Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Sunday Morning

Arab World Appears to be Against U.S. Attack on Iraq

Aired March 24, 2002 - 07:36   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: In the Middle East, U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni plans another round of peace talks today with Israeli and Palestinian security officials. The meeting could determine whether Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has met White House conditions for meeting Vice President Dick Cheney.

In Syria, thousands of protesters surged through the streets of Damascus, carrying a message from the government. The officially backed protest applauds the Palestinian uprising against Israel and warns against any U.S. military strike on Iraq. The show of solidarity foreshadows the upcoming Arab summit.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And on the even of that summit, the Arab world appears to be galvanizing support against any U.S. attack on Iraq. President Bush has said that while he believes Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction, there are no imminent plans to attack Iraq.

CNN's Rula Amin tells us why the U.S. may not get regional support for military action against the Baghdad government.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From Beirut, a call for Arab solidarity and even unity with Iraq and strong opposition to any potential U.S. attack against Baghdad. They are targeting Iraq as a country, not the regime, this man says. The U.S. says Iraq is part of an axis of evil and is developing weapons of mass destruction. Something must be done.

In downtown Amman, Jordan, skepticism and concern.

Whoever hits Iraq today will hit Amman tomorrow, says this driver. We don't trust Americans. Another man says we really have to join forces against an attack on Iraq regardless of whether Saddam Hussein is good or bad.

LABEEB QAMHAWI, POLITICAL ANALYST: People are looking at what might happen to Iraq as an issue of national security and not an Iraqi issue anymore. So there is a general apprehension about American intentions towards this part of the world and even Saudis or Kuwaitis are not able but to take a definite public stand against any attack on Iraq because they feel that if they allow this to happen, their own security will be comprised, especially the Saudis. AMIN: But the U.S. argues it's Saddam Hussein who is a threat to his neighbors. U.S. officials are trying to get Arab leaders to support their next move on Iraq. But even those neighbors with a long history of animosity and rivalry with the Iraqi leader just won't lend their support for an attack against Baghdad. Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia told CNN he doesn't believe the U.S. can overcome Saddam Hussein and so any attack would only further hurt the Iraqi people, already suffering under 10 years of U.N. sanctions, and would destabilize the region.

QAMHAWI: Somewhere behind the curtains, I think everybody would like to get rid of Saddam Hussein. But they are afraid of the dismantling of Iraq, the partition of Iraq, and this could be a big and major issue for the Arab world, and a very dangerous issue.

AMIN: Making things harder for U.S. efforts to get Arab leaders on board is the ongoing confrontation between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

RIYAD TABARA, LEBANESE ANALYST: Not one Arab country, not even Kuwait agreed on a strike against Iraq while, you know, their people see on the television every day the killing of Palestinians by Israelis with American arms. Israel has all the weapons of mass destruction. Of course, people make that connection. Why the double standard?

AMIN (on camera): Arab leaders set to meet here on Wednesday are caught between pressure from their own streets to support Iraq and its ruling regime and between growing pressure from the United States to help remove that same regime.

Rula Amin, CNN, Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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