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Threat Level Lowered; Red Cross Wants to Visit Saddam Hussein

Aired January 09, 2004 - 15:03   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: Up first this hour, a cautious sigh of relief from the Homeland Security Department. But don't hold your breath if you're waiting for a general across-the-board stand-down in terror preparedness. As you know if you've been watching us all day here on CNN, the U.S. terror threat level came down to yellow, meaning elevated, from orange, meaning high. But that is not the whole story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We know from experience that the increased security and vigilance that accompanies a raise in the threat level does make a difference in deterring and disrupting a terrorist attack.

Let me emphasize that, although we've returned to yellow, we have not let our guard down. Yellow still means that we are in elevated risk of attack. And we will maintain particular vigilance around some critical resources and locales. And, so the force of homeland security continues to move forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: And now we move forward to CNN justice correspondent Kelli Arena.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: You heard Homeland Secretary Tom Ridge say that, while it is true that the level, the overall national level, will go back down to elevated, it doesn't mean that officials will give us the all-clear sign.

What's more, he also confirmed what CNN had been reporting, which is that several sectors and locales will maintain a higher level of alert than others. Despite the best efforts by reporters, he wouldn't get very specific.

RIDGE: There will be certain locales and certain areas within the private sector that, for the time being, we will maintain added vigilance and security.

QUESTION: But you don't want to say which they are?

RIDGE: That's correct. I do not.

(CROSSTALK) RIDGE: We don't want to broadcast to everybody where we're going to be doing this. But those areas and elements within the private sector, they've already been contacted. And they understand that, for the time being, we want to maintain a similar level of security at these sites.

ARENA: Now, sources have told CNN that the sectors that will remain at a higher alert level include aviation, ports, certain infrastructure, and nuclear plants.

And, as for locales, sources say that they include certain areas or potential targets inside of Las Vegas, for example, or Washington, D.C., and no surprise, New York City, which always maintains a higher alert level than the rest of the country anyway.

Now, intelligence sources say that, even with this move to yellow, the concern about a possible attack still remains pretty high. And that is because the level of threat information remains high as well. It's just more general in nature than it's been in recent months.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: This was the fifth time we've bumped up to orange and back again since the color chart was instituted post-9/11.

Somebody other than the U.S. military apparently wants to talk to Saddam Hussein. It seems at least one humanitarian group wants to see what kind of shape the deposed dictator is in.

Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joining us now with that -- hello, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Miles.

Well, yes, indeed, the International Committee of the Red Cross, based in Geneva, Switzerland, monitors the status of prisoners around the world, including those that the U.S. has detained on the battlefield. And, as expected, they now are in negotiations with the U.S. government and with the coalition authorities in Baghdad about gaining access to Saddam Hussein for an interview.

This is a standard ICRC, International Committee of the Red Cross, procedure, that they negotiate with those holding the prisoner and then go in and talk to him. They want to talk to him and just verify the conditions in which he is being held. And if they have any recommendations on improving his conditions, they will then, we are told, make those privately to the U.S. military.

All of this is expected to be done very much behind the scenes, no cameras, no publicity. The ICRC says, once they do visit Saddam Hussein, they will make that part of the public record, but they will not discuss anything about the conditions in which he's being held publicly.

Of course, Miles, the unanswered question is whether Saddam Hussein wants to see the Red Cross -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Meanwhile, of course, the presumption is that Saddam Hussein has an awful lot of information to share. If he doesn't have the information, who does, after all? How is that going?

STARR: Well, sources have told CNN's national security correspondent, David Ensor, that, so far, Saddam Hussein himself has not really given terribly useful information.

But no one's too perturbed about that just at the moment. It is clear that intelligence information was found with him and that there have been a number of raids and arrests and developments based on the information they found when they captured him. He doesn't appear to be talking too much yet. And they say that they're happy just to let that sit, let him become more comfortable in his circumstances.

They're going to be holding onto him for a long while. They feel they have plenty of time ahead to question him.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, 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




Hussein>


Aired January 9, 2004 - 15:03   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Up first this hour, a cautious sigh of relief from the Homeland Security Department. But don't hold your breath if you're waiting for a general across-the-board stand-down in terror preparedness. As you know if you've been watching us all day here on CNN, the U.S. terror threat level came down to yellow, meaning elevated, from orange, meaning high. But that is not the whole story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We know from experience that the increased security and vigilance that accompanies a raise in the threat level does make a difference in deterring and disrupting a terrorist attack.

Let me emphasize that, although we've returned to yellow, we have not let our guard down. Yellow still means that we are in elevated risk of attack. And we will maintain particular vigilance around some critical resources and locales. And, so the force of homeland security continues to move forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: And now we move forward to CNN justice correspondent Kelli Arena.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: You heard Homeland Secretary Tom Ridge say that, while it is true that the level, the overall national level, will go back down to elevated, it doesn't mean that officials will give us the all-clear sign.

What's more, he also confirmed what CNN had been reporting, which is that several sectors and locales will maintain a higher level of alert than others. Despite the best efforts by reporters, he wouldn't get very specific.

RIDGE: There will be certain locales and certain areas within the private sector that, for the time being, we will maintain added vigilance and security.

QUESTION: But you don't want to say which they are?

RIDGE: That's correct. I do not.

(CROSSTALK) RIDGE: We don't want to broadcast to everybody where we're going to be doing this. But those areas and elements within the private sector, they've already been contacted. And they understand that, for the time being, we want to maintain a similar level of security at these sites.

ARENA: Now, sources have told CNN that the sectors that will remain at a higher alert level include aviation, ports, certain infrastructure, and nuclear plants.

And, as for locales, sources say that they include certain areas or potential targets inside of Las Vegas, for example, or Washington, D.C., and no surprise, New York City, which always maintains a higher alert level than the rest of the country anyway.

Now, intelligence sources say that, even with this move to yellow, the concern about a possible attack still remains pretty high. And that is because the level of threat information remains high as well. It's just more general in nature than it's been in recent months.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: This was the fifth time we've bumped up to orange and back again since the color chart was instituted post-9/11.

Somebody other than the U.S. military apparently wants to talk to Saddam Hussein. It seems at least one humanitarian group wants to see what kind of shape the deposed dictator is in.

Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joining us now with that -- hello, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Miles.

Well, yes, indeed, the International Committee of the Red Cross, based in Geneva, Switzerland, monitors the status of prisoners around the world, including those that the U.S. has detained on the battlefield. And, as expected, they now are in negotiations with the U.S. government and with the coalition authorities in Baghdad about gaining access to Saddam Hussein for an interview.

This is a standard ICRC, International Committee of the Red Cross, procedure, that they negotiate with those holding the prisoner and then go in and talk to him. They want to talk to him and just verify the conditions in which he is being held. And if they have any recommendations on improving his conditions, they will then, we are told, make those privately to the U.S. military.

All of this is expected to be done very much behind the scenes, no cameras, no publicity. The ICRC says, once they do visit Saddam Hussein, they will make that part of the public record, but they will not discuss anything about the conditions in which he's being held publicly.

Of course, Miles, the unanswered question is whether Saddam Hussein wants to see the Red Cross -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Meanwhile, of course, the presumption is that Saddam Hussein has an awful lot of information to share. If he doesn't have the information, who does, after all? How is that going?

STARR: Well, sources have told CNN's national security correspondent, David Ensor, that, so far, Saddam Hussein himself has not really given terribly useful information.

But no one's too perturbed about that just at the moment. It is clear that intelligence information was found with him and that there have been a number of raids and arrests and developments based on the information they found when they captured him. He doesn't appear to be talking too much yet. And they say that they're happy just to let that sit, let him become more comfortable in his circumstances.

They're going to be holding onto him for a long while. They feel they have plenty of time ahead to question him.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, 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




Hussein>