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Fall of Saddam Leads to Creation of New Political Parties
Aired April 30, 2003 - 15:18 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.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: The signs, both literally and figuratively, are everywhere. New political freedoms in Iraq have led to the creation of new political parties, lots of them. CNN's John Vause has more on the country's burgeoning democracy and the challenge of uniting a multiethic, multi-religious society.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's freedom in the air in Basra, freedom to destroy the symbols of the past. Like these young men systematically tearing down the 99 statues that commemorate the Iraq/Iran war. It was not their war, they say. These are not their martyrs, and there is freedom to think about the future. It's been a generation since the hammer and sickle flattered in the Iraqi breeze. Under Saddam's rule, the communists went underground, but a week ago, they decided that Saddam was almost certainly gone and now the time had come to set up shop.
ABDUL KARIM ABDUL SADA, IRAQI COMMUNIST PARTY (through translator): The aims of the Communist Party are to have a democratic federal government. We want to abolish all the establishments of the old regime.
VAUSE: Just as the Ba'ath Party headquarters in Basra was smashed by coalition firepower, so too was its monopoly on political ideology. By some accounts, there are now a dozen new parties in Basra alone. Among them, the Islamic Invitation Party. They'd like a Shia-dominated Islamic government and want the U.S. to leave now.
Don't confuse them with the High Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, although they pretty much have the same goals. The Coalition of Iraqi National Unity supports the coalition, but notably that's written in English, not Arabic.
There's the Iraqi Coordination Movement, which has taken over one of Chemical Ali's houses. It's hard to know whom they support, because on our three visits no one was ever there. Then there's the Iraq National Party. Five days ago, they moved into the old holding cells at the city's police station.
HASSAN MAHOOD ALI, IRAQI NATIONAL PARTY (through translator): We are asking for a democratic society with human rights, especially for women. We are walking together as one, supporting Dr. Ahmad Chalabi.
VAUSE: Dr. Ahmad Chalabi, that's his picture out front, but he's leader of the once exiled Iraqi National Congress. (on camera): And all of the parties are vying for a say in Iraq's political future. It is shaping up to be a very noisy and long discussion.
John Vause, CNN, Basra.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 30, 2003 - 15:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: The signs, both literally and figuratively, are everywhere. New political freedoms in Iraq have led to the creation of new political parties, lots of them. CNN's John Vause has more on the country's burgeoning democracy and the challenge of uniting a multiethic, multi-religious society.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's freedom in the air in Basra, freedom to destroy the symbols of the past. Like these young men systematically tearing down the 99 statues that commemorate the Iraq/Iran war. It was not their war, they say. These are not their martyrs, and there is freedom to think about the future. It's been a generation since the hammer and sickle flattered in the Iraqi breeze. Under Saddam's rule, the communists went underground, but a week ago, they decided that Saddam was almost certainly gone and now the time had come to set up shop.
ABDUL KARIM ABDUL SADA, IRAQI COMMUNIST PARTY (through translator): The aims of the Communist Party are to have a democratic federal government. We want to abolish all the establishments of the old regime.
VAUSE: Just as the Ba'ath Party headquarters in Basra was smashed by coalition firepower, so too was its monopoly on political ideology. By some accounts, there are now a dozen new parties in Basra alone. Among them, the Islamic Invitation Party. They'd like a Shia-dominated Islamic government and want the U.S. to leave now.
Don't confuse them with the High Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, although they pretty much have the same goals. The Coalition of Iraqi National Unity supports the coalition, but notably that's written in English, not Arabic.
There's the Iraqi Coordination Movement, which has taken over one of Chemical Ali's houses. It's hard to know whom they support, because on our three visits no one was ever there. Then there's the Iraq National Party. Five days ago, they moved into the old holding cells at the city's police station.
HASSAN MAHOOD ALI, IRAQI NATIONAL PARTY (through translator): We are asking for a democratic society with human rights, especially for women. We are walking together as one, supporting Dr. Ahmad Chalabi.
VAUSE: Dr. Ahmad Chalabi, that's his picture out front, but he's leader of the once exiled Iraqi National Congress. (on camera): And all of the parties are vying for a say in Iraq's political future. It is shaping up to be a very noisy and long discussion.
John Vause, CNN, Basra.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
