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CNN Live Today
Hussein Calls for Kuwaitis to Rise Up
Aired December 09, 2002 - 11:31 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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: With the threat of military action looming in Iraq, Saddam Hussein is trying to rally support for Iraq. He apologized this weekend for invading Kuwait back in 1990. However, the apology was flatly rejected.
CNN Senior International Correspondent Walter Rodgers joins us now by way of videophone. He is in Kuwait City -- Walt.
WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon. The Kuwaitis, of course, who were the victims of the 1990 Gulf War, 1991 Gulf War, flatly rejected the apology from Saddam Hussein.
Most Kuwaitis saw it as an Arab street to rise up (AUDIO GAP) the reason for that being is that one of the aspects of the Saddam apology, so-called, was Saddam calling on young Kuwaitis to rise up and eject the American military forces who are now in this country. There are 12,000 American military personnel in Kuwait now.
The Kuwaitis see Saddam's remarks as -- quote -- "an incitement to terror," an appeal to kill American soldiers who are in this country. So of course, they rejected it. One of the -- one of the writers here was saying that what Saddam was doing in this so-called apology was calling for a jihad, a holy war against the Americans, who are here on what Saddam called "sacred Arab soil."
The Kuwaitis would have nothing to do with Saddam's so-called apology. One writer here said, "A leopard cannot change his spots." Again, they called it incitement to terror, and one of the cabinet ministers here in Kuwait said that if Saddam were really serious and really wanted to apologize for anything, he should begin by apologizing to his own people for leading them into years and years of bloody, costly, losing war.
That being the case, despite everything, it now appears that the American military personnel in this region are keeping a very low profile, especially after Saddam called for young Kuwaitis to rise up and conduct a jihad against the Americans here -- Leon.
HARRIS: Well, Walt, with that in mind, is there any concern at all or have you noticed at all whether or not any extra precautions for safety have been taken by the American troops who are there, just in case there is one or two or however many people might actually have absorbed and accepted that message of jihad?
RODGERS: Well, what we've seen, of course, is in the past several weeks, we've had four Americans shot here. One was killed, and this was even before the call for a jihad by Saddam Hussein. After those incidents here in Kuwait, the Americans stuck pretty much to their bases. Now, they're not as visible. The American military personnel not as visible as they were before. They know there is a heightened sense of security concern here, and so yes, the American reaction has been to lower the profile significantly -- Leon.
HARRIS: Walter Rodgers reporting live for us, as you see there, by way of videophone there from Kuwait City.
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 December 9, 2002 - 11:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: With the threat of military action looming in Iraq, Saddam Hussein is trying to rally support for Iraq. He apologized this weekend for invading Kuwait back in 1990. However, the apology was flatly rejected.
CNN Senior International Correspondent Walter Rodgers joins us now by way of videophone. He is in Kuwait City -- Walt.
WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon. The Kuwaitis, of course, who were the victims of the 1990 Gulf War, 1991 Gulf War, flatly rejected the apology from Saddam Hussein.
Most Kuwaitis saw it as an Arab street to rise up (AUDIO GAP) the reason for that being is that one of the aspects of the Saddam apology, so-called, was Saddam calling on young Kuwaitis to rise up and eject the American military forces who are now in this country. There are 12,000 American military personnel in Kuwait now.
The Kuwaitis see Saddam's remarks as -- quote -- "an incitement to terror," an appeal to kill American soldiers who are in this country. So of course, they rejected it. One of the -- one of the writers here was saying that what Saddam was doing in this so-called apology was calling for a jihad, a holy war against the Americans, who are here on what Saddam called "sacred Arab soil."
The Kuwaitis would have nothing to do with Saddam's so-called apology. One writer here said, "A leopard cannot change his spots." Again, they called it incitement to terror, and one of the cabinet ministers here in Kuwait said that if Saddam were really serious and really wanted to apologize for anything, he should begin by apologizing to his own people for leading them into years and years of bloody, costly, losing war.
That being the case, despite everything, it now appears that the American military personnel in this region are keeping a very low profile, especially after Saddam called for young Kuwaitis to rise up and conduct a jihad against the Americans here -- Leon.
HARRIS: Well, Walt, with that in mind, is there any concern at all or have you noticed at all whether or not any extra precautions for safety have been taken by the American troops who are there, just in case there is one or two or however many people might actually have absorbed and accepted that message of jihad?
RODGERS: Well, what we've seen, of course, is in the past several weeks, we've had four Americans shot here. One was killed, and this was even before the call for a jihad by Saddam Hussein. After those incidents here in Kuwait, the Americans stuck pretty much to their bases. Now, they're not as visible. The American military personnel not as visible as they were before. They know there is a heightened sense of security concern here, and so yes, the American reaction has been to lower the profile significantly -- Leon.
HARRIS: Walter Rodgers reporting live for us, as you see there, by way of videophone there from Kuwait City.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
