we're looking into that further. But from this reporting group's point of view, it was a criminal intent and, as they say, a lie that the original statement by the U.S. military is that they were fired on from the hotel itself. All of that's still being investigated. But certainly they're pulling no punches, in their view there.

COSTELLO: Interesting.

CLINCH: Just one story quickly about this American Airlines pilot in Brazil. Brazil has instituted this fingerprinting policy in revenge, I should suppose...

COSTELLO: Retaliation.

CLINCH: ... for the fingerprinting policy here in the U.S. This American Airlines pilot, according to local media reports in Brazil, was detained last night because he refused to cooperate with the fingerprinting in Brazil when he arrived there and apparently used some kind of a gesture relating to his finger, but not fingerprinting...

COSTELLO: He said he was number one.

CLINCH: ... and has apparently been detained and the American Airlines being asked to pay a fine so that he can get out of detention. So we're watching that story and we'll try and talk to that pilot if and when he is released.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Very interesting.

David, thank you very much.

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 January 15, 2004 - 05:32   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to talk about Iraq right now because we have some new numbers about the suicide rate there, and controversial numbers, to say the least.
Our senior international editor, David Clinch, joins us to explain the numbers.

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

This is a report that came out yesterday from the Pentagon itself talking about the number of U.S. military personnel that had committed suicide during the year 2003. Twenty-one was the number. Now, one of the interpretations of that is that that's an increase in the number over the previous year, statistically looks like a greater number than the military elsewhere.

Some of our military people are telling us and are telling our Pentagon reporters that the statistics are a bit of an illusion. There are less troops in Iraq than there are elsewhere, the statistics play a bit of a trick.

But nevertheless, we talked to a number of our reporters based in Iraq who are with the troops there. There is evidence that there are psychological and psychiatric problems for some of the troops there. But interestingly, some of the reporters were telling us the problems seem to be tied less to the war zone and the fighting -- of course, that's worrying and that is a concern for the troops.

But in many cases tied to the problems that they perceive back home. They've been away for so long. Some of them are getting what they refer euphemistically to these "Dear John" letters from wives or girlfriends at home who no longer want to see them or things like that. Some of them just have been out there for so long that they're just depressed. And that's an issue we think needs following up on.

We actually have an idea we're working on to send some of our reporters who have been embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq out to the bases now back in the U.S. when they rotate back to link up with the same troops they spent time with out in Iraq, to see what life back in the U.S. at their bases here is like.

COSTELLO: Well, it makes you wonder, that 21 number, that number of 21. Does that reflect the suicide rate in the general population? Because there are hundreds of thousands of soldiers in Iraq.

CLINCH: Right. Well, that's interesting. There are indications that the suicide rate is slightly greater in the military. But, again, you know, statistics make it very complicated. And, again, we're not indicating that this suicide rate in Iraq is necessarily much greater than it is in the military in general. It's just an illustration, I think, of the fact that these troops have been there for so long. And when they have these statistics start building up and up.

But the interesting point seeing that the problems, from the U.S. military's point of view, are the length of time rather than the actual fighting zone itself.

Another thing just briefly to mention on Iraq, a report has come out today from a media watchdog reporters network in Paris, Reporters Sans Frontiers they're called, about the killing of two reporters in Baghdad back in April. This is a story we reported on at the time. The U.S. military fired on the Palestine Hotel, where a lot of reporters were based at the time, killing two reporters.

A U.S. military investigation cleared the military of any wrongdoing. The Reporters Sans Frontiers report which they entitled "Two Murders and A Lie," pulling no punches there, indicates that from their point of view, what they call a criminal element of what happened is that U.S. military commanders, as far as they know, did not tell the people in the tanks that there were many reporters based in the Palestine. That's still to be determined absolutely.

But they're saying...

COSTELLO: It seems like it would be such common knowledge, though.

CLINCH: It does and we're looking into that further. But from this reporting group's point of view, it was a criminal intent and, as they say, a lie that the original statement by the U.S. military is that they were fired on from the hotel itself. All of that's still being investigated. But certainly they're pulling no punches, in their view there.

COSTELLO: Interesting.

CLINCH: Just one story quickly about this American Airlines pilot in Brazil. Brazil has instituted this fingerprinting policy in revenge, I should suppose...

COSTELLO: Retaliation.

CLINCH: ... for the fingerprinting policy here in the U.S. This American Airlines pilot, according to local media reports in Brazil, was detained last night because he refused to cooperate with the fingerprinting in Brazil when he arrived there and apparently used some kind of a gesture relating to his finger, but not fingerprinting...

COSTELLO: He said he was number one.

CLINCH: ... and has apparently been detained and the American Airlines being asked to pay a fine so that he can get out of detention. So we're watching that story and we'll try and talk to that pilot if and when he is released.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Very interesting.

David, thank you very much.

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