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Biologist Known as "Mrs. Anthrax" in U.S. Custody
Aired May 05, 2003 - 15:13 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 United States administrator for Iraq, retired General Jay Garner, says that the nucleus of a new Iraqi government, with what he calls an Iraqi face, will come together later this month. Garner made his comments earlier today in Basra.
Our Nic Robertson is standing by in the Iraqi capital with more on what the general had to say -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Judy, his words being listened to very closely by many Iraqis here who are exceptionally keen to see a new Iraqi leadership take -- take face here in Iraq. But as Mr. Garner has said, it will have an Iraqi face.
He said he hoped by the middle of May, just two weeks away, that there would be a nine-man interim administration heading up different areas of Iraq's government. Now he said that interim structure would be made up from different cross-sections in Iraqi society. It would cross ethnic boundaries, he said. It would have Shiite Muslims, Sunni Muslims, possibly Christians, Kurds as well.
He also said that it would be made up of Iraqis from Iraq and returning exiled Iraqi politicians. That is something that a lot of people in Iraq are very much against.
People we talked to here say we're desperate to have our own government. One man I told you today said there are 140 different political parties, but no leader at this time. What they say they want is somebody who has been in Iraq with them a political leader, political leaders who have suffered like they have, they say, under Saddam Hussein's regime, but who understand what they want. One person we talked to today as well said he couldn't say who he wanted to be -- who he wanted for the new leadership in Iraq, but he could say who he didn't want. He said he didn't want Ahmed Chalabi, the head of the Iraq National Congress, the head, essentially, of one of the major exile groups of politicians returning. There is a lot of resistance to that, Judy.
WOODRUFF: Nic, separately today, in the search for important figures in Saddam Hussein's government, there has been another arrest at a high level.
ROBERTSON: Yes, Huda Ammash. She was a member of the Iraqi National Ba'ath Command. Now that would be above ministerial level, but below the Revolutionary Command Council level. A very senior position in Iraq. She appeared on Iraqi television a lot of times recently with Saddam Hussein just before the war. But perhaps for the coalition, the greater interest in her would be her possible involvement in weapons of mass destruction.
She got a master's degree in microbiology from the University of Texas. She got a Phd in microbiology from the University of Missouri. And she is widely regarded in coalition -- from coalition sources as being involved in Iraq's biological weapons of mass destruction.
But we talked just last week to the former head of that biological weapons program here. He said Huda Ammash had been involved in the administration, -- not in the administration of Iraq, not in the weapons of mass destruction program.
We always talked to a business partner of hers. She ran a medical testing facility, testing for medical conditions inside Baghdad. He said, again, that she wasn't involved in weapons of mass destruction, that she was -- that she wouldn't have known anything about anthrax or these -- or other types of weapons systems. He said. So possibly, the coalition here getting a very senior figure, certainly this most senior woman in Iraq's leadership. But perhaps not someone who can tell them a lot about weapons of mass destruction -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: All right, Nic, perhaps some irony in the fact she studied in Texas at one point. All right, Nic Robertson joining us from Baghdad, where it is already well into the evening. Thank you, nic.
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 May 5, 2003 - 15:13 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: The United States administrator for Iraq, retired General Jay Garner, says that the nucleus of a new Iraqi government, with what he calls an Iraqi face, will come together later this month. Garner made his comments earlier today in Basra.
Our Nic Robertson is standing by in the Iraqi capital with more on what the general had to say -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Judy, his words being listened to very closely by many Iraqis here who are exceptionally keen to see a new Iraqi leadership take -- take face here in Iraq. But as Mr. Garner has said, it will have an Iraqi face.
He said he hoped by the middle of May, just two weeks away, that there would be a nine-man interim administration heading up different areas of Iraq's government. Now he said that interim structure would be made up from different cross-sections in Iraqi society. It would cross ethnic boundaries, he said. It would have Shiite Muslims, Sunni Muslims, possibly Christians, Kurds as well.
He also said that it would be made up of Iraqis from Iraq and returning exiled Iraqi politicians. That is something that a lot of people in Iraq are very much against.
People we talked to here say we're desperate to have our own government. One man I told you today said there are 140 different political parties, but no leader at this time. What they say they want is somebody who has been in Iraq with them a political leader, political leaders who have suffered like they have, they say, under Saddam Hussein's regime, but who understand what they want. One person we talked to today as well said he couldn't say who he wanted to be -- who he wanted for the new leadership in Iraq, but he could say who he didn't want. He said he didn't want Ahmed Chalabi, the head of the Iraq National Congress, the head, essentially, of one of the major exile groups of politicians returning. There is a lot of resistance to that, Judy.
WOODRUFF: Nic, separately today, in the search for important figures in Saddam Hussein's government, there has been another arrest at a high level.
ROBERTSON: Yes, Huda Ammash. She was a member of the Iraqi National Ba'ath Command. Now that would be above ministerial level, but below the Revolutionary Command Council level. A very senior position in Iraq. She appeared on Iraqi television a lot of times recently with Saddam Hussein just before the war. But perhaps for the coalition, the greater interest in her would be her possible involvement in weapons of mass destruction.
She got a master's degree in microbiology from the University of Texas. She got a Phd in microbiology from the University of Missouri. And she is widely regarded in coalition -- from coalition sources as being involved in Iraq's biological weapons of mass destruction.
But we talked just last week to the former head of that biological weapons program here. He said Huda Ammash had been involved in the administration, -- not in the administration of Iraq, not in the weapons of mass destruction program.
We always talked to a business partner of hers. She ran a medical testing facility, testing for medical conditions inside Baghdad. He said, again, that she wasn't involved in weapons of mass destruction, that she was -- that she wouldn't have known anything about anthrax or these -- or other types of weapons systems. He said. So possibly, the coalition here getting a very senior figure, certainly this most senior woman in Iraq's leadership. But perhaps not someone who can tell them a lot about weapons of mass destruction -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: All right, Nic, perhaps some irony in the fact she studied in Texas at one point. All right, Nic Robertson joining us from Baghdad, where it is already well into the evening. Thank you, nic.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
