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CNN Live At Daybreak
U.N. Team Met With Iraqi Governing Council
Aired February 09, 2004 - 06:08 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 COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A United Nations team is in Baghdad meeting with the Iraqi Governing Council. It's trying to determine whether elections can be held before July 1. Any answers?
Let's head live to Baghdad now and Jane Arraf.
Hello -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hi, Carol.
Still lots of questions. The main one: Can the U.N. break this impasse over what the U.S. has proposed, which are caucus-style elections, an alien concept here, and what some people, primarily a very prominent Shia cleric, want, which is direct elections?
Now, this high-powered U.N. team -- here for the first time since their headquarters was bombed last year, killing the senior U.N. envoy and more than 20 people -- are meeting with the Shia clerics in Najaf and with others, all trying to forge a consensus over whether they can actually hold elections by this June 30 deadline to hand power back to Iraqis.
Now, as U.S. troops hand over, they're also trying to share some of the responsibilities. The first of an expected 800 Japanese troops crossed the border into Iraq on the weekend. They're mostly engineers, but it's a controversial mission for Japan. It's their first mission in a combat area since World War II.
And further down south, another unexpected visitor on a morale- boosting visit to British troops, Prince Charles arrived. It's still a fairly dangerous trip here to even the south, so that visit was certainly a surprise and a lift, according to British officials, to the troops down there -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Jane Arraf reporting live from Baghdad, many thanks.
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 9, 2004 - 06:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A United Nations team is in Baghdad meeting with the Iraqi Governing Council. It's trying to determine whether elections can be held before July 1. Any answers?
Let's head live to Baghdad now and Jane Arraf.
Hello -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hi, Carol.
Still lots of questions. The main one: Can the U.N. break this impasse over what the U.S. has proposed, which are caucus-style elections, an alien concept here, and what some people, primarily a very prominent Shia cleric, want, which is direct elections?
Now, this high-powered U.N. team -- here for the first time since their headquarters was bombed last year, killing the senior U.N. envoy and more than 20 people -- are meeting with the Shia clerics in Najaf and with others, all trying to forge a consensus over whether they can actually hold elections by this June 30 deadline to hand power back to Iraqis.
Now, as U.S. troops hand over, they're also trying to share some of the responsibilities. The first of an expected 800 Japanese troops crossed the border into Iraq on the weekend. They're mostly engineers, but it's a controversial mission for Japan. It's their first mission in a combat area since World War II.
And further down south, another unexpected visitor on a morale- boosting visit to British troops, Prince Charles arrived. It's still a fairly dangerous trip here to even the south, so that visit was certainly a surprise and a lift, according to British officials, to the troops down there -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Jane Arraf reporting live from Baghdad, many thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
