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CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK

Rumsfeld in Baghdad

Aired April 30, 2003 - 05:03   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: On to Iraq now, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is in Baghdad this morning. He's there to honor the heroes of the Iraq war, and that's not just the U.S. troops.
CNN's Rym Brahimi is covering the Rumsfeld visit. She joins us live from Baghdad -- hello, Rym.

RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Carol.

Well, indeed, Donald Rumsfeld, the U.S. secretary of defense, has landed in Baghdad. That makes him the first top civilian U.S. official to visit Iraq since the regime change that the U.S. basically caused a month ago.

Now, Rumsfeld, as you mentioned, was here to thank the troops. He said on arrival in the southern city of Basra, which was his first stop, "A number of human beings have been liberated and they are out from under the heel of a vicious, brutal regime."

He also praised cooperation with the British troops on the ground there.

That said, here in Baghdad, it's not clear just how much, how much of a welcome he would be likely to get.

Let's listen to a few reactions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I welcome Rumsfeld and his visit to Baghdad. The Iraqi people are hopeful and we are all happy. We are happy that we are finished from Saddam Hussein. But we mourn for the Iraqi people and those who have suffered. But I am still hopeful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): The more there is delay, the more we'll hate them. He needs to find a solution. Give us security, gas, food, drink. There is nothing, no security, no water. Why? The more delay, the more violence. We'll start blowing up tanks ourselves. Let him solve it. We didn't want Saddam and we'll not want to welcome him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRAHIMI: So you can see he arrives at a time of very high expectations but also at a time of heightened tensions. One person is reported to have been killed in the western town of Falluja, where there was also an incident on Monday night. Associated Press reporters say they saw U.S. troops open fire at hundreds of anti-U.S. demonstrators. This follows an incident in which 15 Iraqis were killed and 53 injured when anti-American protesters asked U.S. troops based at a school in Falluja to leave the premises so they could use the school and use the school for the children to go back there -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Understand.

Can you tell us at all what's on tap for Defense Secretary Rumsfeld?

BRAHIMI: Well, we're not able to sort of discuss his specific schedule, as you can imagine. But definitely he's here to thank the troops. He's here to take a look at what's happening in post-war Iraq. And, as you can see, the situation is quite tense. A lot of high expectations on the part of Iraqis who basically want to see basic services restored -- water, electricity, and, above all, security -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I understand.

Rym Brahimi live from Baghdad this morning.

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