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CNN Live Saturday
Iraqi Governing Council Announced Timeline For Sovereignty
Aired November 15, 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.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Iraq is on its way to independence, according to some Iraqi leaders. Iraq's governing council announced a timeline today, for full sovereignty. It came after a meeting with U.S. administrator Paul Bremer in Baghdad. For more now on this change in government, we are joined by CNN's Walter Rodgers, who is live from Baghdad.
So, Walter, is this now a done deal, that they're going to move ahead with this new plan?
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes and no. No, in the sense that the guerrillas are still out there and not part of this governing council -- the insurgents. On the other hand, this has all the appearance of President Bush having sent word down, this past week, that he wants to accelerate the process of transfer of power to the Iraqis, and in that sense, of course, it looks like the Iraqi governing council, which was appointed by the Americans, are saying, "yes sir, Mr. President."
What the governing council agreed to do today was to replace itself early next year, sometime between February and May with a new transitional government, and By the end of 2004, perhaps 2005, there will be, according to the current Iraqi transitional government -- or the current Iraqi interim government, there will be a full -- fully sovereign and independent Iraqi government in place -- democratically elected. Does that mean all the American troops get to go home? Not if you believe President Bush, who says American troops will stay here until Iraq is free and peaceful. Having said that, however, again the problem, the fly in the ointment in all of this is that even though the Iraqi interim government is announcing Iraq will be a sovereign and independent government by the beginning of the year 2005, all those guerrillas are out there and they have an agenda of their own, which has nothing to do, apparently, with democratic re-election -- democratic elections.
Indeed, CNN has just confirmed that in -- that a U.S. Blackhawk helicopter was shot down -- was downed, and the presumption is it was downed by the insurgents, that has yet to be confirmed. It nonetheless, does fit into this scenario where we've had four American helicopters downed in less than three weeks -- Andrea.
KOPPEL: Yeah, it's been one of those months, the Bush administration would like to wrap up as quickly as possible.
Walter Rodgers, there in Baghdad. Thank you.
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Sovereignty>
Aired November 15, 2003 - 12:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Iraq is on its way to independence, according to some Iraqi leaders. Iraq's governing council announced a timeline today, for full sovereignty. It came after a meeting with U.S. administrator Paul Bremer in Baghdad. For more now on this change in government, we are joined by CNN's Walter Rodgers, who is live from Baghdad.
So, Walter, is this now a done deal, that they're going to move ahead with this new plan?
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes and no. No, in the sense that the guerrillas are still out there and not part of this governing council -- the insurgents. On the other hand, this has all the appearance of President Bush having sent word down, this past week, that he wants to accelerate the process of transfer of power to the Iraqis, and in that sense, of course, it looks like the Iraqi governing council, which was appointed by the Americans, are saying, "yes sir, Mr. President."
What the governing council agreed to do today was to replace itself early next year, sometime between February and May with a new transitional government, and By the end of 2004, perhaps 2005, there will be, according to the current Iraqi transitional government -- or the current Iraqi interim government, there will be a full -- fully sovereign and independent Iraqi government in place -- democratically elected. Does that mean all the American troops get to go home? Not if you believe President Bush, who says American troops will stay here until Iraq is free and peaceful. Having said that, however, again the problem, the fly in the ointment in all of this is that even though the Iraqi interim government is announcing Iraq will be a sovereign and independent government by the beginning of the year 2005, all those guerrillas are out there and they have an agenda of their own, which has nothing to do, apparently, with democratic re-election -- democratic elections.
Indeed, CNN has just confirmed that in -- that a U.S. Blackhawk helicopter was shot down -- was downed, and the presumption is it was downed by the insurgents, that has yet to be confirmed. It nonetheless, does fit into this scenario where we've had four American helicopters downed in less than three weeks -- Andrea.
KOPPEL: Yeah, it's been one of those months, the Bush administration would like to wrap up as quickly as possible.
Walter Rodgers, there in Baghdad. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Sovereignty>
