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Quick Guide & Transcript: U.S. and Iran hold historic talks, Tributes in D.C. mark Memorial Day

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(CNN Student News) -- May 29, 2007

Quick Guide

Face to Face - Learn about the first official meeting in decades between the U.S. and Iran.

A Day of Remembrance - Check out some of the Memorial Day events that took place over the weekend.

Solace for Survivors - Discover a camp that helps the families of fallen troops cope with grief.

Transcript

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

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: Hey! Glad to have you with us after the holiday weekend for an all new edition of CNN Student News. Hello everyone. From the CNN Center, I'm Carl Azuz. Coming together: It's the first official meeting between the U.S. and Iran in decades, and security in Iraq is the top priority on the agenda. Honoring the departed: America pays tribute to those who lost their lives serving their country at Memorial Day events across the country. And clowning around: "The Greatest Show on Earth" is part of a camp that helps the families of fallen troops cope with their grief.

First Up: Face to Face

AZUZ: First up today, the U.S. and Iran sit down for a formal meeting for the first time in almost 30 years. There have been no diplomatic relations between the countries since 1980. But they both have a large influence on the situation in Iraq. So American and Iranian officials met yesterday to discuss security in the war-torn nation and talk about some of the issues they do and don't agree on. Paula Hancocks has more on the meeting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN REPORTER: No concrete results were expected from this meeting, but the fact it took place at all was significant enough. The Iranian and U.S. ambassadors to Iraq sitting across the diplomatic table from each other, discussing one of the many issues that divides their governments: the security of Iraq. It was the first time the U.S. told Iran face to face: Stop the funding and arming of Shiite militias in Iraq.

RYAN CROCKER, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: The Iranians know what they're doing. Our point was simply to say we know as well. This is dangerous for Iraq. It contravenes Iran's own stated policy, and it is dangerous for the region because it can produce widespread instability.

HANCOCKS: Iran denies it's financing the Shia militia, and in turn criticized the continuing U.S. presence in Iraq. It also said the U.S. had failed to train Iraqi troops adequately. The Iranian ambassador offered his country's help in training and providing equipment.

HASSAN KAZEMI QOMI, IRANIAN AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: We are firm that the armed forces in Iraq are capable of resolving the security problems this country is facing. But they lack complete equipment to contain this crisis, and we should prioritize this issue.

HANCOCKS: Ambassador Crocker described the four hours of talks as positive and business-like. He also said both sides wanted a stable, secure and democratic Iraq. Iraqi officials, who also attended the meeting, said the atmosphere was amicable.

DR. MUWAFFAK AL-RUBAIE, IRAQI NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: They shook hands. They exchanged very warm and friendly discussion. They exchanged nice words as well, and they were smiling to each other.

HANCOCKS: As if to underline the desperate need for security in Iraq, a car bomb ripped through a busy commercial area in central Baghdad as the meeting came to a close, killing two dozen and injuring many more. The blast also damaged one of the holiest Sunni shrines in the country. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Write Us!

AZUZ: Now here's a chance for you guys to put on your producer hats. What were the top stories of the 2006-2007 school year? Could've been the war in Iraq, the death of former President Gerald Ford. Teachers, send in your students' ideas to CNN.com/EDUCATION and look for them next week on CNN Student News!

Is this legit?

GEORGE RAMSAY, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Is This Legit? Memorial Day was first observed in honor of troops who fell during World War I. Actually, Memorial Day originally honored those who died in the American Civil War.

A Day of Remembrance

AZUZ: That very first Memorial Day honoring soldiers killed in the Civil War was way back in 1866. Now we celebrate the holiday every year on the last Monday of May. And you probably don't need a calendar to know that was yesterday. President Bush marked the day by taking part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery. Tara Mergener checks out some other Memorial Day events in the nation's capital.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TARA MERGENER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At this year's national Memorial Day concert, the focus was on U.S. men and women still serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. President Bush welcomed leaders of "Rolling Thunder" to the White House during the group's annual Ride for Freedom. It's the 20th year for the event, which includes war veterans and their families who say they want to make sure veterans are well treated. Many have come to Washington to honor those who served in Vietnam or World War II.

SOT: We fail to realize the sacrifice that a lot of people gave so that we could have Memorial Day.

MERGENER: Joe Stratford knows.

JOE STRATFORD, WWII VETERAN: I was in World War II. Most of us are, they're not many. We're sort of sliding down.

MERGENER: Many paying respects at Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery, where over 300 fallen troops from Iraq and Afghanistan are buried.

LEESA PHILIPON, SON KILLED IN IRAQ: Unless you've lost a child, in our case, it's hard to understand the pain.

MERGENER: One man said whether one agrees with the war or not, support for the troops should not waver.

GENE MCLENDON, SERVED IN U.S. ARMY: Although that you may not agree with the concept of the war, that they are there, they're there to do a job, and they have volunteered to go and we should support them.

MERGENER: Reporting from the World War II Memorial, I'm Tara Mergener reporting for CNN Student News.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Word to the Wise

RAMSAY: A Word to the Wise...

solace (noun) comfort in times of grief; consolation

Source: www.m-w.com

Solace for Survivors

AZUZ: Memorial Day honors those men and women who have died serving their country. When you suffer any kind of loss, it can be tough to deal with your emotions, and there are lots of ways that people manage their grief. Brianna Keilar has a report on one group that helps provide solace to military families who have lost loved ones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's "The Greatest Show on Earth," guaranteed to get smiles and laughs. And on this day, performers from Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey Circus are helping their audience forget, for a moment, the reason they are all here.

LETITIA IMEL: My uncle was killed in action in July. My dad died four years ago, so my uncle was more of a father figure to me after that.

KEILAR: This is 17-year-old Letitia Imel's first year at "Good Grief Camp," a weekend-long seminar put on by the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, a support organization for military families who have lost a loved one. The Halls -- Tyler, Tori, Tricia, Tanner and Tony -- have been coming for several years. They lost their dad in a training accident in 1998.

TORI HALL: My dad would come home from work, and he'd start doing push-ups and he'd always put us on his back while he was doing them.

KEILAR: The younger kids struggle with knowing dad only through photos. At Good Grief Camp, they have found ways to cope.

TONY HALL: I deal with it at the end of the day. I write a letter to my dad and say how the day has gone. And I read it to my mom and it helps me talk about it and not be able to, like, go and cry in the corner.

KEILAR: Kids pair up with mentors, many of them active members of the military. And they find solace in the company of people who know exactly how they feel.

IMEL: You know that they are on the same level as you and went through the same thing as you. At school, everyone looks at you differently and they don't really understand.

KEILAR: They share stories, they share laughs and today, they take a break from their grief, putting on their very own circus. A small step as they try to move forward. Brianna Keilar, CNN, Arlington, Virginia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Before We Go

AZUZ: You already know that Memorial Day's been around for more than a hundred years. We've been focusing on the holiday in today's show, and now we'd like to wrap up with a look at some of the images from events in Washington, D.C., over the weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Video shows sounds and images from Memorial Day events.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Goodbye

AZUZ: And that sounds the final note for today's CNN Student News. We'll see you back here tomorrow and we'll be looking for your e-mails on the top news stories of the school year. Thanks for watching. I'm Carl Azuz.


SPECIAL REPORT

• Audio slide show: War families
• Gallery: Welcome back
• I-Reports: Salute to troops
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