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Your World Today

Deadly Bombings in Baghdad; Iranian Involvement in Iraq; Australian Parliament Debates Censuring Howard

Aired February 12, 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: Bitter memories become cold-blooded killings on the anniversary of a bombing that set off Iraq's seething sectarian violence.
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Howard versus Obama. A transcontinental flap erupts over what Howard said about what Obama would do as president.

CLANCY: How much is too much of a good thing? They're heading for record snowfall in New York State.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Grammy for the album of the year goes to the Dixie Chicks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: Scorned no more. Three musicians get their revenge.

It is 8:00 p.m. In Baghdad, 4:00 a.m. in Sydney.

Hello and welcome to our report broadcast around the globe.

I'm Hala Gorani.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy.

From Jakarta, to Oswego, New York, to Moscow, wherever you're watching, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

As Iraqis pause to remember an attack that set off a year of brutal sectarian warfare, new violence hit Baghdad. The black smoke so thick, it turned a sunny day, in some cases, into night.

CLANCY: And that's just one of the stories that we're following this hour. At least 90 people killed when bombs ripped through a crowded market in the capital today, several of them, even as Iraq's prime minister made a plea for unity.

GORANI: Also, Iran is answering U.S. charges that it's funneling sophisticated weapons to Shia militia in Iraq. It says they're "all lies."

CLANCY: Meantime, in Washington, it's experted to be the most intent debate on Iraq since this war began. Lawmakers considering a resolution opposing President Bush's policy.

We're going to begin our report, though, in Baghdad, where we have two reporters standing by for you. Arwa Damon is covering those deadly bombings, Michael Ware has details of those U.S. charges against Iran, as well as Tehran's response.

Let's start with Arwa.

What is the latest toll that you can tell us about there, and how did this come to pass this day?

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jim, today has really been an example of just the devastating violence that really plagues the capital every day. But today's attacks also bearing new meaning since they did come on the day when the Iraqi government was commemorating the bombing of the Al-Askariya mosque a year ago, according to the Islamic lunar calendar.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON (voice over): Thick, choking smoke, flames raging out of control after three car bombs ripped through the clothing and perfume sections at Baghdad's main wholesale marketplace. Firefighters battled the blaze for hours, black smoke filling the capital skyline.

The bombings coming shortly after a roadside bomb detonated in another crowded commercial area of the city. The four bombs killed scores of Iraqis and wounded more than 170 in just 20 bloody minutes.

The impact devastating, further paralyzing a society already living in fear. Imagine a trip to the marketplace, or heading out to work, and then sheer carnage.

"I have a shop at Keni (ph) building," this shop owner says, "a few meters away from the explosions. We felt the shock wave."

Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki also heard the blasts, exactly at the moment he was calling for unity, during a speech on the anniversary of the bombing of the Al-Askariya mosque in Samarra, one year ago on the Islamic lunar calendar. A grim event that catapulted Iraq's sectarian violence to new levels.

A second explosion heard. This time as Maliki was expressing his optimism about the new Baghdad security plan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DAMON: On the streets of Baghdad, really very little optimism about this new plan. Its impact, if any, has yet to be felt. And perhaps a reminder of the challenges that lie ahead in trying to secure the capital was the plume of black smoke that we could see clearly for hours following the bombings that happened earlier -- Jim.

CLANCY: Arwa Damon reporting there the latest bombing activities, as well as the prime minister's comments and how the security plan is going ahead. Those markets that are repeatedly -- repeatedly hit by car bombs certainly one area that this plan is going to have to take into consideration. But there's more news coming from Iraq -- Hala.

GORANI: Right. Those U.S. accusations that Iran is supporting Shia militia in Iraq. U.S. officials literally laid their case on the table over the weekend, displaying arms they say are proof of Iranian involvement.

Let's bring in Michael Ware for more on that and Iran's response -- Michael.

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Hala, what we saw over the weekend was U.S. officials lay out what they say is a growing body of evidence of Iranian military interference targeting U.S. and British soldiers here in Iraq. Essentially, a senior U.S. defense intelligence analyst said Iran is fighting a very sophisticated proxy war against the U.S. forces, using cutouts and surrogates.

Now, this briefing focused on what evidence U.S. military intelligence has. You peel away the smoke and you peel away the cloak and dagger. And what you're left with is evidence like this of munitions the U.S. military says are being used here to kill coalition troops that bear Iranian markings or can be traced back to Iran.

The difficulty, however, as intelligence analyst said, there is no smoking gun. Imagine if you will CIA operatives most likely in Afghanistan fighting the Soviet Union in the '80s did not bring down Soviet helicopters themselves but were responsible for supplying the weapons that did. That's the argument U.S. military is making now about Iran's involvement with the Shia malitia.

GORANI: Michael, we've heard accusations that Iran has been involved in arming militia in Iraq before. We've heard it from the Brits, for instance.

Why is the U.S. laying its case on the table now? What should we read into the timing?

WARE: Well, it's certainly less than coincidental. I mean, the pressure is definitely ramping up. And what we're seeing here is the U.S. military, indeed, the administration, ratcheting up the rhetoric in its campaign of accusation against Iran.

I mean, it's a two-track campaign here. In the United States Nations Security Council, you had the deliberations over Iran's nuclear program. Here on the ground, it's a proxy war actually being fought out between warring groups.

So there's a number of levels where this is operating. Where it will end, however, is a completely different question. There seems to be very little that the U.S. can do to counter the kind of Iranian interference that the intelligence community is mapping out.

GORANI: OK. Michael Ware, live in Baghdad.

Thank you, Michael. CLANCY: All right. We have a question now for our viewers on all of this.

What do you think about these allegations?

GORANI: All right. Do you believe Iran is arming Iraqi Shia insurgents? What do you make of the timing as well? Do you think there's too little evidence to support Washington's case?

CLANCY: We want to know what you think. E-mail us at yourviews@cnn.com. Be sure to tell us where you're writing from.

GORANI: Well, also in Iraq, the country's former vice president has been sentenced to death by hanging in connection with the Dujail killings in 1982. Taha Yassin Ramadan had originally been sentenced to life in prison, but the ruling was appealed. U.N. human rights chief Louise Arbour filed a court brief urging the tribunal not to sentence Ramadan to death, saying the trial was unfair.

CLANCY: Now, political infighting, sagging approval ratings, and accusations of using the war in Iraq for political gains.

GORANI: Right. It sounds more like Washington, some say, but Australian prime minister John Howard is in the hot seat for comments he made attacking a U.S. presidential candidate over his policy on Iraq.

CLANCY: Now, Mr. Howard's remarks setting off an uproar, as you can imagine, both in the United States and in Australia. Let's get some details now from Laurie Oakes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAURIE OAKES, REPORTER NATIONAL NINE NEWS (voice over): One of the three top contenders for the Democrat presidential nomination said he took John Howard's broadside as a compliment.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: I think it's flattering that, you know, one of George Bush's allies on the other side of the world started attacking me a day after I announced.

OAKES: Mr. Howard set off a storm when on yesterday's Sunday program he blasted Senator Obama for proposing withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq by March next year and appeared to condemn other Democrats as well.

JOHN HOWARD, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: If I was running Al Qaeda in Iraq, I would put a circle around March 2008 and pray as many times as possible for victory, not only for Obama, but also for the Democrats.

OAKES: In parliament today, Mr. Howard was unrepentant.

HOWARD: I do not retract the statements that I made yesterday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was a grave error of prime ministerial judgment.

OBAMA: I would suggest that he calls up another 20,000 Australians and sends them to Iraq.

OAKES: As American TV networks jumped on the story, other Democrats joined in, telling the Australian prime minister to butt out of U.S. politics.

SEN. RON WYDEN (D), OREGON: The most charitable thing you can say about Mr. Howard's comment is it's bizarre.

OAKES (on camera): Labor moved to censure Mr. Howard, claiming he had damaged the American alliance and put his friendship with Republican president George W. Bush ahead of the national interests.

KEVIN RUDD, OPPOSITION LEADER: To accuse the Democrat Party as being terrorists' party of choice, this is a most serious charge.

HOWARD: I was talking yesterday about an individual, Mr. Speaker.

RUDD: You are called out, Prime Minister, by the text of what you said yesterday.

OAKES (voice over): Laurie Oakes, National Nine News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: You can see some of the controversy there.

But we've got other stories that we're following around the world.

(NEWSBREAK)

GORANI: A mass kidnapping, a mysterious rebel group, and revelations from a CNN reporter have combined to create an international controversy.

CLANCY: Coming up right here on YOUR WORLD TODAY, what the rebel leader told our Jeff Koinange about the kidnapping plot. And a Nigerian minister tells us why his government is so angry at CNN and Koinange's report.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: Welcome back to CNN International. This is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

CLANCY: Where we try to bring you, our international and U.S. viewers, up to speed on some of the most important international stories of the day.

Well, the Nigerian government reacting to a CNN report on rebels holding a number of hostages in the Niger River Delta. That's the area that's so oil rich in the south of the country. Now, in the report, our Africa correspondent, Jeff Koinange, interviewed a man who said that he was the leader of the rebel group that was known as the Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or MEND, for short.

The rebels were holding 24 Filipino seamen abducted from a German freighter last month. They're threatening to launch a major offense aimed at foreign interests in Nigeria.

Now, the rebel group's leader says billions of dollars are made from oil sales that come -- they originate in the Niger River Delta. And very little of the money, he charges, goes to the benefit of the people who live there.

The Nigerian government strongly denies the charges, and they've leveled some charges of their own against CNN and our correspondent, Jeff Koinange.

Earlier, we talked with Nigeria's minister of information, Frank Nweke, about the controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK NWEKE, NIGERIAN MINISTER OF INFORMATION: At the time I first heard that report about three days ago, I have been on a tour of key projects of the federal government of Nigeria and in each (ph) governments of the Niger Delta at the time. And I've seen a lot of projects.

I've seen Water projects. I've seen health projects. I've seen bridges. And, of course, I and members of my entourage had traveled across the Niger Delta without any fear of molesting (ph) and all of that.

And so you can imagine my surprise when I saw the kind of pictures that were put out on CNN portraying a situation of war and crisis in the Niger Delta. And I just wondered that there was absolutely no correlation whatsoever with what we had on ground and what CNN International put out there.

More importantly, after we reviewed the situation, it became very clear to us that even that -- the report filed by your correspondent at the time was contrived. It was outraged. And those people were put together and instructed on what to do and admitted their criminality and the hostages they have taken there.

CLANCY: What was false about the report? The hostages were obviously real. The gunmen were obviously real. The fact that they operate in the Niger Delta, Nigerian police say that's true.

NWEKE: I may not be able to respond to that beyond telling you that right now, in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria, there are two groups of people. All right? And there are genuine (ph) advocates for who had expressed concerns. And, you know, on the need for government to pay greater attention to the Niger Delta area. And we are familiar with these groups of people and the kinds of things they say and how they operate. And the government is tackling them, you know, in every possible way.

We're also aware of another group of people who are mostly criminals, who are mostly kidnappers, and gun runners and the rest of them. And what happened on that day was that we have evidence that some of these people were actually paid to put up a show.

They were -- they were counseled on what to do. They were (INAUDIBLE) on what to do. And we thought that this ran against the grain of every practice of responsible and objective news reporting everywhere in the world.

And we have evidence to this effect. It was a paid job. And that's exactly why we are very upset about it.

The -- yes, some hostages have been taken. And government is trying to get them released. But to make a show out of it in the way that your reporter did is unacceptable. And to our mind, actually, on the minds -- global efforts to -- on the war against terror on the rest of them.

CLANCY: Now, Mr. Minister, those are serious charges. I have here in front of me much of the reporting that our own Jeff Koinange did about not just the story, but the expenses. There's nothing here extraordinary.

They paid someone to get a boat and to make arrangements for them in the Niger Delta. They went out there. There was no money paid for this story.

There is no evidence that we have here at all that there was any advice given. They had taken these hostages, what, almost a month before our reporter even arrived on the scene. They are not taking orders from CNN. We're covering what they are doing.

NWEKE: Well, Jim, you say you have evidence. I can tell you very clearly that the security agencies here are also -- have evidence to show that what we saw, what was displayed on global TV, what was run in such a way (ph) by CNN, was actually contrived.

It was contrived. It was a paid job. And we stand by what we just said.

CLANCY: All right. It was contrived by the rebels?

NWEKE: It was contrived by your correspondent. It was contrived by your correspondent. And he had actually approached other people before then to do the same thing, and his offer was declined. And he shopped around for more people and found those criminals who were willing to play ball with him and to put up the kind of show that they put up and which was shown around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CLANCY: Now, as you heard in that interview, the Nigerian information minister making some very serious allegations about CNN's reporting, including that accusation that CNN staffers paid to have the self-described rebel group put on a show for our cameras.

Well, CNN did not pay or stage any part of the report. The only money that changed hands in gathering the story was, as we pointed out, the standard rental for a motor boat and a captain. That was about $700. And the standard fee for a local freelance journalist for his help in reporting and then translating. That was about $150 a day for three days.

Now, CNN does not pay for interviews. CNN will be sending a letter to the Nigerian information minister asking him to provide any evidence to support his claims. If any credible evidence is forthcoming, CNN is going to report that as well, of course.

GORANI: All right. Well, we're going move on to business news after a break.

Coming up, Nokia inks a deal to bring YouTube videos to your cell phone. More on that in our check of business headline.

CLANCY: Also ahead, snowed in, snowed out, and snowed under. New York State is blasted and buried by record snowfall. And guess what? More is on the way.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

CLANCY: Well, with a unity government in place for the Palestinians now, we are hearing from the prime minister, Ismail Haniya, coming to us here live from Gaza. Let's listen in to what he had to say.

ISMAIL HANIYA, PALESTINIAN PRIME MINISTER: And brought us back to our agreement, currying (ph) to our great mission in the homeland and abroad and exile, carrying the message, and the good news of agreement, and the consolation that heal the wounds, and that put an end to our pains, and put also an end to conflict that made our bloods (ph) bleed. So thank God for what he did, for what helped us with. Let us all thank God, and let us pray that he steer our steps in the right direction, and serve our people, serve us all, in Mecca. But thank God for allowing all of us who were there to say the word of truth, and to reach an agreement of truth.

At the start of my speech here, I would like to thank, to express my gratitude to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to the king of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah (INAUDIBLE), and to (INAUDIBLE) and to the leadership of the kingdom, for their sponsorship of this dialogue, the historic dialogue, that was held in this crucial moment in the history of all Palestinian people. It was a great invitation, great initiative by the Saudis that given time, in which the kingdom had furnished all of us with an environment that is adequate for this dialogue to take place, for all of the Palestinian leaders to sit down and discuss and reach the result of the outcome that our Palestinian people, our (INAUDIBLE) have been waiting for. And there's also been waited and expected by all of those who love the Palestinians and our Al-Aqsa mosque.

Our thanks go to the king, to the conference, to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as all of the Arab, to brotherly, friendly Arab countries that stood with us, that intervened on a number of occasions all of our dialogues in order to help, and we thank -- and they thankfully made every effort to unify our attitude. And our thank go to the Arab countries that also invited the Arab -- the other Arab countries that took place -- that took part in our dialogue, including Egypt, Qatar, Sudan, Yemen, as well as the Organization of the Islamic Conference, represented by its secretary-general who visited the West Bank, and Gaza Strip and Damascus, and has made his effort out of his status and his capacity as secretary-general, in order to put an end to the internal Palestinian security differences.

Our thanks go to Syria and to the various Palestinian factions, that did not hesitate to try and mediate between Hamas and Fatah in order to put an end to the dispute, this conflict. We thank the Supreme follow-up committee to the -- we thank the Islamic international forces. We thanks the joint veto of the five factions that followed up the development of events on the ground, which also -- which comprised of members of the Islamic Jihad and the PFLP and the DFLP, in addition to representatives from Fatah and Hamas.

Our thanks go also to all layers of our Palestinian society, our Palestinian people, thanks to all of the demands and voices that urge us to stop this fighting, and to heal the wounds of everybody. We thank all of these efforts, because they all have their great impact, that brought us finally to this correct and right outcome. And of course our thanks go the Palestinian leaders who met in Mecca. To president, our brother Abu Mazen, who is head of the Fatah, who went to the delegation, and our thanks also to Khaled Meshal, the head of political bureau of Hamas, who have showed a great deal of responsibility, sense of responsibility, and who steered the national dialogue in a very pure way in order to serve Palestine, and Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

This is a...

GORANI: All right, we're going to break away from this. There is the Palestinian prime minister live from Gaza, Ismail Haniya, commenting there, making comments and announcements a few days after a deal was struck in Mecca last week to establish a power-sharing government between Hamas and Fatah, the party of President Mahmoud Abbas, to try to quell the violence, but also to gain international recognition, to ease the financial embargo on the Palestinian territories.

Let's bring in Ben Wedeman, our correspondent in Jerusalem for more there on this speech.

We're also expecting that this government cabinet to be dissolved in order to start the new political process -- Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Well, we're expecting that within just for the next few days for the Palestinian government, led by Hamas, to resign and then it'll be reappointed by the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

But its it's largely a formality, Hala. It's already known, according the Mecca agreement that was worked out between Hamas and Fatah that Ismail Haniya will be appointed as the prime minister, that more than half of the ministers of the Palestinian government will come from Hamas. And it's widely believed that this will, for the moment, quell the bloody infighting among the Palestinians, which has left in Gaza almost 100 people dead since December.

Now the other problem, however is -- or rather question is, will this be able to end the international embargo upon the Palestinian Authority. And by and large, the people I've spoken with, here in Jerusalem, think that that may not be the case.

One senior Israeli official told me this morning that they believe that Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president and head of the Fatah movement, has sacrificed international legitimacy for the sake of Palestinian unity, and therefore they are dubious about whether this new Palestinian government will be able to meet the three conditions of the quartet, of the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations. And those three conditions are that any Palestinian government must recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce violence and abide by previous agreements between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

If any Palestinian government does not abide by those three conditions, the international embargo on the Palestinian government will continue.

GORANI: OK, thanks very much, Ben Wedeman live in Jerusalem.

We're going to take a short break on YOUR WORLD TODAY. Coming up, why is Russian President Vladimir Putin making such a pint of criticizing American foreign policy?

CLANCY: And why is he doing it in such public places? Insight has the answer when we come back, but here's a hint -- it's a three- letter word.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Hello, everyone, and welcome back. You're watching YOUR WORLD TODAY right here on CNN International.

GORANI: Coming to you from the CNN Center, but seen in 200 countries across the globe, now this story.

CLANCY: Russian President Vladimir Putin is in the Middle East right now, where he's just completed his first visit by Kremlin leader to Saudi Arabia, and he's now setting another precedent with his visit to Qatar. GORANI: Over the weekend, he startled Western leaders with a very pointed speech, blasting the United States for what he called its, quote, "unilateral, illegitimate actions," unquote.

CLANCY: Now what is the link between a Middle East trip and an aggressive speech? Energy.

Jonathan Mann has some Insight.

JONATHAN MANN, CNN ANCHOR: Energy is where Russia get its money, and were it shows it muscle. And right now Vladimir Putin is pumped. Russia and Saudi Arabia are the two largest oil producers in the world. Who produces more depends on how you do the math. Russia and Qatar, President Putin's next stop, are No. 1 and No. 3 respectively when it comes to natural gas production. Russia has gotten rich. Energy is the reason. And a new kind of confidence is the result.

Just track the timeline of oil prices and Kremlin's power.

Let's start in 1980. The Soviets invade Afghanistan. Oil is at $92 a barrel in inflation-adjusted dollars. And Russian production is surging to its highest levels.

By 1989, oil has tumbled to just $30, adjusted for inflation. Production is beginning to actually drop, and the Soviets are withdrawing from Afghanistan in humiliation.

Look to 1991 -- oil is $30 still. Production is down dramatically and the Soviet Union itself actually collapses.

All through the '90s, Russia's economy is in freefall, oil is in 20s and production hits rock bottom.

By the year 2000, things are beginning to change. Vladimir Putin takes power and oil is at $32 a barrel. Production is going up again.

By 2006 oil has essentially doubled. It's $60 a barrel, and Russian production is continuing to climb.

The result -- Russian power is back, and Russia knows it.

CNN's Becky Anderson was recently the Russian capital and has this look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fifteen years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a chilled wind is blowing through the corridors of power in the West. Gone are the Cold War weapons of Marxism and missiles. Today, energy is the geopolitical weapon of choice. And the Kremlin is increasingly tightening its grip over some of the world's most strategic sources.

Gazprom headquarters in Moscow, it's here in the central control room that Russia's energy giant maps out who gets its gas and at what price. Alexander Medvedev is Gazprom's deputy chairman.

ANDERSON: Do you understand the concerns that the international community has about energy dependency from Russia, and specifically from Gazprom?

ALEXANDER MEDVEDEV, GAZPROM, DEPUTY CHAIRMAN: It's mutual dependence. We depend on our customers as they depend on us. It's mutual independence interdependence, because the majority of our (INAUDIBLE) is coming from Western Europe.

ANDERSON: Europe depends on Russia for more than a quarter of its gas needs. So securing those supplies is absolutely vital. Energy deals with countries like Germany help allay fears of a squeeze in some places. But try prying Russia's ironclad grip on its supplies, and the message is clear. Don't bank on grabbing a slice of the action anytime soon.

ROLAND NASH, RENAISSANCE CAPITAL: Putin is a very popular politician, one of the reasons he's a very popular politician is he is able to be seen to stand up to the Western -- large Western oil companies.

ANDERSON: Vladimir Putin's approval rating with Russians is nearly 70 percent. There's no disputing his popularity. Domestically, questions are still being asked.

Critics, both at home and abroad, say Moscow does not invest in upgrading its creaky Soviet-era infrastructure.

ARKADY OSTROVSKY, "FINANCIAL TIMES": The question is not how Russia can use it muscle; the question is soon is going to be, does Russia have a muscle?

ANDERSON: President Putin said Russia is a reliable and stable source of energy for its foreign customers. He denies claims that it aims to be an energy superpower.

Some say Moscow has learned its lesson, that by turning of the taps to Ukraine its tarnished its image and badly undermined its reputation as a secure energy provider.

But others are not so sure.

NASH: I think Putin's made it very clear that he's willing to go to that sort of stage to implement foreign policy on the near abroad. He's done it once. If the necessity is there, I imagine he'll do it again.

ANDERSON: Energy politics is a high-stakes poker game. Increasingly it seems Russia believes it's holding the winning hand. The big question now, can the West afford to call and see if Russia is just bluffing?

Becky Anderson, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MANN: Watch what happens in Qatar. President Putin has been musing publicly with the idea of creating a powerful new cartel, like OPEC, to influence the price of natural gas. Russia and Qatar together have 40 percent of the world's proven reserves. An organized attempt to push natural gas prices up would give a lot of people the chills.

Back to you.

CLANCY: All right, Jonathan Mann there with a little Insight for us on that.

Now some insight into your opinions. We've been asking you to send us your thoughts on this subject.

GORANI: Absolutely. And here was our the question, Do you believe Iran is arming Iraqi Shia insurgents?

Here's some of your responses. Nasir writes to us from Iran. He says, "I do believe Iran assists the insurgent groups in Iraq and all the world."

Joseph in Paris weighs in with this, "I find the presentation of Iranian-made weaponry displayed over the weekend entirely convincing.

GORANI: And John writes from Osaka, "The is no doubt Iran is totally nervous about the U.S. buildup of U.S. troops by its doorstep. The intelligence, however, must be corroborated."

CLANCY: You can add your voice to the debate. We've got a lot of e-mails. Some people say they like just the idea that they can say no this time around. A lot of people see conspiracy theories, the same neocons that were the invasion of Iraq they think are now behind an assault in Iran. Other people say that, no, the evidence is there.

GORANI: Right, we definitely have a wide sampling of opinion and contributions, and we appreciate them all. Send your answers to yourviews@CNN.com.

We've got a little pop culture news for you when we come back.

CLANCY: A little anyway. Are they too old to rock 'n' roll? Or are they -- no, just getting started up there.

GORANI: They're kids! In case you missed them, the Grammy Awards were Sunday night, and The Police were more than welcome.

We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Well, it was Grammy night. And what a night that it really was, especially for three girls from Texas.

GORANI; Well, that's when the bright lights of Hollywood, of course, focus on the best and most popular of the recording industry.

CLANCY: Now they're the only music awards given out on the basis, we're told, of artistic achievement.

GORANI: That's as opposed, of course, to sales or chart position of a group individual. Brooke Anderson runs down this year's winners.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With that famous opening lyric, the newly reunited Police kicked off the 2007 Grammy Awards.

It was the first of many moments highlighting the best in music, from rock and pop to R&B and country.

The Dixie Chicks, shunned in the country music world for speaking out against President Bush in 2003, triumphed at the Grammys.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Dixie Chicks!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dixie Chicks!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Dixie Chicks.

ANDERSON: Took home all five awards they were nominated for, including album of the year for "Taking the Long Way," and both song of the year and record of the year for their defiant "Not Ready to Make Nice."

QUESTION: Is it vindication in a way?

NATALIE MAINES, DIXIE CHICKS: I think if I ever felt vindication, it was when we finished the album, because for us that sort of is when it was like, ah, OK. We've said everything that, you know, has gone through our minds.

ANDERSON: Mary J. Blige, this year's most nominated performer, was also a multiple award winner, taking home three Grammys, including best R&B album for "The Breakthrough" and best R&B song for "Be Without You."

Former "American Idol" winner, now popular country singer, Carrie Underwood, took home two awards, including honors as best new artist.

Christina Aguilera in a tribute to the late James Brown brought the house to its feet as she dropped to her knees.

Other big winners were the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who scored four Grammys, including best rock album, and Ludacris, who took home two, including best rap song and best rap album.

LUDACRIS, GRAMMY WINNER: When I recorded this album, I made it a point to say to myself that I want to win a Grammy, and I'm going to, and it happened.

ANDERSON: Brook Anderson, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Well, you saw them there at the top of Brooke's story. They are collectively known as The Police, and they were headliners at last night's award show.

CLANCY: Now they're expected to announce a world tour coming up in the next few hours. I guess you're going to have a press conference in Hollywood. Well, what do you think? I mean, you know, they are all buffed up and ready to go.

Sting looked good.

GORANI: Sting looked pretty good.

Well, the Police join Genesis, Van Halen and Crowded House, all long split-up groups, Jim. I don't know if you're a fan of them or not.

CLANCY: All of them.

GORANI: But they're all reuniting in 2007 for global tours. Buy your tickets.

CLANCY: Yes, I can't wait.

GORANI: Ahead of time, before they're sold out.

CLANCY: All we have to get out of the way there, a lot of ramps, wheelchair ramps going to be there.

We want to update you, though, on another group that's profiled. We talked about a little bit on Friday's show, huh?

GORANI: Absolutely. The Soweto Gospel Choir are Grammy hopefuls no more. They took home a Grammy for their album in the best traditional world music category.

CLANCY: Best conditional world music, and the Soweto Gospel Choir really knows how to do it, and they put it together, made up some of the best church singers -- and there a lot of them -- from South African townships, from Soweto, the township there. And what a performance they put on.

Congratulations to everybody.

Taking home a Grammy, making everyone proud. That's it for this hour.

GORANI: I'm Hala Gorani.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy, and you're watching CNN.

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