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Many Questions Remain in Deaths of Journalists

Aired April 08, 2003 - 14:26   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.


WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: The two journalists who were killed today in that tank shell were killed at the Palestine Hotel. That's been a base for international journalists in Baghdad. Both of the dead were cameramen, one with Reuters, the other with Spain's Telecinco (ph). Three journalists were wounded in that same incident. The CENTCOM says American forces responding -- were responding to what they described as -- quote -- "significant fire" coming at them from inside the hotel.
Joining me here in Kuwait City, a journalist who knows firsthand the dangers of covering war, our chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour -- Christiane, what's your take on what may have happened in these incidents, the death of this Al-Jazeera reporter and these two cameramen at the Palestine Hotel -- two separate locations?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Separate, but quite close to each other. I think it bears a really thorough investigation, firstly about what happened and why they were hit. And secondly, the Pentagon has been essentially all over the place. The military spokesmen have been all over the map on their response to this.

First it was because there was -- quote -- sniper fire from the lobby, then from the roof, then from somewhere in the area, then it was significant fire. There's a lot of differing explanations that are coming out. All of the journalists that I have monitored throughout the day have reported that they heard absolutely no sniper fire or any other fire coming from there. They were on the roofs there. And I think essentially, essentially what we have here is we have to balance what happened.

If there was sniper fire from there, is the response legitimately tank fire into a hotel that is known by everybody -- by everybody to house international journalists? Is -- in other words, is the risk to the forces coming from that hotel, if, indeed, there were sniper shots, which journalists there say they didn't hear, is the legitimate response -- and are the orders of American forces to respond to sniper fire towards their tanks by firing a tank shell, I think that's a legitimate question that has not yet been answered, and what happened today poses and raises very significant issues and very significant questions.

BLITZER: A couple follow-up questions. The -- first of all, who would conduct this kind of independent investigation? You've been a reporter involved in a lot of sensitive, very dangerous kinds of operations. Who do you propose take a look at these incidents to see what exactly happened? AMANPOUR: I think, A, the journalistic community and, B, the military itself.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: The Committee to Protect Journalists...

AMANPOUR: Whoever. We've heard responses today from the International Federation of Journalists. I am sure they are others out there who are talking about this. But this poses a very significant dilemma, I believe, because we understand the risks. We know that when we stay in those kinds of places that we're taking risks. You know that the journalists moved from the Al-Rasheed to the Palestine because there was chatter in the air that the Rasheed might be targeted, so they moved to somewhere they thought would be safer. This is a known civilian base, a known hotel for hundreds of journalists. Is the response to -- maybe sniper fire, which has not yet been proven, by the way -- to respond by tank fire, and then the other questions are -- the response we have heard from the Pentagon has been variously -- on different issues, such as, Well, journalists -- we warned journalists not to be in Baghdad, only embedded journalists can have the protection of the forces. Well, is that an answer to what happened today?

And I think we have to take what happened today, Al-Jazeera hit, Abu Dhabi hit -- begging, by the way, for help in evacuating -- the Palestine Hotel hit, and we have to ask why that happened, and are the rules of engagement in those instances legitimate. We understand from our reporters who are embedded that Mosques are off limits, schools are off limits, hospitals are off limits, if they detect certain fire from there. This goes to the heart of the issue of the civilian issue.

BLITZER: So what are you -- you heard Victoria Clarke, the Pentagon press spokeswoman, suggest earlier -- she had 300 conversation with various news organizations saying, Look, a war is an inherently dangerous situation. We cannot guarantee your safety. If you stay in various hotels, you're taking your life into your own hands because the Iraqis themselves might use you, in effect, as human shields, thinking that the U.S. military won't respond because you're there. And she says that simply is not going to wash.

AMANPOUR: No. 1, I would say that most of the journalists who are there have got a lot more experience in risky situations in war than some of the spokespeople who are giving out those comments. No. 2, in the first Gulf War, the Al Rasheed was off limits for hitting because journalists were in there. And No. 3, even if there were Iraqi officials in there, were they firing, and were they holding journalists as hostages or human shields? There's no evidence of that.

BLITZER: Well, there is a little bit of evidence of that. John Burns, who is an excellent reporter for the "New York Times," he did suggest that were Iraqi security guys going into that hotel, staying there and preventing those journalists who might want to leave from relocating to, perhaps, a different location. You read that in the "New York Times" today?

AMANPOUR: Yes, I did, but the question remains -- the question remains of proportionate response, and was there fire coming out of there, and is the proportionate response, to a civilian building, which is where all the journalists were, to fire at it with a tank? And in my view, that's a major question that needs to be answered urgently.

BLITZER: Fair enough. Christiane Amanpour. Thanks very much.

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 8, 2003 - 14:26   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: The two journalists who were killed today in that tank shell were killed at the Palestine Hotel. That's been a base for international journalists in Baghdad. Both of the dead were cameramen, one with Reuters, the other with Spain's Telecinco (ph). Three journalists were wounded in that same incident. The CENTCOM says American forces responding -- were responding to what they described as -- quote -- "significant fire" coming at them from inside the hotel.
Joining me here in Kuwait City, a journalist who knows firsthand the dangers of covering war, our chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour -- Christiane, what's your take on what may have happened in these incidents, the death of this Al-Jazeera reporter and these two cameramen at the Palestine Hotel -- two separate locations?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Separate, but quite close to each other. I think it bears a really thorough investigation, firstly about what happened and why they were hit. And secondly, the Pentagon has been essentially all over the place. The military spokesmen have been all over the map on their response to this.

First it was because there was -- quote -- sniper fire from the lobby, then from the roof, then from somewhere in the area, then it was significant fire. There's a lot of differing explanations that are coming out. All of the journalists that I have monitored throughout the day have reported that they heard absolutely no sniper fire or any other fire coming from there. They were on the roofs there. And I think essentially, essentially what we have here is we have to balance what happened.

If there was sniper fire from there, is the response legitimately tank fire into a hotel that is known by everybody -- by everybody to house international journalists? Is -- in other words, is the risk to the forces coming from that hotel, if, indeed, there were sniper shots, which journalists there say they didn't hear, is the legitimate response -- and are the orders of American forces to respond to sniper fire towards their tanks by firing a tank shell, I think that's a legitimate question that has not yet been answered, and what happened today poses and raises very significant issues and very significant questions.

BLITZER: A couple follow-up questions. The -- first of all, who would conduct this kind of independent investigation? You've been a reporter involved in a lot of sensitive, very dangerous kinds of operations. Who do you propose take a look at these incidents to see what exactly happened? AMANPOUR: I think, A, the journalistic community and, B, the military itself.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: The Committee to Protect Journalists...

AMANPOUR: Whoever. We've heard responses today from the International Federation of Journalists. I am sure they are others out there who are talking about this. But this poses a very significant dilemma, I believe, because we understand the risks. We know that when we stay in those kinds of places that we're taking risks. You know that the journalists moved from the Al-Rasheed to the Palestine because there was chatter in the air that the Rasheed might be targeted, so they moved to somewhere they thought would be safer. This is a known civilian base, a known hotel for hundreds of journalists. Is the response to -- maybe sniper fire, which has not yet been proven, by the way -- to respond by tank fire, and then the other questions are -- the response we have heard from the Pentagon has been variously -- on different issues, such as, Well, journalists -- we warned journalists not to be in Baghdad, only embedded journalists can have the protection of the forces. Well, is that an answer to what happened today?

And I think we have to take what happened today, Al-Jazeera hit, Abu Dhabi hit -- begging, by the way, for help in evacuating -- the Palestine Hotel hit, and we have to ask why that happened, and are the rules of engagement in those instances legitimate. We understand from our reporters who are embedded that Mosques are off limits, schools are off limits, hospitals are off limits, if they detect certain fire from there. This goes to the heart of the issue of the civilian issue.

BLITZER: So what are you -- you heard Victoria Clarke, the Pentagon press spokeswoman, suggest earlier -- she had 300 conversation with various news organizations saying, Look, a war is an inherently dangerous situation. We cannot guarantee your safety. If you stay in various hotels, you're taking your life into your own hands because the Iraqis themselves might use you, in effect, as human shields, thinking that the U.S. military won't respond because you're there. And she says that simply is not going to wash.

AMANPOUR: No. 1, I would say that most of the journalists who are there have got a lot more experience in risky situations in war than some of the spokespeople who are giving out those comments. No. 2, in the first Gulf War, the Al Rasheed was off limits for hitting because journalists were in there. And No. 3, even if there were Iraqi officials in there, were they firing, and were they holding journalists as hostages or human shields? There's no evidence of that.

BLITZER: Well, there is a little bit of evidence of that. John Burns, who is an excellent reporter for the "New York Times," he did suggest that were Iraqi security guys going into that hotel, staying there and preventing those journalists who might want to leave from relocating to, perhaps, a different location. You read that in the "New York Times" today?

AMANPOUR: Yes, I did, but the question remains -- the question remains of proportionate response, and was there fire coming out of there, and is the proportionate response, to a civilian building, which is where all the journalists were, to fire at it with a tank? And in my view, that's a major question that needs to be answered urgently.

BLITZER: Fair enough. Christiane Amanpour. Thanks very much.

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