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CNN Live Saturday

Reaction On The Street Over Uday And Qusay's Funeral

Aired August 02, 2003 - 12:04   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.


FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Meantime the bodies of Saddam Hussein's sons were bured today. Uday and Qusay were laid to rest by tribal leaders at a dusty cemetary just outside Tikrit. U.S. military kept the bodies refrigerated in a morgue at the Baghdad airport. The sons were killed in a shoot out with U.S. forces in Mosul last month.
We have two correspondents live in the region following the developments on the Hussein family's saga. CNN's Rym Brahimi is in Baghdad. Harris Whitbeck is in Tikrit covering the burials. Let's begin in Tikrit. Harris, what was the reaction there, today, as the sons were laid to rest?

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, it was a very small funeral ceremony at the family plot outside of Tikrit. Very few people there, which is what the U.S. Military hoped would happen. They had said that if there was a large crowd that gathered at the cemetery, that might spark some possible attacks on U.S. Forces or expressions of anti-Americanism which is what they're looking for here in the Tikrit area. Very few people seemed to realize what was actually happening. We understand that the funeral service happened very, very early in the morning. And, again, very few people were present.

Now, people on the street, of course, in Tikrit is, as you know, one of the bastions of support for Saddam Hussein, this is also his ancestral home land, Reaction to the burials was mixed some people were saying that it was good that these men had finally been buried on Iraqi soil since they were, after all, Muslims. Many people had been concerned over the fact that their remains had been kept for so long by the U.S. Military authorities, and that the remains had been embalmed, which goes against Muslim tradition. But, others were saying that they felt it was a good thing that these men had, in fact, been killed, that now they really could believe that two of the most feared men in Iraq were truly dead -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Harris, of the few people who were at the burials -- who are they in general?

WHITBECK: Well, they were mostly some of his family members. There are still a lot of tribal clansmen, members of Saddam Hussein's tribe in the area, and it was mostly family, from what we understand. The Iraqi Red Crescent had taken custody of the remains and had brought the remains here and, apparently, turned them over to representatives of the tribe and we understand it was the Chic, the head of the tribe, who then took custody of the arraign -- of the remains and arranged for their burial.

WHITFIELD: All right, Harris Whitbeck in Tikrit, thanks very much.

On now, to Rym Brahimi in Baghdad where we get more reaction on the street, there. Rym, from the exclusive interview that Jane Araf had with the two daughters of Saddam Hussein what are people on the street saying there?

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, it's interesting because as far as the two daughters of Saddam Hussein are concerned, very few people knew about these girls. I mean, they knew, of course, that he had three daughters and these two have escaped and now are in Jordan. But, they don't know much about their lives. They weren't public figures as Uday and Qusay were, for instance. So, there's very little people knew. What people did know, though, is just that they were -- people have a feeling, a general intuition, if you will, that they didn't really have much to do with what was going on in family and as such there is no particular animosity toward them. Now, some people just say -- just put them in block with the rest of the family and say -- well, they're all liars, they all belong to the same family, we don't really want know about them. But, most of the time we've really heard people just say -- you know, they're women and children and, you know it's probably not a bad thing they got away. Their only sin in a way was to be related to Saddam Hussein and Uday and Qusay -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Rym, was there much reaction about the daughters' description of the man as the father differing very much from the man as the ex-leader of that country?

BRAHIMI: That's a good point. You can probably just hear the calls to Sunset Prayer, behind me that happens everyday. But, that's a very good point. People did -- some people who'd seen it, and of course not everybody had seen the interview, again. Not many people do have satellite television, yet. But, those people who had seen it said, -- oh well, that was probably -- they were just acting, they can't not have known that he was a monster. True, they nothing to do, they weren't involved; they weren't consulted in any of the family business. But -- and probably to them their father is their father. But, at the same time, there was a bit of question -- there were a bit of questions as to -- you know, of course, they must have known that their father was not liked and that he did horrible things to the Iraqi people -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Rym Brahimi in Baghdad, thanks very much, and earlier Harris Whitbeck in Tikrit.

Well, still on the loose, Saddam Hussein himself. The U.S. is hoping the bounty on Saddam's head will lead to his capture. The U.S. administrator for Iraq reprimanded -- or reminded, rather -- Iraqis today there will be a big payout.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL BREMER, U.S. IRAQ ADMINISTRATOR: All over the country local police and units of the coalition force -- forces are receiving tips about where the criminals can be found. In the most famous case, someone told us to find Uday and Qusay, within hours they were dead, less than two weeks later, we paid the informant $30 million and we relocated him and his family safely outside of Iraq. We are going to get Saddam, too. The only question is who's going to get the $25 million and move to another country?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Meantime, there's some thought about Saddam Hussein's changed appearance, making him all the more elusive. CNN's Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, will introduce us to a new tool in the hunt for Saddam a little bit later in this newscast.

Also later, we'll have the latest on the Liberia mess, so to speak, with the president, Charles Taylor.

Also, could commercial airliners, again, be the weapon of choice for terrorists? A new warning says al Qaeda may be plotting suicide plane hijackings, possibly, later this summer -- why the U.S. is taking the threat so seriously.

And later, it was one of the closest presidential races ever, but Al Gore, is thinking -- rematch?

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 August 2, 2003 - 12:04   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Meantime the bodies of Saddam Hussein's sons were bured today. Uday and Qusay were laid to rest by tribal leaders at a dusty cemetary just outside Tikrit. U.S. military kept the bodies refrigerated in a morgue at the Baghdad airport. The sons were killed in a shoot out with U.S. forces in Mosul last month.
We have two correspondents live in the region following the developments on the Hussein family's saga. CNN's Rym Brahimi is in Baghdad. Harris Whitbeck is in Tikrit covering the burials. Let's begin in Tikrit. Harris, what was the reaction there, today, as the sons were laid to rest?

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, it was a very small funeral ceremony at the family plot outside of Tikrit. Very few people there, which is what the U.S. Military hoped would happen. They had said that if there was a large crowd that gathered at the cemetery, that might spark some possible attacks on U.S. Forces or expressions of anti-Americanism which is what they're looking for here in the Tikrit area. Very few people seemed to realize what was actually happening. We understand that the funeral service happened very, very early in the morning. And, again, very few people were present.

Now, people on the street, of course, in Tikrit is, as you know, one of the bastions of support for Saddam Hussein, this is also his ancestral home land, Reaction to the burials was mixed some people were saying that it was good that these men had finally been buried on Iraqi soil since they were, after all, Muslims. Many people had been concerned over the fact that their remains had been kept for so long by the U.S. Military authorities, and that the remains had been embalmed, which goes against Muslim tradition. But, others were saying that they felt it was a good thing that these men had, in fact, been killed, that now they really could believe that two of the most feared men in Iraq were truly dead -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Harris, of the few people who were at the burials -- who are they in general?

WHITBECK: Well, they were mostly some of his family members. There are still a lot of tribal clansmen, members of Saddam Hussein's tribe in the area, and it was mostly family, from what we understand. The Iraqi Red Crescent had taken custody of the remains and had brought the remains here and, apparently, turned them over to representatives of the tribe and we understand it was the Chic, the head of the tribe, who then took custody of the arraign -- of the remains and arranged for their burial.

WHITFIELD: All right, Harris Whitbeck in Tikrit, thanks very much.

On now, to Rym Brahimi in Baghdad where we get more reaction on the street, there. Rym, from the exclusive interview that Jane Araf had with the two daughters of Saddam Hussein what are people on the street saying there?

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, it's interesting because as far as the two daughters of Saddam Hussein are concerned, very few people knew about these girls. I mean, they knew, of course, that he had three daughters and these two have escaped and now are in Jordan. But, they don't know much about their lives. They weren't public figures as Uday and Qusay were, for instance. So, there's very little people knew. What people did know, though, is just that they were -- people have a feeling, a general intuition, if you will, that they didn't really have much to do with what was going on in family and as such there is no particular animosity toward them. Now, some people just say -- just put them in block with the rest of the family and say -- well, they're all liars, they all belong to the same family, we don't really want know about them. But, most of the time we've really heard people just say -- you know, they're women and children and, you know it's probably not a bad thing they got away. Their only sin in a way was to be related to Saddam Hussein and Uday and Qusay -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Rym, was there much reaction about the daughters' description of the man as the father differing very much from the man as the ex-leader of that country?

BRAHIMI: That's a good point. You can probably just hear the calls to Sunset Prayer, behind me that happens everyday. But, that's a very good point. People did -- some people who'd seen it, and of course not everybody had seen the interview, again. Not many people do have satellite television, yet. But, those people who had seen it said, -- oh well, that was probably -- they were just acting, they can't not have known that he was a monster. True, they nothing to do, they weren't involved; they weren't consulted in any of the family business. But -- and probably to them their father is their father. But, at the same time, there was a bit of question -- there were a bit of questions as to -- you know, of course, they must have known that their father was not liked and that he did horrible things to the Iraqi people -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Rym Brahimi in Baghdad, thanks very much, and earlier Harris Whitbeck in Tikrit.

Well, still on the loose, Saddam Hussein himself. The U.S. is hoping the bounty on Saddam's head will lead to his capture. The U.S. administrator for Iraq reprimanded -- or reminded, rather -- Iraqis today there will be a big payout.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL BREMER, U.S. IRAQ ADMINISTRATOR: All over the country local police and units of the coalition force -- forces are receiving tips about where the criminals can be found. In the most famous case, someone told us to find Uday and Qusay, within hours they were dead, less than two weeks later, we paid the informant $30 million and we relocated him and his family safely outside of Iraq. We are going to get Saddam, too. The only question is who's going to get the $25 million and move to another country?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Meantime, there's some thought about Saddam Hussein's changed appearance, making him all the more elusive. CNN's Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, will introduce us to a new tool in the hunt for Saddam a little bit later in this newscast.

Also later, we'll have the latest on the Liberia mess, so to speak, with the president, Charles Taylor.

Also, could commercial airliners, again, be the weapon of choice for terrorists? A new warning says al Qaeda may be plotting suicide plane hijackings, possibly, later this summer -- why the U.S. is taking the threat so seriously.

And later, it was one of the closest presidential races ever, but Al Gore, is thinking -- rematch?

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