Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Saturday

How Do Middle Eastern Countries View the U.S.?

Aired February 15, 2003 - 18:35   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 LIN, CNN ANCHOR: A bully. A savior. A friend, or a foe. They all describe America, and its policies. It just depends on who you're talking to. Some of those views right now expressed to our correspondents in the Persian Gulf and in the Middle East.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Ryan Chilcote, and we're at a barbershop in Kuwait City. This is actually a very traditional time for people to get their hair cut in Kuwait, just before the Islamic holiday of Eid. It's also a good place to chat with people about their feelings about the United States.

Kuwait is Iraq's neighbor to the south. It is also home to more than 50,000 U.S. troops.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most Kuwaitis do feel very much aligned towards the United States, and they have faith in the American policy and towards changing the regime in Baghdad would effect positively on the region and wait as a whole.

CHILCOTE: Here, only fondness for the U.S.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like it, too much, too much I like it.

CHILCOTE: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why? Because the Americans made my country free.

JAMES MARTONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm James Martone in downtown Ankara, Turkey, where many people say that although they like Americans, U.S. policy towards Iraq is creating enemies. They say they don't believe Washington's claims it's trying to protect the world. They say they'd be much better off with no war and the economic problems than a war is sure to bring Turkey.

(voice-over): Ali is an engineer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have an economic crisis here, and we don't need any more war.

MARTONE: "We already have unemployment, and there will be more," says Samra (ph), a cafeteria manager. "The U.S. is thinking only of itself," she says.

"I don't like America's policy. They're turning countries into enemies," says this custodian.

"Iraq is not the only country producing illegal weapons," says Kamal (ph), a government economist. "The U.S. should be thinking first of North Korea," he says.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kelly Wallace in Jerusalem. Support for Americans is stronger here than in any other part of the Middle East. Israel happens to be the largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid, and the Israeli government and most Israelis consider Americans their closest allies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Americans are practically the only friends we've got. In Europe, there are a lot of anti- Semites, and America is always behind Israel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They look after the world, you know? About the terrorism and about other things.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a good friendship. But then, again, with the bad things come the good things, and the good things, unfortunately, from the bad things, so whenever there is anything to do with Iraq, it reflects on us.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ben Wedeman in the Palestinian town of Bethlehem, all shut down under Israeli army curfew. Despite all the talk about Iraq, Palestinians view the United States and its policies very much through the lens of their long and bitter conflict with Israel.

"All we hear from America is lies," says this man. "They want to attack Iraq and all the Arabs, just like the Israelis are attacking us here."

Says another: "American policy is to control the world. It's a super power, and doesn't want any other country to be stronger than her."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The people, they are nice people. Many nice people in America, as here. But every house has a garbage basket in front of it. Some people are bad, some people are good.

RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rula Amin in Amman, the capital of Jordan. Jordan had been a crucial ally for the U.S. in its war against Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda. The Jordanian government has been discreetly but surely cooperating with the U.S. to prepare for war in Iraq, but on the streets here, strong opposition to such a war, and deep suspicion in U.S. motives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They want to make war just to have the oil.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They want us to forget what is happening to the West Bank people, to the Palestinian people.

SANDY PETRYKOWSKY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Sandy Petrykowski in Cairo. Egypt is traditionally a very close ally of the United States, one of the only countries in the region to have signed a peace treaty with Israel. It's also a very large recipient of U.S. aid, to the tune of $2 billion a year, second only to Israel. People here, though, are increasingly resentful of what they see as a U.S. double standard in the region, where they see the U.S. ignoring the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, and instead beating the war drums against Iraq. People here are not at all convinced of a U.S. case against Iraq, and in fact, they are sympathetic with the Iraqi people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I think America is unfair to Arabs and Muslims in every sense of the word. Does the Jewish lobby control the U.S. president? Is America doing this to protect Israel? What does Iraq have?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If Colin Powell has evidence, he should give it to the inspectors. It looks like a play for a decision to attack Iraq, but if they attack Iraq, Arabs won't be silent.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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 February 15, 2003 - 18:35   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: A bully. A savior. A friend, or a foe. They all describe America, and its policies. It just depends on who you're talking to. Some of those views right now expressed to our correspondents in the Persian Gulf and in the Middle East.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm Ryan Chilcote, and we're at a barbershop in Kuwait City. This is actually a very traditional time for people to get their hair cut in Kuwait, just before the Islamic holiday of Eid. It's also a good place to chat with people about their feelings about the United States.

Kuwait is Iraq's neighbor to the south. It is also home to more than 50,000 U.S. troops.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most Kuwaitis do feel very much aligned towards the United States, and they have faith in the American policy and towards changing the regime in Baghdad would effect positively on the region and wait as a whole.

CHILCOTE: Here, only fondness for the U.S.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like it, too much, too much I like it.

CHILCOTE: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why? Because the Americans made my country free.

JAMES MARTONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm James Martone in downtown Ankara, Turkey, where many people say that although they like Americans, U.S. policy towards Iraq is creating enemies. They say they don't believe Washington's claims it's trying to protect the world. They say they'd be much better off with no war and the economic problems than a war is sure to bring Turkey.

(voice-over): Ali is an engineer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have an economic crisis here, and we don't need any more war.

MARTONE: "We already have unemployment, and there will be more," says Samra (ph), a cafeteria manager. "The U.S. is thinking only of itself," she says.

"I don't like America's policy. They're turning countries into enemies," says this custodian.

"Iraq is not the only country producing illegal weapons," says Kamal (ph), a government economist. "The U.S. should be thinking first of North Korea," he says.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kelly Wallace in Jerusalem. Support for Americans is stronger here than in any other part of the Middle East. Israel happens to be the largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid, and the Israeli government and most Israelis consider Americans their closest allies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Americans are practically the only friends we've got. In Europe, there are a lot of anti- Semites, and America is always behind Israel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They look after the world, you know? About the terrorism and about other things.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a good friendship. But then, again, with the bad things come the good things, and the good things, unfortunately, from the bad things, so whenever there is anything to do with Iraq, it reflects on us.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ben Wedeman in the Palestinian town of Bethlehem, all shut down under Israeli army curfew. Despite all the talk about Iraq, Palestinians view the United States and its policies very much through the lens of their long and bitter conflict with Israel.

"All we hear from America is lies," says this man. "They want to attack Iraq and all the Arabs, just like the Israelis are attacking us here."

Says another: "American policy is to control the world. It's a super power, and doesn't want any other country to be stronger than her."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The people, they are nice people. Many nice people in America, as here. But every house has a garbage basket in front of it. Some people are bad, some people are good.

RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rula Amin in Amman, the capital of Jordan. Jordan had been a crucial ally for the U.S. in its war against Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda. The Jordanian government has been discreetly but surely cooperating with the U.S. to prepare for war in Iraq, but on the streets here, strong opposition to such a war, and deep suspicion in U.S. motives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They want to make war just to have the oil.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They want us to forget what is happening to the West Bank people, to the Palestinian people.

SANDY PETRYKOWSKY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Sandy Petrykowski in Cairo. Egypt is traditionally a very close ally of the United States, one of the only countries in the region to have signed a peace treaty with Israel. It's also a very large recipient of U.S. aid, to the tune of $2 billion a year, second only to Israel. People here, though, are increasingly resentful of what they see as a U.S. double standard in the region, where they see the U.S. ignoring the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, and instead beating the war drums against Iraq. People here are not at all convinced of a U.S. case against Iraq, and in fact, they are sympathetic with the Iraqi people.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I think America is unfair to Arabs and Muslims in every sense of the word. Does the Jewish lobby control the U.S. president? Is America doing this to protect Israel? What does Iraq have?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If Colin Powell has evidence, he should give it to the inspectors. It looks like a play for a decision to attack Iraq, but if they attack Iraq, Arabs won't be silent.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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