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Chalabi Believes Saddam Alive
Aired June 10, 2003 - 14:35 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 been almost three months since the U.S.-led coalition removed Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq, and still no clear picture of happened to him. A former opposition leader in exile says the deposed Iraqi president is alive, and he's moving about the country.
Senior United Nations Correspondent Richard Roth joining us now from the U.N. with the latest on all that -- hello, Richard.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles. Ahmad Chalabi, exiled for 45 years, has been back to Iraq, and now he returned to New York before the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, a prestigious think tank, group of diplomats, ambassadors, journalists in the audience. Chalabi believes that Saddam Hussein is alive. He says he has credible information. He says he has been moving in an arc around Iraq, crossing the Tigris River he was also asked does he believe that the so-called smoking gun, hard evidence of weapons of mass destruction, will ever be located.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AHMAD CHALABI, IRAQI NATIONAL CONGRESS: I believe they will. That's the same situation with finding Saddam. Who are they? How are they looking for Saddam? Again, it's a matter of intelligence, and a matter of looking for people. We are working -- for example, the deck of 55. I think they have got 27 of them now. We got 15 either directly or we provided information to the forces to get the rest of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: Chalabi also believes the U.S. is not being aggressive enough in pursuing Iraqi scientists, some of whom, he claims, have fled the country. He says his organization has introduced the U.S. government to three different defectors. Some of them have been taken away to witness protection-type of programs. Others were been turned back because their information has not worthwhile. Chalabi's information, in fact, has been questioned by many critics. He has support in high places in the Bush administration, in the Pentagon, Vice President Cheney's office. It's still very unclear what his eventual role will be in any type of new Iraqi government. People are listening to him, but on the ground in Iraq there's still some mistrust. In neighboring Jordan, he was accused of a massive financial fraud. He is going to be making his way to Washington later this week for more meetings -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: And can we presume that Mr. Chalabi is trying to shore up some support while here in this country?
ROTH: No doubt. He provided a lot of information to the Bush administration in the run up to the war, and some have questioned whether his claims led the Bush administration to perhaps go further out than it should have regarding Saddam's possession of any weapons of mass destruction.
O'BRIEN: Richard Roth at the United Nations, 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 June 10, 2003 - 14:35 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 been almost three months since the U.S.-led coalition removed Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq, and still no clear picture of happened to him. A former opposition leader in exile says the deposed Iraqi president is alive, and he's moving about the country.
Senior United Nations Correspondent Richard Roth joining us now from the U.N. with the latest on all that -- hello, Richard.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles. Ahmad Chalabi, exiled for 45 years, has been back to Iraq, and now he returned to New York before the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, a prestigious think tank, group of diplomats, ambassadors, journalists in the audience. Chalabi believes that Saddam Hussein is alive. He says he has credible information. He says he has been moving in an arc around Iraq, crossing the Tigris River he was also asked does he believe that the so-called smoking gun, hard evidence of weapons of mass destruction, will ever be located.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AHMAD CHALABI, IRAQI NATIONAL CONGRESS: I believe they will. That's the same situation with finding Saddam. Who are they? How are they looking for Saddam? Again, it's a matter of intelligence, and a matter of looking for people. We are working -- for example, the deck of 55. I think they have got 27 of them now. We got 15 either directly or we provided information to the forces to get the rest of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: Chalabi also believes the U.S. is not being aggressive enough in pursuing Iraqi scientists, some of whom, he claims, have fled the country. He says his organization has introduced the U.S. government to three different defectors. Some of them have been taken away to witness protection-type of programs. Others were been turned back because their information has not worthwhile. Chalabi's information, in fact, has been questioned by many critics. He has support in high places in the Bush administration, in the Pentagon, Vice President Cheney's office. It's still very unclear what his eventual role will be in any type of new Iraqi government. People are listening to him, but on the ground in Iraq there's still some mistrust. In neighboring Jordan, he was accused of a massive financial fraud. He is going to be making his way to Washington later this week for more meetings -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: And can we presume that Mr. Chalabi is trying to shore up some support while here in this country?
ROTH: No doubt. He provided a lot of information to the Bush administration in the run up to the war, and some have questioned whether his claims led the Bush administration to perhaps go further out than it should have regarding Saddam's possession of any weapons of mass destruction.
O'BRIEN: Richard Roth at the United Nations, 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
