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CNN BREAKING NEWS
U.N. Flag Lowered to Half Staff in Memory of 17 U.N. Workers
Aired August 19, 2003 - 13:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We're now getting word that the U.N. flag has been lowered now in memory of the 17 deaths now reported within that U.N. compound in Baghdad, after an explosion killed 17 people -- now including U.N. human rights commissioner Sergio Vieira de Mello. We've now confirmed the death of this man as well.
Deputy Syrian Ambassador Fayssal Mekdad spoke moments ago at the U.N. This is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FAYSSAL MEKDAD, PRESIDENT, U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL: I shall be very brief. Mr. Daniel Turk (ph) has briefed, once again, the council on the latest developments. We learned of the sad news about the killing of 14 United Nations officers at the U.N. headquarters. We were informed that contacts with Mr. de Mello at that point were still going on, and that around 100 officers of the United Nations were wounded.
We agreed in the council that we'll keep in touch with the secretariat, and accordingly will take measures if the situation so warrants it. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Deputy Syrian Ambassador Fayssal Mekdad commenting on the death, now the confirmed death of human rights commissioner Sergio Vieira de Mello. We are told, according to Paul Bremer, the man in charge of reconstruction in Iraq, that he believes that Sergio Vieira de Mello may well have been the target of this truck bomb that exploded at U.N. headquarters, now we are told, killing 17 people, including human rights commissioner Sergio Vieira de Mello.
The U.N. flag now being lowered, atop that building with the rubble in front, and still the search continuing for more people that may be trapped within that rubble.
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