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American Morning

Top American in Iraq at White House

Aired January 16, 2004 - 07:20   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: Back to the issue of Iraq. The top American in Iraq, Paul Bremer, is at the White House today. And on Monday, Bremer comes to New York seeking approval and support from the U.N. for a plan to transfer power. That plan criticized by some of Iraq's most powerful religious leaders, and they hold a lot of sway on the ground back in Iraq.
Sheila MacVicar now in Baghdad for us today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what democracy looks like in Iraq right now. A local council meeting where the debate is about the U.S. plan to form a transitional government without direct elections, a plan that many Iraqis, especially the majority Shia Muslims, object to. "The plan was made and we're still not satisfied with it," says this council member. "I don't know what will satisfy us. We should leave it to the Iraqi people to decide."

But the U.S. argues, and the U.N. agrees, there is not enough time to prepare for elections.

L. PAUL BREMER, U.S./IRAQ RECONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATOR: It will take time to produce an electoral law, to get a political parties law, to draw constituent boundaries, to take a census to -- so we can have a voters list.

MACVICAR: The central opponent is the Grand Ayatollah Sistani, the most respected Shiite cleric in Iraq. For months, publicly through his spokesmen, he has insisted the only way to form a new government was through elections. The current president of Iraq's Governing Council met with the ayatollah last weekend and says he sees signs of compromise.

ADNAN PACHACHI, PRESIDENT, IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL: He said that the, what is being proposed now as an alternative to elections is not good enough and therefore should be improved. I agree with him. I think there is room for improvement as far as the machinery for the selection.

MACVICAR: At the Governing Council, there is a lot of talk of American maneuvering behind-the-scenes, with new U.S. proposals for more democracy now on the table. This member of the Governing Council supports Ayatollah Sistani.

ABDUL AZIZ AL-HAKIM, IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL MEMBER: We are working on two parallel lines, insisting on elections but also being practical and hearing and discussing and negotiating other choices to see the best choice, the best (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that we can do to represent the Iraqi people.

MACVICAR: There will be more negotiations next week in New York at the United Nations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACVICAR: But there is one thing that will not change, Bill. June 30 is the deadline for the transition of power and everyone, the Americans, the Iraqi Governing Council and the grand ayatollah all insist that deadline must be met. There is, however, the potential for more unrest as we move through this still contentious political process to that transition. Demonstrations in the streets, a fear, perhaps, of more violence, and a threat yesterday from one of the grand ayatollah's aides that he will issue a fatwa, a religious ruling instructing Iraq's Shia Muslims not to support or accept the authority of a transitional government if it not directly elected -- Bill.

HEMMER: On another story, Sheila, we're going to show our viewers this videotape again today. When U.S. soldiers were called to respond to a, what appeared to be an improvised explosive device, when they did respond, this is eventually what happened.

Listen and watch now. Amazingly, we are told, the two soldiers are OK. It is not the case for Iraqi children.

What have you heard there -- Sheila.

MACVICAR: We've been told that three Iraqi children somehow were caught up in the debris from that blast. One has been seriously wounded, the other two not so seriously wounded. As you said, remarkably, those two soldiers who appeared to be standing right over the device, which we're told was covered with a plastic bag in order to apparently conceal it, they are not hurt. A translator has been wounded.

Of course, this is the first device of this type that's gone off in Baghdad in about 10 days or so. There was a spate of bombings between Christmas and new year's. It's not unusual for the forces to hear -- get reports of devices like these and be able to disarm it.

In this case, the coalition is suggesting that this bomb might have been remote controlled -- Bill.

HEMMER: And the danger there truly shown on that videotape.

Sheila, thanks.

Sheila MacVicar live in Baghdad.

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 January 16, 2004 - 07:20   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Back to the issue of Iraq. The top American in Iraq, Paul Bremer, is at the White House today. And on Monday, Bremer comes to New York seeking approval and support from the U.N. for a plan to transfer power. That plan criticized by some of Iraq's most powerful religious leaders, and they hold a lot of sway on the ground back in Iraq.
Sheila MacVicar now in Baghdad for us today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what democracy looks like in Iraq right now. A local council meeting where the debate is about the U.S. plan to form a transitional government without direct elections, a plan that many Iraqis, especially the majority Shia Muslims, object to. "The plan was made and we're still not satisfied with it," says this council member. "I don't know what will satisfy us. We should leave it to the Iraqi people to decide."

But the U.S. argues, and the U.N. agrees, there is not enough time to prepare for elections.

L. PAUL BREMER, U.S./IRAQ RECONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATOR: It will take time to produce an electoral law, to get a political parties law, to draw constituent boundaries, to take a census to -- so we can have a voters list.

MACVICAR: The central opponent is the Grand Ayatollah Sistani, the most respected Shiite cleric in Iraq. For months, publicly through his spokesmen, he has insisted the only way to form a new government was through elections. The current president of Iraq's Governing Council met with the ayatollah last weekend and says he sees signs of compromise.

ADNAN PACHACHI, PRESIDENT, IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL: He said that the, what is being proposed now as an alternative to elections is not good enough and therefore should be improved. I agree with him. I think there is room for improvement as far as the machinery for the selection.

MACVICAR: At the Governing Council, there is a lot of talk of American maneuvering behind-the-scenes, with new U.S. proposals for more democracy now on the table. This member of the Governing Council supports Ayatollah Sistani.

ABDUL AZIZ AL-HAKIM, IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL MEMBER: We are working on two parallel lines, insisting on elections but also being practical and hearing and discussing and negotiating other choices to see the best choice, the best (UNINTELLIGIBLE) that we can do to represent the Iraqi people.

MACVICAR: There will be more negotiations next week in New York at the United Nations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACVICAR: But there is one thing that will not change, Bill. June 30 is the deadline for the transition of power and everyone, the Americans, the Iraqi Governing Council and the grand ayatollah all insist that deadline must be met. There is, however, the potential for more unrest as we move through this still contentious political process to that transition. Demonstrations in the streets, a fear, perhaps, of more violence, and a threat yesterday from one of the grand ayatollah's aides that he will issue a fatwa, a religious ruling instructing Iraq's Shia Muslims not to support or accept the authority of a transitional government if it not directly elected -- Bill.

HEMMER: On another story, Sheila, we're going to show our viewers this videotape again today. When U.S. soldiers were called to respond to a, what appeared to be an improvised explosive device, when they did respond, this is eventually what happened.

Listen and watch now. Amazingly, we are told, the two soldiers are OK. It is not the case for Iraqi children.

What have you heard there -- Sheila.

MACVICAR: We've been told that three Iraqi children somehow were caught up in the debris from that blast. One has been seriously wounded, the other two not so seriously wounded. As you said, remarkably, those two soldiers who appeared to be standing right over the device, which we're told was covered with a plastic bag in order to apparently conceal it, they are not hurt. A translator has been wounded.

Of course, this is the first device of this type that's gone off in Baghdad in about 10 days or so. There was a spate of bombings between Christmas and new year's. It's not unusual for the forces to hear -- get reports of devices like these and be able to disarm it.

In this case, the coalition is suggesting that this bomb might have been remote controlled -- Bill.

HEMMER: And the danger there truly shown on that videotape.

Sheila, thanks.

Sheila MacVicar live in Baghdad.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com