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CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK

Ambush Backlash in Iraq

Aired December 2, 2003 - 06:08   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The twin attacks on U.S. convoys in Samarra are raising some serious questions, and one of the most pressing is whether the unrelenting attacks by insurgents is shaking the resolve of America's allies in Iraq. You just heard Al Goodman talking about that.
Let's head live to Baghdad and Jane Arraf.

Hello -- Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Hi, Carol.

You're absolutely right. That is one of the questions being asked here, but it's a question being asked in a lot of countries outside Iraq.

Now, one of the things that we're seeing is the resolve, the continued resolve, according to the government, the Spanish government, the Japanese government to some extent, to say that they are going to press on. But that isn't, as we heard from Al, necessarily mirrored in public opinion at home.

Now, one of the Spanish dailies appeared to be saying that these attacks are at some point an expression of the will of the people. It doesn't seem to be quite there yet. Most Iraqis really seem to want something stable, where soldiers are not getting attacked. They would like the soldiers to go away, but many of them fear what would happen if they did go away.

It's very tricky, but certainly this is going to have a chilling effect on other countries, as well as humanitarian workers, the U.N., organizations that have already pulled out. That is one of the biggest worries here -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Understand. I don't know if you'll know much information about this, but I was interested in the knocking down of those Saddam statues near the Republican Guard palace.

ARRAF: Wonderful story. It has been delayed for days and days and days. It's not the easiest thing in the world. These are huge now, like much about Saddam Hussein, much, much larger than life. And what they were, were bronze statues, four of them, of Saddam's head wearing head gear of Salahideen (ph), an Islamic conqueror. He very much saw himself in the mold of Islamic heroes of Babylonian kings, and this was really concrete, bronze, proof of it.

Now, these are extremely heavy. One is supposed to go to the Iraqi people in some form, perhaps in the form of a museum. There are three others. It's still not known exactly what's going to happen to them. But they're still being taken down. It is quite a job getting these very heavy objects off of the palace, now occupied by U.S. authorities -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, I just thought it was strange, because some of these statutes are right outside where Paul Bremer's offices are.

ARRAF: Right on top of them, in fact. It's a wonder that the roof does not collapse with the weight of those statues. It is definitely a very odd sight, but there are a lot of incongruous things in Baghdad these days.

COSTELLO: And when they get busy doing that, we'll take a live picture for our viewers. Jane Arraf live from Baghdad this morning.

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