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Morning News

Mayor Carollo: Miami 'Extremely Hurt and Let Down' by Government in Elian Gonzalez Matter

Aired April 13, 2000 - 9:01 a.m. ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're beginning with the latest on the fast-approaching climax in the Elian Gonzalez drama. Attorney General Janet Reno has ordered the boy's Florida relatives to bring Elian to an airport outside Miami about five hours from now, but the great- uncle who's been taking care of Elian for nearly five months says he will not turn the boy over.

Meanwhile, Elian's father, who's been in the U.S. for a week now, waits near Washington to see if this is the day he will be reunited with his son.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Very busy this morning in southern Florida. Let's go there live now and talk with the mayor of Miami. Joe Carollo is with us now.

Mr. Mayor, good morning to you.

MAYOR JOE CAROLLO, MIAMI, FLORIDA: Bill, good morning.

HEMMER: Has there been any developments toward getting Elian to that airport at 2:00 Eastern time five hours from now.

CAROLLO: Bill, frankly, I do not know if any developments that are going forward to that happening. What I will tell you, though, is -- and this is something that America needs to know -- is that what's happening here is not what our government truly has wanted. It's what Castro has dictated and we have cowardly backed off.

On Tuesday's meetings with the attorney general, she -- and this is very significant because she brought this up to me in the conversation -- that they were considering, under the protection of the United States government, paid for by our government, placing both families -- the Miami family in their own home and Juan Miguel in their own home -- in a compound next to each other where little Elian could begin the transition that is needed to be as least traumatic as possible between both families.

HEMMER: And, sir, I...

CAROLLO: She told me that it could...

HEMMER: I fully respect your opinion on this matter, but how would that hurt if you're looking for a transition with the other family?

CAROLLO: Well, this is very important that America knows what was said to me, what our government really expressed that they wanted, for the simple reason that there is still plenty of time today for our government to act and do things the way America should -- with liberty, with freedom.

HEMMER: OK, if that is -- well understood. If that is your position, then what should the U.S. government do on behalf of Janet Reno to ease this transition?

CAROLLO: Exactly what the attorney general herself expressed to me that they were considering: to have the least traumatic transition for this boy where the government, as she said to me, was willing to pay for homes in a compound protected by the U.S. government so that both families could have their own place, be able to have a smooth transition, the boy going to family -- from one family to the other. And at the end, whatever the decision that Juan Miguel would make in true freedom for the first time, it would be respected by everyone.

HEMMER: All right, let's shift our focus now to a different issue. If that, indeed, does not happen today, and if Elian is not at the airport at 2:00 Eastern time, is the community there in Little Havana ready for U.S. Marshals to come into that home and take the boy away?

CAROLLO: Let me say this, that Miami has been a peaceful, nonviolent community. And is my solemn responsibility as mayor of this city to make sure that that would not change. And as I told all over different communities, if there is any problems in Miami, the only winner is going to be Fidel Castro because Elian would lose, Miami would lose, America would lose, and only Fidel would win.

HEMMER: So far today, Mr. Mayor, how big is the crowd?

CAROLLO: It's not that large yet, but you do have people here. But throughout this whole ordeal, the only times that there have been mass crowds of tens of thousands -- 90,000, like you all reported the other night at the prayer vigil, has been precisely when we have called for people to come together and pray for Elian and pray for Miami and to pray for America.

HEMMER: In the final seconds we have left, Mr. Mayor, you're the mayor of that town, that community there: How is the community feeling thus far this morning?

CAROLLO: Extremely hurt. Extremely hurt, just like this mayor feels extremely hurt and let down by my own government.

HEMMER: Mayor Joe Carollo, the mayor there in Miami, Florida, thanks for your time, sir. We'll be in touch throughout the day.

CAROLLO: Thank you.

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