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CNN Saturday Morning News
Bridge To Reopened in Iraq
Aired October 25, 2003 - 09:07 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.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: Now on to Iraq, where military officials are reopening a major bridge in Baghdad that had been closed as a security precaution.
Our Jane Arraf now joins us from Baghdad with the details. Good morning, Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Sean.
This is a big part of getting back to normal. Behind me, you can probably hear the Army band that's playing, and there's a big blue ribbon there. They're going to be cutting that soon, marking the reopening of the July 14th Bridge, for the first time, as you mentioned, since the end of the war.
Now this bridge is important, because it's the major route across the Tigris linking east and west Baghdad. And until now, people have had to drive all the way around the city, causing huge traffic jams. They are going to reopen today, and they say the reason they can is that it's safer here.
Just over there, you can't see it behind those trees, but that is the Shimparia (ph) Palace, the Republic Palace, built by Saddam, expanded by Saddam, and now occupied by U.S. forces.
Now, there had been fears that there could be attacks from around the bridge, and that was why it was closed. But today it's reopening again, in what Iraqis as well as U.S. officials say is an important step forward in getting the city a little bit more back towards normal, Sean.
CALLEBS: Well, Jane, we see clearly people trying to create the kind of atmosphere, one of celebration. What is the attitude among many people in and around Baghdad? Had they been bitter because this thoroughfare had been closed for such a long time?
ARRAF: You know, there really aren't very many more things you could do that would make people happier, aside from reopening this bridge, because one of the major irritants of everybody life here since the war is the tremendous security around the city. There are concrete barriers, there are streets blocked off, there's barbed wire.
And it means that people essentially spend a large part of their day in traffic. This will let them get more directly to work. One person told me he was going to reopen his shop again, because now it will take him 10 minutes instead of 40 minutes to get there. So it will have a major impact, Sean.
CALLEBS: OK, Jane, it does some good news coming from Baghdad. 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 October 25, 2003 - 09:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: Now on to Iraq, where military officials are reopening a major bridge in Baghdad that had been closed as a security precaution.
Our Jane Arraf now joins us from Baghdad with the details. Good morning, Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Sean.
This is a big part of getting back to normal. Behind me, you can probably hear the Army band that's playing, and there's a big blue ribbon there. They're going to be cutting that soon, marking the reopening of the July 14th Bridge, for the first time, as you mentioned, since the end of the war.
Now this bridge is important, because it's the major route across the Tigris linking east and west Baghdad. And until now, people have had to drive all the way around the city, causing huge traffic jams. They are going to reopen today, and they say the reason they can is that it's safer here.
Just over there, you can't see it behind those trees, but that is the Shimparia (ph) Palace, the Republic Palace, built by Saddam, expanded by Saddam, and now occupied by U.S. forces.
Now, there had been fears that there could be attacks from around the bridge, and that was why it was closed. But today it's reopening again, in what Iraqis as well as U.S. officials say is an important step forward in getting the city a little bit more back towards normal, Sean.
CALLEBS: Well, Jane, we see clearly people trying to create the kind of atmosphere, one of celebration. What is the attitude among many people in and around Baghdad? Had they been bitter because this thoroughfare had been closed for such a long time?
ARRAF: You know, there really aren't very many more things you could do that would make people happier, aside from reopening this bridge, because one of the major irritants of everybody life here since the war is the tremendous security around the city. There are concrete barriers, there are streets blocked off, there's barbed wire.
And it means that people essentially spend a large part of their day in traffic. This will let them get more directly to work. One person told me he was going to reopen his shop again, because now it will take him 10 minutes instead of 40 minutes to get there. So it will have a major impact, Sean.
CALLEBS: OK, Jane, it does some good news coming from Baghdad. 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
