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Saddam's Sons Killed: Proof Positive

Aired July 24, 2003 - 14:01   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: And we begin this hour with Uday and Qusay Hussein's photo finish and a word of caution -- what we're about to show you is rather gruesome, though if you've been watching CNN you have, of course, seen the grizzly images which the U.S. authorities say are the corpses of Saddam Hussein's sons. The U.S. almost never flaunts its enemy kills but in this case officials at the highest levels thought it crucial to convince Iraqis that the brothers Hussein were, in fact, dead.
So is it proof positive or is it propaganda, as that Iraqi newspaper editor suggested a few moments ago? From Baghdad this hour, where the photos were released by the U.S. civil authority -- that's an important distinction. We'll tell you a little bit about that in a bit. Here is CNN's Nic Robertson.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Miles, the majority opinion, at least of the people that we've been able to talk to so far that have seen the pictures, and seen them not only on Iraqi television, the Coalition Provision Authority putting out black and white images on Iraqi television, that they have been able to see them on some of the international news broadcasts, not only CNN, but some of the regional broadcasters, al Arrabiya, Al Jazeera -- the majority opinion that we've been able to find so far, people are willing to believe that these are pictures of Uday and Qusay, dead as the coalition say they are.

The range of opinions from there range quite extensively. Some people say, yes, it's good that this has happened. This is a chance for us to now move on. But other people saying it would have been better for them to stand trial. Therefore, everyone could hear all the things that they were accused of. There could be better justice there. Other people saying perhaps this will lead people to give more information, possibly about the whereabouts of Saddam Hussein. Other people saying as well, that because they were killed by U.S. forces that this will make Uday and Qusay martyrs for the cause of anti-U.S. resistance here in Iraq.

So there are a range of opinions, but one of the big sets of opinions here, as well, not to be diminished by the number of people that we've talked to who expressed that this is confirmation. There are other people here who say, no, this is not Uday and Qusay. People were troubled initially that the images were quite dark. The images appeared to have improved more -- better quality photographs have been aired in the last hour or so. But people -- some people still say this isn't proof enough. We don't believe it's them, and we think it's a fabrication -- Miles. O'BRIEN: Well, this debate, Nic, I guess has just begun. And I was looking on the Internet yesterday -- they're still discussing whether the pictures of Hitler in his bunker after his suicide were, in fact, real. So it's unlikely this will ever be put to rest, is it?

ROBERTSON: It's a debate that can go on. What the coalition is looking for here is to see a reduction in the number of attacks against U.S. troops here.

What the Iraqi people are looking for is the security that they have been asking for, for a long time, is the stability, the electricity. They're still asking for those things. And perhaps for the United States and for the coalition the level of skepticism on this issue is an indicator of how much the Iraqi people have become frustrated and disenchanted with what the United States, with what the coalition set out and said it would set oat to do here in Iraq, which was provide stability and security.

So in some ways the coalition finds itself in a deep hole and by catching Uday and Qusay, it's only part of the process of getting out of that hole, if you will. The process, of course, of laying to rest whether or not it is Uday and Qusay will go on for a long time. But the measure for the coalition, at least, will be is there a reduction in the attacks on U.S. troops.? And the immediate indicators are that hasn't happened so far, Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Nic Robertson in Baghdad.

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 July 24, 2003 - 14:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And we begin this hour with Uday and Qusay Hussein's photo finish and a word of caution -- what we're about to show you is rather gruesome, though if you've been watching CNN you have, of course, seen the grizzly images which the U.S. authorities say are the corpses of Saddam Hussein's sons. The U.S. almost never flaunts its enemy kills but in this case officials at the highest levels thought it crucial to convince Iraqis that the brothers Hussein were, in fact, dead.
So is it proof positive or is it propaganda, as that Iraqi newspaper editor suggested a few moments ago? From Baghdad this hour, where the photos were released by the U.S. civil authority -- that's an important distinction. We'll tell you a little bit about that in a bit. Here is CNN's Nic Robertson.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Miles, the majority opinion, at least of the people that we've been able to talk to so far that have seen the pictures, and seen them not only on Iraqi television, the Coalition Provision Authority putting out black and white images on Iraqi television, that they have been able to see them on some of the international news broadcasts, not only CNN, but some of the regional broadcasters, al Arrabiya, Al Jazeera -- the majority opinion that we've been able to find so far, people are willing to believe that these are pictures of Uday and Qusay, dead as the coalition say they are.

The range of opinions from there range quite extensively. Some people say, yes, it's good that this has happened. This is a chance for us to now move on. But other people saying it would have been better for them to stand trial. Therefore, everyone could hear all the things that they were accused of. There could be better justice there. Other people saying perhaps this will lead people to give more information, possibly about the whereabouts of Saddam Hussein. Other people saying as well, that because they were killed by U.S. forces that this will make Uday and Qusay martyrs for the cause of anti-U.S. resistance here in Iraq.

So there are a range of opinions, but one of the big sets of opinions here, as well, not to be diminished by the number of people that we've talked to who expressed that this is confirmation. There are other people here who say, no, this is not Uday and Qusay. People were troubled initially that the images were quite dark. The images appeared to have improved more -- better quality photographs have been aired in the last hour or so. But people -- some people still say this isn't proof enough. We don't believe it's them, and we think it's a fabrication -- Miles. O'BRIEN: Well, this debate, Nic, I guess has just begun. And I was looking on the Internet yesterday -- they're still discussing whether the pictures of Hitler in his bunker after his suicide were, in fact, real. So it's unlikely this will ever be put to rest, is it?

ROBERTSON: It's a debate that can go on. What the coalition is looking for here is to see a reduction in the number of attacks against U.S. troops here.

What the Iraqi people are looking for is the security that they have been asking for, for a long time, is the stability, the electricity. They're still asking for those things. And perhaps for the United States and for the coalition the level of skepticism on this issue is an indicator of how much the Iraqi people have become frustrated and disenchanted with what the United States, with what the coalition set out and said it would set oat to do here in Iraq, which was provide stability and security.

So in some ways the coalition finds itself in a deep hole and by catching Uday and Qusay, it's only part of the process of getting out of that hole, if you will. The process, of course, of laying to rest whether or not it is Uday and Qusay will go on for a long time. But the measure for the coalition, at least, will be is there a reduction in the attacks on U.S. troops.? And the immediate indicators are that hasn't happened so far, Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Nic Robertson in Baghdad.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com