Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Investigating U.N. Deaths; A Look at America's Support for Israel

Aired July 28, 2006 - 07:30   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome, everybody. You are watching a special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Soledad O'Brien in New York.
Good morning, Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad. Miles O'Brien live from a hill top overlooking Southern Lebanon in the northern part of Israel.

Take a look behind me. And you can see right where the borderline is. It's very clearly delineated. They call it the green line here. Israelis proud of the fact that they have nurtured the soil as best they can and make Israel as green as can be. Everything you see that's green is in Israel. Everything that is brown and more arid is in Lebanon.

And you're looking at the southern approaches to Bint Jbeil. Bint Jbeil is a name you're probably familiar with by now. This is the town of 20,000 just over that hill that is considered the headquarters of Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon. Constant, steady, relentless artillery pounding today on the part of Israeli Defense Forces, and for that matter all night long. We were in nearby Kiryat Shmona and the artillery never ceased all night long. The pounding continues. The airstrikes continue as well. The Katyusha rockets and other missiles keep firing back on the part of Hezbollah. We saw one land about a mile away from us here not too long ago. About 14 or 15 of them have landed today so far, in excess of 110 yesterday. Day 17, and the battle goes on.

There's a rocket that just went past us. Let's see if we can see it. I didn't see it land. In any case, we're watching this very closely.

In the meantime, over the hills in that direction -- we can't see it right now -- is what remains of a United Nations observation post, which on Tuesday became the target of an Israeli airstrike. Precision weapons taking out an observing post, four U.N. observers killed, despite reports that they called repeatedly asking Israelis to cease- fire.

Joining us now to talk a little bit about this and where this investigation is headed -- the Israelis say they don't need an outside investigation -- is Mark Malloch Brown, who is the deputy to Kofi Annan at the United Nations, the deputy secretary-general.

Mr. Malloch Brown, good to have you with us this morning.

MARK MALLOCH BROWN. U.N. DEP. SECY-GEN.: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: I would like to share with you first, if I could, an interview with the wife, the widow now, of one of those observers who was killed. She believes pretty firmly that this was intentional. Let's listen to her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why did they bomb the U.N. site? And in my opinion, if those are precision-guided missiles than that is intentional.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: Now this dove-tails with what Secretary-General Kofi Annan said immediately after the attack. Is the United Nations still accusing Israel of an intention targeting of that post?

MALLOCH BROWN: Well, I think, as you said, the key thing is that the investigations have to get to the bottom of this. And in addition to Israel's own investigation, there will be, as always happen when U.N. peacekeepers die, there will be a U.N. investigation as well, which is going to look into why, despite so many repeated warnings delivered to the field commanders, delivered to the politicians in Jerusalem, and delivered here to Israel's ambassador to the U.N., why, despite all of these warnings that we were coming very close with these rockets landing very near us and shells, why did they go on firing? And that's what the investigation needs to determine.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, well, see, you backed off a little bit from what the secretary-general said in the immediate aftermath of all of this?

MALLOCH BROWN: Well, no, I haven't...

M. O'BRIEN: You're not accusing -- do you suspect it was intentional?

MALLOCH BROWN: Well, the secretary-general's phrase was deliberate, because the circumstantial evidence of continuing to shoot, despite all of these warnings, means somebody clearly either wasn't hearing the warnings, or was ignoring them. But I think we have to let the investigation play out to see why there was either a breakdown of communications, or at some level complicity in this by someone. And I think until the investigation is done, it's not helpful to point fingers.

But I would just say this, when the secretary-general spoke, he was extremely frustrated because this was some hours after the incident, and yet still attacks were going on hampering our rescue efforts, and then attacks on other U.N. posts, so he felt he had to speak very strongly in order to finely force a stop to these attacks on U.N. positions, some of which, including the one which was taken out and where the peace observers died, have been there for 50 years, was well marked, its coordinates shared repeatedly with the Israeli authorities.

M. O'BRIEN: Mr. Malloch Brown, I want to share with you a comment made just the other day by the Canadian prime minister, Stephen Clark (sic). In part, he said this, "We would like to find out this United Nations post, and also why it remained manned during what is now more or less a war, during obvious danger these individuals."

Why didn't you evacuate that post?

MALLOCH BROWN: The decision to -- we'd raised the whole of Southern Lebanon to a very high-security danger level, and given the decision on actual evacuations or movements to the commander on the spot. But along with the instruction to keep UNIFIL and the observers as much present as possible, as a critical international window on what's happening there. And given that all of the talk is of trying to put an enhanced international force in, I think it would have been a terrible signal to both sides in this war if the U.N. had pulled out. It's very important to the world that we stay there. But if we do stay there, we have to get strong, unequivocal international support that nobody attacks us, and you know, I think that's what's troubled us in the aftermath to this.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, Mr. Malloch Brown, a lot of people would look at that post and look at this mission and say that those observers are little more than sitting ducks. Many would wonder what they were accomplishing in the first place.

MALLOCH BROWN: Look, first, I have grown up in this business, and for many decades the blue flag or the Red Cross red symbol didn't make you a sitting duck, it made you respected by both sides to a conflict as neutral people whose safety should be secured as much as possible, and certainly not deliberately targeted. And it's one of the tragedies of modern warfare that that respect for humanitarian, or the peace observer or the peace keeper has so eroded and we have often become targets of war.

But the fact is, our role there is critical if there is to be some kind of cease-fire. We will be the ones who would be initially be monitoring that. So I think it's hugely in the interest of the world that we try to stay put as long as possible, but obviously if attacks go on, unarmed observers like this, we can't leave them in harm's way indefinitely.

M. O'BRIEN: Mark Malloch Brown is the deputy secretary-general of the United Nations. We thank you for your time today, sir.

MALLOCH BROWN: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: Back to you, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Miles, thanks.

The Bush administration defended Israel's military assault in Lebanon, saying that Hezbollah must be dismantled, but America's support for Israel is nothing new. CNN's Candy Crowley takes a look now at this long and close relationship with Israel is not new.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Israel gets more U.S. foreign aid than any other country.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States is strongly committed, and I am strongly committed to the security of Israel as a vibrant Jewish state.

CROWLEY: The bottom line is close to $100 billion loaned or given to Israel since its creation.

DAVID MAKOVSKY, WASHINGTON INST. FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: This relationship really goes back to the 11 minutes after Israel was founded, when Harry Truman, against the advice of some of his advisers, recognized Israel, and it's gone on for the last 58 years.

CROWLEY: And through the decades, there's been weapons and military equipment from Washington to Tel Aviv, the best and the latest.

ED KOCH, FORMER NYC MAYOR: We're democracies. That we're willing to stand together against those who want to destroy democratic values, liberties.

CROWLEY: Helicopters and missiles and so many F-16s, Israel has the largest fleet outside the U.S.

BILL CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States will always stand with Israel, always remember that only a strong Israel can make peace.

CROWLEY: Lots of guns, lots of butter, but defenders of this closest of relationships, presidents and U.S. lawmakers through the decades, say the cement is the kindred souls of two comparatively young countries, born of religious persecution, sharing democratic ideals.

BUSH: These ties have made us natural allies, and these ties will never be broken.

CROWLEY: But these ties put distance between Main Street and the Arab street, where U.S. flags are burned to protest American support for Israel.

AHMED YOUNIS, MUSLIM PUBLIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL: Much of why we are hated throughout that part of the world is because of a perception of an uneven handed relationship with Israel that has really existed at the expense of the Palestinian people.

CROWLEY: And these ties become talking points in the world court of public opinion. BASHAR JA'AFARI, SYRIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: The problem is the American backing of the Israeli aggression against all the area since 1967.

CROWLEY: But if the U.S. cannot broker a deal in the Middle East, who can? The answer, many observers say, is no one. Even if the U.S. is biased toward Israel, it is also seen as the only one who can reach Israel.

MAKOVSKY: Israel believes that America cares about its best interest, and therefore if Israel has to take risks for peace, the United States will work to minimize those risks.

CROWLEY: The question, it seems, is not so much weather the U.S. could broker an agreement, but whether it will.

REP. DARRELL ISSA (R), CALIFORNIA: We're going to have to give Israel some very tough love. Israel's not going to want to have this international force deal with the Golan Heights. They're going to want to have a little separation of somebody else's land as a buffer zone. We're going to have to say no.

CROWLEY: And because in the Middle East every answer is followed by a question, if the U.S. says no to Israel, will Israel say OK?

Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Candy's report first aired on PAULA ZAHN NOW, which airs weeknights at 8:00 p.m. Eastern..

Spreading wildfire leading to more evacuations in central Oregon. About 500 people were ordered out of their homes as the Black Crater Fire moves closer to their neighborhoods. Another 1,500 are being told that they need to be ready to go at any moment.

Meanwhile, another fire near the border of Idaho has scorched more than 25,000 acres. There are several homes in the path of that fire.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is being urged to declare a state of emergency because of all of that intense heat. Temperatures across his state topping triple digits for nearly two weeks, and the heat is blamed for over 100 deaths so far.

Parts of Wisconsin drying out today. Take a look at what it looked like after the heavy thunderstorms swept through Madison. Drivers were warned to stay off the roads because of flash floods. And police say some cars were submerged in as much as five feet of water.

And then heavy rain pounded northeast Ohio overnight. Some areas got as much as nine inches. The town of Menar (ph) is advising residents to stay home because most of the major roads are impassible. No surprise there when you look at those pictures. (WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: A little bit Later this morning, we're going to go back out to Miles in northern Israel for the very latest on the Middle East crisis.

First, though, homeland security's latest black eye, billions of dollars wasted on bad equipment. We'll tell you what they got.

Later, victory could be tarnished for Tour de France champ Floyd Landis. Allegations of cheating, coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

A new investigation is finding that the Homeland Security Department misspent billions of dollars in private contracts.

CNN's Kathleen Koch has our story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's another black eye for an agencies already under fire. Congressional investigators pouring over 6,000 pages of Homeland Security contracts found rampant waste and abuse.

REP. TOM DAVIS, CHMN., GOVT. REFORM CMTE: One-hundred and four million TSA contract for training airport screeners tumbled out of control, eventually costing over $700 million. Poorly defined requirements resulted in airport bomb-detection machines that continuously produce false alarms.

KOCH: Upgrading those machines will cost up to $5 billion. Other problems, an outdoor border-surveillance system that doesn't work because the cameras are too sensitive to snow, ice and humidity. Radiation detection machines for the borders and ports that can't tell the difference between weapons-grade nuclear material and cat litter.

REP. JOHN DUNCAN (R), TENNESSEE: If the top people of the department are not embarrassed by this, something is wrong.

KOCH: In all the report found, quote, "significant overcharges, wasteful spending or mismanagement in 32 contracts totalling $34 billion.

REP. HENRY WAXMAN (D), CALIFORNIA: The result of all of this is the contractors get rich, the problem doesn't get solved and the taxpayers get stuck with the bill.

KOCH: The report blamed too little competition. No-bid contracts at the Department of Homeland Security are up 739 percent over the last three years. There's also a shortage of trained contract managers. Some lawmakers insist blame also rests with large corporations that took advantage of the lax oversight.

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH(D), OHIO: The government didn't do its job, you pointed that out, but this takes two to tango here. You have contractors who know, well, the government will not watch.

KOCH: The Department of Homeland Security explains some contracts in question were made before the department was even created. It insists it is working to, quote, "resolve personnel shortages and will continue to improve oversight."

(on camera): But critics say waste and abuse will continue until there is real accountability, where those who mismanage contracts get pay cut or be fired, while companies who knowingly rip off the government could be banned from contracting.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: That report comes on the heels of other recent allegations, an investigation that revealed the credit card fraud and abuse of funds for Hurricane Katrina victim, if you recall.

Up next, Andy is "Minding Your Business" -- Andy.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Thanks, Soledad. Well, I'll tell you why millions of people are monkeying around on a job search Web site, coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Tour de France champion Floyd Landis is asking the media and public to not automatically assume that he has cheated his way to the yellow jersey. Landis said he doesn't know why his levels of testosterone tested unusually high, but as CNN's Jim Bittermann reports, the latest scandal could cloud the tour's reputation for good.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was exactly the scandal the Tour de France was trying to avoid this year, but now Floyd Landis' racing team announced that the 30-year-old from Pennsylvania has tested positive for excessively high levels of testosterone. What's more, the test sample was taken immediately after the day in which he pulled from eight minutes behind the leader to within less than a minute of first place.

At the race headquarters, organizers who started this year's race by announcing that the top riders were being eliminated from competition because of doping allegation now had to announce that the winner could be out for the same reason.

CHRISTIANE PRUDHOMME, DIR., TOUR DE FRANCE (through translator): Before the second test, we can't take it for a given, even if it seems like that for some. It isn't. We need a second test. The first reaction, though, is that it is, of course, disappointing.

BITTERMANN: Tour officials pointed out that any sanctions against Landis would be applied by the International Cycling Federation, which will also results of the tests on the second sample. In a telephone interview from an undisclosed European location, Landis denied any kind of doping, but he did say that he suffers from a thyroid condition which requires daily medication.

FLOYD LANDIS, TOUR DE FRANCE WINNER: All I'm asking for from -- just from me is that I be given a chance to prove that I'm innocent. Cycling has a traditional way of trying people in the court of public opinion before they get chance to do anything else, and I can't stop that, but I would like to be assumed innocent until proven guilty.

BITTERMANN: Across the cycling world there was dismay at the new doping allegations.

ELLIS BACON, CYCLING EXPERT: People saw this winner, they saw him as being perhaps somewhat of a savior for professional cycle and for the Tour de France this year, and for this to happen this now is, well, terrible.

BITTERMANN: Even if Landis gets to keep his title, doping has once again associated with the Tour de France, something that officials here say just makes them more determined than ever to stamp it out.

Jim Bittermann, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: A second sample is going to be analyzed by next week. Landis, meanwhile, is no longer scheduled to appear on "The Tonight Show": with Jay Leno. That was supposed to be tonight. And no big surprise that that's not going to happen now.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

(NEWS HEADLINES)

S. O'BRIEN: We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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