Sunday Morning News

Elian Reunited With Father After Tumultuous Day

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Right or wrong, whatever you may think about yesterday's tumultuous events, they will no doubt be prime fodder for today's interview shows.

CNN's Skip Loescher tracks the day from beginning to end.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SKIP LOESCHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After nearly five months, Elian Gonzalez and his father, Juan Miguel, are together again, reunited at Andrews Air Force Base outside of Washington this morning, about four and a half hours after federal agents went to the Gonzalez relatives' home in the Little Havana section of Miami.

Just three minutes after eight armed agents entered the home by force, a female agent carried Elian out to a waiting minivan. Federal officials say she told him in Spanish that he was going to see his father and that he was not going to Cuba.

Before being flown to the Washington area, doctors examined the boy and found him to be uninjured. Attorney General Janet Reno says she acted only after negotiations with the Miami family broke down.

JANET RENO, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Elian Gonzalez is a child who needs to be cherished, who needs to have quiet time and private time and to be with his father.

LOESCHER: President Clinton says he supports Reno's action.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This was, in the end, about a little boy who lost his mother and has not seen his father in more than five months. I hope with time and support Elian and his father will have the opportunity to be a strong family again.

LOESCHER: A White House spokesman says today's action was justified.

JOE LOCKHART, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: The Justice Department and the INS have listened, as I've said, very patiently over the last three months to all sides.

LOESCHER: Officials say 6-year-old Elian and his father are likely to remain at Andrews Air Force Base for a couple of days or more, out of the media spotlight. (on camera): Just hours after little Elian was taken from the Miami home, his great-uncle Lazaro and his cousin Marisleysis flew to Washington, where they had hoped to see the boy and to meet with his father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez. But apparently Juan Gonzalez does not want to meet with them, at least not right now.

Skip Loescher, CNN, Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com