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Saddam Speaks?
Aired September 17, 2003 - 13:35 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Saddam Hussein or someone who sounds like him is urging Iraqis to set up attack once American troops. Arab television, Al-Arabiya, today aired a 14-minute audiotape said to be from the former Iraqi leader. The voice on the tape calls for more protests and donations.
Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is in Baghdad with reaction -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Well, the message also has something new for the Iraqi people and for the American people, the person purporting to be Saddam Hussein says that President Bush has been lying to the American people that, indeed, President Bush should call on the coalition troops to unilaterally withdraw from Iraq. It says he should admit defeat because of all the attacks that have been going on against the U.S. forces here in Iraq, and he also says that President Bush should begin to negotiate this withdraw with former high level Iraqi officials who are now in coalition custody.
Another new element to the message -- and this is the eighth such message we've heard from somebody purporting to be Saddam Hussein. The other new element here is that the person calls for Arabs in this region to join the Jihad against the coalition here in Iraq, something that resonates quite a lot with what we've heard from Osama bin Laden in his most recent tape, calling on people in this region, around here, to come to Iraq and fight with the Iraqis against the U.S. forces. It calls on Iraqis to join that fight. He says if they can't fight, then they should pray for victory.
But this tape, from what we've seen with people here in Iraq, most people, Kyra, really don't care to hear it. They say Saddam Hussein is part of their history, not their future -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: You know, Nic, as we introed into you here, talking about this voice on the tape, calling for more protest and donations, what do you mean by donations?
ROBERTSON: Well, what he seems to be doing here is saying to one part of the community, look, if you can fight, then fight. But if you can't fight, then support those that are fighting the coalition. Don't tell on your neighbors. Don't give information to the coalition. Don't cooperate with the coalition. But provide money for those people in the -- what they call the resistance, to fight against the coalition, to fight against the U.S. troops, perhaps provide funding for weapons, although there seems to be plenty of weapons in Iraq at this time. But It really is trying to call on all parts of the community here in Iraq to join that resistance, to join that fight, against the coalition and against the U.S. troops here -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Nic Robertson, live from Baghdad, thanks, 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 September 17, 2003 - 13:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Saddam Hussein or someone who sounds like him is urging Iraqis to set up attack once American troops. Arab television, Al-Arabiya, today aired a 14-minute audiotape said to be from the former Iraqi leader. The voice on the tape calls for more protests and donations.
Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is in Baghdad with reaction -- Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Well, the message also has something new for the Iraqi people and for the American people, the person purporting to be Saddam Hussein says that President Bush has been lying to the American people that, indeed, President Bush should call on the coalition troops to unilaterally withdraw from Iraq. It says he should admit defeat because of all the attacks that have been going on against the U.S. forces here in Iraq, and he also says that President Bush should begin to negotiate this withdraw with former high level Iraqi officials who are now in coalition custody.
Another new element to the message -- and this is the eighth such message we've heard from somebody purporting to be Saddam Hussein. The other new element here is that the person calls for Arabs in this region to join the Jihad against the coalition here in Iraq, something that resonates quite a lot with what we've heard from Osama bin Laden in his most recent tape, calling on people in this region, around here, to come to Iraq and fight with the Iraqis against the U.S. forces. It calls on Iraqis to join that fight. He says if they can't fight, then they should pray for victory.
But this tape, from what we've seen with people here in Iraq, most people, Kyra, really don't care to hear it. They say Saddam Hussein is part of their history, not their future -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: You know, Nic, as we introed into you here, talking about this voice on the tape, calling for more protest and donations, what do you mean by donations?
ROBERTSON: Well, what he seems to be doing here is saying to one part of the community, look, if you can fight, then fight. But if you can't fight, then support those that are fighting the coalition. Don't tell on your neighbors. Don't give information to the coalition. Don't cooperate with the coalition. But provide money for those people in the -- what they call the resistance, to fight against the coalition, to fight against the U.S. troops, perhaps provide funding for weapons, although there seems to be plenty of weapons in Iraq at this time. But It really is trying to call on all parts of the community here in Iraq to join that resistance, to join that fight, against the coalition and against the U.S. troops here -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Nic Robertson, live from Baghdad, thanks, 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
