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American Morning
Meridian Hotel Incident
Aired April 08, 2003 - 08:26 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 ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We want to share with you now some sound that has just been brought to us apparently describing to us a situation of some people trapped inside the Meridian Hotel in Baghdad.
Let's listen to this together.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, ABU DHABI ANCHOR (through translator): Can you please tell us your situation, the crew of Abu Dhabi and by that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, ABU DHABI REPORTER (through translator): Yes, Fatiha (ph), I would like to assure you that and all -- actually, all our audience who have been watching us over the last 20 days to show that exactly what's going on in Baghdad, the result of this war. Actually, we have not been hit. None of us has been hit, until the rocket launching into our office. But we're surrounded at the operations -- the military operations where there is no civilians, except for the crew of Abu Dhabi, and three people from Al Jazeera who came to us, in fact, after they had been evacuated to the Meridian.
So here I am. And through the channel of Abu Dhabi, I would like to appeal to all the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- the Red Cross organization to evacuate our crew. And especially to Mr. Roland speaking, the responsible guy responsible -- the man responsible for the Red Cross and to have contact with the Iraqi to evacuate us from this area which rockets are being launched in an unbelievable way and very tense, very intensive. And we're expecting, actually, tonight that more operations, heavy operations will take place that might, in fact, danger -- endanger our crew.
So I'm -- also I'm appealing to the organization, the Organization of Journalists and Journalists Without Limits to take all the necessary measures to coordinate with the Committee of the Red Cross here. I'm just taking this opportunity and seize this opportunity to assure the families of the staff Jebra Abate (ph) is OK, Abu Moody (ph) is OK, Web Man (ph) is OK, Shawn Bedoi (ph), Abas Ali (ph), Maji Toma (ph), Kareem Ali (ph), Ali Jarard (ph), Mali Hamlet (ph), Mazar Fatherperhats (ph), Abdu Sain (ph), Abu Jumard (ph), Fuat Hamlet (ph), Where Kareem (ph), Muran Wheat (ph). This is also Al Jazeera crew, Desiman Hamildama (ph), Major Jelson (ph) and all -- also Hans Asain (ph) and Wanta Senmiram (ph). They are all -- we are all 25 people at the channel of Abu Dhabi.
They are -- we are surrounded, actually, and shells are -- they are everywhere. We are the only civilians available in this. I'm appealing one more time to Red Cross, to Mr. Roland Huguenin who is listening to us now to coordinate with the Iraqi authorities to provide six wheels, in fact ambulances, to...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: All right, we are listening to that for the first time, as you were listening to it as well. As best we can figure this out, this is Abu Dhabi TV and at least 25 people trapped inside this Meridian Hotel asking for help from the International Red Cross. Describing -- in this gentleman's words -- "shells everywhere," fighting going on everywhere around them. They are pleading for some help to get them out.
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 8, 2003 - 08:26 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We want to share with you now some sound that has just been brought to us apparently describing to us a situation of some people trapped inside the Meridian Hotel in Baghdad.
Let's listen to this together.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, ABU DHABI ANCHOR (through translator): Can you please tell us your situation, the crew of Abu Dhabi and by that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, ABU DHABI REPORTER (through translator): Yes, Fatiha (ph), I would like to assure you that and all -- actually, all our audience who have been watching us over the last 20 days to show that exactly what's going on in Baghdad, the result of this war. Actually, we have not been hit. None of us has been hit, until the rocket launching into our office. But we're surrounded at the operations -- the military operations where there is no civilians, except for the crew of Abu Dhabi, and three people from Al Jazeera who came to us, in fact, after they had been evacuated to the Meridian.
So here I am. And through the channel of Abu Dhabi, I would like to appeal to all the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- the Red Cross organization to evacuate our crew. And especially to Mr. Roland speaking, the responsible guy responsible -- the man responsible for the Red Cross and to have contact with the Iraqi to evacuate us from this area which rockets are being launched in an unbelievable way and very tense, very intensive. And we're expecting, actually, tonight that more operations, heavy operations will take place that might, in fact, danger -- endanger our crew.
So I'm -- also I'm appealing to the organization, the Organization of Journalists and Journalists Without Limits to take all the necessary measures to coordinate with the Committee of the Red Cross here. I'm just taking this opportunity and seize this opportunity to assure the families of the staff Jebra Abate (ph) is OK, Abu Moody (ph) is OK, Web Man (ph) is OK, Shawn Bedoi (ph), Abas Ali (ph), Maji Toma (ph), Kareem Ali (ph), Ali Jarard (ph), Mali Hamlet (ph), Mazar Fatherperhats (ph), Abdu Sain (ph), Abu Jumard (ph), Fuat Hamlet (ph), Where Kareem (ph), Muran Wheat (ph). This is also Al Jazeera crew, Desiman Hamildama (ph), Major Jelson (ph) and all -- also Hans Asain (ph) and Wanta Senmiram (ph). They are all -- we are all 25 people at the channel of Abu Dhabi.
They are -- we are surrounded, actually, and shells are -- they are everywhere. We are the only civilians available in this. I'm appealing one more time to Red Cross, to Mr. Roland Huguenin who is listening to us now to coordinate with the Iraqi authorities to provide six wheels, in fact ambulances, to...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: All right, we are listening to that for the first time, as you were listening to it as well. As best we can figure this out, this is Abu Dhabi TV and at least 25 people trapped inside this Meridian Hotel asking for help from the International Red Cross. Describing -- in this gentleman's words -- "shells everywhere," fighting going on everywhere around them. They are pleading for some help to get them out.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
