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CNN Sunday Morning
Saudi Arabians Cooperating with 9/11 Talks
Aired August 03, 2003 - 10:04 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.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is enjoying the first full day of what is being called a working vacation. He is deep in the heart of Texas, as new information emerges related to the 9/11 investigation.
CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash now joins us live from Crawford with details on the talks between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Sean.
Well, the White House says that Saudi officials are being helpful and the discussions have been under way about U.S. officials trying to discuss what exactly these two Saudi officials, two Saudi citizens by the name of Omar al Bayoumi and Osama Basnan may have had to do with two of the hijackers for 9/11.
That is all a part of a classified part of the congressional report detailing what went wrong and why in the lead up to 9/11, what the FBI and CIA may or may not have known.
Now, what sources who are familiar with this classified section of the report say is that they suggest that these two men, al Bayoumi and Basnan may have been connected in a variety of ways to the Saudi -- hijackers who are also Saudi citizens. The report concluded that they may have actually been Saudi intelligence agents.
But now Saudi officials say this is absolutely not true. The Saudi ambassador to the U.S. calls this baseless and White House officials, as I said, are saying that the Saudi government is being helpful at this time and discussions are ongoing as to what exactly these two men did know and how they were involved.
Now, Sean, as for the president, he did arrive here in Crawford for his month-long working vacation. He arrived with the knowledge that he is actually five pounds heavier than he was last year. He got his full workup at the Bethesda Naval Hospital.
He is going to spend a month here, but he is also going to have some travels for fund-raising and some other events. And he is going to welcome his defense secretary later this week -- Sean.
CALLEBS: OK, Dana. Five pounds out there in Crawford, he can work that off in, what, a matter days.
BASH: They say it's just muscle weight. They say it's muscle weight.
CALLEBS: Not too bad. OK. Dana Bash in Crawford, Texas, thanks very much.
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 3, 2003 - 10:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is enjoying the first full day of what is being called a working vacation. He is deep in the heart of Texas, as new information emerges related to the 9/11 investigation.
CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash now joins us live from Crawford with details on the talks between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Sean.
Well, the White House says that Saudi officials are being helpful and the discussions have been under way about U.S. officials trying to discuss what exactly these two Saudi officials, two Saudi citizens by the name of Omar al Bayoumi and Osama Basnan may have had to do with two of the hijackers for 9/11.
That is all a part of a classified part of the congressional report detailing what went wrong and why in the lead up to 9/11, what the FBI and CIA may or may not have known.
Now, what sources who are familiar with this classified section of the report say is that they suggest that these two men, al Bayoumi and Basnan may have been connected in a variety of ways to the Saudi -- hijackers who are also Saudi citizens. The report concluded that they may have actually been Saudi intelligence agents.
But now Saudi officials say this is absolutely not true. The Saudi ambassador to the U.S. calls this baseless and White House officials, as I said, are saying that the Saudi government is being helpful at this time and discussions are ongoing as to what exactly these two men did know and how they were involved.
Now, Sean, as for the president, he did arrive here in Crawford for his month-long working vacation. He arrived with the knowledge that he is actually five pounds heavier than he was last year. He got his full workup at the Bethesda Naval Hospital.
He is going to spend a month here, but he is also going to have some travels for fund-raising and some other events. And he is going to welcome his defense secretary later this week -- Sean.
CALLEBS: OK, Dana. Five pounds out there in Crawford, he can work that off in, what, a matter days.
BASH: They say it's just muscle weight. They say it's muscle weight.
CALLEBS: Not too bad. OK. Dana Bash in Crawford, Texas, thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
