US army continues to recruit Iraqi opposition
(18 Feb 2003) SHOTLIST AUDIO QUALITY AS INCOMING 18 February 2003 1. Exterior of Taszar airbase, 200 kilometres (120 miles) southwest of Budapest 2. Security at front gate of airbase 3. US soldiers checking cars for bombs 4. Helicopter over flying Taszar airbase 5. US Army-licence plated car driving 6. Sign indicating entry to Taszar 7. US Ambassador to Hungary Nancy Goodman Brinker coming out of car at Taszar airbase 8. US Ambassador to Hungary Nancy Goodman Brinker being greeted by major general David Barno 9. Photo opportunity, Barno, Brinker and Hungarian Defence Minister, Ferenc Juhasz 10. Close up on hand shake 11. Set up shot 12. SOUNDBITE (English) General David Barno, Commander of Training Task Force: "Well from a training stand point, we are training all of the volunteers in the same types of tasks to assist US coalition forces in potentially rebuilding infrastructure, working with humanitarian relief agencies." 13. cutaway wide of presser 14. SOUNDBITE (English) General David Barno, Commander of Training Task Force: "I know of no plans to further elaborate, I know of no plans that any of the individuals we are training have got a specified role that I am aware of in any future governments in that region." 15. Cutaway press 16. SOUNDBITE (Hungarian) Ferenc Juhasz, Hungarian Defence Minister: "These people are here to be trained as civilian help for the military and these volunteers are Arabs and they even look like Arabs if you are interested to know. They are here to be trained for a mission in peace and I believe Hungary chose well when it decided the training to take place here." 17. Cutaway camerawoman 18. SOUNDBITE (English) Nancy Goodman Brinker, US Ambassador to Hungary: "The Hungary that I know and love is a country that very much values being a part of NATO and as 18 sovereign countries as the military committee of NATO agreed to protect Turkey we would just make the assumption that Hungary would also do the same." 19. Barno talking to reporter 6 February 2003 20. Wide exterior of Iraqi training facilities at Taszar airbase 21. Watch tower of Iraqi training facilities at Taszar airbase 22. Humvee driving by Iraqi training facilities at Taszar airbase 23. Army vehicle being checked at Iraqi training facilities at Taszar airbase STORYLINE The US army on Tuesday said it was continuing a worldwide recruiting campaign among Iraqi exile organisations in order to find more volunteers for a training programme in Hungary. US general David Barno said the training of the first group of volunteers was moving ahead as planned at the Taszar airbase, 200 kilometres (120 miles) southwest of Budapest. He made the comment at a news conference with the US ambassador to Hungary, Nancy Goodman Brinker, and Hungarian Defence Minister Ferenc Juhasz. The training programme is designed to teach Iraqi exiles to act as translators, guides and guards for deployment alongside US troops in case of military action in Iraq. The Hungarian government authorised the United States to bring 15-hundred trainers and up to three thousand trainees for two training sessions at the airbase. Permission was granted to use the base until the end of the year, provided the dissidents do not receive combat training. The first group of volunteers arrived at the base on January 29 and there have been no new arrivals since then. Hungarian officials said that the initial group was made up of "a few more than 50" volunteers. All volunteers to date were male and aged between 18 and 60. The training programme involves two phases. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
