Arab View of Developments in Iraq
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:12 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning. Colin Powell's calls for talks between China and Taiwan have now been rejected by China. In the meantime, there were protests in Taiwan after Powell said that Taiwan is not an independent state. NASA scientists have gotten their best look ever at Saturn's largest moon. The Cassini spacecraft took this picture during its first pass by Titan. Later this year, NASA will send a probe down to Titan's surface. In money news, ATA has become the third major airline to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the past two years. ATA is the nation's tenth largest airline. It's hoping to keep flying while it restructures. US Airways and United Airlines are also operating under Chapter 11. In culture, it was 100 years ago today that New Yorkers got their first taste of subway travel. Back then, a ride cost a nickel. Today, millions of people pay $2 per trip to ride the New York subway. In sports, here's a new twist on an old rivalry. SBC Communications has paid $1 million for naming rights to the annual Ohio State-Michigan football game. The next two meetings between the teams will be called the SBC Michigan-Ohio State Classic. Oh, that's just wrong. That's just wrong.</s>MARCIANO: Well, hey, you know, they said the same thing when they started sponsoring Bowl games, it's going to open up a can of worms and it means mas dinero for the universities across America.</s>COSTELLO: I know.</s>COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning. Developments in Iraq seldom play out in the Arab media the way they do here. So let's get an Arab view of the recent kidnappings and the missing explosives. Joining us, as she does every week at this time, is CNN's senior editor for Arab affairs, Octavia Nasr -- good morning, Octavia.</s>OCTAVIA NASR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.</s>COSTELLO: Should we start with the missing weapons cache and how the Arab media is playing that out on television?</s>NASR: Sure. Why not?</s>COSTELLO: OK.</s>NASR: The interesting thing about the missing weapons is that you don't see much of it on Arab media. And yesterday I was speaking with an Arab media executive and I said how come? This is a big story. It should be a big story for you. And he said it's too confusing. They do not know how to report that story. The IAEA is saying something. The Pentagon is saying something else. The Iraqis have nothing to say on this. And they're stuck in the middle. The executive yesterday said look, this is a U.S. story. We're going to leave it alone until it's clear, until someone steps in and says I'm responsible, my troops are responsible, they -- it's a confusing story.</s>COSTELLO: So they're not going to go and ferret out the facts, because really it makes not much difference to them?</s>NASR: And it's not -- they don't have access to that kind of reporting. So they're staying out of it. Now, they are reporting it, but they're reporting it in the framework of the U.S. elections. So they're talking about they're reporting it as a tit for tat between Kerry and Bush over did you know or did you not know, it's your responsibility, it's your fault. Well, it could have been worse under you.</s>COSTELLO: And that said, it's just the same as the, as the United States media. Let's talk about the British troops. They're on the move now. They're going toward Baghdad, some 800 British troops, so that they can relieve some American forces to go fight in hot spots like Falluja and Ramadi. This seemingly will effect the situation of Margaret Hassan, the woman married to the Iraqi, the British citizen who's now being held hostage. How is that being played out in the Arab media?</s>NASR: They are warning that her life is in danger and any action such as this one by the British government is going to jeopardize her life. Al Jazeera especially continues to run appeals. Yesterday they had a new emotional appeal by Margaret Hassan's husband, who, as you said, is an Iraqi citizen. And, of course, she works for CARE. She works for an organization that is known for helping Iraqis and people around the world. So Al Jazeera especially, and Arab media in general, they're playing this very high. They're still reminding that she is an Iraqi citizen, as well, by marriage, but she's served in Iraq for the last 30 years. She loves Iraq and so forth. But they do warn that actions such as the movement of troops and sending in more troops by the British government is not going to help Margaret's case at all.</s>COSTELLO: And of course this morning we found that another man was taken hostage, a Japanese national.</s>NASR: Right. A Japanese national was taken hostage and there is a new threat. They said, the group that took him is called Kahadet al-Jihad Tribilata Rafiden (ph), which means that Kahadet Jihad in the Euphrates country. It's a new group. Some believe that this is the same group as that of Zarqawi, the Unification and Jihad, but changed names after the group supposedly pledged allegiance to bin Laden. Anyway, they took this guy hostage and they're giving the Japanese government 48 hours to either pull out of Iraq or the guy will be beheaded. Now, what Arab media are reporting, this is their top story. The newscast I just watched before coming here, that's the lead story. But the focus is not so much on the hostage himself, but on the Japanese government reaction. And basically they're saying the Japanese government is saying it loud and clear, that they are not going to cave in to kidnappers' demands and they are not going to pull their troops out of Iraq. So, again, Arab media warning this is not too good for the life of this gentleman.</s>COSTELLO: Octavia Nasr, thank you for joining us, as usual.</s>NASR: Any time.</s>COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, closing arguments will begin soon in the Scott Peterson case. But most of you probably haven't heard what's going on outside of the courtroom.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Scott looked like a real fox in his -- before he was arrested.</s>COSTELLO: Wow! What's in the minds of the people who wait in line to see the Scott Peterson trial? You won't believe it. You're watching DAYBREAK.