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Important Development Along Iraq-Syria Border
Aired April 11, 2003 - 13:32 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: I want to go to Damascus.
CNN's Sheila MacVicar is in Damascus, with the word on an important development along the border between Syria and Iraq.
Sheila, tell us what's happening.
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, after some pressure from the U.S. government, U.S. officials who have both "publicly and privately" been complaining about Syria's behavior over the course of the last number of weeks of the war, it appears that Syrians have decided that they will close their borders to all but Iraqis seeking to return home. We heard of course from Assistant Secretary of Defense Wolfowitz on Thursday, saying that the Syrians had been -- quote -- "behaving badly" in permitting non-Iraqi nationals, other Arab nationals, Lebanese, Jordanians, the Yemenis, others, to cross the border, in order to go and take up arms against coalition forces. We were at the border today. We talked to Syrian officials at that border. They told us that the only people allowed to cross there now are Iraqis.
We were at one of three formal border crossing points. There are other desert tracks. But clearly, if people were going home, the most likely route home would be via bus out of Damascus. It seems that that route has been closed to all but those who are Iraqis seeking to return to their home -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Sheila, the speculation -- the allegations against Syria are multiple, coming from various sources, mostly U.S. sources. One is that senior Iraqi officials have already been allowed into Syria, they're getting refuge there. But two, maybe even more ominous, that some of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction may have been transferred from Iraq into Syria. There's been widespread speculation of that in the international news media. What are you hearing from Syrian government officials? What are they saying?
MACVICAR: Well, first, let's deal with the subject of members of the regime or their family members coming to Syria. I had a long conversation yesterday with the senior Syrian government official, who told me they had spoken at length with every department in Syria that could possibly be involved with such people, ministry of the interior, intelligence, the presidency, and was told at every level that they had not received anyone, which of course begs the question of, if they're not in Syria, then where are they? On the second issue, of weapons of mass destruction -- another conversation with other very senior Syrian government officials, they basically looked at me and said, you know, our relations with Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi regime have been so bad for 30 years, what on earth convinces anyone that the Iraqis would trust us with their weapons of mass destruction, if they have them?
They adamantly deny that they are in any way, in any possession of any of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, and suggest this is a slander campaign, a smear campaign, being orchestrated against Syria, that they say there is no way they would accept this. They also add that if there were senior regime figures to come to Syria, they would not hesitate to hand them over to the coalition -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Sheila MacVicar, with the latest from Damascus, the Syrian capital.
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 11, 2003 - 13:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I want to go to Damascus.
CNN's Sheila MacVicar is in Damascus, with the word on an important development along the border between Syria and Iraq.
Sheila, tell us what's happening.
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, after some pressure from the U.S. government, U.S. officials who have both "publicly and privately" been complaining about Syria's behavior over the course of the last number of weeks of the war, it appears that Syrians have decided that they will close their borders to all but Iraqis seeking to return home. We heard of course from Assistant Secretary of Defense Wolfowitz on Thursday, saying that the Syrians had been -- quote -- "behaving badly" in permitting non-Iraqi nationals, other Arab nationals, Lebanese, Jordanians, the Yemenis, others, to cross the border, in order to go and take up arms against coalition forces. We were at the border today. We talked to Syrian officials at that border. They told us that the only people allowed to cross there now are Iraqis.
We were at one of three formal border crossing points. There are other desert tracks. But clearly, if people were going home, the most likely route home would be via bus out of Damascus. It seems that that route has been closed to all but those who are Iraqis seeking to return to their home -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Sheila, the speculation -- the allegations against Syria are multiple, coming from various sources, mostly U.S. sources. One is that senior Iraqi officials have already been allowed into Syria, they're getting refuge there. But two, maybe even more ominous, that some of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction may have been transferred from Iraq into Syria. There's been widespread speculation of that in the international news media. What are you hearing from Syrian government officials? What are they saying?
MACVICAR: Well, first, let's deal with the subject of members of the regime or their family members coming to Syria. I had a long conversation yesterday with the senior Syrian government official, who told me they had spoken at length with every department in Syria that could possibly be involved with such people, ministry of the interior, intelligence, the presidency, and was told at every level that they had not received anyone, which of course begs the question of, if they're not in Syria, then where are they? On the second issue, of weapons of mass destruction -- another conversation with other very senior Syrian government officials, they basically looked at me and said, you know, our relations with Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi regime have been so bad for 30 years, what on earth convinces anyone that the Iraqis would trust us with their weapons of mass destruction, if they have them?
They adamantly deny that they are in any way, in any possession of any of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, and suggest this is a slander campaign, a smear campaign, being orchestrated against Syria, that they say there is no way they would accept this. They also add that if there were senior regime figures to come to Syria, they would not hesitate to hand them over to the coalition -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Sheila MacVicar, with the latest from Damascus, the Syrian capital.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
