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American Morning
In Iraq, Sabotage Appears to be Latest Obstacle
Aired August 18, 2003 - 09:15 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: To Iraq right now, where sabotage appears to be the latest obstacle for the U.S. military in its efforts to continue to rebuild post-war Iraq. Some security experts say it could signal a change in tactics by Saddam loyalists.
Rym Brahimi back with us live in new Iraq, in the town of Kirkuk, to tell us what's happening today -- Rym, good afternoon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On Friday, only two days after the northern pipeline had begun to export oil from Kirkuk to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan in Turkey, a fire erupted on the line about 200 kilometers north of Baghdad, interrupting the oil flow. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator in Iraq, blamed the dire state of Iraq's economy on the previous regime and on acts of sabotage against Iraq's infrastructure.
L. PAUL BREMER, U.S./IRAQ RECONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATOR: Iraq finds itself poor because of the astonishing mismanagement of the Iraqi economy over the last four decades and the great costs to the Iraqi people of the political sabotage which continues in Iraq, including the attack on the Kirkuk pipeline just two days ago, the cost of which is $7 million a day to the Iraqi people.
BRAHIMI: Iraq's newly appointed deputy chief of police appealed to the patriotism of all Iraqis, including the tribal chiefs, to help put an end to sabotage. But by Sunday, the northern pipeline was ablaze again, only a few kilometers away from the first fire. Apparently, a successful attempt out of many carried out recently against oil installations in the north.
In Baghdad, another incident believed to be an act of sabotage cut off the flow of water from entire neighborhoods after a fire broke out at a sewage center on the outskirts of the capital. A videotape showing a group of masked men at an undisclosed location was aired on the Arabic satellite network Al Jazeera, saying the resistance to the U.S. occupation was making progress and had put what they called the enemy on the defensive, preventing, they said, the occupiers from implanting themselves.
Rym Brahimi, CNN, Kirkuk, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: That's from Iraq.
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 August 18, 2003 - 09:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: To Iraq right now, where sabotage appears to be the latest obstacle for the U.S. military in its efforts to continue to rebuild post-war Iraq. Some security experts say it could signal a change in tactics by Saddam loyalists.
Rym Brahimi back with us live in new Iraq, in the town of Kirkuk, to tell us what's happening today -- Rym, good afternoon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On Friday, only two days after the northern pipeline had begun to export oil from Kirkuk to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan in Turkey, a fire erupted on the line about 200 kilometers north of Baghdad, interrupting the oil flow. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator in Iraq, blamed the dire state of Iraq's economy on the previous regime and on acts of sabotage against Iraq's infrastructure.
L. PAUL BREMER, U.S./IRAQ RECONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATOR: Iraq finds itself poor because of the astonishing mismanagement of the Iraqi economy over the last four decades and the great costs to the Iraqi people of the political sabotage which continues in Iraq, including the attack on the Kirkuk pipeline just two days ago, the cost of which is $7 million a day to the Iraqi people.
BRAHIMI: Iraq's newly appointed deputy chief of police appealed to the patriotism of all Iraqis, including the tribal chiefs, to help put an end to sabotage. But by Sunday, the northern pipeline was ablaze again, only a few kilometers away from the first fire. Apparently, a successful attempt out of many carried out recently against oil installations in the north.
In Baghdad, another incident believed to be an act of sabotage cut off the flow of water from entire neighborhoods after a fire broke out at a sewage center on the outskirts of the capital. A videotape showing a group of masked men at an undisclosed location was aired on the Arabic satellite network Al Jazeera, saying the resistance to the U.S. occupation was making progress and had put what they called the enemy on the defensive, preventing, they said, the occupiers from implanting themselves.
Rym Brahimi, CNN, Kirkuk, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: That's from Iraq.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
