Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Saddam's Voice Heard?

Aired May 07, 2003 - 13:18   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.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's become a familiar, if not tedious question at this point: Is it really Saddam Hussein? Another audiotape has surfaced in Baghdad. The former Iraqi leader, said to have recorded it this week. In the tape, he urges Iraqis to reject the invaders and promises victory is still coming.
Our Nic Robertson is in Baghdad with more on expert analysis and some local reaction.

Nic, still not a lot of electricity in Baghdad. Is there much knowledge out there about this tape?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The knowledge doesn't seem to be spreading that far, that quickly. Certainly, when we wanted to see if people had heard it earlier in the day, we had to play it to them, and their reaction to the tape was that they didn't -- they weren't particularly bothered, whether or not this was Saddam Hussein, they weren't going to follow this message.

Now the message delivered on the audiotape, perhaps the significant thing about it is, is this is the first time we've heard in what purports to be Saddam Hussein's voice since the war, since he was ousted from power, what purports to be a call to arms, a call for an organized resistance against the U.S. troops in Iraq. It calls on people to shoot at the U.S. troops. It calls on people to stop doing business with the U.S. troops. It calls on people to put up slogans on the wall, and says that anyone dealing with foreigners here in Iraq will be considered a traitor, and this is a type of organization we haven't seen coming from Saddam Hussein or coming from his Baath Party since they were ousted from power.

And certainly, whoever put out this message, if it was Saddam Hussein, saying they were still present in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Through the secret means, I'm talking to you from inside great Iraq, and I say to you, the main task to you, Arab and Kurd, Shia and Sunni, Muslim and Christian, and the whole Iraqi people of all religions, your main task is to kick the enemy out from our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now the message talked about doing this in a secret way, perhaps alluding to the way Saddam Hussein and the Baath Party had run an underground movement back in the late 1950s and mid 1960s. Another interesting moment on the audio tape, was where Saddam Hussein talked about his birthday a little over a week ago, saying that there had been celebration in Iraq, people showing their support for him. He said that was an indication that people actually liked him. That wasn't the picture that we saw here. And when we went to another neighborhood of Baghdad today that used to be pro-Saddam Hussein, the message from people there, no, absolutely, they're not going to follow this call for arms. Nobody here, they say, will fight for him at this time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Whether Saddam was dead or alive, he's finished as far as Iraqis are concerned. Saddam is over. We don't want him. We don't want him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Yes this is his voice, this is his voice. He's in Iraq, but we don't want to fight him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now, while people say they don't mind whether or not it's his voice, or it's not important to them, certainly, the specter of hearing what could be Saddam Hussein's voice is cause for concern for people here, because it is the one thing that people say continually say holds them back from feeling that he this are really free, the fear that Saddam Hussein may come back, because they haven't seen him -- proof of him captured, they haven't seen proof he's been killed. They say, therefore, there's always that possible he may come back, and this raises for them, a little bit, that possibility.

O'BRIEN: Nic, short of producing Saddam Hussein dead or alive, what can the U.S. administration do to enhance their feelings of security, with the possibility he's out there?

ROBERTSON: Very little. It is going to be exactly that, continue to capture and apprehend all those senior officials who were around Saddam Hussein, and eventually apprehend the former leader and his sons. That's what it's going to take to convince people. That, or just a long period of time, where these speeches don't surface, where the issue isn't raised, and people are allowed to forget Saddam Hussein. But otherwise, there'll be these continual reminders, and therefore, the apprehension exists -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Nic Robertson in Baghdad, thank you 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 May 7, 2003 - 13:18   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's become a familiar, if not tedious question at this point: Is it really Saddam Hussein? Another audiotape has surfaced in Baghdad. The former Iraqi leader, said to have recorded it this week. In the tape, he urges Iraqis to reject the invaders and promises victory is still coming.
Our Nic Robertson is in Baghdad with more on expert analysis and some local reaction.

Nic, still not a lot of electricity in Baghdad. Is there much knowledge out there about this tape?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The knowledge doesn't seem to be spreading that far, that quickly. Certainly, when we wanted to see if people had heard it earlier in the day, we had to play it to them, and their reaction to the tape was that they didn't -- they weren't particularly bothered, whether or not this was Saddam Hussein, they weren't going to follow this message.

Now the message delivered on the audiotape, perhaps the significant thing about it is, is this is the first time we've heard in what purports to be Saddam Hussein's voice since the war, since he was ousted from power, what purports to be a call to arms, a call for an organized resistance against the U.S. troops in Iraq. It calls on people to shoot at the U.S. troops. It calls on people to stop doing business with the U.S. troops. It calls on people to put up slogans on the wall, and says that anyone dealing with foreigners here in Iraq will be considered a traitor, and this is a type of organization we haven't seen coming from Saddam Hussein or coming from his Baath Party since they were ousted from power.

And certainly, whoever put out this message, if it was Saddam Hussein, saying they were still present in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Through the secret means, I'm talking to you from inside great Iraq, and I say to you, the main task to you, Arab and Kurd, Shia and Sunni, Muslim and Christian, and the whole Iraqi people of all religions, your main task is to kick the enemy out from our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now the message talked about doing this in a secret way, perhaps alluding to the way Saddam Hussein and the Baath Party had run an underground movement back in the late 1950s and mid 1960s. Another interesting moment on the audio tape, was where Saddam Hussein talked about his birthday a little over a week ago, saying that there had been celebration in Iraq, people showing their support for him. He said that was an indication that people actually liked him. That wasn't the picture that we saw here. And when we went to another neighborhood of Baghdad today that used to be pro-Saddam Hussein, the message from people there, no, absolutely, they're not going to follow this call for arms. Nobody here, they say, will fight for him at this time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Whether Saddam was dead or alive, he's finished as far as Iraqis are concerned. Saddam is over. We don't want him. We don't want him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Yes this is his voice, this is his voice. He's in Iraq, but we don't want to fight him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now, while people say they don't mind whether or not it's his voice, or it's not important to them, certainly, the specter of hearing what could be Saddam Hussein's voice is cause for concern for people here, because it is the one thing that people say continually say holds them back from feeling that he this are really free, the fear that Saddam Hussein may come back, because they haven't seen him -- proof of him captured, they haven't seen proof he's been killed. They say, therefore, there's always that possible he may come back, and this raises for them, a little bit, that possibility.

O'BRIEN: Nic, short of producing Saddam Hussein dead or alive, what can the U.S. administration do to enhance their feelings of security, with the possibility he's out there?

ROBERTSON: Very little. It is going to be exactly that, continue to capture and apprehend all those senior officials who were around Saddam Hussein, and eventually apprehend the former leader and his sons. That's what it's going to take to convince people. That, or just a long period of time, where these speeches don't surface, where the issue isn't raised, and people are allowed to forget Saddam Hussein. But otherwise, there'll be these continual reminders, and therefore, the apprehension exists -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Nic Robertson in Baghdad, thank you 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