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CNN Live Today
Iraqi Government Assessing War, Military Options
Aired March 20, 2003 - 12:06 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.
PAULA ZHAN, CNN ANCHOR: Now we get to introduce you to a new face, today at least -- a face familiar to many of you -- Wolf Blitzer, who now is joining our shift from Kuwait City.
Good morning, Wolf -- or afternoon now. It's 10 minutes after noon now here on the East Coast.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, good afternoon, good evening. Actually it's already just after 8:00 p.m. here in Kuwait City. It's already dark - it's dark in this part of the world, at the time when a lot of people anticipate military action and clearly some sort of military action is going up in the Northern part of Kuwait along the border with Iraq.
But I want to go to Baghdad right now. CNN's Nic Robertson is in Baghdad. He's joining us on the phone.
We're hearing from Iraqi television, Nic, as you well know, that Saddam Hussein has been meeting with his top military commanders. What do you hear precisely?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, what we heard was a television announcer break into the regular programming here to bring an announcement and read a statement, saying that President Saddam Hussein shared a meeting with Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, the General in charge of Iraqi forces, the Minister of Military Industrialization, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Information, and the Foreign Minister. The statement said that they were studying the war. They were making a political and military assessment and preparing how to respond.
The statement also went on to say that they will have victory. Often we read about these statements from Iraq's news agency, IRNA -- perhaps that service not working as well as normal. We do not have access to it as we normally would.
Also when these announcements often come on Iraqi television we normally see pictures of the President in these meetings. So far this evening we have not seen accompanying pictures of this meeting, but a statement saying that that meeting has taken place -- the leadership of Iraq meeting together and deciding how to respond at this time. Wolf?
BLITZER: So just to be precise, Nic, unlike yesterday, unlike earlier when Saddam Hussein was seen on Television, or at least someone that most people thought was Saddam Hussein, the Defense Secretary of The United States, Donald Rumsfeld suggesting only within the past hour they don't know if it was really Saddam Hussein. They are continuing to check the authenticity of that videotape. This latest broadcast had a news reader reporting this meeting. We did not see Saddam Hussein on TV, either on videotape or alive. Is that right?
ROBERTSON: That is correct. At this time no picture of that meeting. Possibly it will come later in the news broadcast that normally happens here in about 50 minutes' time. But so far it would be unusual that they would break into regular programming just for a statement such as this to be read. But at a time when Iraq's leadership here -- trying to show that they are unified, that there were no cracks in the leadership at this time, and that they are all together -- that statement's there for the Iraqi people, Wolf.
BLITZER: And is there any additional assessment in Baghdad itself about that earlier videotape that was shown shortly after the U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles struck Baghdad about the authenticity -- whether or not that was in fact Saddam Hussein, his voice, his appearance, his demeanor -- any additional assessment that you're getting there?
ROBERTSON: No additional assessment, Wolf, but from the Iraqi officials that we talked to, there's absolutely no doubt in their mind that this was President Saddam Hussein appearing on television - that's Iraq's officials telling us that -- the statement obviously calling for support - calling for the Iraqis to pick up their swords and pick up their guns, that they will be victorious, and that the aggression is unjust, and also laying out their strategy - a strategy that seems to be (inaudible crosstalk).
BLITZER: All right. Nic Robertson in Baghdad. We'll be checking back with you. Thanks very much for your good reporting.
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 March 20, 2003 - 12:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZHAN, CNN ANCHOR: Now we get to introduce you to a new face, today at least -- a face familiar to many of you -- Wolf Blitzer, who now is joining our shift from Kuwait City.
Good morning, Wolf -- or afternoon now. It's 10 minutes after noon now here on the East Coast.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, good afternoon, good evening. Actually it's already just after 8:00 p.m. here in Kuwait City. It's already dark - it's dark in this part of the world, at the time when a lot of people anticipate military action and clearly some sort of military action is going up in the Northern part of Kuwait along the border with Iraq.
But I want to go to Baghdad right now. CNN's Nic Robertson is in Baghdad. He's joining us on the phone.
We're hearing from Iraqi television, Nic, as you well know, that Saddam Hussein has been meeting with his top military commanders. What do you hear precisely?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, what we heard was a television announcer break into the regular programming here to bring an announcement and read a statement, saying that President Saddam Hussein shared a meeting with Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, the General in charge of Iraqi forces, the Minister of Military Industrialization, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Information, and the Foreign Minister. The statement said that they were studying the war. They were making a political and military assessment and preparing how to respond.
The statement also went on to say that they will have victory. Often we read about these statements from Iraq's news agency, IRNA -- perhaps that service not working as well as normal. We do not have access to it as we normally would.
Also when these announcements often come on Iraqi television we normally see pictures of the President in these meetings. So far this evening we have not seen accompanying pictures of this meeting, but a statement saying that that meeting has taken place -- the leadership of Iraq meeting together and deciding how to respond at this time. Wolf?
BLITZER: So just to be precise, Nic, unlike yesterday, unlike earlier when Saddam Hussein was seen on Television, or at least someone that most people thought was Saddam Hussein, the Defense Secretary of The United States, Donald Rumsfeld suggesting only within the past hour they don't know if it was really Saddam Hussein. They are continuing to check the authenticity of that videotape. This latest broadcast had a news reader reporting this meeting. We did not see Saddam Hussein on TV, either on videotape or alive. Is that right?
ROBERTSON: That is correct. At this time no picture of that meeting. Possibly it will come later in the news broadcast that normally happens here in about 50 minutes' time. But so far it would be unusual that they would break into regular programming just for a statement such as this to be read. But at a time when Iraq's leadership here -- trying to show that they are unified, that there were no cracks in the leadership at this time, and that they are all together -- that statement's there for the Iraqi people, Wolf.
BLITZER: And is there any additional assessment in Baghdad itself about that earlier videotape that was shown shortly after the U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles struck Baghdad about the authenticity -- whether or not that was in fact Saddam Hussein, his voice, his appearance, his demeanor -- any additional assessment that you're getting there?
ROBERTSON: No additional assessment, Wolf, but from the Iraqi officials that we talked to, there's absolutely no doubt in their mind that this was President Saddam Hussein appearing on television - that's Iraq's officials telling us that -- the statement obviously calling for support - calling for the Iraqis to pick up their swords and pick up their guns, that they will be victorious, and that the aggression is unjust, and also laying out their strategy - a strategy that seems to be (inaudible crosstalk).
BLITZER: All right. Nic Robertson in Baghdad. We'll be checking back with you. Thanks very much for your good reporting.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
