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CNN Live Saturday
Pentagon Pleased at al-Azzawi's Arrest
Aired April 19, 2003 - 13:26 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.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: As we've been reporting, another card has been removed from the Pentagon's deck of the most wanted Saddam regime officials and this time the arrest was made by Iraqi police.
CNN's Kathleen Koch is at the Pentagon to talk about what was at the eight of diamonds.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Andrea, obviously the Pentagon is very pleased at the apprehension of Iraq's former Finance Minister Hikmat al-Azzawi and the fact that he was turned over by these Iraqi police who had been put on the job by the U.S. military. They're really pleased; they say it shows a lot of cooperation.
CENTCOM spokesman that I talked with this morning, said as to what his intelligence value will be Mr. Azzawi is quote, "it's a matter of how much he's willing to tell us and give up to us." CENTCOM spokesman, added that it's also helpful to have another regime leader off the streets and quote, "not to do anything to hurt the establish of the free Iraq."
There were two other figures though, who are not on that top 55 most wanted list who surrendered to U.S.forces in Iraq on Friday. The first one, very important. Iman Hussein al-Ani, he's believed to be the father of Iraq's VX nerve gas program. Although U.S. officials tells CNN that at this point, he is saying he knows nothing about any Iraqi weapons of mass destruction program.
The second point -- the second person to turn themselves over (UNINTELLIGIBLE). He is a member of the Palestinian Abu Nidal terrorist group. Again, turned himself over, surrendered to U.S authorities on Friday. And many people believe that this is going a long ways to proving the point that the Pentagon, the U.S. officials have been making all long that they believe Iraq has been long harboring international terrorist.
And then another interesting point from our CENTCOM spokesman, Whirley (ph), he has said that yes indeed, a very, large cash of money has been found by two U.S. soldiers in Iraq. It was initially the "L.A. Times" that was reporting that two Army sergeants stumbled upon $650 million in cash, hidden a very exclusive neighborhood of Baghdad.
Now, Whirley (ph) says that this shows, quote, "how despicable the former regime was that they took Oil for Food money, and used it for their own lavish living." And Whirley (ph) says that the U.S. military's going to be working with the Iraqi populace to determine what use that money will be put to. Most likely the rebuilding of country.
KOPPEL: Well, something tells me, Kathleen, that those millions of dollars in dinars are probably worth about $5.25 in U.S. at that stage of the game, but thank you very much, Kathleen Koch, joining us from the Pentagon.
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 - 13:26 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: As we've been reporting, another card has been removed from the Pentagon's deck of the most wanted Saddam regime officials and this time the arrest was made by Iraqi police.
CNN's Kathleen Koch is at the Pentagon to talk about what was at the eight of diamonds.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Andrea, obviously the Pentagon is very pleased at the apprehension of Iraq's former Finance Minister Hikmat al-Azzawi and the fact that he was turned over by these Iraqi police who had been put on the job by the U.S. military. They're really pleased; they say it shows a lot of cooperation.
CENTCOM spokesman that I talked with this morning, said as to what his intelligence value will be Mr. Azzawi is quote, "it's a matter of how much he's willing to tell us and give up to us." CENTCOM spokesman, added that it's also helpful to have another regime leader off the streets and quote, "not to do anything to hurt the establish of the free Iraq."
There were two other figures though, who are not on that top 55 most wanted list who surrendered to U.S.forces in Iraq on Friday. The first one, very important. Iman Hussein al-Ani, he's believed to be the father of Iraq's VX nerve gas program. Although U.S. officials tells CNN that at this point, he is saying he knows nothing about any Iraqi weapons of mass destruction program.
The second point -- the second person to turn themselves over (UNINTELLIGIBLE). He is a member of the Palestinian Abu Nidal terrorist group. Again, turned himself over, surrendered to U.S authorities on Friday. And many people believe that this is going a long ways to proving the point that the Pentagon, the U.S. officials have been making all long that they believe Iraq has been long harboring international terrorist.
And then another interesting point from our CENTCOM spokesman, Whirley (ph), he has said that yes indeed, a very, large cash of money has been found by two U.S. soldiers in Iraq. It was initially the "L.A. Times" that was reporting that two Army sergeants stumbled upon $650 million in cash, hidden a very exclusive neighborhood of Baghdad.
Now, Whirley (ph) says that this shows, quote, "how despicable the former regime was that they took Oil for Food money, and used it for their own lavish living." And Whirley (ph) says that the U.S. military's going to be working with the Iraqi populace to determine what use that money will be put to. Most likely the rebuilding of country.
KOPPEL: Well, something tells me, Kathleen, that those millions of dollars in dinars are probably worth about $5.25 in U.S. at that stage of the game, but thank you very much, Kathleen Koch, joining us from the Pentagon.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
