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CNN Saturday Morning News

One of Iraq's Most Wanted Captured

Aired April 19, 2003 - 07:07   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: And now to our coverage of the new Iraq. In Baghdad, another of Iraq's most wanted has been captured. This time it is a man who may hold the answers to the question of Iraqi wealth. Rula Amin joins us now with the very latest on this capture. And quickly I want to point out, Rula, we mentioned before, it was number eight on that list. Actually, number 45. I just want to be clear on that.
RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And he is the fifth Iraqi official to be captured among the 55 officials who are on the U.S. most wanted listed. He was captured the Iraqi police this time. And this is the first time that the Iraqi police actually arrested an Iraqi official. They found him in one of his relative's home. He didn't resist his capture and he even told the Iraqi policemen who went to arrest him that he was actually thinking about surrendering and turning himself in. They took him and then they turned him over to the Marines who are now interrogating him, hoping to get some kind of information from him, whether it's on where Saddam Hussein is or maybe where his money is because this guy was his financial minister as well as his deputy prime minister. So he may have some valuable information.

We have been seeing some people now here in Iraq helping the Marines and tipping them on where Iraqi officials are. At the same time, we are seeing more Iraqis demonstrating and protesting against the U.S. presence here in Iraq. We heard that yesterday and today again at the Palestine Hotel where the Marines are based and where all the foreign journalists, most of them, are based. They came, they were chanting slogans demanding that U.S. troops leave Iraq, calling them an occupying force and even chanting slogans like "There's only one God. America is the enemy of God." These are very hard-hitting slogans. And they're just standing there right in front of the Marines' faces chanting those slogans. It's the first time in decades where Iraqis are able to go on the street and make their voices heard.

And we've been having different messages coming from those people. Some are calling on the Marines to leave and some are actually asking the troops to take a more active role in restoring order in Iraq because people are very disappointed that following Saddam Hussein's fall, there's chaos and people just don't feel safe any more.

Now as those people are trying to make their voices heard, Iraq's neighbors have been meeting in Saudi Arabia and they want to have a say in Iraq's future. It was Kuwait, Iran, Turkey, Syria, South Arabia and Egypt and Bahrain. They all met trying to coordinate their efforts because they are concerned. They say that the U.S. forces are an occupying force and after restoring law and order, they should leave. They also wanted to make sure that what they want is an Iraqi government; a government that represents all Iraqis and representative of the Iraqi, not a puppet of the U.S. That was one of their major concerns.

Another thing is that they oppose the U.S. President's call for a quick lifting of the U.N. sanctions. What they are saying is that as it stands now, there is no government in Iraq. And if the sanctions are lifted, who will control Iraq's oil revenues? In the case as it stands now, it will be the United States and that means that the U.S. will control Iraq's wealth of oil. Iraq has the second largest oil reserves in the world and those Iraq neighbors want to make sure that the U.S. doesn't control this wealth of oil.

And they also want to make that if this oil is sold on the market, the revenues will be used to reconstruct Iraq and which companies will have a share, the biggest share, in reconstructing Iraq. So they're trying to make their voices heard as well and they are coordinating their efforts. Heidi?

COLLINS: Certainly a lot to figure out in the new Iraq. All right, Rula Amin, thanks so much.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: I want to get more reaction now from the Pentagon to the capture of Hikmat al-Azzawi, I want to turn to CNN's Kathleen Koch -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, the Pentagon is pleased with the progress the U.S. forces in Iraq are making. This is the third top Iraqi leader captured in as many days. Just yesterday the Ba'ath Party leader, Samir abd al Aziz al Najm was turned over to U.S. forces by Kurdish troops in the region. The day before, one of Saddam Hussein's brothers, Barzan Ibrahim Hasan al Tikriti was captured by U.S. forces. Last weekend coalition forces caught Saddam Hussein's other half-brother, Watban fleeing west toward the border in Syria. And then surrendering a day earlier was Saddam Hussein's science adviser.

And as this list of top leaders in custody grows, so does the optimism that one of these men will give the coalition an important tip on where weapons of mass destruction may be hidden because so far, coalition forces have not been able to find any. On top of that, it's believed that they can also be useful in helping document the crimes by the regime and also how they can find the money that Saddam Hussein has siphoned from his country. Now there is no word yet, though, from the Pentagon from the coalition there on how the questioning is going or whether any of these men are cooperating. Anderson?

COOPER: And that is a big question. I mean, it's funny. I've been trying to ask this question for a couple of days now to various people. I talked to an international law professor last night. She didn't know the answer. It seems no one really knows exactly whether these guys are POWs or whether they are unlawful combatants or exactly the conditions that they are being held in. But my understanding is they can be asked as many questions as they want. They don't necessarily have to answer.

KOCH: Certainly. And obviously, Anderson, it's not clear whether or not they have the right to consult with any attorneys, if they have any sort of representation. But, correctly, they certainly were not combatants on the battlefield, though they were clearly a valid leadership targets and leaders who have important information to the coalition. And as prisoners, even if they are not considered prisoners of war, they would still have to treated according to the Geneva Convention. So it will be interesting to see if we can some clarity from the Pentagon or from CENTCOM on exactly what their status is.

COOPER: Yes, I know the question was asked -- I think it was a CENTCOM briefing Friday morning -- about what conditions they're being held in their cells, stuff like that. And basically, the answer was avoided. We'll see what happens. Kathleen Koch, at the Pentagon. I appreciate it. 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 April 19, 2003 - 07:07   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And now to our coverage of the new Iraq. In Baghdad, another of Iraq's most wanted has been captured. This time it is a man who may hold the answers to the question of Iraqi wealth. Rula Amin joins us now with the very latest on this capture. And quickly I want to point out, Rula, we mentioned before, it was number eight on that list. Actually, number 45. I just want to be clear on that.
RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And he is the fifth Iraqi official to be captured among the 55 officials who are on the U.S. most wanted listed. He was captured the Iraqi police this time. And this is the first time that the Iraqi police actually arrested an Iraqi official. They found him in one of his relative's home. He didn't resist his capture and he even told the Iraqi policemen who went to arrest him that he was actually thinking about surrendering and turning himself in. They took him and then they turned him over to the Marines who are now interrogating him, hoping to get some kind of information from him, whether it's on where Saddam Hussein is or maybe where his money is because this guy was his financial minister as well as his deputy prime minister. So he may have some valuable information.

We have been seeing some people now here in Iraq helping the Marines and tipping them on where Iraqi officials are. At the same time, we are seeing more Iraqis demonstrating and protesting against the U.S. presence here in Iraq. We heard that yesterday and today again at the Palestine Hotel where the Marines are based and where all the foreign journalists, most of them, are based. They came, they were chanting slogans demanding that U.S. troops leave Iraq, calling them an occupying force and even chanting slogans like "There's only one God. America is the enemy of God." These are very hard-hitting slogans. And they're just standing there right in front of the Marines' faces chanting those slogans. It's the first time in decades where Iraqis are able to go on the street and make their voices heard.

And we've been having different messages coming from those people. Some are calling on the Marines to leave and some are actually asking the troops to take a more active role in restoring order in Iraq because people are very disappointed that following Saddam Hussein's fall, there's chaos and people just don't feel safe any more.

Now as those people are trying to make their voices heard, Iraq's neighbors have been meeting in Saudi Arabia and they want to have a say in Iraq's future. It was Kuwait, Iran, Turkey, Syria, South Arabia and Egypt and Bahrain. They all met trying to coordinate their efforts because they are concerned. They say that the U.S. forces are an occupying force and after restoring law and order, they should leave. They also wanted to make sure that what they want is an Iraqi government; a government that represents all Iraqis and representative of the Iraqi, not a puppet of the U.S. That was one of their major concerns.

Another thing is that they oppose the U.S. President's call for a quick lifting of the U.N. sanctions. What they are saying is that as it stands now, there is no government in Iraq. And if the sanctions are lifted, who will control Iraq's oil revenues? In the case as it stands now, it will be the United States and that means that the U.S. will control Iraq's wealth of oil. Iraq has the second largest oil reserves in the world and those Iraq neighbors want to make sure that the U.S. doesn't control this wealth of oil.

And they also want to make that if this oil is sold on the market, the revenues will be used to reconstruct Iraq and which companies will have a share, the biggest share, in reconstructing Iraq. So they're trying to make their voices heard as well and they are coordinating their efforts. Heidi?

COLLINS: Certainly a lot to figure out in the new Iraq. All right, Rula Amin, thanks so much.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: I want to get more reaction now from the Pentagon to the capture of Hikmat al-Azzawi, I want to turn to CNN's Kathleen Koch -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, the Pentagon is pleased with the progress the U.S. forces in Iraq are making. This is the third top Iraqi leader captured in as many days. Just yesterday the Ba'ath Party leader, Samir abd al Aziz al Najm was turned over to U.S. forces by Kurdish troops in the region. The day before, one of Saddam Hussein's brothers, Barzan Ibrahim Hasan al Tikriti was captured by U.S. forces. Last weekend coalition forces caught Saddam Hussein's other half-brother, Watban fleeing west toward the border in Syria. And then surrendering a day earlier was Saddam Hussein's science adviser.

And as this list of top leaders in custody grows, so does the optimism that one of these men will give the coalition an important tip on where weapons of mass destruction may be hidden because so far, coalition forces have not been able to find any. On top of that, it's believed that they can also be useful in helping document the crimes by the regime and also how they can find the money that Saddam Hussein has siphoned from his country. Now there is no word yet, though, from the Pentagon from the coalition there on how the questioning is going or whether any of these men are cooperating. Anderson?

COOPER: And that is a big question. I mean, it's funny. I've been trying to ask this question for a couple of days now to various people. I talked to an international law professor last night. She didn't know the answer. It seems no one really knows exactly whether these guys are POWs or whether they are unlawful combatants or exactly the conditions that they are being held in. But my understanding is they can be asked as many questions as they want. They don't necessarily have to answer.

KOCH: Certainly. And obviously, Anderson, it's not clear whether or not they have the right to consult with any attorneys, if they have any sort of representation. But, correctly, they certainly were not combatants on the battlefield, though they were clearly a valid leadership targets and leaders who have important information to the coalition. And as prisoners, even if they are not considered prisoners of war, they would still have to treated according to the Geneva Convention. So it will be interesting to see if we can some clarity from the Pentagon or from CENTCOM on exactly what their status is.

COOPER: Yes, I know the question was asked -- I think it was a CENTCOM briefing Friday morning -- about what conditions they're being held in their cells, stuff like that. And basically, the answer was avoided. We'll see what happens. Kathleen Koch, at the Pentagon. I appreciate it. 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