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American Morning

Israeli Soldiers Shift Evacuations From Gaza to West Bank; A Standstill in Iraq

Aired August 23, 2005 - 07:00   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Miles O'Brien. New scenes of protest and confrontation in the Mideast this morning as the Israeli soldiers shift their evacuations from Gaza to the West Bank. Hardline activists barricaded behind razor wire, carried away in a bulldozer shovel. We're live in the West Bank with more.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Soledad O'Brien. A standstill in Iraq, even after a draft constitution is submitted. The most fundamental questions of the country's new government still in bitter dispute. We're live in Baghdad this morning.

M. O'BRIEN: And gas prices skyrocketing at an amazing pace, by some accounts up 30 cents a gallon in a single month. Will there be relief by Labor Day? A look ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning to you. Glad you're with us.

S. O'BRIEN: Thank you for joining us.

A new day, a very different scene in the Middle East. Let's start this morning. Right now, in fact, Israeli troops are evicting Jewish residents from two settlements in the West Bank. Seven- thousand soldiers and police poured into Sanur and Homesh this morning. About 250 residents and protesters remain in Sanur. Some might be armed, we're told. Earlier, settlers barricaded themselves inside a synagogue. Police had to use saws to cut their way inside.

Brings us right to Guy Raz. He's in the Sanur settlement.

Guy, wow, what a different scene what we saw in Gaza?

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No question about it. Certainly what we saw in Gaza yesterday, where most of the evacuations were peaceful and voluntary. Here we are really seeing really the last stand, the last holdout, if you will. Behind us, a community center. Police and soldiers attempted to negotiate with those inside to leave on their own. Those negotiations failed. So police began to move in the cranes.

Now, you can see behind us, two of those cranes are on either side of this building. Those cranes are attaching themselves to containers. Now inside one of those containers, we understand, will be police. Inside another container, it will be empty. Those containers will be brought up to the roof of this building. Police will then begin to round up those remaining holdouts, those activists who are on top of this structure, and begin removing them, bringing them into the containers. The cranes will then bring them down, and those containers will then -- and those demonstrators will then be put on buses and removed from this settlement.

Already half of the settlement is already evacuated, but there still are some hardliners still who have remained inside. We can see one of the cranes right now, Soledad, lifting up a container, and that container will be raised, brought all the way up to the roof of this building, where police hope to finally finish the evacuation of the settlement and, ultimately, the end of the disengagement process -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Guy, is that the container that's full of police, or is that the empty container that eventually is going to be full of settlers who are forcibly removed from the building?

RAZ: The one we're seeing now is an empty container. Now we anticipate that in this container, police will round up those who remain on top of the roof. They will bring them into this container, and that container will be brought down. Now the problem for police, they can't enter the building from the inside. The problem for police is bringing people down from inside the building. And it's far easier for them to bring people into these container units, and for those cranes then to lift those who have been brought into those containers to lift those, to bring those containers down.

S. O'BRIEN: It's a pretty amazing strategy by the police if, in fact, it works. Quick question for you, Guy, before I let you go: Once they're able to evacuate these West Bank settlements, what happens next?

RAZ: Well, these West Bank settlements, unlike the Gaza settlements, will not fall under Palestinian control. They will be raised, just like the Gaza settlements, but these settlements will not be handed over to Palestinian control, unlike in Gaza, where the Palestinian Authority will take over those areas. This will remain under Israeli security control here in the northern West Bank.

S. O'BRIEN: Guy, we're looking at some live pictures right now. It's inside a religious school in Homesh settlements. And you can see it's getting quite physical. It looks as if some of the students, mostly young men from what I can see, lying down, seem to be sort of holding on to each other. And you can see the soldiers are trying to at least lift them off the ground. Yes, they're definitely holding hands and keeping each other down at the same time. It's not gotten violent, but it's certainly to beginning to get physical with the soldiers. Maybe a hundred of them? And also photographs as well capturing this, definitely surrounding them. And then we're back to these picture of these students. They're definitely forming some kind of a human chain to make it difficult for the soldiers. And, again, they are surrounded by a fair amount of media as well, who are refusing to leave this religious school.

At the end of the day, Guy, I guess the question is, the soldiers have made it very clear they will remove each and every person from these settlements. To a large degree, it's a matter of time. RAZ: No question about it. And it should be pointed out, Soledad, that none of the soldiers are armed. None of the police are armed. And throughout the whole evacuation process, which has now been under way for more than a week, nobody has fired a shot. There haven't been any serious injuries. There have been a few scuffles. There have been a few minor incidents. But by and large, the evacuation has gone off, by and large, without a hitch. Now once this settlement is evacuated, as I say, the disengagement process will be completely over -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Guy Raz for us, with an update of what's happening in the West Bank. And as you can see, again, things getting very tense there, but as he points out, no one's armed, and truly considering the number of forces and the number of protesters, it's been pretty remarkable that there's not been a lot of violence to report.

M. O'BRIEN: And a parallel image to what we saw last week in Gaza, similar scenes in a synagogue there, interlocking arms. And what you see, once again, is Israeli Defense Forces, the police, in this case as well, coming in not armed and handling the situation as best as can be expected.

S. O'BRIEN: Those are, of course, the settlements in Sanur and also in Homesh. You're looking at the one in Homesh, this -- live pictures of that right now. Guy's in the Sanur settlement. It is a much different scene than we saw in Gaza.

We're obviously going to continue to follow the story. I think the strategy of using containers to physically remove the protesters is an interesting strategy, and we're going to see how it looks. We'll bring that to you live when it happens as well -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, thank you, Soledad.

In Baghdad, a draft constitution has been delivered to the National Assembly, but so far Sunni negotiators are refusing to budge on the role of the central government. The factions have until Thursday to reach a consensus. Aneesh Raman live in Baghdad.

Aneesh, the negotiations so far have failed. It seems as if they're back to square one on, or is that overstating it?

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, good morning.

You're right, essentially, the only thing that has changed today is that a technical deadline was met. A draft constitution was delivered to the national assembly.

But in terms of negotiations, nothing has changed. We still have the Shia and Kurd coalition who want to see federalism in this draft constitution, trying to bridge a widening divide with the minority Sunni population, who want any discussion of federalism essentially sidelined until a new government comes into power.

Now, going into the late hours yesterday, there was presumption that a draft constitution would go forward, and perhaps would even be voted upon. The Shia and Kurds have the votes needed to pass that document in the national assembly, but very vocal, very strong rhetoric coming immediately from the Sunni negotiators, saying that if that took place, they would deem the process illegitimate. They would not see compromise as having taken place.

Bringing the Sunnis into the fold is critical. The U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, spoke to that point late last evening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZALMAY KHALILZAD, U.S. AMB. TO IRAQ: It is absolutely vital for the stability of Iraq and for winning the war against insurgents that Sunni see themselves in this new picture, this new Iraq that's submerging.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAMAN: So, yet again, Miles, they will try the seemingly impossible to reach compromise in three days, compromise that they could not reach in several months, and then it will begin a heated national debate that really will center on that issue of federalism -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, clarify a point for me, Aneesh -- after three days, could there be another extension, or is that it?

RAMAN: It's it. Essentially, what we're waiting to see, and we haven't had an official announcement, but in three days, it seems likely we will have a vote in the national assembly. Our understanding is the national assembly by majority of vote has to approve the document. The Shia and Kurds easily have that number. So if the document is approved as stands, it will then spark a huge national debate about whether federalism is good for Iraq. The Shia and Kurds will try to convince Iraqis it is. The Sunnis will try to convince Iraqis it is not, and that will be essentially what the referendum will be about -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Aneesh Raman in Baghdad, thanks.

Even though Iraqi Sunnis believe they are nowhere near an agreement, the White House is calling Iraq's draft constitution a sign of progress. Bob Franken at the White House now.

Bob, how concerned is the Bush administration that there's some big issues that remain there?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, big issues, very concerned, Miles, because they're not only big issues, but very high stakes. The entire future with a country of the United States showing dwindling support for the war in Iraq or increasing demand for troop withdrawals. But the essence of diplomacy is glossing things over, as people try to continue talking to untangle all the complications. Hence the White House statement that what has happened so far is, quote, "The essence of democracy, which is difficult and often slow, but leads to durable agreements, brokered by representatives that reflect the interests and the values of free people."

And perhaps the biggest wisdom in Washington is that Yogi Berra would have never been a diplomat because in diplomacy, Miles, it's never over.

M. O'BRIEN: I should say. We're seeing that unfold right now.

The president was out speaking to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention yesterday, trying to drum up some more support for the war. He's going to continue that today. What's the basic message, Bob?

FRANKEN: Well, many people believe that the message really is a reaction to that encampment at Crawford, Texas, Cindy Sheehan and her supporters. President Bush was speaking in the first of his speeches that's going to be defending his Iraq policy, and for the first time, everybody took note. He made mention of the fact that there have been over 2,000 lives lost in Iraq and Afghanistan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've lost 1,864 members of our armed forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and 223 in Operation Enduring Freedom. Each of these men and women left grieving families and loved ones back home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: Response to the concern -- many taking this as a response to the concern that others have expressed that the president does not really care deeply about the sacrifices and those who have sacrificed in all the fighting -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Bob Franken at the White House, thanks -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Two high-ranking Brazilian officials are in London today. They are looking for answers in the July 22nd shooting of a Brazilian man who was mistaken for a suicide bomber. Police have apologized for the mistake, which came a day after those attempted attacks on London's transit system.

CNN's Mallika Kapur live outside of Scotland Yard for us in London this morning.

Mallika, good morning to you.

The investigation, where does it stand right now? Is it over?

MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, the investigation is certainly ongoing. In fact, just a little while ago, we heard from the independent Police Complaints Commission, which is the body overseeing the investigation into what went wrong with this killing, and they have said they will be ready to deliver their report by December, so certainly everybody will be waiting to see what that report entails.

Now you mentioned the Brazilian delegation being here in London, and I just want to take a step back and remind you why the delegation felt they needed to travel all the way here to London searching for answers. They are here because they want to find out exactly what went wrong on July 22nd and what led British police to kill an innocent man.

There have been two versions of events. Now initial police report said that De Menezes' behavior was suspicious, that he was wearing a large black, padded coat, that he was running away from police authorities, that when he entered the station, he jumped over the ticket barrier as police chased him down.

Now last week we had some documents and images released from ITV, which is our British news partner, which paints an entirely different picture of what happened on July 22nd, and their evidence suggesting that De Menezes was, in fact, walking calmly through the tube station, he did not jump across the ticket barrier, that not wearing a thick, black padded coat, that he was just wearing a light denim jacket. So the delegation is here really to find out which one of these versions is true -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Mallika Kapur for us at Scotland Yard this morning.

Mallika, thanks -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, Pat Robertson is not one to mince words. And this morning, the conservative Christian TV personality is calling for an assassination. Speaking on his TV show, "The 700 Club" yesterday, Robertson called on the U.S. to assassinate Venezuela President Hugo Chavez.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAT ROBERTSON, CHRISTIAN BROADCASTER: He has destroyed the Venezuelan economy, and he's going to make that a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism all over the continent. You know, I don't about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war, and I don't think any oil shipments will stop, but this man is a terrific danger, and this is in our sphere of influence, and we can't let this happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: Mr. Chavez says he believes the U.S. is trying to kill him, promising that Venezuela would cut off its oil supply to the U.S. if that happens. Venezuela counts for more than 10 percent of U.S. oil imports.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Next on AMERICAN MORNING, what is really to blame for the high price of gas? We'll try to get some answers for you.

S. O'BRIEN: Also ahead, one major airport is seeing a spike in the number of runway-near collisions. We'll take a look at just what's behind all those close calls.

M. O'BRIEN: And later, was weight a factor in the sudden death of football player Thomas Herrion? He was 310 pounds. We look at the super-sizing of professional athletes ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: A major announcement by Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta is expected in just about two hours from now. He's expected to unveil some new fuel-efficiently standards for SUVs, one of which you just saw right there, and trucks, and minivans, requiring that they get better gas mileage. The standards for these vehicles haven't changed since the early 1990s. And the average price a gallon of unleaded gasoline is now $2.61. That's according to AAA. And that is up from $2.29 just a month ago, and up from $1.88 last years.

So what's behind these record numbers? Russell Pearlman is a senior writer for "Smartmoney" magazine. He's going to try to explain for us.

Good morning. Nice to see you.

RUSSELL PEARLMAN, "SMARTMONEY" MAGAZINE: Thanks for having me.

S. O'BRIEN: Why are we at these record highs when you consider there is no recent headline necessarily to blame? I mean, you don't read about OPEC changing its prices. You don't really have a terror attack that would be behind this massive increase in just a month.

PEARLMAN: Well, let's start with the underlying factor, yes, oil prices are so high to begin with is that we've seen a huge jump in demand over the past two or three years from developing countries, particularly China. So we've seen percentage growth in China, and to a lesser extent Brazil, India and Russia. So that's the underlying extent of demand, so that's why...

S. O'BRIEN: More people want it?

PEARLMAN: That's right, more people want the stuff, right, and supply hasn't gone up in commiserate amount.

But then you also have just the whole tone of world news right now. Everyone is on hair triggers, pins and needles right now, so, you know, if there's a hurricane warning in the Gulf, investors get spooked, drive up the price of oil. If there's a report of there's a sabotage in Iraq on an oil pipeline, poof, price of oil goes up another dollar.

S. O'BRIEN: So it's concern about the future, what it's going to will cost in the future and the fear of that?

PEARLMAN: That's right, it's very much driven by fear, and investors and mostly very fast-moving, hedge-fund investor moving in and out of oil prices right now. There's any estimate between $5 and $20 of that $65-a-barrel-oil prices is speculators moving in and out of the price of oil. S. O'BRIEN: Outside of long-range planning, what should the government be doing right now?

PEARLMAN: There's really not much. They could tap Strategic Petroleum Reserves, but that's not going to make a huge dent in prices as is right now. I mean, really, starting out with these stricter fuel-economy standards is a start, but really, there's not much more they can do, as opposed to kind of installing peace in the Middle East and kind of getting rid of this kind of overarching culture.

S. O'BRIEN: That falls, I think, under the long-range plan, and not the short-range plan.

PEARLMAN: That's a very long-range plan, that's right.

S. O'BRIEN: Labor Day, many people point to that as saying, well, you know, less driving. After Labor Day, people start using their cars quite so much, and that might bring the price down, but then of course we all start heating our houses a month, or two or three after that a lot.

PEARLMAN: That's right. You won't see -- you might see the price of gas go down by a few pennies after Labor Day, but it might be, unfortunately, made up with people who -- in higher heating prices, because a lot of people still use heating oil to heat their homes. So you might see a 25 percent increase in energy bills for those folks who have oil using their houses.

S. O'BRIEN: So they kind of get you one way or the other?

PEARLMAN: One way or the other.

S. O'BRIEN: If you don't drive a car, you still are going to be -- I know that doesn't cover a lot of people, but you still are going to be hit by the high price of gasoline?

PEARLMAN: Right, there are a few places you might be seeing increased prices, particularly if you're flying. You're seeing folks impose anywhere from $20 to $80 surcharges on airfares. If you use delivery services like FedEx or UPS, they've installed fuel surcharges, depending on what the price of gas is on a monthly basis. Even things as routine as pizza delivery, you've seen folks like Domino's and Papa John's install delivery surcharges to help defray the higher price of gas for their drivers.

S. O'BRIEN: So they're getting us every other way, aren't they?

PEARLMAN: One way or another you're feeling it.

S. O'BRIEN: Russell Pearlman from "Smartmoney" magazine, nice to have you. Thanks for coming in talk to us -- Miles.

PEARLMAN: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: Still to come on the program, day four in that strike by Northwest Airlines mechanics. No engines have fallen off the wings or anything, but it is causing some delays. We'll tell you all about it, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Business news now. Northwest Airlines is starting to see some fallout from its strike. Could other unions suffer from the walkout?

Susan Lisovicz is in for Andy Serwer. She is "Minding Your Business" this morning.

Good morning to you.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Is this strike considered to be relatively a success?

LISOVICZ: No question about it, that it is considered a success. Why? Because a few weeks ago, you remember what happened in Europe with British Airways? They had a caterer strike. Tens of thousands of travelers were absolutely stranded at the height of vacation season. Here you have Northwest, which is a crippled carrier teetering on the edge of bankruptcy and its planes are in the air.

S. O'BRIEN: So it's a success for the airline, not for the striking workers?

LISOVICZ: That's correct. I mean, that's one of the headlines that certainly Northwest can be happy about, that its planes remain flying. However, if you look more closely, you can see problems.

Detroit News, for instance, yesterday did a survey on the third day of the strike -- a very critical day for the strike because this is when the business travelers begin to go in the air again. Those people don't like delays. They need to get there fast. They found well over half of all the flights were delayed 15 minutes to two hours. Again, maybe for vacationers they can deal with it. For business travelers, they don't like it at all.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, as time goes on then, does that mean that the striking workers are actually seeing great success and they could eventually bring down, you know, or force the airline itself into the table and into better capitulation of their demands?

LISOVICZ: Well, Northwest has 1,200 replacement mechanics working for them right now. These people are certified and they have been trained to work for Northwest. If it continues like this, you see these kind of delays, Northwest, again, is just on the verge of bankruptcy. It needs every break it can get. It certainly does not need passengers to turn away.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, I guess we're going to continue to watch it, because of course it's only the beginning of the week. More to talk about.

Susan Lisovicz, nice to have you. Thanks a lot, Susan.

LISOVICZ: Pleasure.

S. O'BRIEN: Miles?

M. O'BRIEN: Still to come, how does the White House view the latest setback to the Iraqi constitution. Presidential counselor Dan Bartlett will join us live ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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