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Baghdad Resigned, Not Chaotic

Aired March 17, 2003 - 15:17   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.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: With war looming, some of the folks in Iraq preparing for a hasty exit. Not the Iraqi leader, though, and not CNN Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson who joins us now from Baghdad, where it's almost midnight.
Nic, much evidence of people trying to get out of town?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There is some evidence of that, Miles. We've seen cars stacked full of people's possessions headed, apparently, out of town. Most people, though, however, seem to have been making their preparations to stay here rather than leave. It has been an economic decision for most people. Most people cannot afford to drive out of the city, drive out of the country. What they've been doing is buying a little extra food, maybe digging a well in their garden, figuring out how they can keep their families safe at home.

Of course, it is the U.N. weapons inspectors and many of the other U.N. staff who are expected to leave next. They are expecting to fly out of Baghdad early Tuesday morning, some 134 U.N. inspections staff, 56 of them inspectors. They'll likely be joined by a number of other U.N. staff, U.N. humanitarian workers and other U.N. officials in Baghdad.

They will likely fly to Larnaca and Cyprus. Now, there's been very critical political reaction here to the fact that the U.N. weapons inspectors are leaving. Foreign minister Naji Sabri has described it as very regretful that they're leaving. He has also described it as a violation of the U.N. charter, a violation of U.N. Resolution 687. When the foreign minister was also asked about whether or not President Saddam Hussein would step down, he said that it was President Bush who should go.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAJI SABRI, IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER: The only option is the departure of the warmonger No. 1, in the world, the failing President Bush who made his country a joke in the world, who made his administration isolated in the world, who made the United States public enemy No. 1. He should depart from -- he should go away from presidency, and leave the Americans lead a normal life with other nations, not a life of aggression, a policy of aggression against other nations. This policy has brought -- has brought disasters to the United States. So -- so as for the United States to live properly with the world, and for the world nations to live in peace, this crazy man should go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Very clear in Baghdad this evening that war is coming close. The sound of the political rhetoric, the sound of the inspectors leaving, the sound of people buying up their goods in the stores, all adding up to one message for the people here. That is, war very close -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: So it wouldn't be accurate to describe it as panic in the streets, would it, Nic? It's more resignation, I guess?

ROBERTSON: Resignation, preparation. Not panic. Fewer cars on the streets, more people getting out of the city or to the suburbs. This is a very big city, 5 million people live here. There's 24 million people in Iraq, 5 million of them in this city. So, a very big city.

People moving away from the government areas, the downtown areas, the areas where the presidential palaces are, and other such government buildings. But it's not panic. It is controlled. People have been building up for this. They know it's been coming. They've been talking about it. They've been seeing the pictures of soldiers getting ready for war on their televisions. It's coming as no surprise, but not something here people are at all looking forward to in any way, shape, or form -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Nic, have they changed the ground rules at all for you, limiting movements more severely than they were? Are there any changes at all that you've detected as you deal with the Iraqi authorities?

ROBERTSON: Typically, we would work here with one Iraqi official, a minder or a guide, as the Iraq's information ministry likes to call them. In the last couple of days, we've been given an additional guide, if you will, who sits in our office, somebody from another section of the government here to watch over us, if you will. Whenever we go out to film anything, we have to go out with these officials.

Beyond that, it's very clear that the officials that we deal with on a day-to-day basis are becoming more edgy about the situation. Beyond that, however, our situation hasn't changed incredibly, other than the fact that it's very clear that some people are getting nervous about the possibility of war. They're wondering about their safety. They're wondering about what sort of access they're going to be able to get if there is a war. So a lot of sort of tension on the side if you will.

But it's very clear, from the work that we do here with the people in the ministry, with the people we talk to and work with at Iraq's Information Ministry every day, that the -- that the situation is changing slightly -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Nic Robertson, stay safe.

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 March 17, 2003 - 15:17   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: With war looming, some of the folks in Iraq preparing for a hasty exit. Not the Iraqi leader, though, and not CNN Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson who joins us now from Baghdad, where it's almost midnight.
Nic, much evidence of people trying to get out of town?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There is some evidence of that, Miles. We've seen cars stacked full of people's possessions headed, apparently, out of town. Most people, though, however, seem to have been making their preparations to stay here rather than leave. It has been an economic decision for most people. Most people cannot afford to drive out of the city, drive out of the country. What they've been doing is buying a little extra food, maybe digging a well in their garden, figuring out how they can keep their families safe at home.

Of course, it is the U.N. weapons inspectors and many of the other U.N. staff who are expected to leave next. They are expecting to fly out of Baghdad early Tuesday morning, some 134 U.N. inspections staff, 56 of them inspectors. They'll likely be joined by a number of other U.N. staff, U.N. humanitarian workers and other U.N. officials in Baghdad.

They will likely fly to Larnaca and Cyprus. Now, there's been very critical political reaction here to the fact that the U.N. weapons inspectors are leaving. Foreign minister Naji Sabri has described it as very regretful that they're leaving. He has also described it as a violation of the U.N. charter, a violation of U.N. Resolution 687. When the foreign minister was also asked about whether or not President Saddam Hussein would step down, he said that it was President Bush who should go.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NAJI SABRI, IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER: The only option is the departure of the warmonger No. 1, in the world, the failing President Bush who made his country a joke in the world, who made his administration isolated in the world, who made the United States public enemy No. 1. He should depart from -- he should go away from presidency, and leave the Americans lead a normal life with other nations, not a life of aggression, a policy of aggression against other nations. This policy has brought -- has brought disasters to the United States. So -- so as for the United States to live properly with the world, and for the world nations to live in peace, this crazy man should go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Very clear in Baghdad this evening that war is coming close. The sound of the political rhetoric, the sound of the inspectors leaving, the sound of people buying up their goods in the stores, all adding up to one message for the people here. That is, war very close -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: So it wouldn't be accurate to describe it as panic in the streets, would it, Nic? It's more resignation, I guess?

ROBERTSON: Resignation, preparation. Not panic. Fewer cars on the streets, more people getting out of the city or to the suburbs. This is a very big city, 5 million people live here. There's 24 million people in Iraq, 5 million of them in this city. So, a very big city.

People moving away from the government areas, the downtown areas, the areas where the presidential palaces are, and other such government buildings. But it's not panic. It is controlled. People have been building up for this. They know it's been coming. They've been talking about it. They've been seeing the pictures of soldiers getting ready for war on their televisions. It's coming as no surprise, but not something here people are at all looking forward to in any way, shape, or form -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Nic, have they changed the ground rules at all for you, limiting movements more severely than they were? Are there any changes at all that you've detected as you deal with the Iraqi authorities?

ROBERTSON: Typically, we would work here with one Iraqi official, a minder or a guide, as the Iraq's information ministry likes to call them. In the last couple of days, we've been given an additional guide, if you will, who sits in our office, somebody from another section of the government here to watch over us, if you will. Whenever we go out to film anything, we have to go out with these officials.

Beyond that, it's very clear that the officials that we deal with on a day-to-day basis are becoming more edgy about the situation. Beyond that, however, our situation hasn't changed incredibly, other than the fact that it's very clear that some people are getting nervous about the possibility of war. They're wondering about their safety. They're wondering about what sort of access they're going to be able to get if there is a war. So a lot of sort of tension on the side if you will.

But it's very clear, from the work that we do here with the people in the ministry, with the people we talk to and work with at Iraq's Information Ministry every day, that the -- that the situation is changing slightly -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Nic Robertson, stay safe.

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