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Your World Today

Israeli Prime Minister Addresses Joint Session of U.S. Congress; Tariq Aziz Testifies as Defense Witness in Hussein Trial; Bird Flu Puzzle

Aired May 24, 2006 - 12:00   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan. We're going to join our sister network, CNN International, as they look at Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the address he's been giving in front of the joint meeting of Congress.
JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Listening as Ehud Olmert, the prime minister of Israel, addressed the joint session of the U.S. Congress.

John Vause, our Middle East correspondent based in Jerusalem, was looking on and listening to this.

Certainly, this is a speech, John, that tried to make a strong impression. I think it succeed in doing that. It was also in a way a campaign speech, a campaign for approval, or U.S. backing of an annexation plan that would see Israel unilaterally taking all of Jerusalem, taking the Jordan Valley, major settlement blocs, but in his words, leaving something for the Palestinians to fulfill their own dreams.

Your take?

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Palestinians say what is left behind after the Israelis have had their way with the West Bank will not be enough to form a viable state for the Palestinians. So they're obviously very unhappy with the support that Ehud Olmert has received from the U.S., President George W. Bush, on his trip, his first trip as prime minister to Washington.

If this was indeed a campaign speech by the Israeli prime minister to try to win U.S. support, it looks like he did OK. I counted 18 standing ovations throughout that speech.

He was playing very much to the home crowd. He hit on a lot of themes that U.S. President George W. Bush often hits on, the war on terror, standing together, friends and allies united, winning this war on terror together.

A couple of really interesting points that came out of that speech, though, for me. When he was speaking about Iran, he said, "The moment is now. History will judge us by our actions. We must have the courage to do what is right."

He finished with that theme about courage when he finished his address to the joint session. He went on to say, "If we don't take Iran's rhetoric seriously now, we'll be forced to take Iran's nuclear aggression seriously later."

Now, this is obviously a warning that the Israelis are saying to the Americans that, in their opinion, Iran is about to cross that nuclear threshold technology. They may not have the bomb just yet, but very soon they will have the technology and very soon they will be a very real threat, not just to Israel, but also to Europe and also to, in Ehud Olmert's words, the whole free democratic world.

Now, another interesting point that we got out of this speech, Jim, there's been a lot of debate here in Israel about just precisely what this plan for the West Bank will be called. It initially was called convergence or gathering in of all of the Jewish settlers in the smaller West Bank settlements into the larger settlement blocs. It looks like it is now going to be called "realignment," because the Israelis were worried that the Hebrew term that they were using for it just wasn't translating well enough for an American audience.

So it's now going to be called "realignment," where they realign the borders for the good of the region, in Ehud Olmert's words.

So there were a couple of things which came out of this speech. And certainly for Ehud Olmert, if he was looking for support from the U.S. Congress on the joint session here, it looks as if he's done very well with this address today -- Jim.

CLANCY: Well, let's check in with our own Dana Bash in Washington and ask her what were the congressmen really waiting to hear, the senators waiting to hear from Ehud Olmert?

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Jim, as you saw there, and as we just heard from John, you could not -- if you're Ehud Olmert, you can't ask for a better, friendlier audience than the United States Congress. You know, these are polarizing times here in Washington, but the idea that the U.S. should stand behind Israel is definitely a bipartisan ideal. And that is certainly what you saw there, what you're seeing there, the way he's being greeted by both parties.

Interesting that he actually came here a day after going, of course, to the White House and talking about what John was talking about, which is whether or not he is going to go ahead with his so- called realignment plan and pull a limited number of Israelis out of the West Bank, and whether he gets U.S. support for that. The president of the United States did give him qualified support yesterday.

Today, in this speech, Ehud Olmert said that he does hope that the Palestinians, and specifically President Mahmoud Abbas, helps him and is a partner with him in peace. But in this speech, he was very clear that if that does not happen, Israel will go it alone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EHUD OLMERT, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: A Palestinian leadership that fulfills its commitments and obligations will find us a willing partner in peace. But if they refuse, we will not give a terrorist regime a veto over progress or allow it to take hope hostage.

(APPLAUSE)

We cannot wait for the Palestinians forever. Our deepest wish is to build a better future for our region, hand in hand with a Palestinian partner. But if not, we will move forward, but not alone. We could never have implemented the disengagement plan without your firm support.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: And, of course, the prime minister got a big boost of support from the House of Representatives. Jim, just this week, they passed a legislation saying that the U.S. would cut off funding for the Palestinian Authority as long as Hamas is part of the government. And that is something that even the...

CLANCY: Yes, it goes way beyond that, Dana.

BASH: Beyond that, you're right.

CLANCY: Way beyond that. It goes -- cutting off all of the NGOs.

BASH: Correct. Correct.

CLANCY: Anybody literally chokes off all cash going into the Palestinian territories there.

Now, you know -- and you bring it out -- what he said here has really been the line of the Kadima party. It's been the line of Ariel Sharon. And that is call for negotiations, set a high bar, say we don't have a partner, and then there are no negotiations.

The question is, is the prime minister sincere here? Are members of Congress really wanting to see those talks with Mahmoud Abbas, as it seemed President Bush did?

BASH: You know, it is -- it's very clear that members of Congress, many of them, take a harder line perhaps in public and in private, in support of Israel than perhaps we're hearing from the White House. Just what we were talking about, that piece of legislation, which, you're right, goes very far. It does include humanitarian assistance.

The White House doesn't support that. They don't want that to pass and come to the president's desk. He wouldn't sign it.

So there is definitely a difference. There seems to be a difference of opinion.

But, you know, the other thing that I should point out, in the United States this is an election year. And the idea of supporting -- supporting Israel for these members of Congress is something that they feel Republicans and Democrats, many of them, feel is crucial, not only because it's for many of them how they feel personally, but it's also politically expedient for many of them to do that.

CLANCY: All right. Dana Bash, reporting to us there from the Capitol.

Let's cross back over to Jerusalem and John Vause.

Something that was not mentioned in that speech but certainly much in the mind of Ehud Olmert has been the ongoing conflict, Palestinian to Palestinian, in Gaza and the West Bank. We saw more of that today. And we also saw a raid by an Israeli undercover unit and then later Israeli troops.

John, the latest?

VAUSE: Well, Jim, the Israeli raid in the West Bank city of Ramallah was one of the -- some saw as fierce fighting that we have seen in Ramallah in the better part of two years. An undercover Israeli unit, an elite unit, was sent in to Ramallah to arrest a senior member of the militant group Islamic Jihad.

Both Israeli and Palestinian sources have confirmed the arrest of Mohammed Shulbeki (ph). All we know is that he is a senior military commander from Islamic Jihad, and he comes from the West Bank city of Kalkilia.

Now, Palestinian police say that this elite Israeli unit came under heavy gunfire by Palestinian militants. The Israeli regular soldiers were also close by as part of this operation. They moved in.

All of this developed. Suddenly, a mob surrounded the soldiers. As all the gunfire was exchanged, the soldiers were also pelted with rocks and stones and bricks, whatever else they could find.

Eventually, though, the soldiers withdrew. They had their man, Shulbeki (ph). The Israelis, though, are not telling us a lot about him, nor why this arrest or this raid was ordered at this particular time -- Jim.

CLANCY: John Vause reporting to us there the latest on the ground in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

And also up on Capitol Hill, Dana Bash, our thanks to you for a view of a very important speech. Impressive first showing by the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert.

Thank you.

BASH: Thank you.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: All right. Well, we have been covering that story, but also another story. The cargo section of Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport is a smoldering mess after a huge fire broke out there.

The blaze temporarily disrupted air traffic and caused hundreds of panicked people to flee. The fire is now contained, but firefighters are still working to completely put out that blaze and keep it from spreading.

Now, Istanbul's deputy governor says at least three people were hurt. Earlier, we spoke to CNN Turk producer Kaya Heyse from the same.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAYA HEYSE, CNN TURK PRODUCER: An official declared that the fire is under control and now firefighters and (INAUDIBLE) they are trying to cool down the area where the fire broke out. (INAUDIBLE), three injuries. We are told that there are three injuries, slightly injured persons. We don't know the exact details of their injuries, but it's more or less from smoke inhalation.

And also (INAUDIBLE) of the fire there had been some confusion. The first announcement of the governor of Istanbul, the fire broke out because of a short-circuit and (INAUDIBLE) there was some sparks flew up through some welding, and that started the fire.

We know that (INAUDIBLE) there was some (INAUDIBLE). We have been told that there was some (INAUDIBLE), some chemicals were stored in the (INAUDIBLE). And we have also heard that in the parts where the fire has been completely extinguished, some officials and special gear are going now in and trying to figure out if there is any leak from any chemical gases or any chemical materials.

So the situation now is under control. Air traffic is again normal. And one of the runways was cleared for a short time. That's also been opened right now.

And it's very calm now. Everything has eased down. And so traffic around the airport, the highways, they have been opened. And (INAUDIBLE) are again going smoothly, and everything is under control.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Now, we do need to point out the cause of that fire is still unknown. But some airport authorities suspect a short-circuit played a role.

CLANCY: All right. When we come back, we're going to look at a former leader in the regime of Saddam Hussein, articulate, a man who really stood out, and always, always talked to the West. A new image of him this day. We're going to bring that to you a little bit later.

CHURCH: OK. And more, of course, on the Israeli prime minister and his visit to Washington. What do Palestinians think of his speech to the U.S. Congress? We'll have reaction, plus more on the day of violence in the West Bank.

Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world. Saddam Hussein's regime was marked by a single man who often was called upon by the Iraqi leader, the former president, to speak to the West. The man was Tariq Aziz. He appeared in a Baghdad courtroom on Wednesday, really a shadow of the man that we all met and we all knew. He came in to speak in defense of Saddam Hussein and some of his co- defendants.

Arwa Damon was in the courtroom and filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The session opened with what has become an almost daily exchange.

SADDAM HUSSEIN, DEFENDANT (through translator): I am the president of Iraq. You elected me.

DAMON: And then this from the chief judge...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): You were president. You are now a defendant.

DAMON: But this session centered on a witness, the man who for years was the English-speaking face of Iraq to the outside world. Former deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz denied that the former head of the secret police, Barzan Hassin, participated in torture or execution of people in Dujail, where a failed assassination attempt was made against Saddam Hussein.

TARIQ AZIZ, FMR. IRAQI DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Barzan is my friend. He was the director of the intelligence and was not involved in Dujail. I was deputy prime minister, and I knew what everyone did. This is my testimony.

DAMON: Aziz insisted the Dujail assassination attempt was just one of a series of attacks against the then president and that no immediate retribution was taken.

AZIZ (through translator): When President Saddam was targeted, his bodyguards were soldiers. They did not lash out at people. People were taken to court and tried. His bodyguards did not shoot people.

DAMON: Tariq Aziz looked frail in court. The 70-year-old witness appeared wearing what looked like a pajama shirt. Aziz, like many of the defendants on trial, lacked much of his past aura of authority.

(on camera): Saddam Hussein and his co-defendants actually appear more worn down when you see them in person than on the TV screens. In fact, many of the courtroom nuances are lost in the TV broadcast, from the lawyers falling asleep, to the press corps periodically erupting into laughter, amused by some of the courtroom antics.

(voice over): But despite the constant power struggle between the formerly feared members of Saddam Hussein's regime and the judge, the outbursts of the defendants are more subdued than in the past, as if they have accepted that the trial is going to move forward with or without them.

Each session brings the trial one day closer to a verdict, a verdict that might bring their death sentence.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: To the troubling issue of bird flu now. And a spokesman for the World Health Organization says they are completely stumped about an outbreak of bird flu in an Indonesian family. Seven people in one family have died, and the WHO cannot find any sick animals that might have infected that family.

Andrew Stevens examines this bird flu puzzle.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Bird flu has killed 124 people worldwide, nearly a quarter of them in Indonesia. The victim here, 8-year-old Rafael Ginting.

Rafael lived and died in a small village in northern Indonesia. His death a tragedy in itself. The one which could also signal a dangerous, new development.

Rafael's family has been decimated by an outbreak of bird flu. Eight family members contracted the deadly H5N1 strain. Seven are now dead.

It's the biggest so-called cluster of deaths ever reported. More worrying. Still, experts sent to the village can't find out how Rafael's family contracted the virus. Alarm bells are ringing at the World Health Organization.

PETER CORDINGLEY, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: They can't find an animal source of this infection, and that worries us. And in the absence of a known animal source, we have to treat this as possibly human-to-human transmission of the virus.

STEVENS: Human-to-human transmission of the deadly strain of bird flu is the single biggest fear of health authorities worldwide. It has happened before, but only in extremely isolated cases. That's because in its current form, the virus cannot pass easily between humans.

(on camera): Experts agree that for a worst-case scenario to occur, a human-to-human pandemic which could affect millions of people, the virus would have to mutate or change so it could be more easily transmitted. Tests on the victims in Indonesia showed that none of those mutations have occurred.

(voice over): Still, many virologists say a pandemic is all but inevitable.

LEO POON, VIROLOGIST, UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: It's a matter of time. I think if the virus -- we allow the virus to circulate in (INAUDIBLE) long enough, somehow they have tried to mutating itself. And then that will go to human, and then there will be the next disaster into human.

STEVENS: Indonesia is currently at the center of the bird flu outbreaks, a fact the WHO finds disturbing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Indonesia at the moment has very, very serious problems with this virus. Lots of cases this year. And it doesn't seem to be any closer to controlled.

STEVENS: The Indonesian government says it's doing all it can, but for victims like Rafael, it's too late for help.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And that was Andrew Stevens reporting from Hong Kong.

And just a little later here on CNN, we're going to talk with U.N. avian flu expert David Nabarro about bird flu and the fears over the virus mutating. That's coming up in about 15 minutes from now.

CLANCY: Osama bin Laden is back, in case you haven't heard. For the third time this year, the purported voice of the al Qaeda leader is being heard in a taped address that was posted on the Internet.

Here's a listen.

Now, on the tape he admits for the first time that he personally was the man who assigned the hijackers for the September 11th attacks operation. No surprise there. He also says Zacarias Moussaoui had nothing to do with it.

Moussaoui is serving life in prison without the chance of parole. He is the only man so far convicted in connection with the September 11th attacks.

Bin Laden says Moussaoui's confession is false and the result of more than four years of what he termed pressure.

The bin Laden tapes the subject of our question this day.

CHURCH: It is. And we're going to be asking you and have been asking you, do you believe Osama bin Laden when he says Zacarias Moussaoui had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks?

CLANCY: It's an interesting question, because, Rosemary, people will wonder, would he have written to us and said these guys are guilty or these guys are affiliated with al Qaeda?

What do you think? E-mail us your thoughts to YWT@CNN.com.

CHURCH: And just a little later in the program, we'll of course read out your responses. So get them into us quick.

CLANCY: Now, for our viewers in the United States, a look at the headlines coming up next.

CHURCH: And for the rest of us, an upsurge in violence in Afghanistan, (INAUDIBLE) that the Taliban are regrouping and making a comeback.

We'll have that story. Do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: 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.

To Maryland, to a courtroom where convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad takes on the young man he still calls son. Muhammad is being tried again for the 2002 sniper killings that terrorized the Washington area. He's acting as his own lawyer. And his cross- examination of former accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo is revealing chilling new details about a planned second phase of attack.

Last hour, I talked with the "Washington Post" editor Eric Rich, who has been in the courtroom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC RICH, METRO EDITOR, "WASHINGTON POST": The real startling revelations in Malvo's testimony were that, you know, they had -- that the pair had actually planted the sniper shootings to be much more damaging than they were, that Muhammad intended to kill six people a day every day for 30 days, and then go on into a second phase of attacks that would include using explosives to target police officers and children. Some real -- what he imagined, apparently, according to Malvo, is much more damaging than what actually occurred.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Not too far from that courthouse, on Capitol Hill, two government branches are battling it out. Some members of Congress are still expressing outrage over the FBI's weekend raid on Congressman William Jefferson's office.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert says the confiscated materials should be returned. He and other lawmakers say the unprecedented raid may have violated the Constitution's separation of powers doctrine.

Jefferson is a Louisiana Democrat. He's under investigation as part of a bribery probe.

Reaching out across the border. Mexican President Vicente Fox is expected to talk about immigration in the next hour. He will address the Utah legislature.

Mr. Fox's Utah stop is the first of three visits to western states this week. The Mexican president says building a border fence won't solve the illegal immigration problem. He's also talking of economic ties between Utah and Mexico. Mexico is Utah's third largest trading partner.

The walls are coming down on the search for Jimmy Hoffa. Demolition crews began destroying a barn at a Michigan horse farm today. They'll dig beneath its concrete slab.

FBI investigators are scouring the farm for Hoffa's remains. The Teamsters' boss vanished from the area in 1975. The search began a week ago after the FBI received a new tip. The agency calls that tip very credible.

On to weather now. Rob Marciano has a look at what's happening across the country.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: A puzzling and tragic scene in a suburb of Atlanta. Two women and their three small children struck by a car outside of a McDonalds. Witnesses say the driver was smiling.

Thirty-six-year-old Lanny Barnes faces six felony counts of aggravated assault. Barnes' mother tells The Associated Press her son struggles with mental illness. Today, a judge denied bonds for Barnes until a mental health evaluation is complete.

Caught on tape. Watch this.

A terrible crash in Michigan as an SUV rolls over several times before tumbling off the highway. Now we slow it down and watch it again from the video from this dashboard cam. You can see the car swerve to avoid an emerging vehicle and then hit the SUV.

Police say a seat belt saved the life of the SUV driver. The driver of the other car has not come forward.

The National Geography Bee has a new champion today. He is Bahni Jan (ph) from Illinois. The last question, ooh, it was a doozy. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX TREBEK, HOST, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY BEE: Name the mountains that extend across much of Wales from the Irish Sea to the Bristol Channel. Name the mountains that extend across much of Wales from the Irish Sea to the Bristol Channel.

Time is up.

Niharaj (ph) did not have time to write down a response. Bahni Jan (ph) wrote down "Cambrian". The correct response is Cambrian.

Bahni Jan (ph), congratulations. You're the National Geographic Bee champion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Yes, congratulations. By the way, Bahni Jan (ph) will win a $25,000 scholarship for a job well done.

"LIVE FROM" comes your way at the top of the hour.

Stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.

YOUR WORLD TODAY continues after a quick break.

I'm Daryn Kagan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Rosemary Church.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy. We want to take a look now at the headlines around the world. Well, from the air on the ground, firefighters have been working to extinguish a blaze that engulfed the entire cargo area of Istanbul's Ataturk Airport. There's the scene. Black smoke billowing into the sky. Fire crews say they got control of that blaze. But the origin still unknown. Some airport authorities do suspect it was a short circuit that caused the blaze. Reports indicate three people had minor injuries in this fire.

CHURCH: The former Iraqi deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz took the stand in the war crimes trial of Saddam Hussein. Aziz said the government acted lawfully during a period when it was under attack. He also compared the instability in the 1980s to the conditions in Iraq today. Hussein is charged in the killings of nearly 150 men and boys in Dujail.

CLANCY: Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says Israel would be a willing partner in peace with the Palestinians. But in an address to the U.S. Congress a short while ago, Mr. Olmert warned that Israel won't be waiting forever if Palestinians do not live up to a high bar he has set for them.

Mr. Olmert says Israel's deepest wish is to build a better future for all Israelis in the region and acknowledges the Palestinians, too, have dreams to realize.

Let's get more on this. Let's go to the Palestinian parliament speaker, Aziz Duwaik. He joins us now live from Ramallah in the West Bank. Did you listen to the speech? How would you respond?

ABDEL AZIZ DUWAIK, PALESTINIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER: Thank you. Let me say first of all that we, as Palestinians, would never accept any kind of unilateral move because it goes against all international resolutions and it goes also against the road map. It goes also against the U.N. Resolution 242.

And any kind of support which might come to this unilateral move from any side in the world, the United States or any other country in the world, it will not be accepted. And we are the people of this area, and any kind of peace which must prevail in this area, it should be through us and through our people in this area of the world.

CLANCY: All right, you say there should be negotiations, that the lack of those would be against international agreements. That's certainly one point. But it's also a point that it's against international law, the support for terrorism, vowing to wipe Israel out, the support for the suicide bombings, and these things. That also causes problems for the international community. And the whole world is watching right now, and they want to know, what are the Palestinians going to do? How are you going to negotiate?

DUWAIK: OK. Let me say, first of all, that such a move, you know, which I'm just not very clear on the question, but any kind of move which is not accepted by our people will never serve the cause of peace in the long run in this area of the world.

CLANCY: All right, well, what are you saying? What should Israel...

DUWAIK: Just looking at us instead of just trying to make hypotheses that we are going do this and that. Please look at what the Israelis have done today, even in the midst of our (INAUDIBLE) in this city in Ramallah. And we would like the voice of our people to be heard in the world. And so far, we are calling for a dialogue and nobody is listening to us, just because the fear of the United States and its big hammer.

CLANCY: All right. We're looking at some of the pictures, Mr. Speaker, here showing this was an Israeli undercover operation at first, met with some stiff resistance. The latest numbers I have indicate four Palestinians were killed, another 32 were wounded. A lot of stone throwing, a lot of shooting. And some Israeli vehicles set ablaze there in Ramallah.

Against that backdrop, who's going to conduct the negotiations? And a lot of people think it's reasonable. Israel says, look, we're not going to negotiate with Hamas, they don't recognize our right to exist. Mahmoud Abbas is too weak. Who should the Israelis talk to?

DUWAIK: Whenever you say Mahmoud Abbas is real weak, I am against this idea. Mahmoud Abbas is the elected president of the Palestinians. We gave him and will continue to give him full support. He was calling on the Israelis to have a dialogue with him and to negotiate with him -- of the Israelis give him their back. And they continue with their strategy of imposing their preconditions and their defacto on the ground against the general interests of our people, against the well-being of our people. And I don't think that this is the way to create conditions for real peace in this area of the world, as I said before.

CLANCY: Now, if I understood Prime Minister Olmert today, he was saying that if there was no negotiations with the Palestinians, he would negotiate with the other Israelis, with the Americans, with the Europeans, and try to push through his unilateral plan. You say the plan won't work. He says there's no alternative. Is there an alternative? DUWAIK: Yes. He has to change his attitudes towards the Palestinians, their elected bodies within the PLC, the Palestinian Legislative Council; towards our president, Mahmoud Abbas; towards the whole area. Because the Israelis so far succeeded in creating enemies in this world, but they did not even succeed once to create friendship in this area of the world.

And I would like to remind Mr. Olmert that the Jewish people were oppressed in Europe, and I don't like the oppressed people who have suffered much from this kind of operation to become the oppressors of other nations and just taking unilateral steps like these steps that we are hearing about. And just seeking the American support for that or any kind of international support.

Do you want to live in Europe or do you want to live in the Middle East? If you want to live in the Middle East, go and talk to the people of the Middle East and respect the free choice of the people in this area that you intend to live in.

CLANCY: All right. We're going to have to leave it there. Abdel Aziz Duwaik, the speaker of the Palestinian parliament. I want to thank you very much for laying out the Palestinian perspective. Some advice there for Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, to come and talk to the people where he lives, the people of the Middle East.

We're going to take a short break here. We'll be back with more after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back to CNN International and YOUR WORLD TODAY.

Rescue workers in northern Thailand are slogging they way through a sea of mud, trying to find victims of some devastating floods and mudslides.

Dan Rivers is in the midst of that disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): You join me just outside of town of Sukhothai. And as you can see all around me, the flood waters are rising. There are lots of houses that have been cut off. If I just walk over this way, you can see people stranded up on the tops of these houses. And all of the water here is swirling through the bridge, one of the few bridges around here that's survived this onslaught.

And you can get an idea of the sheer power of this water with the body of water being forced through this bridge. At the moment, official figures show more than 30 people have been confirmed dead. But 10 times that number so far are missing. And 25 bridges in the area have been completely swept away. More than 80 roads have also been damaged.

But just take a look over the other side here. This really gives you a very forceful impression of just the sheer volume of water that's being swept down this area. Normally, this wood be a tiny, small stream. It wouldn't be a river at all. Now it's a raging torrent. And interestingly, the water is this dark, chocolate brown color. And some people are saying this is evidence of deforestation, that over previous decades, so much of the forest has been cut down, that when there's a big flood like this, all of the top soil is simply washed away.

The worrying thing is that this area is due to flood even more. We're being told that there's been 300 millimeters of rain in the last couple of days, and it's likely this whole area soon will be completely underwater.

Dan Rivers, CNN, Sukhothai, Thailand.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: All right. In Spain, concern is mounting about whether every Spaniard will get to watch the World Cup Games.

CLANCY: That's right, there's cause for concern, no doubt about it. Spain's new Free to Air Television Station, La Sexta. La Sexta bought the rights for the games. And it's fighting the clock to try to install nationwide coverage.

CHURCH: Al Goodman explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a Madrid bar, Spaniards watched Barcelona's victory in the Champions League final for free on state television, available everywhere in Spain.

But that was just an appetizer. For a nation mad about it's soccer. The feast is yet to begin. Or is it? Spain's newest TV channel, La Sexta, or "Channel Six," bought the rights to show the world cup for about $110 million. But right now, at least a third of Spaniards can't get La Sexta on their sets, and kickoff is just over two weeks away.

JOSE MIGUEL CONTRERAS, CEO, LA SEXTA: La Sexta has staked its present and future on the World Cup. We're not going to create animosity among the people who are our clients.

GOODMAN: Channel Six has dispatched armies of technicians, like Antonio Perez, working double time to install amplifiers on apartment buildings, to boost the new channel's signal.

ANTONIO PEREZ, ANTENNA INSTALLER (through translator): Yes, we are in a bit of a hurry because the World Cup is starting. We have lots of requests. We are doing the installations little by little.

GOODMAN: Downstairs, it works now in this apartment, but what of the millions who still can't tune in to La Sexta?

FRANCISCO BEJAR, LAWYER: They will get angry. They will get disappointed, because they -- they think -- people are thinking that they're going to have it at home for free.

GOODMAN (on camera): La Sexta says it's outfitting about 1,000 apartment buildings a day with the necessary upgrades. But the opening kickoff is looming. And it's a race against the clock, rooftop by rooftop.

A race that few expect La Sexta to win.

ELADIO GUTIERREZ, TELECOMMUNICATIONS ENGINEER (through translator): It's absolutely impossible that even when you switch on a transmitter in a given city, you can make the signal available within three or four days.

GOODMAN: By law, the key World Cup matches must be available free nationwide, so La Sexta may negotiate with Spain's other terrestrial TV channels to insure no one is left in the dark. They'd have to pay La Sexta, but the big advertising revenues might make it worthwhile.

Back at La Sexta, they're putting a brave face on it all.

CONTRERAS (through translator): This big controversy fabricated by our competitors has given us the greatest publicity for free.

GOODMAN: Whether they watch at home or the bar, Spaniards are hoping that a deal is done quickly, so the only thing they have to be nervous about is the performance of their team.

Al Goodman, CNN, Madrid.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: Well, still ahead on YOUR WORLD TODAY, we have a new outfit for Rosemary. Breaking stereotypes in fashion design.

CHURCH: A good move. What progress. A Saudi woman designs for the modern woman, while maintaining some traditions close to home.

Do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, it's time, of course, to look now at our inbox. And we've been asking you for your thoughts about Osama bin Laden.

CLANCY: Got a lot e-mail. Our question was this. "Do you believe Osama bin Laden when he says Zacarias Moussaoui had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks?" Here's how some of you replied.

CHURCH: Rasmus from Denmark writes: "I believe bin Laden when he says Moussaoui is innocent. People from al Qaeda are proud of what they are doing. Bin Laden has no reason to lie."

CLANCY: Surprising. A lot of people felt the same way. Sergio from Mexico said this, though: "Of course bin Laden's lying. His aim is to destroy the U.S., which he sees as the evil-doer of the world."

CHURCH: And Sybil writes from the United Kingdom, "I have no doubt that bin Laden is telling the truth. There is no connection between 9/11 and Moussaoui whatsoever."

CLANCY: All right, some interesting responses, and thank you for all of them.

Well, women living in Saudi Arabia must adhere to, obviously, a male-dominated strict code of social conduct and dress.

CHURCH: But the country is slowly progressing with reforms that would grant more freedom to women.

CLANCY: Brent Sadler is telling us now that one Saudi Arabian designer is breaking the mold. She's designing some new things.

CHURCH: She is. Fashions the women in her country are not allowed to wear in public. Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She is covered in black from head to toe. Known only as Sulafa, a 28-year-old Saudi woman, competing for the title of best-dressed designer in the Middle East, and a $50,000 prize. Women contestants have seen her mysterious face. But to the male designers, the show's producers, and the entire TV audience, she remains almost invisible.

DIANA KHAN, CONTESTANT, MISSION FASHION: Kind, modern, intelligent. Beautiful woman.

SADLER: But the odd woman out, it seems, on a program fueled by glitz, glamour and gothic.

KAREN EL-KHAZEN, MODEL, MISSION FASHION: They all have this idea about the Arabic women that's covered up that's supposed to be at home, just take care of the kids, and I think she's really courageous.

SADLER: Courageous and creative, say co-contestants, who admire her style and her decision to live on set with her baby daughter, Lara (ph), with her husband's OK.

Sharing the experience with models and men in this televised Italia (ph). This dress, says Sulafa, must sing.

SULAFA, DRESS DESIGNER: I choose the piano. I make (INAUDIBLE).

SADLER (on camera): Be careful you don't stick the pins into your models.

SULAFA: No problem!

AMY GOODHEART, U.S. JUDGE, MISSION FASHION: (INAUDIBLE) split is a little bit too high.

SADLER (voice-over): It's sometimes difficult, though, for Sulafa's peers to judge her mood.

GOODHEART: I don't know if she's scowling at me, and being like, why don't you like my dress? I can't see her face.

SADLER (on camera): In the reality of her ultraconservative Saudi homeland, Sulafa knows she walks a very fine line, designing provocative fashionwear from beneath her veil.

(voice-over): I don't see anything daring in my designs, she explains. We wear them in our society. But only for women to see, not the men. Sulafa covers the cameras in her studio bedroom, and appeared shy at first.

But her growing popularity could antagonize Saudi Arabia's powerful religious establishment, and block her entering the fashion world she dreams of.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If this goes well, she's going to do well. If the response is negative from her people, I think she won't be able to continue.

SADLER: But for now, Sulafa is making her own fashion statement, in more ways than one.

Brent Sadler, CNN, Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: A couple of nice black outfits there.

CHURCH: You like those? You'll be getting them for your wife, no doubt. I'm sure she's very excited.

All right, well, Hollywood heartthrob Bruce Willis is making a splash of his own at the Cannes Film Festival.

CLANCY: Yes, that's right, a splash. The actor was settling down for an interview -- he was going to promote his film "Over the Hedge" -- when a boat race passed.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUCE WILLIS, ACTOR: This is a very funny film. A big, funny cast.

And that, my friends, is the end of the interview!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: As you can see there -- at least -- hey, Willis was a good sport about it all.

CHURCH: I think he brought the interview to an end. CLANCY: A really funny cast.

Let's turn to another installment of our "Changing Earth" segment, with a look at the recent volcanic activity all around the globe.

CHURCH: And our Guillermo Arduino joins us now to tell us about the effects volcanoes have on our planet. And there's a lot more active volcanoes across the globe than many people realize.

GUILLERMO ARDUINO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and not a cold splash at all. We have, in fact, three volcanoes at the focus of our study in today's segment, which are located in three very diverse regions of the world.

Indonesia, in fact, contains more active volcanoes than any other country and Mount Merapi is the most active. In this case, although the activity has declined in the last few days, the volcano keeps spewing hot gas and lava from its crater and remains a threat to villagers living nearby. What is more, volcanologists worry that the collapse of a lava dome inside of the mountain could trigger a massive eruption. Officials face the challenge to enforce evacuations in the area, as Mount Merapi is considered sacred by the locals, and many refuse to leave.

Mount St. Helens is in the United States, and in 1980, an earthquake triggered the collapse of its summit and north flank, creating the largest landslide in recorded history. The volcano is erupting today on a much smaller scale, though, and slow-moving lava forms rock that is rapidly growing in Mount St. Helens' crater. The rock began growing last November, steadily moving west and pushing rock and other debris out of its way as it goes.

And the latest action happened in the Caribbean island on Montserrat, and this is how an eruption occurs. Pockets of hot molten rock called magma collect beneath the surface of the Earth. Gas forms there, building up pressure inside the volcano. The magma arises and the lava erupts from the volcano. Predictions -- accurate predictions are very rare in volcanology, and many are considered ready to erupt, and others are dormant. I was talking about Indonesia, 250 volcanoes. Out of those, 150 active. Scary.

CHURCH: That is scary, isn't it? And when it's difficult to predict the outcome, even scarier. All right.

ARDUINO: Yes, they have to work hard on that.

CLANCY: Guillermo, as always, thanks a lot.

ARDUINO: Thank you.

CHURCH: Thank you. I'm Rosemary Church.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy. That's our report for now. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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