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CNN Live Saturday
Iraq's Former Finance Minister Captured
Aired April 19, 2003 - 16:30 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Another player in the U.S.' most wanted Iraqi house of cards has fallen. This time, the U.S. military has captured Iraq's former deputy prime minister, who is also the country's finance minister. And that's not all. CNN's Jim Clancy is in Baghdad this hour and joins us with the very latest. Hi, Jim.
JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi. It's about 31, 32 minutes past midnight here, already Easter Sunday morning in Baghdad. And as you can see behind me, there are no lights. There is a lack of security as well, but that didn't seem to stop many thousands of residents of the capital city from coming out this day, crowding the streets to visit with friends and relatives and also to see for themselves what the last two weeks have meant for their capital city.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLANCY (voice-over): A chorus of horns and a crush of traffic signaled a burst of renewed energy in the Iraqi capital. While the U.S. military trumpeted the work of Baghdad police for bringing in the man who may have stashed away billions for Saddam Hussein.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's nice to end on a positive note where they've actually captured someone on our most wanted list. And I think the important thing here is, as one of the generals pointed out, that they want to be independent of politics. They want to win back the respect of the Iraqi people and not be associated with the old regime.
CLANCY: Hikmat Ibrahim al-Azzawi had been a finance minister and deputy prime minister. He may be able to pinpoint hidden cash deposits from the former regime.
In a show of confidence, the U.S. authorized police to begin carrying AK-47 assault rifles for protection and enforcement. Across the city, curious Iraqis stood and stared as U.S. armor stood watch outside the national bank and a cache of gold bullion estimated to be worth $1 billion. In another case, U.S. troops uncovered a reported $650 million in U.S. bank notes hidden in a neighborhood where top Baath Party officials lived.
The shift in the mission of U.S. forces from combat to policing was reflected in the replacement of Marines with U.S. Army troops east of the Tigris river. They took up defensive position, mounted patrols, and even directed traffic.
Along the Tigris, two major fires blazed, sending smoke into the skies. The Ministry of Planning flared again, while a new fire ravaged the Iraqi Film Department. With streets still filled with garbage, road blocks against looters and no electricity, some Iraqis are wary of assuming the worst is over.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't know if the worst is gone. We want to see the good things for the people.
CLANCY: "It's true," said another, "we were living under a tyrannical regime. But there were no such things, there was a sort of stability. Maybe not psychological stability, but security."
At the Iraqi museum, 3rd Infantry armor stood guard against further looting after coming under harsh criticism in the early going. Museum directors reported a few items have been returned, and again said it was impossible to fully assess the museum's losses. The director of antiquities displayed a photo of this alabaster vase, a meter high, that depicts one of the first signs of religious institutions from thousands of years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a unique piece, nothing like it in the whole world.
CLANCY (on camera): Do you think you'll ever get it back?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We hope. We hope.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CLANCY: We hope. Well, that is a response that we hear so often, no matter what people are asked about the current situation, they are hoping for better security, they are hoping for a return of the electricity. They are hoping for a better future for themselves and their children -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Jim Clancy, thanks very much. Still a very rocky road ahead.
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 April 19, 2003 - 16:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Another player in the U.S.' most wanted Iraqi house of cards has fallen. This time, the U.S. military has captured Iraq's former deputy prime minister, who is also the country's finance minister. And that's not all. CNN's Jim Clancy is in Baghdad this hour and joins us with the very latest. Hi, Jim.
JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi. It's about 31, 32 minutes past midnight here, already Easter Sunday morning in Baghdad. And as you can see behind me, there are no lights. There is a lack of security as well, but that didn't seem to stop many thousands of residents of the capital city from coming out this day, crowding the streets to visit with friends and relatives and also to see for themselves what the last two weeks have meant for their capital city.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLANCY (voice-over): A chorus of horns and a crush of traffic signaled a burst of renewed energy in the Iraqi capital. While the U.S. military trumpeted the work of Baghdad police for bringing in the man who may have stashed away billions for Saddam Hussein.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's nice to end on a positive note where they've actually captured someone on our most wanted list. And I think the important thing here is, as one of the generals pointed out, that they want to be independent of politics. They want to win back the respect of the Iraqi people and not be associated with the old regime.
CLANCY: Hikmat Ibrahim al-Azzawi had been a finance minister and deputy prime minister. He may be able to pinpoint hidden cash deposits from the former regime.
In a show of confidence, the U.S. authorized police to begin carrying AK-47 assault rifles for protection and enforcement. Across the city, curious Iraqis stood and stared as U.S. armor stood watch outside the national bank and a cache of gold bullion estimated to be worth $1 billion. In another case, U.S. troops uncovered a reported $650 million in U.S. bank notes hidden in a neighborhood where top Baath Party officials lived.
The shift in the mission of U.S. forces from combat to policing was reflected in the replacement of Marines with U.S. Army troops east of the Tigris river. They took up defensive position, mounted patrols, and even directed traffic.
Along the Tigris, two major fires blazed, sending smoke into the skies. The Ministry of Planning flared again, while a new fire ravaged the Iraqi Film Department. With streets still filled with garbage, road blocks against looters and no electricity, some Iraqis are wary of assuming the worst is over.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't know if the worst is gone. We want to see the good things for the people.
CLANCY: "It's true," said another, "we were living under a tyrannical regime. But there were no such things, there was a sort of stability. Maybe not psychological stability, but security."
At the Iraqi museum, 3rd Infantry armor stood guard against further looting after coming under harsh criticism in the early going. Museum directors reported a few items have been returned, and again said it was impossible to fully assess the museum's losses. The director of antiquities displayed a photo of this alabaster vase, a meter high, that depicts one of the first signs of religious institutions from thousands of years ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a unique piece, nothing like it in the whole world.
CLANCY (on camera): Do you think you'll ever get it back?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We hope. We hope.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CLANCY: We hope. Well, that is a response that we hear so often, no matter what people are asked about the current situation, they are hoping for better security, they are hoping for a return of the electricity. They are hoping for a better future for themselves and their children -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Jim Clancy, thanks very much. Still a very rocky road ahead.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
