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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview with Mahmoun Fandy
Aired August 02, 2003 - 07:10 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.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Now that Saddam Hussein's daughters have surfaced, and they're talking publicly, what will the likely impact be on the search for their fugitive father?
Mahmoun Fandy, a Middle East analyst, joins us from Washington now to talk about that.
Let's just start by asking, Mr. Fandy, why did Jordan accept these two women?
MAHMOUN FANDY, MIDDLE EAST ANALYST: Well, it's really a story about the political and financial survival of the Jordanian monarchy. I mean, Jordan has been at the receiving end of Saddam's largesse since 1986, during the Iran-Iraq war.
Jordan had -- practically most of the Jordanian economy was receiving 50 percent discount of the Iraqi oil. There's a great deal of money that was given to Jordanian government and officials. The son of the current prime minister of Jordan was a partner with Uday Hussein in all the front companies that exist in Jordan now for the...
So Jordan was really the back yard for Saddam's economy. There is a great deal of money involved. And this is why they have to do it, on the one hand. On the other hand, also, you have the political side of it. Jordan was on the hot seat during the war. The Jordanian monarchy was teetering because of their support for the Americans to undermine Saddam Hussein.
Now, by receiving the Saddam girls, in Arab eyes they seem to have washed their hands of what they have done during the war.
So it really works out for the Jordanians pretty well.
VAUSE: OK, well, you mentioned the reaction there in the Arab world. Let's take a look at the reaction in Iraq. We have some sound in to CNN, what people are actually saying on the streets, I think, in Baghdad, so let's listen to what the people there are saying about this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(UNINTELLIGIBLE) the family are a big liar. They are big liars from the beginning. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) 40 years they liar, they are a big liar. How can I believe the -- him now?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: OK, a big lie, the man doesn't believe her when she says she doesn't know where her father is. Is that realistic? Is it likely that these two women have any idea where Saddam Hussein may be?
FANDY: I think they might have some idea, but not really something that's very serious. I'm sure, like, probably, you know, when the Jordanian called the Americans to get a green light to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the Saddam girls into Jordan, they had something going on on that track, to really get to Saddam Hussein, which is probably also this is true. I mean, the Jordanians know a lot. The Jordanian intelligence knows a lot about Iraq.
So probably by having them in Jordan, the Jordanian can assist the Americans in getting Saddam Hussein.
So it is very likely that they have some knowledge.
VAUSE: Very quickly, explain to us a very brief history of what these two women have suffered at the hands of their father. He killed their husbands. They've been under virtual house arrest for the last seven years or eight years, is that correct?
FANDY: That's correct. I mean, these guys left for Jordan 1996 with their husbands, Hussein Kamel and Saddam Kamel (UNINTELLIGIBLE) who were -- basically were cooperating with the Americans through the Jordanians. But also, it is, again, the money story again. Saddam and his brother, Hussein Kamel, got a lot of money from Iraq and transferred it to Jordan.
So in many ways, when these guys were -- they were given, actually, same say in the Arab world, they were given back by the Jordanian intelligence. This is when they were killed in Iraq.
VAUSE: OK, Mahmoun Fandy there in Washington, a Middle East analyst, giving us some perspective on what's happening this morning in Jordan with the two Saddam Hussein daughters.
Thank you very much for joining us.
FANDY: Thank you, John.
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 2, 2003 - 07:10 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Now that Saddam Hussein's daughters have surfaced, and they're talking publicly, what will the likely impact be on the search for their fugitive father?
Mahmoun Fandy, a Middle East analyst, joins us from Washington now to talk about that.
Let's just start by asking, Mr. Fandy, why did Jordan accept these two women?
MAHMOUN FANDY, MIDDLE EAST ANALYST: Well, it's really a story about the political and financial survival of the Jordanian monarchy. I mean, Jordan has been at the receiving end of Saddam's largesse since 1986, during the Iran-Iraq war.
Jordan had -- practically most of the Jordanian economy was receiving 50 percent discount of the Iraqi oil. There's a great deal of money that was given to Jordanian government and officials. The son of the current prime minister of Jordan was a partner with Uday Hussein in all the front companies that exist in Jordan now for the...
So Jordan was really the back yard for Saddam's economy. There is a great deal of money involved. And this is why they have to do it, on the one hand. On the other hand, also, you have the political side of it. Jordan was on the hot seat during the war. The Jordanian monarchy was teetering because of their support for the Americans to undermine Saddam Hussein.
Now, by receiving the Saddam girls, in Arab eyes they seem to have washed their hands of what they have done during the war.
So it really works out for the Jordanians pretty well.
VAUSE: OK, well, you mentioned the reaction there in the Arab world. Let's take a look at the reaction in Iraq. We have some sound in to CNN, what people are actually saying on the streets, I think, in Baghdad, so let's listen to what the people there are saying about this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(UNINTELLIGIBLE) the family are a big liar. They are big liars from the beginning. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) 40 years they liar, they are a big liar. How can I believe the -- him now?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: OK, a big lie, the man doesn't believe her when she says she doesn't know where her father is. Is that realistic? Is it likely that these two women have any idea where Saddam Hussein may be?
FANDY: I think they might have some idea, but not really something that's very serious. I'm sure, like, probably, you know, when the Jordanian called the Americans to get a green light to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the Saddam girls into Jordan, they had something going on on that track, to really get to Saddam Hussein, which is probably also this is true. I mean, the Jordanians know a lot. The Jordanian intelligence knows a lot about Iraq.
So probably by having them in Jordan, the Jordanian can assist the Americans in getting Saddam Hussein.
So it is very likely that they have some knowledge.
VAUSE: Very quickly, explain to us a very brief history of what these two women have suffered at the hands of their father. He killed their husbands. They've been under virtual house arrest for the last seven years or eight years, is that correct?
FANDY: That's correct. I mean, these guys left for Jordan 1996 with their husbands, Hussein Kamel and Saddam Kamel (UNINTELLIGIBLE) who were -- basically were cooperating with the Americans through the Jordanians. But also, it is, again, the money story again. Saddam and his brother, Hussein Kamel, got a lot of money from Iraq and transferred it to Jordan.
So in many ways, when these guys were -- they were given, actually, same say in the Arab world, they were given back by the Jordanian intelligence. This is when they were killed in Iraq.
VAUSE: OK, Mahmoun Fandy there in Washington, a Middle East analyst, giving us some perspective on what's happening this morning in Jordan with the two Saddam Hussein daughters.
Thank you very much for joining us.
FANDY: Thank you, John.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
