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American Morning
More Major Changes in New Iraq
Aired May 23, 2003 - 05:09 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now to more major changes in the new Iraq. Gone are its armed forces, its ministries of defense and information, and other key institutions, and with them up to 400,000 jobs. The U.S. has dissolved the ministries to rid them of Baathist influences. The U.S. is also cozying up to Iraq's tribal leaders.
Our Ben Wedeman has more on that for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Iraqi tribal leaders who recently swore allegiance to Saddam extend a hand of friendship to the Americans. Newcomers to the labyrinth of Iraqi tribal politics, the Americans are trying hard to get the names straight and the moves right.
COL. DAVID TEEPLES, U.S. ARMY: I am Colonel Teeples. You are Ramadi?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ramadi. Ramadi.
RAMADI: Ramadi. Ramadi.
WEDEMAN: At a gathering organized by the Third Armored Cavalry Division in the provincial city of Ramadi, west of Baghdad, tribal sheiks meet their new rulers in one of Saddam's old palaces. The Americans are learning that a spoonful or more of sugar helps the medicine go down.
TEEPLES: Four, five, six, more than that?
WEDEMAN: The American military is now waist deep in the minutiae of Iraqi affairs.
TEEPLES: As coalition forces, we will assist and we want to work with your police force to patrol your communities. We need the help of all the sheikhs who have influence.
WEDEMAN: After the meeting, a buffet lunch of kabob and bread and the buttonholing that goes with politics everywhere. Everyone has a special request. No one wants to say no. Before they left, the sheikhs complied with an American request to sign a declaration disavowing any ties to the banished Baath Party. All in all, a display of loyalty, but conditional loyalty. "Once Iraq has been rebuilt, the liberation will become occupation," says this sheikh. "And when that happens, we will force the Americans to leave."
This meeting wasn't just public relations. The Americans need help.
TEEPLES: We can make the process work if we co-op, if they give us information, if they use their influence to get people to come to work and go out on patrols with coalition forces.
WEDEMAN: In the center of Ramadi, we asked people what they thought of the men the Americans were talking to and got an earful. "Those who want to have positions of power in this country aren't going to help the people," this man told me. "They just want to help themselves."
The politics in the palace don't look much like the politics in the street.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, Ramadi, central Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And we will take you live to Baghdad about 20 minutes from now for the latest developments.
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 May 23, 2003 - 05:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now to more major changes in the new Iraq. Gone are its armed forces, its ministries of defense and information, and other key institutions, and with them up to 400,000 jobs. The U.S. has dissolved the ministries to rid them of Baathist influences. The U.S. is also cozying up to Iraq's tribal leaders.
Our Ben Wedeman has more on that for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Iraqi tribal leaders who recently swore allegiance to Saddam extend a hand of friendship to the Americans. Newcomers to the labyrinth of Iraqi tribal politics, the Americans are trying hard to get the names straight and the moves right.
COL. DAVID TEEPLES, U.S. ARMY: I am Colonel Teeples. You are Ramadi?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ramadi. Ramadi.
RAMADI: Ramadi. Ramadi.
WEDEMAN: At a gathering organized by the Third Armored Cavalry Division in the provincial city of Ramadi, west of Baghdad, tribal sheiks meet their new rulers in one of Saddam's old palaces. The Americans are learning that a spoonful or more of sugar helps the medicine go down.
TEEPLES: Four, five, six, more than that?
WEDEMAN: The American military is now waist deep in the minutiae of Iraqi affairs.
TEEPLES: As coalition forces, we will assist and we want to work with your police force to patrol your communities. We need the help of all the sheikhs who have influence.
WEDEMAN: After the meeting, a buffet lunch of kabob and bread and the buttonholing that goes with politics everywhere. Everyone has a special request. No one wants to say no. Before they left, the sheikhs complied with an American request to sign a declaration disavowing any ties to the banished Baath Party. All in all, a display of loyalty, but conditional loyalty. "Once Iraq has been rebuilt, the liberation will become occupation," says this sheikh. "And when that happens, we will force the Americans to leave."
This meeting wasn't just public relations. The Americans need help.
TEEPLES: We can make the process work if we co-op, if they give us information, if they use their influence to get people to come to work and go out on patrols with coalition forces.
WEDEMAN: In the center of Ramadi, we asked people what they thought of the men the Americans were talking to and got an earful. "Those who want to have positions of power in this country aren't going to help the people," this man told me. "They just want to help themselves."
The politics in the palace don't look much like the politics in the street.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, Ramadi, central Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And we will take you live to Baghdad about 20 minutes from now for the latest developments.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
