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CNN Live Today

Harder Than Expected Time in Winning Over Iraqi People

Aired April 01, 2003 - 11:43   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We want to go back to the images we've seen in Basra a short time ago. Christiane Amanpour has been in Basra about for what -- a running now.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: More than that, yes.

HEMMER: She's back here in Kuwait right now to talk about your observations and what you have seen right now. And just level of security or how much has been secured by the British Royal Marines.

AMANPOUR: Basra is now the main focus for the British. They've basically secured most of the area south of that, including Umm Qasr, the port, Zhabar the town just south of Basra, and now Basra is the focus.

So, what are they doing?

They've consolidated on the western outskirts almost from the beginning, and that's where they remain. They've also set up positions on the southern outskirts now after they took on several companies of Iraqi infantry and Iraqi tanks. That was over the last couple of days. Tonight, we've seen these rather dramatic pictures from Al-Jazeera of these flares. I've been in touch with a military spokesman over there.

They say there is no concerted push on for Basra at the moment and in fact, we spoke today to the commander of British land forces, General Robin Brimms who was telling us, he spoke sort of in terms of a while before they would be able to get Basra. He kept saying I'm a patient man. At some stage, the Iraqi regime will have to fall and get out of Basra. Basically what he was saying, after all these days in Iraq and having consolidated the south, he thinks they can take on the forces. Let's listen to what he told us earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm confident that we can deal with every aspect of the resistance we're meeting. Right now, British troops are engaged in posing their will over the Iraqi forces, conventional forces. We're attending to the irregular forces who at times have been venomous in there resistance. We've changed that and we're also attending to peace support operations. We can do all three of those things. We're trained for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: Now, the general was saying when we asked him, you know, you expected to see the people of Basra, the people of the other parts of the south welcoming you with open arms. He basically attributed the fact that there is no such sort of uprising or great, you know, gratitude to be liberated to what he called years of trauma, years of repression by the regime. He said that his intelligence is telling them, they're being dominated by the Ba'ath political structure -- Saddam Hussein ruling party structure. And they are being intimidated and encouraged not to rise up. It's a question of wearing down those forces is what the British general told us.

HEMMER: The Brits are seeing, they're starting to see the Shiite flags in windows again.

AMANPOUR: Yes.

HEMMER: And the whole idea of the Ba'ath party, we know they're strong in Baghdad, we know Basra, maybe 1 million people, do you have a good idea about how strong and how much strength the Ba'ath party exerts in that town?

AMANPOUR: It seems quite significant at the moment. And we were told also, because one of the things we lack is a really good independent knowledge of what the people are thinking and what's going on inside the city. So, we've been there on the outskirts for the last several days interviewing, talking to people who are coming out. They say that the political structures there are still in place, that Saddam Hussein's people still control Basra. And of course, you know, these people have come from Baghdad. They're not locals, the Ba'ath party people there.

HEMMER: For the refugees who stream out of the town, sometimes they come in dozens, sometimes they come by the hundreds, what are they saying in terms of their freedom of movement inside the city?

AMANPOUR: Most of them are telling us that they can come in and out. We've been seeing it. It's causing a lot of puzzlement to the British. They don't quite understand why they're going back in. They come out and get supplies. They want vegetables, fruit, water, this and that. And they say they want respite from the bombing. And mostly they're seeking shelter. Many of them are bringing their families out to towns that are secured further south.

But to listen to the British saying it, it seems to me, it will take time. And they're doing a lot of psychological warfare. A lot psy-ops, they call it. Their message today is freedom from fear. They're trying to dealing the people from the fear they have of the Ba'ath party, by showing the people by targeting Ba'ath party headquarters and so-called Saddam Fedayeen headquarters, militias, that that's what they want to do. And they are trying to break them from the people.

HEMMER: The British military also just to underline another point, they say they have experience on these matters all over the world. This is just motorcycles behind us. That they have experienced all over the world and trying to win, it's already over used, it's already tired, but the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. But I think the ultimate question, is there any way they can point right now to progress in that effort.

AMANPOUR: We asked them and they said, absolutely. Look at what's happened over the south, Umm Qasr, yes it took longer than we expected, but we've got it. Zhabar (ph), yes it took longer than we thought, but we've got it. And now we're seeing waving, smiles, a lot of acceptance of the troops, And one of the big hearts and minds thing is humanitarian aid. They're trying to push that in as close as possible to Basra and as well as other towns.

HEMMER: Thanks, Christiane good to see you here the tonight. By the way 12 minutes away, we are told anyway, based on Iraqi television that Saddam Hussein will address his people.

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 April 1, 2003 - 11:43   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We want to go back to the images we've seen in Basra a short time ago. Christiane Amanpour has been in Basra about for what -- a running now.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: More than that, yes.

HEMMER: She's back here in Kuwait right now to talk about your observations and what you have seen right now. And just level of security or how much has been secured by the British Royal Marines.

AMANPOUR: Basra is now the main focus for the British. They've basically secured most of the area south of that, including Umm Qasr, the port, Zhabar the town just south of Basra, and now Basra is the focus.

So, what are they doing?

They've consolidated on the western outskirts almost from the beginning, and that's where they remain. They've also set up positions on the southern outskirts now after they took on several companies of Iraqi infantry and Iraqi tanks. That was over the last couple of days. Tonight, we've seen these rather dramatic pictures from Al-Jazeera of these flares. I've been in touch with a military spokesman over there.

They say there is no concerted push on for Basra at the moment and in fact, we spoke today to the commander of British land forces, General Robin Brimms who was telling us, he spoke sort of in terms of a while before they would be able to get Basra. He kept saying I'm a patient man. At some stage, the Iraqi regime will have to fall and get out of Basra. Basically what he was saying, after all these days in Iraq and having consolidated the south, he thinks they can take on the forces. Let's listen to what he told us earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm confident that we can deal with every aspect of the resistance we're meeting. Right now, British troops are engaged in posing their will over the Iraqi forces, conventional forces. We're attending to the irregular forces who at times have been venomous in there resistance. We've changed that and we're also attending to peace support operations. We can do all three of those things. We're trained for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: Now, the general was saying when we asked him, you know, you expected to see the people of Basra, the people of the other parts of the south welcoming you with open arms. He basically attributed the fact that there is no such sort of uprising or great, you know, gratitude to be liberated to what he called years of trauma, years of repression by the regime. He said that his intelligence is telling them, they're being dominated by the Ba'ath political structure -- Saddam Hussein ruling party structure. And they are being intimidated and encouraged not to rise up. It's a question of wearing down those forces is what the British general told us.

HEMMER: The Brits are seeing, they're starting to see the Shiite flags in windows again.

AMANPOUR: Yes.

HEMMER: And the whole idea of the Ba'ath party, we know they're strong in Baghdad, we know Basra, maybe 1 million people, do you have a good idea about how strong and how much strength the Ba'ath party exerts in that town?

AMANPOUR: It seems quite significant at the moment. And we were told also, because one of the things we lack is a really good independent knowledge of what the people are thinking and what's going on inside the city. So, we've been there on the outskirts for the last several days interviewing, talking to people who are coming out. They say that the political structures there are still in place, that Saddam Hussein's people still control Basra. And of course, you know, these people have come from Baghdad. They're not locals, the Ba'ath party people there.

HEMMER: For the refugees who stream out of the town, sometimes they come in dozens, sometimes they come by the hundreds, what are they saying in terms of their freedom of movement inside the city?

AMANPOUR: Most of them are telling us that they can come in and out. We've been seeing it. It's causing a lot of puzzlement to the British. They don't quite understand why they're going back in. They come out and get supplies. They want vegetables, fruit, water, this and that. And they say they want respite from the bombing. And mostly they're seeking shelter. Many of them are bringing their families out to towns that are secured further south.

But to listen to the British saying it, it seems to me, it will take time. And they're doing a lot of psychological warfare. A lot psy-ops, they call it. Their message today is freedom from fear. They're trying to dealing the people from the fear they have of the Ba'ath party, by showing the people by targeting Ba'ath party headquarters and so-called Saddam Fedayeen headquarters, militias, that that's what they want to do. And they are trying to break them from the people.

HEMMER: The British military also just to underline another point, they say they have experience on these matters all over the world. This is just motorcycles behind us. That they have experienced all over the world and trying to win, it's already over used, it's already tired, but the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. But I think the ultimate question, is there any way they can point right now to progress in that effort.

AMANPOUR: We asked them and they said, absolutely. Look at what's happened over the south, Umm Qasr, yes it took longer than we expected, but we've got it. Zhabar (ph), yes it took longer than we thought, but we've got it. And now we're seeing waving, smiles, a lot of acceptance of the troops, And one of the big hearts and minds thing is humanitarian aid. They're trying to push that in as close as possible to Basra and as well as other towns.

HEMMER: Thanks, Christiane good to see you here the tonight. By the way 12 minutes away, we are told anyway, based on Iraqi television that Saddam Hussein will address his people.

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