Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Flooding Threatens Iowa Communities; Bush Administration Approves Arms Sales to Taiwan

Aired April 24, 2001 - 20:00   ET

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

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST: Tonight, facing its third 100-year flood in the past couple of decades, Iowa bails river water, as federal authorities fret about another bail-out by taxpayers. We'll get a live update.

Since the downing of a missionary plane, U.S. drug interdiction flights in Peru have been suspended, and the drug smugglers are said to be having a field day. I'll have a report.

And the Bush administration has sought to have the U.S. step back from its active role in the Middle East. But as violence escalates, one key leader wants the U.S. to step back in. I'll have an exclusive interview with Lebanon's Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Good evening. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting tonight from Washington.

Large parts of Davenport, Iowa, a city of approximately 100,000 people, are under water. Davenport is the only major city on the upper Mississippi River without a permanent flood wall, even though the people there have suffered through many floods in the past. Tonight, city officials and Iowa National Guard troops are hoping their leaky temporary dikes will hold back the waters, and that's our top story.

CNN national correspondent Bob Franken is in Davenport, an he joins us now live. Bob, how bad is the situation there tonight?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're happy and angry here. Happy because the river has crested and has inched downward just a bit, and the light -- the levy that they've constructed has held so far. Angry over the comments from the head of -- yesterday -- of the Federal Emergency Management Agency saying that cities that don't construct levees or dikes are making an unnecessary use of taxes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAYOR PHILIP YERINGTON, DAVENPORT, IOWA: Don't insult what we've tried to do and the people who we are because we are in the Midwest and we live along a major river.

FRANKEN (voice-over): But there are other voices here who advocate a permanent levy, like this riverfront SCUBA shop operator who asks, you want a river view?

SCOTT JONES, DAVENPORT BUSINESS OWNER: They need to take a picture of the river now, put it in on the flood wall so that they have a picture of it all the time.

FRANKEN: The flood preparations have brought celebrity to the city's public works director Dee Bruemmer. It's Dee Bruemmer against the Mississippi river.

DEE BRUEMMER, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR: If you play sports, you're very competitive. I'm a very competitive person. I guess the competition right now is keeping River Drive on that side of the levy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: Well, as you can see, Wolf, this is a very pretty time of day. The sun setting, pretty colors on the water. Unfortunately, the water is on River Drive, which right now is open only to boat traffic. They're hoping that the Mississippi will recede, and they will get past this crisis without a problem -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Bob, I was there in '93 for that other major flood. I remember big chunks of the city also under water, including that baseball stadium. Why haven't they built a flood wall over the years?

FRANKEN: Money. They've made a decision years ago that the pretty riverfront would attract tourist. It does. They have a lot of festivals here, and they make, like, $30 million off of the tourist trade. That's the simple answer.

BLITZER: Bob Franken in Davenport, Iowa, thank you very much.

Meanwhile, U.S. drug interdiction flights over Peru have been suspended as investigators look into Friday's shooting-down of a missionary plane, which killed an American woman and her baby. Peru's ambassador to the United States says drug traffickers are taking full advantage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): The bodies of missionary Roni Bowers and her 7-month-old daughter Charity arrived back in the United States, as friends remembered her.

STEPHEN AHOLT, FRIEND OF RONI BOWERS: She was just a bubbly personality. And then, when she met Jim, that was a person for her. She was looking for a person like herself who was dedicated to serve God on the mission field.

BLITZER: Bower's husband Jim and son Corey survived Friday's Peruvian air force shoot-down, as did the pilot who was shot in the legs. A U.S. drug surveillance aircraft, similar to this one, initially spotted their plane, and the Peruvians suspected it was engaged in drug smuggling. A senior Bush administration official who has seen a tape of the shooting says CIA contractors aboard the surveillance craft followed proper procedures. The official says the U.S. plane did not want to get too close to the missionary aircraft and risk scaring it over the border into Colombia, where U.S. and Peruvian planes are not allowed to follow.

Peru's ambassador to the United States says it's too early to cast blame, though he warns the current suspension in U.S.-Peruvian surveillance flights is emboldening drug smugglers.

CARLOS ALZAMORA, PERUVIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: They will have the time of their lives. This is why I suppose that this will be a short time, and that the operation will be resumed.

BLITZER: He says the Peruvian air force maintains it followed proper procedures, something Bush administration officials privately question, causing strains in U.S.-Peruvian relations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Funeral services for Roni Bowers and her daughter Charity are scheduled for Friday in Michigan.

In other news tonight: President Bush's decision to sell a package of arms to Taiwan is drawing a sharp protest from China, but generally favorable reaction on Capitol Hill. The United States will sell Taiwan four Kidd-class destroyers and a dozen P-3 reconnaissance planes and will help Taiwan purchase eight diesel submarines from Germany.

The White House is deferring Taiwan's request for more sophisticated destroyers equipped with the Aegis missile defense system. But Beijing says the U.S. has gone too far. A statement from the foreign ministry says -- quote -- "If the United States repeatedly ignores China's repeated representation and insists on sales to Taiwan of advanced weapons, then that is serious encroachment on China's sovereignty and rude interference in China's internal affairs."

U.S. congressional leaders say the arms deal strikes the right balance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TRENT LOTT (R-MS), MAJORITY LEADER: I think all things considered the word I use once again is "prudent." I think the president has made the right decision in view of all of the considerations that were on the table.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TOM DASCHLE (D-SD), MINORITY LEADER: I have supported robust sales to Taiwan in the past. I support this one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: For more on the Capitol Hill reaction, let's go live to CNN congressional correspondent Jonathan Karl.

Is this surprising at all that there seems to be bipartisan support for President Bush's decision?

JONATHAN KARL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, there's a longstanding tradition that politics stops at the water's edge. But that said, on an issue potentially explosive like this one, it is notable there's been almost a complete lack of disagreement with the president on this decision.

The president has managed to please both doves, who are concerned about jeopardizing the relationship with China, and hawks, who'd like to punish China for their handling of the spy plane incident.

So you've had liberals like John Kerry come out and applaud the decision. We've also had conservatives like Jesse Helms do the same.

The one notable criticism came from the Democratic leader in the House, Richard Gephardt. Gephardt said he generally supported the arms sales, but he said -- he attacked Bush from the Right, saying that he had serious concerns about the decision not to go forward immediately with the sale of those destroyers equipped with the Aegis system.

BLITZER: John, I know you spoke to Senator John McCain earlier today. He usually has his own views on a lot of these issues. What did he tell you?

KARL: Well, McCain is very hawkish on China, but he's been supportive generally of the president, although he did say that he believes that as far as the Aegis system goes that it would have been wiser -- and those are his words -- that it would have been wiser if we had say we are going forward, we are going to build Aegis-equipped destroyers for Taiwan even as we defer a decision about whether or not to ultimately sell them.

So McCain had some muted criticism for the president, but was generally supportive of how he's handled it.

BLITZER: Jonathan Karl on Capitol Hill, thank you very much.

Up next: his country remains a volatile flashpoint in the Arab- Israeli conflict, and he wants the United States to help put out the fire. I'll speak live with the prime minister of Lebanon, Rafik Hariri.

And later: a continuing cycle of arrest and rehabilitation efforts. We'll have the latest on actor Robert Downey Jr. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. The Bush administration may have come into office hoping to ease up on the direct U.S. involvement in the Middle East, but a key figure from that troubled region hopes that won't happen. Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri met with President Bush and says his country wants the United States to play a more effective role in the Arab-Israeli peace process. He added that "peace in the region is the responsibility of the United States."

The appeal comes 10 days after Israel struck at Syrian radar positions in Lebanon, in response to attacks by Hezbollah guerrillas. And it comes as Israeli-Palestinian violence threatens to ignite a wider conflict. I'm joined now by the prime minister of Lebanon, Rafik Hariri. Welcome to Washington.

RAFIK HARIRI, PRIME MINISTER OF LEBANON: Thank you.

BLITZER: You came out of this meeting: Are you convinced that the Bush administration will play as active a role in the peace process in the Mideast as the Clinton administration played?

HARIRI: I'll be very frank with you. When I entered the room, my feeling was, Bush administration will not be committed to peace as a previous administration. But I left the room and I am convinced strongly that President Bush is committed to peace and he will do his best to achieve peace in the Middle East.

BLITZER: You remember, of course, the famous picture in 1993 when President Clinton brought together Yasser Arafat and the late Prime Minister of Israel Yitzhak Rabin. We're showing that in the screen right now. On the south lawn of the White House. Right now, President Bush has so far refused to meet with the PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat. Is it time for him to bring the Israelis and Palestinians directly together as President Clinton tried to do?

HARIRI: How he is going to do it is up to him, because there is a new administration now, and they have to learn from the previous administration and they have to set their ways and the means to go ahead with the peace process. Back in the lack of a peace agreement in the region I think the violence will continue and this is not in the interest either of the United States or in other regions.

BLITZER: So, you would say that speaking on behalf of not only yourself but many in the Arab world, you would encourage President Bush with a special envoy?

HARIRI: No. This is up to him to decide. We want to see the United States taking its role as the leader in the world. And to try to achieve the peace in the ways and means they see it necessary, to see the peace in the region.

BLITZER: This interview is being seen not only in the United States but around the world including in Israel, where there's a new prime minister, Ariel Sharon. As you know, he was the architect as defense minister in 1982 of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Is it your sense that this is a prime minister of Israel that the Arab world can make peace with?

HARIRI: I'm the first responsible who said after his election that we're committed to peace and we are ready to make peace with Mr. Sharon if he's willing to. Despite the past, despite the sad memory we have in 1982 when he invaded Lebanon. What we see now is a peace is becoming more and more far away from getting reached. I hope that Prime Minister Sharon will change his mind and back to the reality and respecting the international law and the resolutions of the United Nations.

Because outside that, I don't see how we can reach stability and security and achieve it for everybody in the region.

BLITZER: As you know, Israel withdrew from South Lebanon almost a year ago, May last year. The assumption always was that once Israel withdrew from Lebanon, Syria would withdraw its approximately 35,000 troops from Lebanon. Why are the Syrian troops still in your country?

HARIRI: You know, nobody linked the Israeli occupation to the south with Syrian presence in Lebanon. Syria played an important role to assure the security and the stability in Lebanon, and they help us in rebuild again our army, our state and also to assure the stability in the area.

BLITZER: Excuse me for interrupting. Do you want the Syrian troops to remain in Lebanon?

HARIRI: For the type being, yes.

BLITZER: For how long? When would the Syrian troops -- when should they leave?

HARIRI: When we feel that we can -- we can assure the security and stability in our country by our own forces, we'll ask them to leave, and they will leave.

BLITZER: The other issue, of course, is the control of South Lebanon.

HARIRI: Yes.

BLITZER: So far the Lebanese Army hasn't gone in there to replace the Israelis, but the Hezbollah forces are there, which is of course a great source of potential tension between Israel and Lebanon. When will you order the Lebanese Army to go into South Lebanon and control that area?

HARIRI: You know, the Israeli withdrawal should have been almost 11 months ago. Did not withdraw from all Lebanon, remain in one part that's called Shaba Farms.

BLITZER: It's a very tiny little area of dispute.

HARIRI: Yes, but it is a Lebanese territory. We would like to see the Israeli withdraw from all our territory.

BLITZER: In if the Israelis withdraw from what's called the Shaba Farms area, which is right at the intersection of Lebanon, Syria and Israel, at that point will you send the Lebanese Army in? HARIRI: The whole political situation would be different. Nevertheless we have to admit that since the Israeli withdraw from most of Lebanon that the security there are mostly assured only we had three accident, or three operation, for hezbollah, while we have seen in recent years almost every day, we had trouble in the region.

BLITZER: So, you could envisage a day when Lebanon, like Egypt and like Jordan would sign a formal peace treaty with Israel?

HARIRI: You know, we'd like to sign a peace treaty with all the Arabs tomorrow, before the day after tomorrow. You know, Lebanon will benefit most from the peace, and we encourage the United States to go ahead and conclude an agreement, and help conclude an agreement between the Palestinian, Syrian, the Lebanese and the Israeli, because I don't think that anybody can enjoy stability and security in the region unless all of us, the Israeli, the Palestinian, the Syrian, the Lebanese sign a peace agreement.

BLITZER: On that note I want to thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for joining us here at CNN.

HARIRI: Thank you.

BLITZER: Good luck on your mission. Thank you very much.

And after the break, a plane attempting a harrowing rescue of an ailing American doctor is nearing the South Pole. We'll have the latest.

And hundreds of miles from Earth, astronauts hook up the space station's newest high-tech addition, but it didn't go exactly as planned. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. A daring rescue in Antarctica tops our look at other news. Just moments ago, a small plane landed at Amundsen-Scott South Pole station to pick up an American doctor suffering from a potentially life-threatening illness. Fierce winds and blistering snow delayed the mission for two days. The rescue comes hours after 11 Americans were evacuated from another research station in Antarctica.

Northwest Airlines has agreed to pay more than $7 million to passengers who were stranded on its planes during a 1999 blizzard. Thousands of passengers were trapped aboard in Detroit airport for up to eight hours without food or water. Under the settlement, at least 3,700 people will receive about $1,300.

More trouble for Robert Downey Jr. The actor was arrested today for suspected drug use, after being spotted by police in an alley near Los Angeles. Once he was released, a spokesman for Downey said the actor checked himself into a rehabilitation facility. The charges are just the latest in a string of drug-related problems for Downey.

The Supreme Court ruled today that police can cuff and haul off drivers for minor traffic violations, such as not wearing a seat belt. In a narrow five-to-four decision, the justices ruled against a Texas woman who was arrested and jailed for failing to buckle up her children and herself. The court ruled such arrests do not violate the constitutional protection against unreasonable search and seizure.

Tonight on "The Leading Edge," for the second time in a week, astronauts floated outside the International Space Station today to wire up the newly-attached robotic arm.

CNN space correspondent Miles O'Brien explains, the crew ran into a few problems along the way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The billion-dollar Canadian-built robot arm has better grip on the space station thanks to the efforts of astronauts Chris Hadfield and Scott Parazynski. They spent nearly eight hours connecting power, data and video cables at one of the arm.

The operation hit a snag when back-up power cables failed to function, but even rocket science isn't exact. No one knows why, but when the spacewalkers removed a panel and reconnected the wires, the cable started working.

One other problem arose, a connector floated loose while a spacewalker was working on an antenna nearby. Hadfield feared if the piece drifted in the new arm, it might cause problems later. So, he spent a lot of time looking for it, but couldn't find it. The hope is the wayward piece is out of harm's way.

Overall, the space walk was a success. Equipped with hands on both ends, the new arm will be able to walk end-over-end across the full length of the station. In the years ahead, it will act as a high-tech construction crane for the station.

On Wednesday, the new arm will hand off its packing crate to its cousin, Endeavor's robotic arm, a high-altitude handshake.

Miles O'Brien, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Up next, I'll open our mailbag. One alert viewer in Canada raises very troubling questions about the entire U.S. drug war in South America. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Time now to open our mailbag. The Peruvian Air Force's shoot-down of the American missionary plane has generated lots of e-mail.

Warren from North Vancouver, British Columbia, wants some discussion of the unstated assumption in the shoot-down: That is, that the U.S. condones and even encourages shooting down planes and thus killing the occupants if they are suspected of carry drugs. This is the notion of democracy and the rule of law that the U.S. wishes to export to the rest of the world?"

Phyllis from Northport, New York, writes: "Why can't Peruvian and CIA drug surveillance pilots be kept current with flight plans identified by pilot and aircraft?"

Phyllis, that's part of the controversy. The downed pilot says he did file a flight plan; the Peruvian air force disputes that.

And on the higher gasoline prices, Dan from Santa Barbara, California writes: "For nearly as long as I can remember, the price of gas has gone up for the summer vacation season. The oil companies routinely manipulate the supply, even though they are quite aware of the seasonal demand: charge higher prices and make huge profits. Wolf, it's maddening."

Remember, you can e-mail me at wolf@cnn.com. I just might read your comments on the air, and you can read my daily online column and sign up for my e-mail previewing our nightly programs by going to our WOLF BLITZER REPORTS Web site, cnn.com/wolf

Please stay with CNN throughout the night. Suzanne Somers is Larry King's guest at the top of the hour.

Up next, Greta Van Susteren. She's here to tell us what she has -- Greta.

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST, CNN'S "THE POINT": Wolf, 15-year-old Charles "Andy" Williams is accused in that shooting in Santee, California, if you remember, on March 5th. The young man is accused of going into his high school and shooting a number of people. Two are dead. Should he be tried as an adult or a juvenile?

That's the question. One of my guests say because he was bullied as a student, he should be tried as a juvenile -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Greta Van Susteren, of course, we will be standing by, watching your excellent program.

VAN SUSTEREN: I expect you to, Wolf.

BLITZER: I do, every single night. And be sure to tune to CNN tomorrow, when our senior White House correspondent John King interviews President Bush live at 11:30 a.m. Eastern.

And Commander Scott Waddle gives his first live prime-time interview to Larry King. That's Thursday night at 9 Eastern.

I'll be back tomorrow night. Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. THE POINT WITH GRETA VAN SUSTEREN begins right now.

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