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American Morning
Discussion with Queen Noor
Aired April 17, 2003 - 09:04 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: First, I want to get you to Baghdad straightaway. The power, the water, the electricity, Rula Amin watching developments and security, too, in the Iraqi capital. She joins us now there live.
Rula, good afternoon.
RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Bill.
The latest here is the Central Command announcement that Berzonic Tikriti (ph) has been captured. He's Saddam Hussein's half brother. The way Central Command described the raid. They said they had the tip from local Iraqis, they captured him overnight, but no more details. He's described as he is very much with extensive knowledge of the working of the Iraqi regime, the structure, and that he may be able to give information that would lead to Iraq's program of developing of weapons mass destruction, if there is such one. Also, he may give leads on where is Saddam Hussein. We still don't know where the Iraqi leader, his two sons and the rest of his aides and ministers. They are all still at large. It's a question that many people here are wondering -- are they in Baghdad, or have they fled the country?
Now trying to fill that power vacuum are Iraqi opposition leaders. Most of them came back from exile, including Ahmad Chalabi. He is a prominent opposition leader, very much favored by the Pentagon. He's been in exile since the late '50s. He's back in Baghdad today. He's talking to local leaders, religious leaders, leaders from every ethnic and religious group in Baghdad, trying to find some consensus on forming a new government in Iraq, and he's also trying to muster support among local Iraqis, residents of the Iraqi capital here. Most of them, they don't have very much contact with him here, because he has been abroad, so many of them are skeptical because of his close relationship with the United States. So he's trying to win their support as he's trying to tackle their basic needs and their basic requirements as it stands now -- Bill.
HEMMER: Rula, a couple more things here with regard to security. Do you note a change day to day now as we grow further away from the war, and also what about basic services, power, electricity, water? What's happening there?
AMIN: Reporter: well, a lot of frustration among Iraqis, there is a lack of clean water, lack of sewage sanitation, lack of medical services, and most important, the power outage. Without electricity, there is no clean water. The hospitals are running short on power. And no sewage treatment. So people want power so badly. We do know that the Marines, along with Iraqi electrical engineers, have been trying hard to restore power to capital, but so far, only a few sub stations have been working, because there is multiple kind of problems. There is lack of equipment, not enough workers. Many of the transmission lines that bring power from the major power grid to the substations are down, and that's what they are working on, trying to fix it, in order to jump start the big power station, in order to provide electricity to the five million people, resident of Baghdad -- Bill.
HEMMER: Rula Amin, live in Baghdad. Thank you -- Paula.
ZAHN: Thanks, Bill.
Queen Noor has a unique perspective on the conflicts in the Middle East. She shares her insights in "Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life." And the book has leapt right up there. It's number one right now in "The New York Times" bestseller list.
Welcome, your majesty, Queen Noor. Good to see you.
QUEEN NOOR: Thank you, Paula. Good morning.
ZAHN: Talk a bit about some of your concerns about how this war in Iraq might increase anti-Americanism. You have to see this from two very different perspectives.
NOOR: I see it from a perspective someone who is attached, committed to and values both cultures, and believes also as King Hussein, my husband did, that our cultures are natural and logical partners and are necessary partners in the pursuit of peace and security in the region.
Certainly in the buildup to war and of course, the course of the war and to some extent in the aftermath, people in the region are very concerned, somewhat confused and some are very, very frustrated and even angry as they try to determine what the true intentions of the United States in Iraq and in the region.
So this is a pivotal moment, during which I think there is a great opportunity for the United States to make the transition from a military force in the region to a security, and humanitarian and enabling force for freedom, justice and stability and security and peace for the entire region.
ZAHN: Are you optimistic that democracy will take root in Iraq?
QUEEN NOOR: I am very optimistic that in the region, as a whole, our Islamic traditions, and in many cases cultural and other traditions, some of which go back to early parts of this century and beyond, are in fact founded on the principle of consultative decision making, consensus building in the decision-making process. These are values that are very consistent with what Americans view as democratic values, and they have been expressed in political systems region in the past, and they can be again, and they must be in this coming period. ZAHN: In your book "Leap of Faith," you talk about the transitions you made in your own life to bridge the gaps between the American world and the world that you ended up living in as a queen. How challenging was it to win the trust of the people when you became queen?
QUEEN NOOR: I was welcomed so warmly and affectionately by people in Jordan. I quickly realized this was because of their affection for my husband and their happiness for his happiness, if you will. And vowed from the outset to try to earn in my own right that, not only the affection, but also the expectations that people had of me.
ZAHN: Were people skeptical of you in the beginning?
QUEEN NOOR: I'm sure there many who were, inevitably. You would have had a broad diversity of opinion about me, and about anyone in the position, as has always been the case no matter where they came from originally, but particularly as an Arab-American by birth, but nonetheless, born and educated in this country, with most in the region very conscious and frustrated about the American Middle East policy, vis-a-vis in particular the occupation of Arab lands and Palestinian territories in particular, I realized that I had an opportunity to try to bridge understanding between our cultures, and to try to promote a better understanding in the region of U.S. values and capabilities to work with people in the region, and also in the United States in particular, of true Arab and Islamic values.
ZAHN: That was an enormous responsibility for you, and you were a kid when you took on that job.
QUEEN NOOR: It seems that way to both of us now, doesn't it?
ZAHN: Did it eat away at you, though? When you had to be so concerned about the perceptions of the people you were trying win the trust of.
QUEEN NOOR: I didn't set out to win that trust. I set out to try to prove on merit that I could make a contribution in partnership with many others in the society, and that I valued and respected the traditions and the culture as I came to understand them far better, and that I also not only try to serve as a bridge between the region and countries like the United States and the West, but also within the society to advance development in ways that reflected both my American sense of anything is possible, and together we can accomplish the seemingly impossible. And with local traditions and local values very much a part of the way we guided and developed those projects and made them a part of people's lives.
So after a period of time, people came to understand that we were all one family together, and able to really make changes that people could identify with and could protect and pass on to their children. I think today as we look at what's happening in Iraq and what is taking place in the region, again, we have to look and try to better understand, as my book is an effort to, the cultural, historic and human realities on the ground there that can better inform how we can work together and solve these problems.
ZAHN: Final question for you -- is there anything that you don't love about being queen? What comes with the territory that is dreadful? Is there anything bad?
QUEEN NOOR: I -- for me, it was this extraordinary partnership with an extraordinary man. My book is called "Leap of Faith." He reinforced and helped me on a spiritual journey, as well as on an individual journey as a public servant? In Jordan, that is what I had hoped to do. Being a queen or that kind of title, king, queen, was not what was important us to, it was about serving a larger community, and I don't miss that, and I'll continue that to the end of my day, no matter what position I'm in.
ZAHN: As Jack Cafferty said a little earlier this morning, we don't have much royalty passing through here. It's an honor to have you here on my last day on the morning shift.
QUEEN NOOR: Paula, many congratulations. And thank you. It's a privilege to be on your last show in the morning.
ZAHN: Thank you. Continued good luck with the book.
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 17, 2003 - 09:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: First, I want to get you to Baghdad straightaway. The power, the water, the electricity, Rula Amin watching developments and security, too, in the Iraqi capital. She joins us now there live.
Rula, good afternoon.
RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Bill.
The latest here is the Central Command announcement that Berzonic Tikriti (ph) has been captured. He's Saddam Hussein's half brother. The way Central Command described the raid. They said they had the tip from local Iraqis, they captured him overnight, but no more details. He's described as he is very much with extensive knowledge of the working of the Iraqi regime, the structure, and that he may be able to give information that would lead to Iraq's program of developing of weapons mass destruction, if there is such one. Also, he may give leads on where is Saddam Hussein. We still don't know where the Iraqi leader, his two sons and the rest of his aides and ministers. They are all still at large. It's a question that many people here are wondering -- are they in Baghdad, or have they fled the country?
Now trying to fill that power vacuum are Iraqi opposition leaders. Most of them came back from exile, including Ahmad Chalabi. He is a prominent opposition leader, very much favored by the Pentagon. He's been in exile since the late '50s. He's back in Baghdad today. He's talking to local leaders, religious leaders, leaders from every ethnic and religious group in Baghdad, trying to find some consensus on forming a new government in Iraq, and he's also trying to muster support among local Iraqis, residents of the Iraqi capital here. Most of them, they don't have very much contact with him here, because he has been abroad, so many of them are skeptical because of his close relationship with the United States. So he's trying to win their support as he's trying to tackle their basic needs and their basic requirements as it stands now -- Bill.
HEMMER: Rula, a couple more things here with regard to security. Do you note a change day to day now as we grow further away from the war, and also what about basic services, power, electricity, water? What's happening there?
AMIN: Reporter: well, a lot of frustration among Iraqis, there is a lack of clean water, lack of sewage sanitation, lack of medical services, and most important, the power outage. Without electricity, there is no clean water. The hospitals are running short on power. And no sewage treatment. So people want power so badly. We do know that the Marines, along with Iraqi electrical engineers, have been trying hard to restore power to capital, but so far, only a few sub stations have been working, because there is multiple kind of problems. There is lack of equipment, not enough workers. Many of the transmission lines that bring power from the major power grid to the substations are down, and that's what they are working on, trying to fix it, in order to jump start the big power station, in order to provide electricity to the five million people, resident of Baghdad -- Bill.
HEMMER: Rula Amin, live in Baghdad. Thank you -- Paula.
ZAHN: Thanks, Bill.
Queen Noor has a unique perspective on the conflicts in the Middle East. She shares her insights in "Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life." And the book has leapt right up there. It's number one right now in "The New York Times" bestseller list.
Welcome, your majesty, Queen Noor. Good to see you.
QUEEN NOOR: Thank you, Paula. Good morning.
ZAHN: Talk a bit about some of your concerns about how this war in Iraq might increase anti-Americanism. You have to see this from two very different perspectives.
NOOR: I see it from a perspective someone who is attached, committed to and values both cultures, and believes also as King Hussein, my husband did, that our cultures are natural and logical partners and are necessary partners in the pursuit of peace and security in the region.
Certainly in the buildup to war and of course, the course of the war and to some extent in the aftermath, people in the region are very concerned, somewhat confused and some are very, very frustrated and even angry as they try to determine what the true intentions of the United States in Iraq and in the region.
So this is a pivotal moment, during which I think there is a great opportunity for the United States to make the transition from a military force in the region to a security, and humanitarian and enabling force for freedom, justice and stability and security and peace for the entire region.
ZAHN: Are you optimistic that democracy will take root in Iraq?
QUEEN NOOR: I am very optimistic that in the region, as a whole, our Islamic traditions, and in many cases cultural and other traditions, some of which go back to early parts of this century and beyond, are in fact founded on the principle of consultative decision making, consensus building in the decision-making process. These are values that are very consistent with what Americans view as democratic values, and they have been expressed in political systems region in the past, and they can be again, and they must be in this coming period. ZAHN: In your book "Leap of Faith," you talk about the transitions you made in your own life to bridge the gaps between the American world and the world that you ended up living in as a queen. How challenging was it to win the trust of the people when you became queen?
QUEEN NOOR: I was welcomed so warmly and affectionately by people in Jordan. I quickly realized this was because of their affection for my husband and their happiness for his happiness, if you will. And vowed from the outset to try to earn in my own right that, not only the affection, but also the expectations that people had of me.
ZAHN: Were people skeptical of you in the beginning?
QUEEN NOOR: I'm sure there many who were, inevitably. You would have had a broad diversity of opinion about me, and about anyone in the position, as has always been the case no matter where they came from originally, but particularly as an Arab-American by birth, but nonetheless, born and educated in this country, with most in the region very conscious and frustrated about the American Middle East policy, vis-a-vis in particular the occupation of Arab lands and Palestinian territories in particular, I realized that I had an opportunity to try to bridge understanding between our cultures, and to try to promote a better understanding in the region of U.S. values and capabilities to work with people in the region, and also in the United States in particular, of true Arab and Islamic values.
ZAHN: That was an enormous responsibility for you, and you were a kid when you took on that job.
QUEEN NOOR: It seems that way to both of us now, doesn't it?
ZAHN: Did it eat away at you, though? When you had to be so concerned about the perceptions of the people you were trying win the trust of.
QUEEN NOOR: I didn't set out to win that trust. I set out to try to prove on merit that I could make a contribution in partnership with many others in the society, and that I valued and respected the traditions and the culture as I came to understand them far better, and that I also not only try to serve as a bridge between the region and countries like the United States and the West, but also within the society to advance development in ways that reflected both my American sense of anything is possible, and together we can accomplish the seemingly impossible. And with local traditions and local values very much a part of the way we guided and developed those projects and made them a part of people's lives.
So after a period of time, people came to understand that we were all one family together, and able to really make changes that people could identify with and could protect and pass on to their children. I think today as we look at what's happening in Iraq and what is taking place in the region, again, we have to look and try to better understand, as my book is an effort to, the cultural, historic and human realities on the ground there that can better inform how we can work together and solve these problems.
ZAHN: Final question for you -- is there anything that you don't love about being queen? What comes with the territory that is dreadful? Is there anything bad?
QUEEN NOOR: I -- for me, it was this extraordinary partnership with an extraordinary man. My book is called "Leap of Faith." He reinforced and helped me on a spiritual journey, as well as on an individual journey as a public servant? In Jordan, that is what I had hoped to do. Being a queen or that kind of title, king, queen, was not what was important us to, it was about serving a larger community, and I don't miss that, and I'll continue that to the end of my day, no matter what position I'm in.
ZAHN: As Jack Cafferty said a little earlier this morning, we don't have much royalty passing through here. It's an honor to have you here on my last day on the morning shift.
QUEEN NOOR: Paula, many congratulations. And thank you. It's a privilege to be on your last show in the morning.
ZAHN: Thank you. Continued good luck with the book.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
