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President Bush Meets With 'Victims of Saddam Hussein' at White House; Aftermath of South Asia Earthquake; Kidnapped in Iraq

Aired January 18, 2006 - 11:59   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Children of the quake. Survivors-turned-stoic victims waiting out the Himalayan winter and waiting for help.

JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: A threat to kill. An armed group makes demands for the release of an American journalist.

VERJEE: A big uproar in the Big Easy. New Orleans' mayor expresses regret over polarizing rhetoric in the city ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.

And then...

CLANCY: A little music for your heart and your stomach. We are going to share the savory rhythms.

It's 10:00 p.m. in northern Pakistan right now, 11:00 in the morning in New Orleans.

I'm Jim Clancy.

VERJEE: And I'm Zain Verjee.

A warm welcome to our viewers throughout the world and in the United States. This is CNN International and this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

Desperately needed relief flights are resuming in Pakistan's earthquake zone. The World Food Program says its operation now going full power.

VERJEE: After being grounded for three days by severe winter weather, helicopters are once again ferrying life-saving supplies to the hungry and the freezing. Crews are unloading the food, as well as the other aid that they have.

The real challenge now is getting the supplies through the roads that are still blocked by rain-triggered landslides. The World Food Program has organized more than 9,000 flights since the October 8 quake.

CLANCY: Some other facts here for you. It's estimated more than three million people are homeless since that earthquake last October. More than 73,000 people were killed. Of the survivors, around half are children who can be particularly vulnerable to the cold and the lack of medical care.

All right. Let's go to Washington right now.

U.S. President George W. Bush hosting what the White House calls "Victims of the Saddam Hussein" regime. This is on tape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... was willing to deny people basic human rights.

The stories here are compelling stories. They are stories of sadness and stories of bravery.

In the course of our discussion, we were also able to talk about what a contrast it is between a society which was willing to jail people and torture people and beat people and kill people to a society that is beginning to understand the fruits of democracy and freedom.

Last year was an amazing year in Iraq. Millions of people went to the polls to vote first in January, then to ratify a constitution, and then back to the polls again to elect a government under the new constitution. It's a testimony to the courage of the Iraqi people.

Obviously we've still got work to do. And we'll intend to do it.

And one of the interesting moments will come here this year when Saddam Hussein's trial is brought forth for the world to see, to see the butcher, the person who brutalized many people or ordered the brutality of many people here at this table get his due justice under rule of law.

And so I want to thank you all for coming.

I assured the folks here that our mission in Iraq is to stand with the Iraqi people until we achieve our goals, an Iraq that can secure itself, defend itself, and an Iraq that will not be a safe haven for the terrorists. And of all the countries in the Middle East, I'm convinced Iraq is going to lead -- lead that part of the world to a more democratic future. The Iraqi people are brave and courageous and smart people.

And so thank you for being here. Thank you for sharing your stories.

Appreciate it very much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: All right. That was on tape.

President Bush there meeting at the White House with about a half a dozen former Iraqis who came there to tell their stories.

Now, make no mistake, this is President George Bush in his role as the leader of the country and the commander in chief trying to shore up some of the sagging ratings that he has had in public opinion polls. He has improved them. The White House is pressing that case, stressing that it's the right decision to be in Iraq ahead of very crucial midterm elections that it appeared the Democrats were going to make some gains from as a result of the conflict ongoing in the Middle East involving the United States and so many of its troops at such a high cost to U.S. taxpayers.

The president meeting there and talking with many of those Iraqis and hearing their stories. A lot of that was aired on U.S. televisions nonstop.

Well, Zain, let's go back to our top story now.

VERJEE: Yes, we want to look at the situation in Pakistan, where tens of thousands of children are struggling to cope in the cold after the aftermath of the earthquake last year. Many of them children.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After the bad weather, most of the patients are children. About -- there are -- these children, they have acute upper respiratory infection. Some of the patients, they have got lower respiratory infection like pneumonia and other infections.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: Now, this is just the children that are able to actually see a doctor. Many more high up in Pakistan's frigid mountains are completely without any critical medical care, or medical care of any kind.

Dan Rivers traveled to remote northwest Pakistan. He filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RIVERS, REPORTER, ITV NEWS (voice over): The children of Mory Patan (ph) have survived another night. Their bedding is damp. Their tents freezing. Their shoes are wet through.

(on camera): Well, it's about 7:00 in the morning on our second day here. And as you can see, the children are just beginning to come out of these tents.

It was freezing enough for us in all this warm clothing and in a sleeping bag overnight. I can't imagine what it was like for these children in this flimsy cotton tent with only a couple of blankets to keep them warm.

(voice over): Their day starts with a walk to the village spring. They wash in icy water.

Ten-year-old Nassim (ph) helps her 4-year-old sister, Tairu (ph). Nassim (ph) has had to grow up fast. Their mother died in the earthquake.

They take breakfast in one of the few-standing houses. Tea and biscuits is all that's on offer.

(on camera): Ask any of them, have any of them got a cough? I hear someone coughing.

(voice over): As I chat to the children, it's obvious many are suffering illnesses because of the total lack of medical supplies.

(on camera): This is little Raman (ph), who is just 2 years old. And you can see he has a really nasty eye infection. He can't see out of either eye. He's got a bit of a chest cough as well. Now, if this eye infection that he's had for five days isn't treated, he could end up going blind.

(voice over): Sadik (ph) is 8. He seems healthy until he removes his hat. He has scabies. Like the eye infection, it's easily treated if only he could get to a doctor.

Lacking the proper protection against the biting cold, the children are run down and succumbing to infections. A pathetic and depressing situation.

Everywhere the sound of coughing children. They survived the earthquake but can they really survive living like this?

Night brings with it bitter cold. I go back to my tent wondering how on earth these children will endure months more of this.

Tiny hands trying to stay warm. Their feet numb with cold. Infant minds asking why this winter is so bleak.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: All right. That was Dan Rivers, high up in the mountains in Kashmir. We are hoping to talk with him live from his encampment, get some answers to some of the questions about what's going on there with the children and everyone.

VERJEE: And there are many ways that you can help with the recovery efforts in Pakistan. Here are just a few of the organizations that you can contact if you want to lend your support.

CLANCY: You can log on to www.unicef.org, and there you can donate online or find out how you could even volunteer to help. You can also contact World Vision at www.worldvision.org.

VERJEE: You can also donate through CARE International by dialing your international calling code and then area code: 404-681- 2552 or you can log on to their Web site at www.care.org.

CLANCY: Nearly $2 billion, that's what wealthy nations are putting up to fight bird flu. At least 80 people have died from the flu since 2003, this particular form of it. Health experts fear that virus could kill millions if it begins to spread from human to human contact.

The U.N.'s bird flu coordinator says the two-day donor's conference in Beijing was very fruitful.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. DAVID NABARRO, U.N. BIRD FLU COORDINATOR: What we've seen today is that the world really does care and wants to respond effectively to the threats of avian influenza and a possible human pandemic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: All right. A total of $1.9 billion in pledges was collected at the conference. More than $300 million of the total came from the United States. The European Commission and EU member states pledged a total of about $250 million.

All of the funds meant, for the most part, to try to help poor countries in their battle against bird flu virus.

VERJEE: Deadly violence and kidnappings are topping the news out of Iraq.

A gunman ambushed three vehicles belonging to a security firm, killing 10 people and abducting two African engineers. This comes as the captors of an American journalist make known their demands.

Michael Holmes joins us now live from Baghdad with more.

Michael, what exactly where their demands? And is it likely that they think that the demands would ever even be met?

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the demands are fairly simple, Zain. Seventy-two hours was the deadline set. Now, that was 18 hours ago. Now, the specific demand is that all women prisoners held by the United States be released.

We have spoken to U.S. officials who tell us that they personally hold about eight female prisoners. That's out of 14,000 people being held in insurgent-related accusations.

We spoke to somebody at the justice ministry -- the defense ministry, rather, who told us that six of those prisoners were due for release in the days ahead anyway, unrelated to the demands of the kidnappers.

Those kidnappers calling themselves the Brigade of Revenge. We've never heard of them before. That's not entirely unusual in these situations. New groups popping up all the time.

By way of background, Jill Carroll was, of course, taken January 7. She was in a risky part of the city looking for an interview with a Sunni politician.

As she was leaving the office, that interview never took place. There was a highly organized attack. She was seized, her translator as well. He was later found dead, shot twice in the head. The video that you mentioned, it's not a long video. There's no audio, although Jill Carroll can be seen speaking on it. Her family, of course, making pleas now to the kidnappers for her immediate release -- Zain.

VERJEE: CNN's Michael Holmes reporting to us from Baghdad.

We are going to talk to Michael a little bit later in our program -- Jim.

CLANCY: All right.

Let's turn our attention to Iran and its nuclear program. The U.S. and key European nations are pushing to refer Tehran to the U.N. Security Council. France, Britain and Germany began circulating a draft resolution Wednesday. After meeting with EU policy chief Javier Solana in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice brushed aside suggestions about resuming any talks with Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: ... that the EU has made quite clear that the Iranians have crossed an important threshold, that it is now important for the IAEA board of governors to act so that Iran knows that the international community will not tolerate its continued acting with impunity against the interest of the international community.

Iran must not be allowed to get a nuclear weapon. It must not be allowed to pursue activities that might lead to a nuclear weapon. And on that we are fully...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: Now, the IAEA's going to be meeting at the first or second of next month to discuss the issues. That'll be on the 2nd, as I understand it.

Iran's president accusing the West of trying to deprive Tehran of peaceful nuclear technology. Ahmadinejad said this: "It's clear this is politically motivated. We are asking them to step down from their ivory towers and act with a little logic. Who are you to deprive us from fulfilling our goals?"

VERJEE: North Korea and China say that they plan to push ahead with six-party talks on Pyongyang's nuclear plans. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has been meeting his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao, during what's been called an unofficial visit to Beijing. North Korean state media finally acknowledged the trip, ending speculation about the reclusive leader's whereabouts.

State media quotes Mr. Kim as saying that he is committed to a peaceful resolution to the nuclear issue. He also said North Korea would join China to overcome difficulties in the six-party talks which stalled last November.

CLANCY: All right. We've got to take a break.

But still ahead, a purported plot to kidnap the youngest son of British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

VERJEE: Was it just idle chat or a publicity stunt by extremists members of a group well known for headline-grabbing gimmicks?

We'll bring you those details next on YOUR WORLD TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world. This is an hour of world news on CNN International.

A top European lawmaker says the European Union's credibility is at stake over accusations the CIA ran secret prisons in Eastern Europe. Now, the European parliament has formally launched a probe into this. Allegations that the CIA hid and interrogated al Qaeda suspects in Eastern Europe first surfaced all the way back in November.

Foreign Affairs Committee chair Almar Brook (ph) told Reuters News Agency that there must be no Guantanamo on European soil. That's the way he put it. He was referring to the controversial U.S. detention center in Cuba.

VERJEE: A British newspaper reports on an alleged plot intended to highlight the cause of fathers denied access to their children. "The Sun" reports that police foiled a plan to kidnap Prime Minister Tony Blair's 5-year-old son.

Paula Newton reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It is the most chilling of plots, one that allegedly targeted the most innocent of lives.

To the horror of his parents, Leo Blair, the youngest son of British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Sherry, was to be kidnapped by a father's rights group. As farfetched as it sounds, the threats were apparently taken seriously by Scotland Yard.

The group, calling itself Fathers for Justice, has proven it can and will outsmart security when it wants to. Against all odds, a Batman activist scaled Buckingham Palace in 2004. And in another stunt, persistent protesters sprayed a purple flower bomb on Tony Blair.

These are determined fathers fighting for custody rights. But the founder of the group insists he knows nothing of the plot. His group, he says, hijacked by a lunatic fringe.

MATT O'CONNOR, "FATHERS FOR JUSTICE": People on the periphery of our organization (INAUDIBLE) kidnapping a 5-year-old boy. I can't think of anything more poorly or anything more traumatic for Tony Blair's family or his son. And you know, we condemn it unreservedly.

NEWTON: As for protocol and security, no one at Scotland Yard or the prime minister's office has confirmed the story. But they are not denying it either. Most troubling, there have been no arrests.

"The Sun" newspaper broke the story and claims the plot was in its early planning stages before it was foiled by Scotland Yard's special terror unit. It's unclear these extremists would have ever had the opportunity to get anywhere near Leo Blair.

GRAHAM DUDMAN, MANAGING EDITOR, "THE SUN": And for what would be probably one of the most sensational publicity stunts ever. There was no intention to actually harm him. I suspect what would have happened if they'd gone through with it and actually tried to physically take him away, they would have stood a real risk of being shot dead on the spot.

NEWTON: The newspaper claims security has been reviewed for the entire Blair family and the would-be kidnappers are allegedly still under surveillance.

(on camera): Security here is not what it is for the sons and daughters of U.S. presidents. Blair's older children come and go from 10 Downing Street with a lot of freedom. But security services around the world are constantly reassessing. It will become much more difficult for political families to lead a normal life and not become exposed targets for extremists.

Paula Newton, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: We are going to take a short break.

Still ahead right here on YOUR WORLD TODAY...

VERJEE: It was sell, sell, sell at the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Up next, we are going to tell you why authorities decided to call it an early day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Daryn Kagan at CNN Center in Atlanta. More of YOUR WORLD TODAY in just a few minutes. First, though, let's check on stories making headlines here in the U.S.

The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a ruling on an abortion case but the high court avoided setting a long-awaited precedent. Justices unanimously agreed that a lower court was wrong when it struck down New Hampshire's parental notification law. It ruled the federal appeals court went too far in permanently blocking enforcement of the requirement that minors notify their parents before undergoing an abortion.

The lower court must now reconsider its rejection. The opinion may have been the last written by retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Encouraging news today about the sole survivor of the West Virginia mine tragedy. Doctors say that Randy McCloy Jr. appears to be slowly coming out of his coma. They say McCloy's long-term prognosis remains unknown, but they are cautiously optimistic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JULIAN BAILES, NEUROSURGEON: With great hope, we announce that Randy McCloy is awakening from his coma. He is opening his eyes. He has purposeful movements.

He responds to his family in slight ways. He moves all extremities. His brain stem function which has been normal remains normal. Pupillary response, swallowing, facial movement -- we consider him probably best described in a light coma.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: CNN's "ANDERSON COOPER 360" will have the latest on the Sago Mine survivor and the investigation tonight. Anderson will be live from West Virginia beginning at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.

Another medical update for you. The Iraqi infant who underwent life-saving surgery in Georgia last week has returned to the hospital today. Doctors plan to drain fluid from Baby Noor's back. The 3- month-old suffers from Spina Bifida, a birth defect of the spine. Surgeons removed a fluid-filled sac and repositioned her spinal cord earlier this month.

Former president Gerald Ford could be released from the hospital as early as tomorrow. Doctors say the 92-year-old Ford is responding well to his treatment for pneumonia. He was first hospitalized on Saturday and is being treated with -- with antibiotics.

Early today, a tugboat sank in heavy seas off the coast of Cape Fear, North Carolina. Official says that several crew members were rescued and one was killed. Two other crew members are still missing. The tugboat was you towing an oil barge when it separated.

The voyage for hundreds of passengers on board the world's largest cruise ship is now on hold. The Queen Mary II experienced a problem with one of its motors when it was leaving Port Everglades in south Florida.

No injuries are reported among its more than 2,500 passengers. Cruise officials say they hope to return to sea later today.

Hopefully they'll have good weather there in south Florida.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VERJEE: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY on CNN International. I'm Zain Verjee. CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy. These are the stories that are making headlines around the world. United Nations helicopter relief missions underway once again in Pakistan's earthquake zone. They are carrying desperately needed aid to survivors. Severe weather grounded the flights for three days and many key roads remain impassable, blocked by landslides triggered by heavy rain and snow.

VERJEE: Key European nations are pushing to refer Tehran to the U.N. Security Council over its nuclear program. France, Britain and Germany began circulating a draft resolution on Wednesday. The nations want their 35-nation board of governors to when the IAEA meets on February 2nd.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says that it's time for the security council to tackle the issue. She met E.U. foreign policy chief Javier Solana in Washington on Wednesday.

CLANCY: Gunmen in Iraq killed ten people in an ambush in western Baghdad. In the process, they kidnapped two African engineers after they hit those vehicles that belonged to a security firm.

The kidnappers of American journalist Jill Carroll, meantime, releasing this video, broadcast on Al-Jazeera. They say they're going to kill her unless the U.S. releases all of its female Iraqi prisoners within 72 hours.

VERJEE: A stampede of sell orders forced the Tokyo Stock Exchange to halt trading on Wednesday because of the heavy volume and it threatened to overwhelm the system. Analysts say the sell-off was sparked by claims of fraud of the Internet firm Livedoor. The Tokyo Exchange closed down almost 3 percent.

CLANCY: Now the sharp fall in that Nikkei Exchange leads us to our question we're asking you today.

VERJEE: This is it. How much faith do you have in the stock market? Whichever stock market it is that you deal with.

CLANCY: E-mail us your thoughts at ywt@CNN.com. We're going to try to read out some of your responses later today.

VERJEE: Colleagues of kidnapped journalist Jill Carroll say covering the conflict in Iraq was her passion and that she did not ever take unnecessary risks.

Miles O'Brien spoke a friend of Carroll's, Jackie Spinner of "The Washington Post."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACKIE SPINNER, FRIEND OF HOSTAGE JILL CARROLL: I think any journalist in Iraq is nervous about exactly what's happened to Jill. It's the thing that we fear the most. It's any journalist's worst nightmare, IS to be kidnapped.

But Jill had a sense of purpose in Iraq and she wanted to be there. She felt that her fate was there. Those were the very words that she used, "my fate is in Iraq." And she was very careful and went about her business and was just trying to tell the truth.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: You say she was careful. We pointed out the difference between working for, say, the "Washington Post" directly and being a freelancer. What sort of security precautions was she taking?

SPINNER: The same security precautions that anyone takes. I mean she was -- as a woman, she dressed as an Iraqi. She wore a headscarf, the Iraqi Abaya. And she was very discrete. She spoke Arabic, so she didn't speak English when she was in public, and tried to blend in as much as possible into the normal society.

O'BRIEN: So you don't feel like, in your conversations with her, that she was taking unnecessary risks?

SPINNER: Absolutely not. I mean there have been a lot of media reports about how she was captured in the most dangerous neighborhood of Baghdad. Every part of Baghdad is dangerous. Every place you go is a potential kidnapping target. And I don't think that Jill was taking any unnecessary risks. That's not what she was about.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE: Spinner also said that she herself was almost abducted in Iraq, but several nearby U.S. marines rescued her -- Jim?

CLANCY: The Committee to Protect Journalists says -- and all 36 journalists have been kidnapped in Iraq since April of 2004. Six of them have been killed. Let's talk a little bit more about the dangers of covering stories there in Iraq, war zones in general.

But we have Michael Holmes, our own correspondent, with us live from Baghdad. Alongside him from "The New York Times," Dexter Filkins. I want to thank you both for being with us.

Dexter, you're our guest. Let me begin with you. Just tell people, what is it really like to try to cover this war on the ground in Iraq? How does it compare to other places you've been, like Bosnia?

DEXTER FILKINS, "NEW YORK TIMES": Well, it's -- I haven't been to Bosnia, but I've covered wars in any number of other places. And it's the hardest by far by an order of magnitude. I mean, we all know that whenever we leave the compounds where we live, that our lives are in danger the moment we leave and -- just as your reporters are.

And it's dangerous all the time everywhere and you just have to think through everything that you do very carefully before you do it. But there's no way to do it without taking a lot of risks.

CLANCY: Michael Holmes, because we know one another -- I mean, you had an experience where, you know, your vehicle was shot up and two of our best friends were killed in an incident that involved you. MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Jim. In fact, this month is the second anniversary of that ambush. We'd been in Hilla in the South and we came up to the South of the Baghdad in a place called Maqmadea (ph) and our two vehicles were attacked by two vehicles, two men standing up out of sunroofs almost within spitting distance of us at 100 miles an hour.

And they opened up with AK-47s. We looked into their eyes as this was going on. And as you said, friends of ours -- I know that you know them, too -- were killed in that. And one of our other friends, my cameraman Stuben (ph) when he was shot in the head and fortunately survived.

That really for a lot of media was the turning point. That was when we stopped feeling we could go anywhere at any time with precautions to cover stories freely. It's just not easy. In fact, in many cases it's just not possible.

As Dexter says, when you leave where you are living, you do so with security and you are forever looking over your shoulder. When I leave this place, I will spend a week back in Atlanta looking suspiciously at other cars because it just sticks with you. You're constantly on alert.

CLANCY: Dexter, obviously -- and this goes on all the time with journalists. Sometimes I think it's the journalists that remain behind remain safe, trying to explain to themselves how it couldn't happen to them. But people saying well, she shouldn't have gone to that area of western Baghdad. That area is just far too dangerous. What's the reality? If you want the story, is there any way to get it without taking huge risks?

FILKINS: Well, the short answer is no. You have to take a risk. The question really is how necessary is the risk that you take? And can you -- how can you protect yourself against it? But the truth is that she was in a dangerous neighborhood, but virtually every neighborhood in Baghdad is dangerous. You could be snatched or shot at or kidnapped just about anywhere.

So, I mean, I can think of the many times that I've come pretty close. And that's many, many times. And it was usually something that I couldn't have thought of before, I couldn't have planned for. It was a car coming out of nowhere and trying to run us off the road. It was people opening fire at us from a mosque. It was, you know, being grabbed by a mob of people and being pulled away.

It's really difficult to plan for these things. So really, all you can do is keep your head and bring a lot of security with you. I mean, when I came over to your bureau tonight, I came over in an armored car that cost about $250,000. And I had an armed guard in that car. I had another car follow me over and there were armed guards in that car as well.

CLANCY: So that gives you an idea. Michael Holmes, I want to ask you, how does it affect the ability of people really to cover story, though, now? Because you can't move, you can't go out on the streets and talk to people.

HOLMES: Yes, well it's a lot harder than it was, Jim. As you know, in the early days, we used to go to restaurants. We used to go out and talk to people in marketplaces. That's just not doable anymore. We do go out.

We've been out many times since I've been back on this trip. But your trips tend to be shorter, they tend to be quicker. You get in, you get out and you don't stay on the ground for any length of time. You can do it. It's just much harder.

The other thing that's a reality, too, is we used a lot more locals. We use a lot of Iraqi journalists, cameramen and the like to do a lot of the ground work for us. And then we'll go out and do our bit when absolutely necessary.

It is a bit nerve-wracking. The one thing you don't want to get here is complacent, though. And the longer you spend here, sometimes you can get complacent.

Dex is right. It's constantly in the back of your mind. You get out and walk somewhere -- you're watching cars all the time. Are they slowing down? How many people are in that car? What sort of car is it?

And despite the security you've got with you, if you wanted to let it get to you, you'd go nuts.

CLANCY: Michael Holmes and Dexter Filkins of the New York Times, I want to thank you both for being with us. It's good to hear firsthand what it's like there. And I know that everybody's wishes there are with the Collins family right now.

VERJEE: Five months after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is facing a storm of controversy.

CLANCY: That city in an uproar over comments that have been made by the mayor.

We're going to take a look at that and how he got into such hot water and is offering an apology now. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VERJEE: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY here on CNN International. The United States this week marked the birth anniversary of civil rights pioneer Martin Luther King Jr.

Politicians took the opportunity to urge greater interracial tolerance among Americans.

But the mayor of hurricane-ravaged New Orleans now acknowledges that comments he made were insensitive.

Sean Callebs reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mayor Ray Nagin started a meeting on the commission to bring back New Orleans by trying to take something back.

RAY NAGIN, NEW ORLEANS MAYOR: I said some things that were totally inappropriate.

CALLEBS: Monday during a speech honoring Martin Luther King Jr., this is how Nagin characterized his belief that New Orleans will once again be predominantly African American.

NAGIN: It's time for us to come together. It's time for us to rebuild a New Orleans -- the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans. And I don't care what people are saying uptown or wherever they are. This city will be chocolate at the end of the day.

CALLEBS: Nagin now says he was caught up in the moment.

NAGIN: And I need to be more sensitive and more aware of what I'm saying. And I want everybody to be welcome in New Orleans -- black, white, Hispanic, Asian, every one.

CALLEBS: His controversial remarks fuel talk radio.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mayor Nagin's a nice guy. But how did he fit that whole big foot in his mouth?

CALLEBS: Well, Nagin is trying to undo damage like the disconnect expressed by this former city resident.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After hearing Mayor Nagin's comments, I would never come back because I'm Caucasian, I'm white, and I'm not chocolate. So I guess we're not welcome back.

CALLEBS: Off the air and on the street, Nagin's comments were the talk of the town.

JULIE HIFFER, RESIDENT: And I feel like what he said was very self-serving. I think it serves his own purposes, but it doesn't do anything to help us.

CALLEBS: Others appreciated the candor.

LATOYA CANTRELL, RESIDENT: And I think that that was his way -- I don't know if it was the best way -- but I think that was his way of letting everyone know that the city is not going to abandon the black population.

CALLEBS: Barbara Major is co-chair to bring back New Orleans. She says there are much greater concerns to focus on.

BARBARA MAJOR, CO-CHAIR, "BRING NEW ORLEANS BACK": When they heard chocolate, they heard black. And apparently that scared the hell out of people -- because it was black before Katrina. So why all the hysteria about being black after Katrina? CALLEBS: Pollster Silas Lee says there's a lot more to it than that. He says Nagin was a local maverick who needs to realize he's now on a national stage.

SILAS LEE, POLLSTER: It's almost equivalent of someone walking up to you and slapping you. Then they apologize.

Yes, you may accept the apology, but you certainly will remember the fact that they slapped you.

CALLEBS: The mayor says his remarks were meant as a call for an African Americans to return, saying they're a vital part of New Orleans's past, its culture and its future.

Nagin's apology came quickly. The last thing this city needs right now, many say, is divisive dialogue.

Sean Callebs, CNN, New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(WEATHER REPORT)

VERJEE: All right, now we've all heard of music to your ears. But how about music for your some stomach?

CLANCY: Well, up next we're going to have some lyrical vegetables. These will be in the mix, so to speak -- not a soup, but a composition.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: These will be in the mix, so to speak. Not a soup, but a little composition.

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VERJEE: OK, Jim, I've got a bit of a musical quiz for you now. What is it that a vacuum cleaner has in common with a carrot?

CLANCY: I suppose the same thing that a vacuum cleaner has in common with a piece of PVC pipe. They are used in a new kind of musical instrument, right?

VERJEE: Yes, let's take a listen. You can find them all in Paris, making some beautiful music.

CLANCY: Or at least interesting. Jim Bittermann tells their story.

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JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Eric van Elser (ph) picks up a paring knife, it's not always clear whether he's about to make lunch or about to make music. And sometimes, it's both.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I eat them as well.

BITTERMANN (on camera): You eat them while you are playing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sometimes, yes. Some of the instruments I eat them when I am finished with them.

BITTERMANN (voice-over): Eric, a musician with the fruit and vegetable Organum (ph) trio is one of a dozen or so performers in France's annual Octopus Sound Festival, aimed at finding new ways to make new sounds.

True, sometimes the new comes from the old, from a time before digital downloads and MP3 players, when you had to drag a playback head across an ancient music storage device known as audio tape.

(on camera): But this is about more than rediscovering sounds of the preipodian age. This is about discovering new ways to make music, or at least noise.

(voice-over): Charlotte Guovo (ph) is here, for instance, demonstrating how her computerized tight rope can jump from one radio station to another. There might be an easier way to tune a radio.

But there probably are no shortcuts to getting music out of a vacuum cleaner. For each performance, Pierre Varte (ph) has to start with just a plastic bag or two and then keep adding drain pipes and bits of metal until his virtuosity becomes apparent. And performances can be just as demanding for his partner, Pierre Bastian (ph). A loose screw could ruin the entire show.

Still, it seemed his artistry was especially targeted at fans of light metal music, perhaps one reason why the Organum show is probably the biggest crowd-pleaser, because even if the music did not suit everyone's taste, after the performance, a local chef turned the instruments into a nice vegetable soup.

Jim Bittermann, CNN, Paris.

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CLANCY: Tasty. Time to check our "Inbox" now.

VERJEE: We got some good e-mails from you. We always like getting e-mails.

CLANCY: The question, how much faith do you have in the stock market? Here's how some of you replied.

VERJEE: Kwesi from Ghana says "I have confidence in the Ghana Stock Exchange. In 2004, it more than doubled in worth. It's a great place for small firms."

CLANCY: Now, Michael from California had this to say: "I believe that too much greed drives the stock markets these days. I would put less faith in it today."

VERJEE: Abd from Tokyo writes, "do I have faith on the stock markets? They are the locomotive of the modern, globalized economy."

CLANCY: And finally, Andy from New York told us this: "The stock market isn't a bad place to put small investments, but to rely on it as your nest egg is kind of a waste of time."

VERJEE: YWT@CNN.com. We always like hearing from you. So write into us. I'm Zain Verjee.

CLANCY: I like the cynic who said it's like putting of all your eggs in the basket and throwing it against wall. I'm Jim Clancy. You are watching CNN International.

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