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CNN Saturday Morning News

Iraq's Finance Minister Caught

Aired April 19, 2003 - 06:36   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.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Another one of Saddam Hussein's top aides is now in U.S. military custody. Our Rula Amin joins us live from Baghdad with the details on that.
Rula, this is number eight on the U.S. list of most wanted Iraqis, right?

RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He is. He's the fifth Iraqi official to be arrested among the 55 Iraqi officials on the U.S. most wanted list.

It was the Iraqi police who found him and arrested him. He was staying at a house that belonged to one of his relatives. However, an Iraqi tipped the Iraqi police on where he was staying. They went, arrested him, he did not resist. He even told them he actually was thinking about surrendering himself in.

The police turned him into the Marines, who are investigating whatever information he has or he may have on where Saddam Hussein is or where his money may be.

Again, this is the fifth person who is arrested among the 55 people the U.S. most wanted -- in the U.S. most wanted list.

Meanwhile, Iraqis are still trying to figure out how will their future will be. At the same time, Iraq's neighbors have been gathering in Saudi Arabia. They also want to have a say in the future of Iraq. It was Kuwait, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Bahrain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

What they said was that they considered the U.S. troops here as an occupying power and that after they restored law and order they should leave. They also said that any government here should represent Iraqis and should be an Iraqi government. And until that happens, Iraq -- sanctions on Iraq should not be lifted.

This is in opposition to the U.S. president's call that sanctions on Iraq should be lifted very quickly so that the revenues can be used to reconstruct Iraq. These neighbors are saying they are concerned that if the sanctions are lifted now that means that the U.S. will control Iraq's revenue and the U.S. will have a big share in who will construct Iraq. It's a lot of money involved, and they want to have their share, as well -- Heidi.

COLLINS: I'm sure they do. All right, Rula Amin. There'll be more on that, I'm sure, later. Thanks so much, live from Baghdad this morning.

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Aired April 19, 2003 - 06:36   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Another one of Saddam Hussein's top aides is now in U.S. military custody. Our Rula Amin joins us live from Baghdad with the details on that.
Rula, this is number eight on the U.S. list of most wanted Iraqis, right?

RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He is. He's the fifth Iraqi official to be arrested among the 55 Iraqi officials on the U.S. most wanted list.

It was the Iraqi police who found him and arrested him. He was staying at a house that belonged to one of his relatives. However, an Iraqi tipped the Iraqi police on where he was staying. They went, arrested him, he did not resist. He even told them he actually was thinking about surrendering himself in.

The police turned him into the Marines, who are investigating whatever information he has or he may have on where Saddam Hussein is or where his money may be.

Again, this is the fifth person who is arrested among the 55 people the U.S. most wanted -- in the U.S. most wanted list.

Meanwhile, Iraqis are still trying to figure out how will their future will be. At the same time, Iraq's neighbors have been gathering in Saudi Arabia. They also want to have a say in the future of Iraq. It was Kuwait, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Bahrain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

What they said was that they considered the U.S. troops here as an occupying power and that after they restored law and order they should leave. They also said that any government here should represent Iraqis and should be an Iraqi government. And until that happens, Iraq -- sanctions on Iraq should not be lifted.

This is in opposition to the U.S. president's call that sanctions on Iraq should be lifted very quickly so that the revenues can be used to reconstruct Iraq. These neighbors are saying they are concerned that if the sanctions are lifted now that means that the U.S. will control Iraq's revenue and the U.S. will have a big share in who will construct Iraq. It's a lot of money involved, and they want to have their share, as well -- Heidi.

COLLINS: I'm sure they do. All right, Rula Amin. There'll be more on that, I'm sure, later. Thanks so much, live from Baghdad this morning.

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