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Latest Developments in Iraq

Aired April 23, 2003 - 13:41   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.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to get more from Iraq now, the latest from Baghdad. Our Jim Clancy standing by.
Hi, Jim. It's been a busy time for you.

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It certainly has, Kyra, and we're really looking at a lot of developments this day. Of course, I think the biggest one, without a doubt, was in Karbala, where hundreds of thousands of Shia Muslims turned out to mark 40 days since the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein. He was killed in the seventh century. He is the third most important figure in Shia Islam. And people turned out.

They were doing penance. He was abandoned by his followers and killed by his rivals. On this day, Shia Muslims offer up penance for abandoning the Imam Hussein, a very moving event that exemplified the freedom Shia Muslims now have, while they've been the 60 percent majority of the country under the regime of President Saddam Hussein. For decades, they were never allowed to mark this, one of their holiest days.

In other events around the country, you know, it was only about 24 hours ago, that General Jay Garner said that while he was up in northern Iraq, said that he hoped that the democracy that was there spread to the rest of the country. Well, it did just that today as the patriotic union of Kurdistan opened a political office here. You've got to remember, northern Iraq was an autonomous region. They had political parties, certainly here in Baghdad. There were no rivals to the Baath Party, no rivals to President Saddam Hussein, and people here are really going to have to learn how to build a multiparty democracy, so the opening of the PUK office, something of a symbol of change here -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Our Jim Clancy, live from 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






Aired April 23, 2003 - 13:41   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to get more from Iraq now, the latest from Baghdad. Our Jim Clancy standing by.
Hi, Jim. It's been a busy time for you.

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It certainly has, Kyra, and we're really looking at a lot of developments this day. Of course, I think the biggest one, without a doubt, was in Karbala, where hundreds of thousands of Shia Muslims turned out to mark 40 days since the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein. He was killed in the seventh century. He is the third most important figure in Shia Islam. And people turned out.

They were doing penance. He was abandoned by his followers and killed by his rivals. On this day, Shia Muslims offer up penance for abandoning the Imam Hussein, a very moving event that exemplified the freedom Shia Muslims now have, while they've been the 60 percent majority of the country under the regime of President Saddam Hussein. For decades, they were never allowed to mark this, one of their holiest days.

In other events around the country, you know, it was only about 24 hours ago, that General Jay Garner said that while he was up in northern Iraq, said that he hoped that the democracy that was there spread to the rest of the country. Well, it did just that today as the patriotic union of Kurdistan opened a political office here. You've got to remember, northern Iraq was an autonomous region. They had political parties, certainly here in Baghdad. There were no rivals to the Baath Party, no rivals to President Saddam Hussein, and people here are really going to have to learn how to build a multiparty democracy, so the opening of the PUK office, something of a symbol of change here -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Our Jim Clancy, live from 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