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CNN Saturday Morning News

Interview with Mounzer Moses Fatfat

Aired September 13, 2003 - 09:23   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: Well, lots of kids, no matter where they live in this world, seem to like sports pretty well. In fact, Iraqi kids are a lot like American kids. They love to have fun. But it hasn't been easy.
Now, an American man is leading an effort to change all of that. Dr. Mounzer Moses Fatfat has left the comfort of his Pennsylvania home to serve as the senior adviser in the ministry of youth and sports in Iraq. The assignment is part of the U.S. civil administration.

He's joining us from Kuwait this morning by telephone.

Dr. Fatfat, thanks for being with us today.

We're very interested to hear what this new position is all about that you have taken in Iraq.

DR. MOUNZER MOSES FATFAT, IRAQ MINISTRY OF YOUTH AND SPORTS (on phone): Thank you very much.

I'll be working, as you mentioned, as the senior adviser to Ambassador Paul Bremer. I'll be working with the ministry of youth and sports in Iraq. And our goal, of course, is to help the Iraqi young people to have a better and a brighter future.

COLLINS: What does this mean to you, in your heart? This is not the first type of assignment of this nature that you have taken. Tell us a little bit about Kosovo and what this does to you as a man.

FATFAT: Well, for the last four years, I have been working with the United Nations missions in Kosovo as the head -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the minister of youth in Kosovo. We started basically, we built the ministry of youth from two people to 52 people, and we have -- we put policies, procedures, programs. We helped to create programs for young people in Kosovo.

Our goal was really to help them to create their own programs. And we supported them in many different ways to support their own. And I feel we will be doing something very similar in Iraq. We need to be able to look at the young people in Iraq. Sixty percent of the people in Iraq are below the age of 25 years old.

So the job of the youth is terribly important. It's -- Iraq is a nation of young people. And these people are really very talented and hard working. And they want a better life. And I feel, as an American, being of Lebanese descent, of an Arab descent, I understand the culture, the background, the language. And the experience that I gain throughout the years working with UNESCO, UNICEF, and of course United Nations missions in Kosovo, will be able to create some program working with the young people.

It has to come from the young people. And we're going to support them to have a better future in hopefully many different aspects.

COLLINS: Dr. Fatfat, we are looking at some images on the TV screen right now, as we speak with you, of these children. And this is now, of course, after the war. But these children have gone through many, many years under the tyranny of Saddam Hussein, very difficult times in that country.

What do these children say to you? What do they -- how do they look at you when you come there, and you bring them joy, and you bring them sports and fun? Does it take awhile to warm up?

FATFAT: Well, I am in the process of going there. As a matter of fact, I'm in Kuwait now. And as you know, the security issues are still not the best. And we are working -- my goal, really, is to be able to break this cycle of distrust, and be able to reach them, because, to me, before I was an American, I was an Arab, and I was in Benise (ph), and I have helped, you know, the other young people in different countries.

And I would like to extend my hand to them, and try to see what they're looking for and how can we help them. Last year, one of the things, for example, I was able to do, I worked with La Roche (ph) College in university -- in Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And I worked with Monsignor Curry, he's the president. We were able to supply, you know, 20 young people with education, full scholarships.

These are the type of things we need to do. Also Ambassador Menzies (ph), he was an American ambassador in Kosovo, he is the president of Graceton (ph) University. He's willing also to support us in these ways. The -- some of the University of Pittsburgh, the GINIE (ph) Project, for example, the Global Information Network in Education, have -- and USAID, you know, have supported us.

So we need -- I really -- we need help from the outside. They need to come to us. They can reach us at the ministry of youth, of course, and sports. We need the outside world to be able to extend hand to us, not only American. For your information, by the year 2010, almost 2 billion people of the world population will be between the age of 15 and 24. This is -- you're talking about a third of the world.

So we need to start the process now. And I think the time is right for us to start. And I hope that, you know, Iraq will be the ground to support not only the Middle East but in different parts of the world.

COLLINS: Right. Well, Dr. Fatfat, we certainly wish you all of the luck, and hope that have you the same type of success that you had in Kosovo with the children there. Again, good luck to you. And thanks for being with us this morning.

FATFAT: Thank you. I really believe that we can make a difference, and I'm looking forward to work with other internationals and national organizations to work with the youth in Iraq.

COLLINS: Very good. Thanks so much, doctor.

FRAZIER: Dr. Fatfat coming to us there from Kuwait.

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 September 13, 2003 - 09:23   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, lots of kids, no matter where they live in this world, seem to like sports pretty well. In fact, Iraqi kids are a lot like American kids. They love to have fun. But it hasn't been easy.
Now, an American man is leading an effort to change all of that. Dr. Mounzer Moses Fatfat has left the comfort of his Pennsylvania home to serve as the senior adviser in the ministry of youth and sports in Iraq. The assignment is part of the U.S. civil administration.

He's joining us from Kuwait this morning by telephone.

Dr. Fatfat, thanks for being with us today.

We're very interested to hear what this new position is all about that you have taken in Iraq.

DR. MOUNZER MOSES FATFAT, IRAQ MINISTRY OF YOUTH AND SPORTS (on phone): Thank you very much.

I'll be working, as you mentioned, as the senior adviser to Ambassador Paul Bremer. I'll be working with the ministry of youth and sports in Iraq. And our goal, of course, is to help the Iraqi young people to have a better and a brighter future.

COLLINS: What does this mean to you, in your heart? This is not the first type of assignment of this nature that you have taken. Tell us a little bit about Kosovo and what this does to you as a man.

FATFAT: Well, for the last four years, I have been working with the United Nations missions in Kosovo as the head -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the minister of youth in Kosovo. We started basically, we built the ministry of youth from two people to 52 people, and we have -- we put policies, procedures, programs. We helped to create programs for young people in Kosovo.

Our goal was really to help them to create their own programs. And we supported them in many different ways to support their own. And I feel we will be doing something very similar in Iraq. We need to be able to look at the young people in Iraq. Sixty percent of the people in Iraq are below the age of 25 years old.

So the job of the youth is terribly important. It's -- Iraq is a nation of young people. And these people are really very talented and hard working. And they want a better life. And I feel, as an American, being of Lebanese descent, of an Arab descent, I understand the culture, the background, the language. And the experience that I gain throughout the years working with UNESCO, UNICEF, and of course United Nations missions in Kosovo, will be able to create some program working with the young people.

It has to come from the young people. And we're going to support them to have a better future in hopefully many different aspects.

COLLINS: Dr. Fatfat, we are looking at some images on the TV screen right now, as we speak with you, of these children. And this is now, of course, after the war. But these children have gone through many, many years under the tyranny of Saddam Hussein, very difficult times in that country.

What do these children say to you? What do they -- how do they look at you when you come there, and you bring them joy, and you bring them sports and fun? Does it take awhile to warm up?

FATFAT: Well, I am in the process of going there. As a matter of fact, I'm in Kuwait now. And as you know, the security issues are still not the best. And we are working -- my goal, really, is to be able to break this cycle of distrust, and be able to reach them, because, to me, before I was an American, I was an Arab, and I was in Benise (ph), and I have helped, you know, the other young people in different countries.

And I would like to extend my hand to them, and try to see what they're looking for and how can we help them. Last year, one of the things, for example, I was able to do, I worked with La Roche (ph) College in university -- in Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And I worked with Monsignor Curry, he's the president. We were able to supply, you know, 20 young people with education, full scholarships.

These are the type of things we need to do. Also Ambassador Menzies (ph), he was an American ambassador in Kosovo, he is the president of Graceton (ph) University. He's willing also to support us in these ways. The -- some of the University of Pittsburgh, the GINIE (ph) Project, for example, the Global Information Network in Education, have -- and USAID, you know, have supported us.

So we need -- I really -- we need help from the outside. They need to come to us. They can reach us at the ministry of youth, of course, and sports. We need the outside world to be able to extend hand to us, not only American. For your information, by the year 2010, almost 2 billion people of the world population will be between the age of 15 and 24. This is -- you're talking about a third of the world.

So we need to start the process now. And I think the time is right for us to start. And I hope that, you know, Iraq will be the ground to support not only the Middle East but in different parts of the world.

COLLINS: Right. Well, Dr. Fatfat, we certainly wish you all of the luck, and hope that have you the same type of success that you had in Kosovo with the children there. Again, good luck to you. And thanks for being with us this morning.

FATFAT: Thank you. I really believe that we can make a difference, and I'm looking forward to work with other internationals and national organizations to work with the youth in Iraq.

COLLINS: Very good. Thanks so much, doctor.

FRAZIER: Dr. Fatfat coming to us there from Kuwait.

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