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American Morning

Iraqi Papers React to Cheney's Statements

Aired August 28, 2002 - 07:28   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to begin with the Pentagon. I understand we have a little bit of breaking news out of the Pentagon.
And our Barbara Starr is standing by for that -- Barbara, what do you have?

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning.

Well, sources in the U.S. government this morning are saying again that they do believe there are top level al Qaeda officials hiding out in both Iraq and Iran. Now, this is all somewhat uncomfirmable because, of course, nobody in the U.S. government has laid eyes on any of these people.

But they tell us there are now credible reports first that there are top tier al Qaeda officials hiding out in Iran. Now, not everybody in the U.S. government agrees with this assessment, but some very senior sources say they have seen credible reports that al Qaeda officials who they may have thought were dead have escaped and are hiding out along the Iranian-Afghan border.

And in regards to Iraq, these same officials tell us they now do believe that there are top tier al Qaeda officials hiding out in northern Iraq, under the protection of Kurdish militants.

What's unclear, of course, in both countries is whether or not those governments are officially sanctioning the harboring of al Qaeda in their country. It should be noted that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has publicly talked in the past that he does believe there are al Qaeda in both countries. But now it appears there are growing intelligence assessments that specific officials, specific al Qaeda officials may be in both countries.

No indication that the U.S. at the moment has plans to go after any of them -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And, Barbara, the defense secretary speaking out yesterday, talking about a lack, or perhaps a lot of international support he believes will be there if, in fact, the U.S. does go into Iraq.

STARR: Well, he does. Of course, the problem for Don Rumsfeld at the moment is absolutely no country out there is really supporting any U.S. action against Iraq. The list of countries opposing military action is growing by the day. Importantly, the Saudis are not supporting any U.S. action against Iraq. Don Rumsfeld, speaking to marines out at Camp Pendleton yesterday, said he believes if and when the president makes a decision, it'll be the right decision, he says, and countries will line up in support of the United States.

But so far that's not happening.

KAGAN: All right, Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.

We want to go from the Pentagon right to Baghdad. That's where our James Martone is standing by, I imagine feeling out Iraqi resistance and reaction to some of the comments we've heard from U.S. officials in the past couple of days.

JAMES MARTONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, the papers today flooded with reaction to those statements by U.S. Vice President Cheney and other U.S. statements referring to any attacks on Iraq. The ruling paper, "The Thaoda (ph)," which is the leading paper here in Iraq, says that people making statements, Cheney and Rice, they mention Condoleezza Rice, they mention Bush, the newspapers call those statements a disease. They say that the people who say them are, quoting the newspaper, I am, "diseased, psychologically diseased."

The newspapers are also calling for increased Arab support in light of these statements. They also say Bush should be more careful, that there are rising forces against him. Also leading in the papers, obviously, are the president of this country, Saddam Hussein's statements, saying that any strike, any preemptive strike, as Dick Cheney said, would be an attack on the entire nation.

He said those statements yesterday. He also said the president, and highlighted in today's paper, that he did want a solution to the problem, but a solution, as he said, with international legitimacy -- Daryn.

KAGAN: James Martone in Baghdad, thank you so much.

We go from Iraq to Iran, which says that U.S. policies are worse than terrorism itself. And Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, and quoting here, which he says, "The U.S. is creating a very dangerous atmosphere in the world."

Let's hear more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. MOHAMMAD KHATAMI, IRAN: We are opposed to an attack on Iraq, as the world of Islam, the Arab world and Europe. This is not because any of us favors Saddam's regime, but because of the consequences of such an attack. The American rulers should start listening to what the world has to say. I hope Iraq is not attacked, but if they do attack another country or us later on, we will have to pay the price and defend ourselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: And the Iranian president goes on talking further about U.S. leaders, saying that he hopes they don't do anything they will regret later.

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