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President Bush, Prime Minister Blair Discuss Strategy After Report on Iraq War; Iraqis Packing Up and Leaving; Russia Launches Own Investigation Into Former Spy's Death

Aired December 07, 2006 - 12:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's important. It's important for the Iraqi people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: The consequences of failure. Longtime allies renew their commitment to righting what they say is wrong in Iraq.

STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And murder most foul. Ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko laid to rest in London as Russia opens a criminal murder probe.

MCEDWARDS: Plus, "Deja Vu." Actor Denzel Washington travels through time and space in a race to solve a crime. We will talk to the Oscar winner about his latest film.

It is 12:00 noon in Washington, 5:00 p.m. in London.

Hello, and welcome to our report broadcast around the globe.

I'm Colleen McEdwards.

FRAZIER: And I'm Stephen Frazier.

This is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

MCEDWARDS: Well, a day after a U.S. commission says the strategy in Iraq is not working, the U.S. and its biggest ally in the war are trying to figure out what will.

FRAZIER: President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair both called the Iraq Study Group report a strong way forward.

MCEDWARDS: And they both agree that the key to success in Iraq is victory over extremists in the broader Middle East.

FRAZIER: The leaders spoke to reporters after a morning meeting at the White House. They've just wrapped that up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Sunni and Shia extremists have important differences, yet they agree on one thing: the rise of free and democratic societies in the Middle East where people can practice their faith, choose their leaders and live together in peace would be a decisive blow to their cause. And so they're supporting extremists across the region who are working to undermine young democracies.

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: In respect to Iraq, I, like you, welcome the Baker-Hamilton study group. It offers a strong way forward.

I think it is important now we concentrate on the elements that are necessary to make sure that we succeed, because the consequences of failure are severe. And I believe this is a mission we have to succeed in and we can succeed in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRAZIER: Building on their resolve to solve problems across the Middle East, Mr. Blair announced that he will soon leave on a diplomatic mission to Israel and the Palestinian territories.

For more now on what we learned from the news conference, our European political editor, Robin Oakley, joins us from London. He's been standing by there.

Robin, some dramatic statements there about Israel and the Palestinians in particular.

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, indeed, Stephen. We had been expecting Tony Blair to volunteer his services to go and do anything he can to help push on the Middle East peace process, particularly to find some solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

It's been his preoccupation for a long time. He's dedicated his remain time as prime minister in Britain to doing everything he can on that front. And here was confirmation from Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair that Tony Blair will, indeed, go to the Middle East shortly and try, as he put it, to unlock the door to get negotiations going once more.

But apart from that pretty significant announcement of intention, in a sense we got no sense from the two men that following the Baker study group report that anything has actually yet changed. We had Mr. Bush saying, really, that he was disappointed with the pace of success. We had Tony Blair saying that the vision was right. And both men emphasizing, as they've done time and time again, that this is a struggle against worldwide terrorism, that the terrorists outside Iraq are wanting to strangle a youthful democracy before it can pick up because they, the terrorists, Mr. Blair and Mr. Bush argue, would see it as a defeat, if democracy were to take hold -- Stephen.

FRAZIER: And what we heard, Robin, was -- and I wrote it down furiously when I was taking notes -- something about you have to just keep at it. And there's something about the way the prime minister puts it that sounds flexible but determined. It doesn't sound like stay the course. It sounds somehow a little more sophisticated than that.

OAKLEY: Yes. Neither of them actually really using quite that expression about "stay the course," but Tony Blair, talking about keeping at it, referred to the long struggle he's had to bring about a conclusive peace in northern Ireland. And remember that a couple of years ago George Bush committed himself to do as much on the Middle East peace process as Tony Blair had done on northern Ireland.

I think there's been some disappointment here in Europe and certainly in the U.K. that President Bush hasn't pushed harder from time to time on the Middle East peace process, particularly in terms of pushing Israel along. So significant words again from Tony Blair there. A significant intention in terms of what he will go ahead and do.

What was interesting to me, though, was that while George Bush had to respond to a direct question about Syria and Iran and their involvement in a wider peace process to help with Iraq, there wasn't anything very specific from Tony Blair on that subject, although a while ago he did make a major foreign affairs speech, suggesting that those two countries could be involved in the future -- Stephen.

FRAZIER: Well, this is one of those situations where you have to watch almost day by day for subtle adjustments in policy. And we're grateful for the insight at this point, Robin Oakley.

Thank you.

MCEDWARDS: Well, the two co-chairmen of the Iraq Study Group are making the rounds on Capitol Hill. James Baker and Lee Hamilton briefing members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Lawmakers are expected to quiz these guys on their details of these proposals. One of the topics that's causing concern among some senators is this idea of talking directly to Iran and Syria.

Now, one proposal emphasized by the Iraq Study group is providing more U.S. military training to Iraqi forces so that they can better defend themselves. But the government is facing a major problem that is getting in the way of Iraq standing on its own. Many citizens are simply leaving the country. And they are doing so in droves, we are told.

Ben Wedeman joins us now live from Baghdad with more on this.

Hi, Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Colleen.

Yes, we were out at Baghdad International Airport today, and we discovered that some people are voting on the future of Iraq with their feet.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) WEDEMAN (voice over): You need a big bag and a strong back if you're packing up your life and leaving. At Baghdad's International Airport, travelers arrive early for repeated checks and searches. And many have only bought one-way tickets.

(on camera): There was a time following the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime when Iraqis were returning to this country. But now, with anarchy and violence a daily reality, many are leaving.

(voice over): Businessman Lathe Sim (ph) says he's had enough. "Recently, there have been mortar attacks on our neighborhood," he says, "and mortars don't differentiate between civilians and fighters."

He's leaving with his mother, wife, sisters, and their children, heading to Alexandria, in Egypt, where they have relatives. The family's planning to stay there for a year or more, depending on what happens in Baghdad. With only $7,000 in his pocket, Lathe (ph) is hoping he'll find a way to support his family.

Travel supposedly broadens the mind, but sometimes it can break your heart. "It's hard," says Lathe's (ph) mother, Haifa (ph). "I cried my heart out. It's not easy to leave your country. But we have no choice."

Increasingly, Iraqis, often the country's best and brightest, are rushing for the exits. Accord to U.N. figures, 2,000 Iraqis leave every day for Syria, 1,000 for Jordan. Some buy car, others by plane, with no idea when they'll be back again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WEDEMAN: And Colleen, there's another side to this story. And that's the situation of displaced people in Iraq. That means people who have left their homes in one part of the country to seek safer ground in another.

Now, according to the U.N. high commissioner for refugees, there are 1.4 million displaced people in Iraq. And that number is growing by 40,000 a month -- Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: Wow. Ben Wedeman for us in Baghdad.

Ben, thanks -- Stephen.

FRAZIER: Colleen, U.S. President Bush's choice to become the next secretary of defense has sailed through the confirmation process. The U.S. Senate has now overwhelmingly confirmed former CIA chief Robert Gates to replace Donald Rumsfeld. The vote, 95 in favor, 2 opposed. The two senators who voted against Gates said they disagree with the idea of talking to Iran and Syria directly.

Gates is now scheduled to be sworn into office December 18th.

MCEDWARDS: A former Russian spy killed by radiation poisoning last month was laid to rest in a London cemetery while Russia launches its own murder investigation into Alexander Litvinenko's death. And there are even more new developments in a British investigation that is already under way.

And to bring you the latest on that, Jennifer Eccleston joins us now live from London.

Hi, Jennifer.

JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Colleen.

The latest information we're getting -- and it's been confirmed by Britain's health protection agency -- is that seven workers at the Millennium Hotel have now tested positive for trace elements of radiation exposure. Now, this is a venue that is significant because it is the venue where Alexander Litvinenko met with two former FSB colleagues on the day he became ill, allegedly that of being poisoned on November 1st.

Now, these two gentlemen are persons of interests. They would like the British police who are ongoing the investigation in Moscow, would like to speed to them. They are Andrei Lugovoi and Dimitri Kovtun.

We also have learned that both of these men have also found trace element of radiation within them. They are in hospital in Moscow.

Lugovoi has been very vocal about his intention in speaking to British authorities in Moscow. But as of yet, he has not been able to do so. But we think that that may happen in the coming days.

We also heard today another development out of Moscow. On that end of the investigation, that Moscow has now ordered its own criminal investigation into the alleged poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko. And we also think that they will be sending their own investigators over to London to help look into that investigation -- Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: Now, how is that particular point being read in London? I mean, is there any concern that if Russia goes ahead and launches its own investigation that somehow they're going to be at odds and they won't get the kind of cooperation that they may need?

ECCLESTON: Well, the latter point there, there has been some -- some people speaking about that. It has not been an ideal situation for the British investigators in Moscow, not being able to talk directly to the potential witnesses. What they have to do right now is sit in on the conversation as Russian prosecutors actually take part in the investigation.

In terms of the Russians launching their own investigation, no official word from London about that, but we think this may be just a logistics issue because, as you know, the Russians have already mentioned that they will not extradite any potential suspects. And having an investigation ongoing in Russia could mean that the case would then be tried in Russian courts -- Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: Jennifer, I shouldn't let you go before we mention that Alexander Litvinenko was laid to rest. I understand he had to be laid to rest in a special casket.

ECCLESTON: Yes, absolutely. Today we had two services to remember Alexander Litvinenko.

One was a prayer service which was held if a central London mosque. The other one was the funeral that came later in the day at a church also in London.

There was a great deal of privacy and secretness about the locations of the funeral. That was, in part, to respect the wishes of the family, because they wanted to have their privacy. But also, there's also some speculation that a large number of Russian exiles here in London would have attended those services, or at least one of those services, and they didn't necessarily want to broadcast it to the world that they were there, because there's a great deal of disquiet amongst the community here that perhaps they can be targeted next.

Now, getting to the point of the casket, yes, there's been speculation that they had to have a very thick casket. It was closed. There was no open casket because of the fear of radiation exposure -- Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: All right. Jennifer Eccleston for us in London.

Thanks, Jennifer.

FRAZIER: The Iraq Study Group's findings are the subject of our "Question of the Day."

MCEDWARDS: We're asking, do you think that the group's recommendations will significantly improve stability in Iraq in 2007?

FRAZIER: You can e-mail us your thoughts, ywt@cnn.com, and we'll read some of your responses a little bit later on YOUR WORLD TODAY.

They have made it clear to us what U.S. politicians and analysts think of the Iraq Study Group findings, but what about the average Iraqi?

MCEDWARDS: Just ahead, we will hear from the leader of Iraq's top Shiite party.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABDUL AZIZ AL-HAKIM, LEADER, SCIRI (through translator): Of course, this report was made by a group of respectable people, but there are differences in some views between me and them.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT: For troops to stay in Iraq?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCEDWARDS: A one-on-one interview with Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, that's coming up after the break on YOUR WORLD TODAY. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MCEDWARDS: Welcome back.

FRAZIER: You are watching YOUR WORLD TODAY, where we bring CNN's international and U.S. viewers up to speed on the most important international stories of the day.

MCEDWARDS: And we're talking about the Iraq Study Group and how it spent months researching facts, interviewing key players, quizzing the analysts, trying to come up with ways to change strategy in Iraq.

FRAZIER: They went over to Iraq, too, but no Iraqi officials actually served on the panel.

U.S. State Department Correspondent Zain Verjee sat down with the leader of the largest Shiite party in Iraq, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE: The Iraq Study Group today issued a recommendation, saying essentially to fix Iraq you have to address the wider regional problems in the Arab and Muslim world.

What do you think about that? Do you think it's a good idea?

AL-HAKIM (through translator): Of course, this report was made by a group of respectable people. But there are differences in some views between me and them.

I see that some information that was mentioned is not precise. The problem of the Middle East is very important and there are many issues here. But the problem in Iraq specifically has nothing to do with the situation in the Middle East today.

VERJEE: With Iraq sliding into deeper and more violent sectarian violence between Shias and Sunnis, do you think that Shias and Sunnis can live side by side in Iraq?

AL-HAKIM (through translator): We cannot imagine anything other than that, because the relationship between the different Iraqi components is very strong, warm, and full of fondness. Iraqi relations are in mixed marriages, mixed business. They lived for hundreds of years without having any social conflict. And even today, the relationship between Shiites and Sunnis is based on fondness.

The violent incidents that are happening are from extremists from this side or the other side fighting each other. But there is a huge effort being made to contain this type of violence so that everyone can live in peace in Iraq.

VERJEE: Then how do you explain one key issue here? You're the leader of the largest Shia party in Iraq, but that party runs a militia that is known as the Badr Brigade. It's been of revenge killings, of tortures, of kidnappings. And you were the head of SCIRI, the largest political party, which the Badr Brigade comes under.

How do you explain that?

AL-HAKIM (through translator): The Badr Brigade had resisted the Saddam regime for more than 20 year, fought battles, defended the Iraqi people. As soon as the Saddam regime collapsed, it didn't carry any weapons and transformed into a political civil organization working inside society.

These accusations are false and baseless. There is no evidence to this and there are only enemies' allegations or those who don't know.

VERJEE: Iraqi officials, the U.S. government, have said that they do have the evidence that death squads are being run and that as the leader of this organization, that many would say that you are responsible for fomenting some of that sectarian violence.

AL-HAKIM (through translator): The death squads exist. Killings, in fact, are going on. And no one can deny this.

I, as a politician, am working with other politicians in Iraq to contain this issue. I am not responsible for any of these accusations. I am not a defense minister, a prime minister or an interior minister. They are directly responsible, and they have more to say about this issue.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCEDWARDS: And we will be back with a look at the latest business headlines still ahead.

FRAZIER: And a little bit later, it's been four years since the last nighttime launch of the space shuttle. And now NASA is getting ready to do it again. If the weather holds out, you'll see this all the way to Nova Scotia.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

More of YOUR WORLD TODAY in just a few minutes. But first, a check on stories making headlines in the United States.

We do have a developing story out of the Boston area. A medical center in Kingston is being evacuated.

CNN's Carol Lin is at the breaking news desk.

Carol, what's happening here?

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Heidi, we want to be clear, it's a medical center, not a hospital. But this medical center, which employs about 40 doctors, has been evacuated, and 11 people transported to a hospital because of a suspicious odor reported in the area of the x-ray machines.

So they have a hazardous materials crew on the scene at South Shore Medical Center right now. They're trying to figure out what the situation is. But they're trying to keep people safe, and so, therefore, an evacuation under way right now -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right.

Also, I understand you have some new developments to report in the Sago Mine tragedy, almost a year ago now.

LIN: That's right, January 2nd, Heidi. This report is supposed to come out Monday, but we have a preview because of the United Mine Workers of America.

Folks might recall that 11 miners were killed, one did survive. What they have found in this report by state investigators is that lightning did cause the methane gas explosion that trapped those miners in the Sago Mine.

Now, no official reaction yet from the union, which contended that the Sago Mine company had something to do with safety violations. But this report saying it was lightning, Heidi. We'll hear more about it on Monday.

COLLINS: Yes. Wow.

All right. Carol Lin, thanks so much for that.

Meanwhile, new information in the poisoned spy case. British health officials confirming seven workers at a bar in London's Millennium Hotel were exposed to low levels of Polonium-210. They are not thought to be in danger. It's the same bar where ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko drank before he died of radiation poisoning.

Litvinenko was laid to rest in London's High Gate Cemetery. His bizarre death now the focus of two criminal probes.

Russian prosecutors have launched an investigation. Any suspect will be tried in Russia. The British detectives also are investigating in Moscow, even though Russian officials say they will not extradite suspects to Britain.

Shivering in the deep freeze. Bitter cold temperatures grip the Midwest. Tens of thousands of electric customers in Missouri and Illinois spent another night without power.

It's been almost a week since an arctic blast blanketed the area in ice and snow. That storm blamed for at least 18 deaths. Frigid temperatures are expected to stick around for a while.

In fact, Reynolds Wolf standing by now at the weather center with more on that.

(WEATHER REPORT) COLLINS: At the top of the hour, back in the "NEWSROOM" with the shuttle launch tonight. Kyra Phillips, Don Lemon will talk all things space today and follow all the other main stories.

Meantime, YOUR WORLD TODAY continues after a quick break.

I'm Heidi Collins.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

MCEDWARDS: Well, Iraqis are responding now to the commission's blueprint for changing the war policy. We want to get some reaction from politicians, as well as ordinary Iraqis. So for that, let's go now to Ahmed Al-Rikaby. He's the founder of the Dijla radio station, which is actually broadcast from west of Baghdad. Actually, he joins us from our studios in London.

Ahmed, thanks a lot for being here.

AHMAD AL-RIKABY, FOUNDER, DIJLA RADIO: Thank you for having me.

MCEDWARDS: So since this report came out, just give us a flavor of the kind of opinion you've been hearing on the radio station.

AL-RIKABY: Well, a couple of hours ago, we have dedicated a show just to discuss this report. The common opinion between our listeners, or the majority of our listeners, is very pessimistic regarding the realization of this report. The majority don't believe that this report will see the light -- I mean in practice.

However, they do see that the report includes some positive suggestions. But the question is whether those suggestions will ever see the light. This is what is the concern for those people who were discussing the report.

At the same time, Iraqis really don't care whether this report is coming from Baker or Hamilton or somewhere else, what they want to see is an end for their problem. They have heard similar positive ideas in the past. They have heard from different countries, promises, good words, nice words. But at the same time, nothing happened. They've been hearing things for about three years. People want to see things taking place in action.

MCEDWARDS: You know, I'm curious -- because we make a lot about the sectarian strife and the religious splits in the country, and I'm wondering if, you know, when people are talking on the radio in this kind of forum if you see the comments really splitting along Shia, Sunni or Kurdish lines or not.

AL-RIKABY: Well, I didn't see this really, because I believe the majority of our listeners are people, just ordinary people, who are not political leaders or senior officials, militias, or religious groups or political groups. I believe the common thing between the majority of our listeners, whether they are Kurds, or Shiites or Sunnis, is that they want to see peaceful country. They want to live a normal life, and that's what they're looking for.

However, of course, I mean, this ethnic and religious background do affect the flavor of the opinion to certain level or to certain degree. Of course, when you receive an opinion from a certain part of Baghdad, those people don't accept anything from the U.S. side. We have heard today from some political groups, especially from the insurgency, that this report will only strengthen the U.S. presence in Iraq, and this is no good. So while some people see the strengthening of the U.S. presence in Iraq as a positive thing, some other people see it as a bad thing.

However, I mean, most Iraqis wouldn't like to see a foreign force in their country, but they're divided about how to see an end of this presence. Some people say after two years would be a good thing. Other people say it may take five years, and some people wants to see a withdrawal taking place today.

MCEDWARDS: And, Ahmad, what do they say about their own government? What do they want from the Iraqi government, particularly when it comes to getting the militias under control and disarmed?

AL-RIKABY: Everybody's suffering from the militias. Everybody's suffering, the Sunnis and the Shiites. So it's one dream for most Iraqis, for the poor, ordinary Iraqis, they want to see an end for this. They would like to see strong government. Unfortunately, they don't trust the government. The majority of the Iraqis do not trust their government. And they feel really unsafe. And in some cases they think it's good to have the militias. If you are Shiite, they think it's good to have a Shiite militia to protect me, because the government is unable of protecting me. And so is the case with the Sunnis. Some Sunnis believe it's good to have a Sunni militia there to protect me from some Shiite attacks...

MCEDWARDS: It's because there's no security, right?

AL-RIKABY: There is no security.

MCEDWARDS: We've to leave it there, Ahmed Al-Rikaby. Thank you very much for your thoughts. I really appreciate it.

AL-RIKABY: Thank you.

MCEDWARDS: All right. That is the take -- some of the voices of the average Iraqi speaking on radio. But what about the rest of the region? With the Study Group calling for an intense regional diplomatic effort, the reaction from neighboring countries certainly takes on an added importance here.

Stephen Frazier joins us now for a closer look on all of that -- Stephen.

FRAZIER: Let's start, Colleen, in Iran, which the ought mores of the Iraq Study Group call the most important player. That nation, of course, has been empowered by the rise to power of Shiites inside Iraq. Now many Iranians feel it is their country which is key to bringing some order to their neighbor. Here's some reaction from a man on the street in Tehran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The Americans occupied Iraq for its own interests. So if they want to pull out of the swamp of Iraq, they need the help of countries in the region.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If the Americans want to solve Iraq's issues, they have to discuss with Iran.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRAZIER: Now, let's turn to Israel, Jerusalem already reacting negatively to the Study Group's report and its recommendation that the Palestinian/Israeli issue be addressed.

And as Atika Shubert reports, the view from Israel is that diplomacy in the region has been tried before and has failed before.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the U.S., the release of the Iraq Study Group report was met with much fanfare. The way forward, as it was titled, said any solution to Iraq had to address the wider Arab/Israeli conflict as well. But in Israel, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says the way forward reached the wrong conclusion.

EHUD OLMERT, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Yes, problems in Iraq, serious as they are, are entirely independent of the controversies between us and the Palestinians.

SHUBERT: The report recommends open' dialogue with Iran and Syria. It calls for the return of the Golan Heights to Syria, territory captured by Israel in the 1967 War in exchange for Syrian concessions in Lebanon and with the Jewish state. But Olmert rejects talks with Syria, saying Israel has tried that before without success. He questioned what Syria could bring to fresh talks.

OLMERT: Is it reasonable to expect that the Syrians in response to -- in the context of these negotiations, will also agree to change the strategy with regard to Iran, with regard to the Palestinian terrorist organizations, with regard to the Hezbollah and the terror in iraq.

SHUBERT: Olmert made clear that for his country, the way forward is not the right direction.

(on camera): President Bush has yet to commit to the study group's recommendations. The prime minister seems to be relying on the president to share his opinion.

Atika Shubert, CNN, Jerusalem. (END VIDEOTAPE)

FRAZIER: Next in our regional report, Syria. And the official word there is that Damascus is glad the people making the recommendations this time around are people with experience in the Middle East, unlike those who advised invasion in 2003.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUTHAINA SHAABAN, SYRIAN CABINET MINISTER: I really thought three years ago that they do have very bad advisers from the region, and that's why we felt that they were acting on concepts that almost are irrelevant to the region. And as you know, Syria stood against the war on Iraq, and President Assad said before the war in Iraq, warned that this war would be disastrous and a better course is to take steps towards resuming peace negotiations. But, of course, the report was done by people of a great understanding, of great experience, and of a feeling, real feeling, to the Middle East.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRAZIER: Syria's government has long said it would like to be part of a solution here. But many analysts say any Syrian help would likely come at a steep political price for the United States. And that is our look at regional reaction to the Iraq Study Group's recommendations. Now Colleen back over to you.

MCEDWARDS; All right Stephen, thanks very much for that. We want to bring you some news just into CNN. The Interfax News Agency is reporting that a key witness in the case of former poisoned spy Alexander Litvinenko is in critical condition.

Now, CNN has not confirmed this. We want to be clear about that. But the Interfax News Agency is now reporting that Dimitri Kovtun who was a contact of Litvinenko's apparently is in critical condition in a hospital and they say it is from radiation poisoning. Now Interfax is quoting an unnamed source on this. Saying that doctors have classified Kovtun's condition as critical, saying also that Kovtun did meet with Litvinenko in London back on November 1st.

Now, that is the day that the former spy actually started to get sick. We are going to bring you more details on this. We are working to confirm it from our Moscow bureau. Just as soon as we get more, we will bring it to you right here on CNN.

NASA says it has made what it terms a tantalizing discovery about the planet Mars. The U.S. space agency is also gearing up for another space shuttle launch. But there's something a little bit different about this one. We'll have details on that for you just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FRAZIER: Welcome back, everyone.

MCEDWARDS: Seen live in more than 200 countries and territories across the globe, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY on CNN International. We want to bring you more now on a just in story that we reported to you just before we went to break. The Russian news agency Interfax reporting that one of the key witnesses in the case of that poisoned former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko is now in critical condition.

Ryan Chilcote is standing by for us now in our Moscow bureau. He's been looking into this. I understand we don't have this independently confirmed right now, Ryan, but tell us what more you've been able to find out.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Colleen. This is all coming from the Russian news agency Interfax who in turn are quoting informed sources. They are saying that Dimitri Kovtun, he is one of the two Russian gentlemen who met Alexander Litvinenko on the 1st of November at the Millennium Hotel the same day that Alexander Litvinenko fell ill, that the Russian news agency Interfax is saying Dimitri Kovtun, one of those two Russian gentlemen that met with Alexander Litvinenko, is in critical condition.

They are more specifically saying that he is in a coma and that he fell into this coma almost immediately after investigators from Scotland Yard and from the Russian prosecutor's office completed their questioning of him.

It was his physical condition -- some people at the Russian prosecutors office are saying -- that prompted them to open a criminal investigation into attempted murder. They say that someone was trying to kill Dimitri Kovtun -- Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: So criminal investigation under way in this case. Is anybody saying anything about a linkage here or is it too soon for that?

CHILCOTE: They're not saying that. But three developments really today. First, we had the Russians come out and say they're now going to, like Scotland Yard, treat Mr. Litvinenko's death as a murder case. They do believe that he was murdered.

Secondly, they came out today and said that Dimitri Kovtun, one of the three individuals -- or one of the two Russians that met with Alexander Litvinenko at that lunch meeting in that London hotel, the Millennium Hotel, that he also is suffering from an illness associated with radiation poisoning.

And thirdly, they said that they are going to open an investigation into a possible attempted murder, a suggestion that they believe that not only was someone trying to kill Litvinenko, but that someone was also trying to kill Dimitri Kovtun -- Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: All right, this just gets bigger and bigger. Ryan Chilcote in Moscow, bringing us up to date on that. Thanks a lot Ryan -- Stephen.

FRAZIER: NASA is gearing up for another shuttle launch. It's a very important one. The first night-time launch in a long time. The first Swede in space. Weather may not be cooperating though. John Zarrella's been watching it. He's standing by right now at Florida's Kennedy Space Center -- John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Stephen. Well, it seems like every time we're here, the weather is an issue. Very rarely isn't an issue. This is the case again today. Only about a 40 percent case the weather will cooperate tonight at 9:45 Eastern time for liftoff.

The problem that NASA has is that it doesn't get any better after this, it's worse tomorrow, and not much better on Saturday. So, if they can't get off the ground tonight, it might not be before Sunday before they have any real opportunity to get Discovery off the ground on this mission to the international space station, a 12-day mission, a very busy mission.

During the mission to the space station, three separate spacewalks, each estimated to be about six and a half hours. Now, the astronauts have spent a significant amount of time training at the Johnston Space Center for this mission, working, as you can see there, donning the spacesuits, working in the swimming pool there which kind of simulates Zero-G gravity.

What they'll have to do in space is literally reconfigure the space station's electrical wiring, plugging and replugging things in, so that they can utilize some of the new solar rays that have been installed up there.

The space station has been in a temporary configuration of its wiring until now. Now they're going to put it into what is considering its permanent wiring. Now, besides that, this being the first night launch, what had happened was up until now, post-Columbia accident, NASA had rules that said you could not launch at night until you had two successful launches during the daytime hours where you could really visibly see the vehicle and make sure that no foam debris was falling off the vehicle.

Well, back in July '05, the first Discovery mission, they had a lot of foam debris falling off. So, they had to still do two missions. The last two have been clean. So, they've opted now to be able to launch at night.

What they'll be able to do is they'll still hope that they can see the vehicle during its ascent by the illumination by the solid rocket boosters. But also there are radars, both at sea on two of these solid booster recovery ships, and one on land, which will be able to detect any pieces of material that might be coming off of the vehicle.

Well, that being said, the commander of this mission, Mark Polasnky, says, you know, you're still a lot better off if you can go in daylight.

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MARK POLANSKY, DISCOVERY COMMANDER: You lose the opportunity to see something that may have come off the tank and may have just missed hitting the vehicle, which would really be something that's not that useful to you on this mission, but would be very useful for the next mission that's going to fly in case some work needed to be done to fix that tank.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA: So, again, what we're looking at is only a 40 percent chance, Stephen, that they can get off the ground tonight. And the weather opportunities, the next couple of days, even worse than they are today. So keeping their fingers crossed as they often are here -- Stephen.

FRAZIER: We've been here before. John, thanks very much for that.

CNN, of course, will have live coverage of the launch of the Shuttle Discovery if it goes off on time. It will be at 9:30 p.m. Eastern and it will be spectacular.

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MCEDWARDS: Actor Denzel Washington is starring in a new movie about the mysterious phenomenon known as deja vu. Our Monita Rajpal sat down with the star to talk about the role.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DENZEL WASHINGTON, ACTOR: More than just the role, I think, was the opportunity to work with Tony again and with Jerry again. The script went through a lot of changes from what I originally read. You know, they sent -- in fact, Tony said, before you read it, just come on in and let me explain to you what I want to do, because he had some different ideas. The original script was, I think, more pure science fiction.

MONITA RAJPAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Is it the -- is that part of the formula in your mind, then, is not necessarily who you're going to play or the type of character you're going to play?

WASHINGTON: It depends. It depends.

RAJPAL: Is it going to be the team you are going to be with?

WASHINGTON: Well, that's very, very important, you know. You want to -- you know, I always say the time to worry about flying is when you're on the ground. So if you don't trust a pilot, then don't go.

You know, and that's sort of how I feel about directors, you know? If it's someone -- once I'm on the plane with them, I let them do their job and I don't worry about it. So I'm real careful about who I work.

RAJPAL: And they let you do your job when it comes to being the dramatic actor that you are.

WASHINGTON: In theory. RAJPAL: How do you stretch your craft, if you will? Because you do so many dramatic roles and you have done dramatic roles. What do you do to stretch it and really work on your craft?

WASHINGTON: Well, at this point, you know, of my life or career, I'm just as interested in what goes on behind the camera. I've produced a half a dozen movies now and I directed one. I'm about to direct another one. So that is the area I think I'm moving into more.

RAJPAL: But in terms of when you are playing a role, when you are playing a dramatic role, how do you make it different each time?

WASHINGTON: Well, hopefully it's by the choice to do it is different to begin with. I mean, you know, this is...

RAJPAL: Do you feel stretched each time though? I guess that's the thing.

WASHINGTON: Well, stretched -- I mean, that's a relative term. I mean, I don't worry about that. You know, if it's something I'm interested in and someone I'm interesting in working with, you know, then it's just about doing the job. I mean, it's not rocket science. It's not that difficult.

RAJPAL: What was it like going back to New Orleans?

WASHINGTON: That's my point, you know, what they're living with and dealing with, that's real. You know, we're just making a movie. It's not a big deal what we're doing. It was nice to be able to feel like, in some small way, we were helping the economy. We were the first film to shoot in New Orleans.

And we were suggesting to the Hollywood community that, hey, you can come back and make movies here. And it was great to be able to put people to work and fill up some of the hotels and all of that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCEDWARDS: And, again, that was Monita Rajpal speaking to actor Denzel Washington in London.

FRAZIER: And that is it for this hour.

MCEDWARDS: I'm Colleen McEdwards. You're watching CNN.

FRAZIER: I'm Stephen Frazier. Stay with us.

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