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Your World Today

Saddam Hussein's Half-Brother, Chief Judge Hanged; Possible Spread of War Into Iran Debated in U.S.; Israeli-Palestinian Tensions Lie Just Below Surface

Aired January 15, 2007 - 12:00   ET

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

JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Two more executions in Iraq brings some celebration, but also more criticism.
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Stepping up shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East -- what the U.S. hopes to accomplish.

CLANCY: Speaking out in song in northern Ireland. We'll explain why some are willing to break the law to uphold their faith.

CHURCH: And from Bollywood, two of India's superstars confirm months of rumors and speculation.

It's 8:00 p.m. in Baghdad, 7:00 p.m. in Cairo.

Hello and welcome to our report broadcast around the globe.

I'm Rosemary Church.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy, and this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

CHURCH: Hello, everyone.

Well, two of Saddam Hussein's co-defendants have now met their fate.

CLANCY: And the Iraqi government this time going out of its way to say all laws were respected when these two men were hanged, but there is a quote here. "A rare incident happened."

CHURCH: That's right. The executions in Baghdad come as Iraqi and U.S. officials lay the groundwork for a new security plan.

CLANCY: All right. A U.S. commander says some of those promised additional U.S. troops already have their boots on the ground.

All right. Let's first get the details on the executions. Significant, perhaps, because Saddam Hussein's half-brother and a former chief judge were the two individuals involved.

Officials report the men were hung with dignity and respect, and they showed videos to reporters to prove that. But we cannot show that to you because of what's being called a gruesome accident.

Arwa Damon has more on that from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sixteen days after Saddam Hussein was hanged, two of his co-defendants, Barzan Ibrahim, his half- brother, the widely feared former intelligence chief, and Awad al- Bandar, former chief judge of the revolutionary court, met the same fate.

The Iraqi government was quick to assert the conditions that made a debacle of Saddam's execution had been avoided.

ALI AL-DABBAH, IRAQI GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN (through translator): There was no violation of procedure. No chants and no insults were directed at the convicts, and the convicts were not subjected to any mistreatment.

DAMON: But the execution didn't go flawlessly. Barzan's head severed from his body.

The man reputed to have carried out gruesome acts of torture, infamous for his courtroom antics, showing up in his pajamas, outbursts, even sitting on the floor and turning his back to the judge, decapitated as he and co-defendant Awad al-Bandar fell to their deaths at 3:00 a.m.

According to one witness, the two appeared to have resigned themselves to their fate.

BASAM RIDHA, ADVISOR TO IRAQI PRIME MINISTER: They were very apologetic. They said, "Please, don't execute me. I want to ask God for forgiveness. I want to do whatever you ask me for."

They were very apologetic. They were given in this time. They did not really give us all -- give the committee any problem whatsoever.

DAMON: The government enforced a clampdown to avoid any post- execution fallout and said it might not release the official video of the hangings and only showed the video of the execution with no audio to a select group of individuals.

According to witnesses, the men wore orange jumpsuits, black hoods, and trembled with fear. The aim, according to the Iraqi government, to dispel rumors that Barzan's body had been mutilated after he died, unless elicit video is once again leaked, as it was in Saddam Hussein's case.

The executions of Ibrahim and al-Bandar will be a story told only by the Iraqi government. On the streets of Baghdad, muted reaction. Predictably, in the Shia stronghold of Sadr City, residents expressed approval. Among others, sorrow and disgust.

In parliament, a heated debate when the speaker, Mahmoud al- Mashidani (ph), a Sunni, saying the government had rushed the executions and turned Saddam into a hero.

(on camera): Iraq's president had also urged the government not to rush to hang Saddam Hussein's two co-defendants, especially in light of the increasing sectarian tensions following the spectacle that was Saddam Hussein's execution. For some, these hangings only serve to underscore that this is a nation where brutality rules.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: U.S. President George W. Bush says more American troops are heading to Iraq with or without the approval of the U.S. Congress. He made the promise Sunday night on the U.S. news program "60 Minutes."

Mr. Bush said -- and I'm quoting here -- "It's my responsibility to put forward the plan that I think will succeed." Referring to U.S. lawmakers, he added, "I believe if they start trying to cut off funds, they better explain to the American people and the soldiers why their plan will succeed."

CLANCY: Rosemary, Mr. Bush is already implementing his new strategy. The U.S. commander in Iraq says the first additional U.S. troops have already arrived in Baghdad to help with a major new security effort. But General George Casey cautions there is no quick fix.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. GEORGE CASEY, U.S. COMMANDER IN IRAQ: As with any plan, there are no guarantees with success, and it's not going to happen overnight. But with sustained political support and the concentrated efforts on all sides, I believe that this plan can work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, the success or failure of the latest U.S. plan for Iraq will likely play out over the course of the next presidential election. So it's no surprise that possible contenders are staking out their positions.

And as Kathleen Koch repots, much of the anxiety in the current debate centers on Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The administration's sales team was out in force -- President Bush, Vice President Cheney, the national security adviser. The pitch, that new Iraq plan will work better than opponents' call for a gradual draw- down.

RICHARD CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We simply go back and revalidate the strategy that Osama bin Laden has been following from day one, that if you kill enough Americans, you can force him to quit, that we don't have the stomach for the fight. That's not an answer. KOCH: Lawmakers, at the same time, were staking out their positions. Possible presidential contenders leaving no doubt about where they stand.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I think this has to work. And I believe it can succeed.

SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R), NEBRASKA: It represents the most dangerous foreign policy blunder since Vietnam.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: A disastrous policy on the part of the Bush administration.

KOCH: Adding to the debate, tough talk against suspected Iranian activity in Iraq. U.S. troops in Iraq detained five Iranians last week. The U.S. military says they are members of the Iranian revolutionary guard Al-Quds, a group known for providing funds, weapons, training and roadside bombs to extremists in Iraq.

CHENEY: But Iran is fishing in troubled waters, if you will, inside of Iraq. And the president has responded to that.

KOCH: National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley insists the administration is not preparing for U.S. military action against Iran.

STEPHEN HADLEY, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: No. The president has said very clearly that the issues we do -- we have with Iran should be solved diplomatically.

KOCH: Hadley later said Iraq was the best place to take on Iranians who were helping Iraqi insurgents but wouldn't say the U.S. has no authority to go into Iran.

HADLEY: I didn't say that. This is another issue. Any time you have questions about crossing international borders, there are legal issues.

KOCH: Lawmakers are eyeing the developments with caution.

MCCAIN: But I think it is very, very important that if Iranians are in Iraq, paying people to be suicide bombers, to help with training and equipping them, and it's vital that we go after them, too.

REP. JOHN MURTHA (D), PENNSYLVANIA: I don't think that the president is trying to build a case. I don't think he has the authority to go into Iran.

KOCH (on camera): But President Bush does have the authority and, for now, the funds already budgeted to send more U.S. troops into Iraq. Vice President Cheney insisting this week's promised non- binding congressional resolution opposing the increase will not affect the president's plans.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: Another indication of defiance from Iran. It says it's pressing ahead with its plan to install 3,000 atomic centrifuges and achieve industrial-scale production of nuclear fuel. Now, this, despite limited sanctions slapped on it last month by the U.N. Security Council. Iran says it is intended for peaceful purposes, although the U.S. and European Union fear otherwise.

CHURCH: Well, there's a new push for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in the region and has already secured a pledge from Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert to meet with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in the coming weeks. The main topic of discussion, the establishment of a Palestinian state.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: The establishment of a Palestinian state should be pursued on its own merits, not because of anything else. Not because of Iran, not because of Iraq, and not because of anything. The Palestinian people have waited a long time for their own state.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And if those talks succeed, there could be quicker action on a series of steps toward an independent state.

CLANCY: Where Israelis and Palestinians live in close quarters there can and there has been tension. Now an Israeli human rights group has brought that tension to the forefront. It's releasing video of Israelis and Palestinians in conflict.

Ben Wedeman has our story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The home video shows a Jewish settler, Yifat el-Kobi (ph), telling the Palestinian girl behind the camera, 16-year-old Raja Abu Aisha (ph), to go back in her home. It soon descends into a shouting match, with el-Kobi (ph) repeatedly calling Abu Aisha a whore and Abu Aisha spitting in el-Kobi's (ph) face.

All the while, an Israeli soldier watches but doesn't intervene.

The video prompted Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert to condemn el-Kobi's (ph) behavior as shameful, arrogant and brutal. Police have questioned el-Kobi (ph) about the incident, which took place last summer, and released her.

Settler and journalist David Wilder says the whole affair has been overblown.

DAVID WILDER, JEWISH COMMUNITY SPOKESMAN: I don't understand what the problem is. I think that people yell at other people all over the world every day. People have problems with their neighbors in the United States and in Japan and in Israel, too.

WEDEMAN: But a dustup in Tokyo or Toledo doesn't have the same impact as an altercation between Arab and Israeli in this ancient and holy city, where both Muslims and Jews believe the prophet Abraham is buried.

Around 500 Jewish settlers live in an enclave surrounded by over 100,000 Palestinians. And more than 30,000 Palestinians live within the Israeli-controlled area. Their movements restricted and they're frequently under curfew. Tensions with their Jewish neighbors are intense.

In the neighborhood where the incident took place, the Abu Aisha family lives on one side of the road, settlers on the other. But as far as neighborly relations go, they might as well live on opposite sides of the globe.

Taysir Abu Aisha shows me the pile of complaints against his neighbors he submitted to the police.

"Sometimes the police will question the settlers," he tells me, "and things will cool off a bit. But after a month or two, the settlers start making problems again."

The late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat gave Abu Aisha the money to put up a steel mesh to protect his home, frequently stoned, he says, by the settlers. The Israeli human rights group B'tselem provided the Abu Aisha family with a camera which recorded the incident. The group says the Israeli army and police turn a blind eye to Jewish settlers.

SARIT MICHAELI, B'TSELEM: Our research shows in many cases that the police are not briefed and are not forced to treat the safety of Palestinians as seriously as the safety of Israelis in this area.

WEDEMAN: It's an area where normal life long ago came to a halt and where the concept of "love thy neighbor" has been forgotten.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Hebron, on the West Bank.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: We're going to take a short break here.

But Rosemary, coming up, a victory that -- well, it seemed like a victory for gay rights groups in northern Ireland. A little different twist.

CHURCH: That's right. But that victory violates some other peoples' rights. We'll take a look at that.

We'll have both sides of an explosive debate in just a moment.

CLANCY: Also coming up, another leftist leader is inaugurated in Latin America. Why is the U.S. back yard leaving left?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

CLANCY: The program where we try to bring our viewers in the U.S. and around the world the news from an international perspective.

Well, let's take a look at our top stories today.

Two of Saddam Hussein's closest aids are executed.

There's growing debate over the latest U.S. plan to improve security in Iraq.

And word of a three-way summit to come between Israel, the Palestinian president, and the U.S. secretary of state following some whirlwind diplomacy by Condoleezza Rice.

CHURCH: Well, now to London, where prosecutors are laying out their case against six men accused of plotting to attack the transit system. The men were arrested in 2005 after what authorities say was failed attempts to blow up three trains and a bus.

James Blake has more on the alleged plot.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMES BLAKE, REPORTER (voice over): Six men on trial accused of plotting to carry out a series of murderous suicide bombings. There is a huge security operation at Woolwich Crown Court this morning. Only one of the defendants is on bail, Adel Yahya, seen here on the right.

All six are charged with conspiracy to murder and cause explosions. They are Manfo Kwaku Asiedu, Mokhtar Said Ibrahim, accused of trying to blow up a number 26 bus. Hussain Osman is alleged to have targeted Shepherd's Bush station. Ramsi Mohammed is accused of trying to bomb Oval station. And Yassin Hassan Omar, the suspect from Warren Street station.

Yassin Omar's flat in New Southgate was the bomb factory, according to the prosecution, where explosives were placed in plastic containers with screws and nuts to maximize the possibility of injury. Their alleged plot happened exactly two weeks after 52 people were killed in the July 7th attacks.

In the morning rush hour, another terrorist alert. Police discovered suspect bombs on three tube trains and a bus.

A huge manhunt followed. CCTV images of the suspects were released.

This morning, the jury was told that the conspiracy "... had been in existence long before the events of July 7th and did not appear to be some hastily arranged copycat." The bombs were made using a mix of liquid hydrogen peroxide, japati (ph) flour, acetone and acid. They would have been detonated by triacetone triperoxide, or TATP. According to the prosecution, this is not made commercially. It's too dangerous for that.

Nigel Sweeney Q.C. (ph) showed a replica bomb to the jury designed to be carried in a rock (ph) sack out of view. He said six had been made, but only five were deployed on July the 21st. All six men deny the charges.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And that was James Blake reporting there.

CLANCY: We're going to take you to northern Ireland now. Certainly an area that has seen religious conflict, not for decades, but for centuries. But this is a story about something different than the battle between Protestants and Catholics there.

A new civil rights law in northern Ireland making it illegal for businesses to discriminate against homosexuals. And it could soon be introduced throughout the rest of the U.K. But now there are protests -- and believe me, they are speaking out -- claiming that this new law violates their right to religious freedom.

Paula Hancocks is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(SINGING)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A choice between obedience to God and obedience to the state, that is what these religious protesters say the latest gay rights law boils down to. Legislation upheld by the House of Lords makes it illegal for a business in northern Ireland to discriminate against homosexuals. Meaning, in theory, hotels cannot turn away a gay couple or a wedding photographer cannot say no to filming a gay wedding.

Critics claim that by staying on the right side of the law, they will be on the wrong side of their belief that homosexuality is a sin.

REV. IAN PAISLEY, DEMOCRATIC UNIONIST PARTY: The word of God has been challenged. All sorts of evil speakers have come to the poor, rejecting the path of purity that God has presented in his bible.

THOMAS CORDREY, LAWYERS'S CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP: We should not be required to act against our fundamental beliefs and the beliefs taught in the bible that all extramarital sex is wrong, both homosexual and heterosexual.

HANCOCKS (on camera): As well as this protest, organizers say they have handed in a petition with more than 10,000 names on it to the queen's private secretary, asking the queen to ask her government to reconsider this law.

(voice over): Pastor Eric McComb owns a nursing home in northern Ireland and will not admit homosexuals. He will also not hire out his local church hall for a gay function.

PASTOR ERIC MCCOMB, ELIM PENTECOSTAL CHURCH: This is reverse discrimination. This is government telling us that we have got to accept things that we believe are morally wrong and are not for the benefit of society.

HANCOCKS: He knows he is breaking the law, but refuses to compromise.

MCCOMB: At the end of the day, we'll ultimately obey God rather than man. And God's law is more important to us.

HANCOCKS: Supporters of these regulations say they simply want rights granted to people of different religions in 1998 to be extended to people of different sexuality.

REV. RICHARD KIRKER, LESBIAN & GAY CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT: Whether I'm in a same-sex relationship or not, I'm bringing business. I'm bringing custom. And that should be the end the story. And if anybody has difficulty with people like myself and many millions of others who are in same-sex relationships, then, quite frankly, they should not be offering such a service.

HANCOCKS: The Christian Institute has won a high court judicial review of the law in March. If that fails, the law could be applied to the rest of Britain as early as April.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: All right. Just ahead, the Missouri miracle. The story of missing kids who've been found.

Great story.

CLANCY: It is a great story. And then later we're going to take a look at going for an easy ride in Cuba.

Not so easy after all, Rosemary. How one man is beating the odds as he struggles to keep Havana bikers riding on.

(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.

The boys snatched off the streets and hidden in plain sight. The details of their captivity still a mystery, at least for now.

What we do know, the 41-year-old man accused of kidnapping them is in jail. But what kind of prison held the boys, one for four days, the other, Shawn Hornbeck, for more than four years? The latest from CNN's Chris Lawrence, beginning with Shawn's state of mind.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, I spoke with the Washington County sheriff who has talked with Shawn face to face. He said he is basically elated to be home. He said he's been trying to catch up with family members, some of whom were born after he disappeared.

He said that on the surface, Shawn seems happy, but he can tell there is something there deep down. And the sheriff feels it's going to take some time to bring out exactly what that is.

COLLINS: Have you been able, Chris, to find out any information about Shawn's activities on the Internet?

LAWRENCE: Yes, that was the interesting thing, Heidi. When you say he was hiding in plain sight, you know, they weren't holed up somewhere.

Although Shawn didn't go to school, he did have friends. I spoke with someone this morning who said, at one point, one of Shawn's friends said, you know, "Hey, you look like that missing kid," and that Shawn kind of just brushed it off.

We do know that either Shawn or Michael Devlin was active on the Internet on several sites. I looked at Shawn's Yahoo! profile. And although it is a profile for Shawn, a teenage boy, the actual e-mail address reads mdevlin.

COLLINS: Boy, it's so hard to know what sort of trauma they were going through at the time, certainly.

What is the latest now on Michael Devlin's legal status?

LAWRENCE: Well, he's being held on about $1 million bond. And he'll have several arraignments. The one in this county right here won't actually take plus until later this week. In the next couple of days, he is expected to be arraigned on a kidnapping charge in a nearby county.

COLLINS: All right. CNN's Chris Lawrence with the very latest on the story.

Chris, thank you.

Much of the nation's heartland still feeling the impact from a major ice storm.

Meteorologist Bonnie Schneider has the very latest.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Celebrating a life and remembering a legacy that changed a nation. Today is the national holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. Our T.J. Holmes is at the King Center now in Atlanta.

Good morning to you once again there, T.J.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there, Heidi.

It has turned into a gorgeous spring day pretty much here in January on this MLK day, which happens this year to actually fall on the actual birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It doesn't happen that often every year, so certainly something to celebrate, a lot to celebrate here.

The commemorative service at the historic Ebenezer Church where Dr. King gave so many of his classic sermons. Had a commemorative service there that wrapped up a short time ago. Now you're seeing people file behind me past the crypt of Dr. King, and also Coretta Scott King.

So a big day of celebration. A march still planned and a rally which will conclude right here in downtown -- or near downtown, here at the national King historic site.

But again, Heidi, it's kind of a different day as well, because this is the first MLK day we've seen without Coretta Scott King, who, of course, died last year.

COLLINS: She will be missed, of course, on this day, indeed.

HOLMES: Yes.

COLLINS: T.J. Holmes live from right here in Atlanta.

Thanks, T.J.

And ahead today in the "NEWSROOM," on HBO's "Entourage" Jeremy Piven played a Hollywood agent with a heart of coal. Stick him in the anchor chair, the smooth operator just falls apart. You'll see that. And don't miss this Golden Globe nominee in the "NEWSROOM" at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.

YOUR WORLD TODAY continues after a quick break.

I'm Heidi Collins.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

CHURCH: Well, the U.s. commander in Iraq says the first additional troops promised by President Bush have arrived in Baghdad. General George Casey warns there will be no quick fix, but says he does think the new security plan can work.

I want to bring in our senior Pentagon correspondent, our Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie. JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, even as those U.S. first troops begin to arrive in Baghdad, U.S. commanders on the ground there are lowering expectations in the initial stages of this new strategy, which really won't get into high gear until next month when the first additional Iraqi troops are scheduled to arrive. General George Casey, the top U.S. commander on the ground, said that there are no guarantees of success in this mission, and he said he did not expect results overnight.

However, he did say that he believes the strategy will be successful because he said one of the big differences this time is the stronger level of political commitment from the Iraq government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. GEORGE CASEY, U.S. COMMANDER IN IRAQ: It is Iraqi conceived and will be Iraqi lead not only on the security side, but on the political, economic, and media -- public affairs sides. We finished a -- one of the several iterations of the briefings that we had and the planned development, and at the end, the chairman of the group said -- announced -- he said, this is the first Iraqi plan since the war, and the room broke into applause. So a lot more Iraqi buying in, and that's very important.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCINTYRE: And the other difference, he says, is that the U.S. really feels that it has a chance here to help some of those Iraqi troops which have been a problem, Casey conceded in the past, to help them succeed in this mission. And again, Casey says he has opposed sending additional U.S. troops to Iraq in the past, but he's never hesitated to ask for them when he think he needs them. In this case, he says he believes the additional troops will really help turn the tide in Baghdad, but again, urging caution.

This, by the way, this plus-up of the U.S. troops, comes as Great Britain is making plans to draw down its troops. Defense secretary, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates speaking in Belgium, said he certainly understood what the British were up to. He said they're operating in a different part of the country, down in the south, near Basra where the security conditions may, indeed, permit such a draw- down while the U.S. is concentrating on Baghdad, which U.S. commanders believe is the center of gravity -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right, Jamie McIntyre, thanks so much -- Jim.

CLANCY: Well, let's get a little bit more on that. Of course, the Bush strategy being debated to no end in U.S. political circles, but how about on the international scene? How is this plan perceived across the globe? Daniel Dombey is a diplomatic correspondent for the "Financial Times." He joins us now from London for the view from there. And certainly as President Bush is talking about an increase in U.S. troops on the ground there, many of the British public, quite happily, perhaps, see their troops on the way to the exits.

DANIEL DOMBEY, "FINANCIAL TIMES": Yes, that's right. The Iraq war hasn't been a popular war in the U.K., certainly first since the very early days of the summer of 2003. And in the U.K., the government has been preparing opinions for what we expect to be a fairly significant draw-down, really in the next few months.

And Mr. Blair is likely to announce in parliament in about a month's time, that with the conclusion of a major military operation that's currently taking place around the city of Basra, there will be some kind of draw-down. At the moment, the U.K. has about 7,100 troops in Iraq. That's likely to come down to about 4,500, and those troops will be taken off the streets of Basra. They'll be taken to the base there, so that they can act to protect the border, to protect supply lines, and be there as a reserve force.

And it's very interesting, of course, to see that development happening, the U.K. troops coming down in size at the same time as the U.S. is sending 21,000 more troops.

CLANCY: All right, many other people looking at this, trying to analyze it. And we're hearing from members of the Bush administration here, a lot of talk about Iran. Even though the focus is on Iraq. There is still that element of Iran. Robert Gates, the incoming U.S. defense secretary, had strong comments to make. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GATES, U.S. DEFENSE SECY.: The Iranians clearly believe that we're tied down and -- in Iraq, that they have the initiative, that they're in a position to press us in many ways. They are doing nothing to be constructive in Iraq at this point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: All right. You hear there the word coming from the U.S. defense secretary. I'm just wondering how nervous does that make others about what they may see in terms of U.S. aims?

DOMBEY: Well, I think it's interesting in Europe. Europe, I think, is concerned about the U.S.'s stance on Iran; it's not panicked, however. It's certainly true that the engagement with Iran that was present in the president's speech last week was military engagement, talking about, you know, disrupting Iranians coming into Iraq to try and support the militias there. And we've seen that in the town of Arbil (ph) as well, where the supposedly Iranian diplomats have been detained by the U.S.

Now it's interesting in that instance, but the British, who are of course the U.S.'s closest ally in Iraq, have not rallied to the U.S.'s defense in this case. They simply said that this is a question for the Iranians, for the Iraqis and for the Americans, and it's something that they're not getting involved. So we're not seeing any kind of strong support from the Europeans for this rather muscular approach from the Americans on Iran.

CLANCY: But you know, Americans look at this and say, what it is about the Europeans? They don't get it. They don't see what's at stake here. They don't understand the threat that Iran poses well beyond its borders. They don't understand what a meltdown and a victory for Islamist in Iraq, extremists in Iraq, is going to mean for the entire world, not just for Washington and the United States.

DOMBEY: Well, I think, again, this just depends what perspective you take. And the perspectives are very different when you cross the Atlantic. The U.S. has many troops in Iraq. Countries in Europe like Spain and Italy have taken their troops out. The UK is slimming down its presence there.

So, there's a sense there that it's -- in those European countries that have exited or are exiting, there's a sense really if you talk to people after a couple of drinks, that the battle in Iraq is lost. That certainly in militarily terms, it's not something that's winnable.

It is something of the most enormous consequences, but it's not an issue on which the U.S. can expect to prevail by purely or mainly military means.

That, I think, is something that's a very strong message from a lot of the foreign ministries of European. And I think a lot of people were disappointed, but not surprised when they saw such a strong emphasis on military means in Mr. Bush's speech.

When you come to Iran, however, it is a very interesting case. It's true that people like Mr. Blair emphasize that they think that Iran is the biggest strategic challenge in the Middle East. However, many of them are very, very concerned about any suggestion of a military attack on Iran.

CLANCY: OK.

Engagement, not military, an overwhelming feeling across Europe. Thanks Daniel for being with us there, the diplomatic correspondent for the financial times. Thanks.

Thank you.

DOMBEY: In whatever form.

CLANCY: Engagement: diplomatic, political, not military, an overwhelming feelings, perhaps, across Europe. I want to thank Daniel Dombey for being with us there, the diplomatic correspondent for the Financial Times. Thanks.

DOMBEY: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, for some time now, worldwide support has been waning for U.S. policy in Iraq.

CLANCY: Coming up, with another pivotal election in Latin America, the U.S. might also be losing some hearts and minds in its own backyard.

CHURCH: And from Cuba, a popular pass time faces some hard times due to some political road blocks. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Welcome back, everyone. Now to South America where Rafael Correa, sworn in as the new president of Ecuador. Mr. Correa won the November election running as an outsider pledging to make the the government responsive to the country's poor majority.

He says his first act is going to be to call a national referendum in order to re-write Ecuador's constitution. That should set up a show-down with the national congress, which is dominated by traditional parties that Mr. Correa has vowed to fight.

CHURCH: Well, Mr. Correa is the merely latest leftist with hostility to the United States to take power in Latin America. And touring the region as we speak is another thorn in Washington's side, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahamadinejad.

For more, we are joined by Michael Shifter of Inter-American Dialogue, a policy group specializing in Western Hemisphere affairs in Washington.

Thanks for joining us, Mr. Shifter. Can we start by getting on idea why you think it is that we're witnessing the governments in South America moving toward the left?

MICHAEL SHIFTER, INTER-AMERICAN DIALOGUE: Well, we're witnessing in Latin-American is a much greater concern with the social agenda, economic policies have produced some growth, but very little progress in terms of reducing poverty and equality. So there's a lot of frustration in Latin America. That was revealed by the number of elections that were had in the region.

And the second tendency is greater desire for greater distance and independence from the United States. The governments don't want to be seen as the backyard of the United States as has been the case traditionally. And so they want to exercise their options in the regional and global context.

And so that's what we're saying. Whether you want to call it left or use another term that might be -- capture what's going on, but these are the two central driving forces that we're seeing. But different countries have different ways of responding. And Hugo Chavez is clearly the most belligerent, the most confrontational. Other governments also part of this group are much more moderate and much more pragmatic.

We'll have to see which way President Correa goes.

CHURCH: And you appear to be reluctant to use the label "leaning toward the left." But how far left do you think Mr. Correa is likely going to go?

SHIFTER: Well, I think he's going to have trouble going all the way to the left, if you call all the way to the left cutting ties with the United States. He can't just rely on allies like Hugo Chavez, he needs to have lots of different options, he needs to rely on the market. He has to deal with traditional parties in his country.

He is the complete outsider. His party has no support in Congress. There was an election for Congress as well on October 15, and he had nobody from his party as part of that.

So what is his strength, which is his outsider image and outsider background is also weakness in governing. And so I think he's going to have to be pragmatic in making decisions on economic policy, on social and on foreign relations.

CHURCH: What could an alliance with the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, mean?

SHIFTER: Well, I think it's going to mean that he is going to take advantage of Chavez's now awash in resources from oil, the country is going through a bonanza. Clearly Rafael Correa wants to pursue a very ambitious, aggressive social agenda. He can be helped by some resource from Hugo Chavez.

What he's going to get in return, we'll have to see. I think there will be support for Chavez political, but from all accounts in Ecuador, Rafael Correa, is also going to be his own man. He's also indicated his support for other governments in Latin America that don't share Hugo Chavez's agenda. So I think he's going to try to exercise and multiply his options.

But he's certainly going to take advantage of the resource that Hugo Chavez, and only the Venezuelan government in Latin America has at this time and that is prepared to spend to try to extend and strengthen its own political agenda in Latin America.

CHURCH: All right. Well, we'll certainly be watching. Michael Shifter, thanks so much for talking with us.

SHIFTER: Thank you. My pleasure.

CLANCY: Here's a story I've been waiting for, for some time in this news cast. For decades, Cubans have suffered in the stranglehold of a U.S. trade embargo, cannibalizing their machines, whether automobiles or others for spare parts. Well, that's all the Cuban motorcycle riders can do to keep their prized bikes revving. Karl Penhaul is there. And he has the story for us. You'll like this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Being an easy rider in Havana is tougher than it looks. Every day is a struggle to keep these plastic Harley Davidson motorcycles on the road. The U.S. embargo aimed at crippling Cuba's economy has cut off most American goods and services including Harleys and spare parts.

SERGIO MORALES, MECHANIC (through translator): We've been courageous enough to confront the U.S. blockade and the lack of spares for 50 years. I think we can hold out for much longer. They can't crush our spirit. PENHAUL: Sergio Morales is living room is his workshop. It's one of many front lines in the daily fight Cubans are waging against shortages, some caused by the U.S. embargo, others by Cuba's Soviet style economic planning. It's a fight, Morales says, he's winning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Lots of years have gone by. These bikes have not died. We have grown in experience and found solutions without destroying the original character of the bikes.

PENHAUL: Morales (ph) estimates there are still about 100 working Harleys on the island. This 1960 was one of the last new Harleys imported. It arrived just before President Dwight Eisenhower banned most U.S. exports to Cuba in a bid to counter what he feared was a Communist menace. Chicago biker Mario Nieves steers clear of the politics. As international head of the Latin American Motorcycle Association, he's visiting Morales (ph), the chapter leader in Latin America.

MARIO NIEVES, LATIN AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE ASSOC.: We don't care if you're from Poland, from Czechoslovakia, from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico. Bikers are bikers and we roam free.

PENHAUL: He's amazed how Cuban enthusiasts modify parts.

NIEVES: They've adapted Russian cars, pistons to their bikes. They've adapted transmissions from French vehicles, gears from this and parts from that.

PENHAUL: That ingenuity turned the Havana Harley meet into a time warp. Glistening Duo-Glides, Electro-Glides, Knuckleheads and Panheads from the '40s, '50s, and 1960. And a T-shirt playing tribute to revolutionary easy rider, Che Guevara, whose bike exploits were featured in the movie "Motorcycle Diaries."

(on camera): Fixing these bikes has cost them sweat, tears and more than a little imagination. And now for the moment of truth, it's time to kick start the engines.

(voice-over): They may be surviving the embargo, thanks partly to Soviet spare parts, but they still roar like all American Harleys. Karl Penhaul, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: All right. Now to entertainment news. Hollywood has Brad and Angelina.

CLANCY: Yes, but now Bollywood in India is getting its own super couple, Rosemary.

CHURCH: As two of India's most beloved of popular actors announce they're tying the knot.

CLANCY: Our own Satinder Bindra has details on a love match that's driving fans wild.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rumors of a steamy romance between two of Bollywood's hottest stars first surfaced a few months ago when 1994 Miss World Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan were spotted at a temple. Those rumors were finally confirmed late Sunday when Bachchan, son of Bollywood icon and superstar Amitabh Bachchan was engaged to co-star Aishwarya Rai. Amitabh Bachchan himself drove his future daughter-in-law home in the midst of what can only be described as a media frenzy.

AMITABH BACHCHAN, ACTOR: I've always felt extremely, extremely honored and very moved by the emotion shown by the people of this country, no matter what our family goes through.

BINDRA: As word of the engagement leaked out, friends and well- wishers and hundreds of fans made a bee line for the Bachchan house. "I'm here," she says, "to bless them both Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek a long and happy life together."

Millions of movie-crazy Indian fans treat their stars as virtual gods. Aishwarya Rai's face is recognized around the globe. She was on the cover of "Time" magazine in 2003 and has been interviewed by both David Letterman and Oprah Winfrey.

With about 40 movies under his belt, Abhishek Bachchan is a big star in his own right. The engagement comes as the couple's latest film "Guru," with an elaborate wedding scene, has just been released. With real life for the story couple prove to be so picture perfect? Astrologer Kamul Dio (ph) says not likely. "They'll face some marriage problems," he says, "but the problems won't be discussed openly. They'll manage it among themselves."

One indication of Rai's popularity in India: this artist is creating 25 different sculptures of her. No wedding date has been set, but when it happens, don't be surprised if it's even grander than the movie version. Satinder Bindra, CNN, New Delhi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: And that is our report. I'm Jim Clancy.

CHURCH: Oh, the romance. And I'm Rosemary Church. Stay with us.

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