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Your World Today

Anti-U.S. Rally on Fourth Anniversary of Fall of Baghdad; Iran Announces its Reached Industrial Level of Uranium Enrichment; British Sailors, Marines Face Public Criticism

Aired April 09, 2007 - 12:00   ET

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

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: No to America. Yes to freedom. Iraqis mass for an anti-U.S. rally on the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad.
JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Across the border in Iran, celebrating the announcement the country has expanded its nuclear program on a day their president calls a national nuclear feast.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAYE TURNEY, FMR. CAPTIVE BRITISH SAILOR: I want everyone out there to know my story from my side, see what I went through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Story for sale. Faye Turney and the rest of those captured British troops can profit off their ordeal. And not everyone in Britain is happy about it.

CLANCY: The U.S. not the only country with a high-profile female presidential candidate. Will France elect a woman to the nation's highest office?

It's 8:00 p.m. in Baghdad right now, 6:00 in the evening in Paris.

Hello and welcome to our report broadcast around the globe.

I'm Jim Clancy.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church.

From London to Paris to Baghdad, wherever you're watching, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

CLANCY: The fall of Baghdad and the fall of Saddam Hussein now four years on.

CHURCH: The symbolism of that fateful day is long gone. It's been replaced with the reality of an insurgent war focused on defeating the United States and its Iraqi partners.

CLANCY: Now, on this anniversary, a call for a shift in tactics from Iraq's most influential Shia Muslim cleric.

Frederik Pleitgen has some perspective for us from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): "Occupiers, get out!" these protesters shout. Thousands took to the streets of Najaf carrying Iraqi flags, answering a call by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to protest the U.S. presence in the country. A massive show of political force on this fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad.

Sadr is believed by American forces to be in hiding in Iran. His spokesperson talked to reporters.

"The enemy who has invaded our country is now targeting the dignity of the Iraqi people. After four years of occupation, we have hundreds of thousands killed and made into martyrs," the spokesperson says.

Sadr's followers blame the U.S. presence for the ongoing violence in Iraq and are calling on Iraqis to stop fighting and killing each other and to unite against American forces. While protesters burned U.S. flags in the streets, an American military spokesperson said the demonstration was part of Iraqis' right to peacefully assemble and express their views.

Iraqi police and military had stepped up security in Najaf, but the demonstration remained largely peaceful. In Baghdad, empty streets all day after the government announced a 24-hour vehicle curfew early this morning.

Four years ago, American forces rolled into the Iraqi capital, ending Saddam Hussein's decades-long rule over the country. Today, protests instead of celebrations, as one of the staunchest enemies of the American presence in Iraq showed his ability to mobilize the masses.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: Frederik Pleitgen joins us now live from Baghdad.

Frederik, how does he mobilize that kind of support? What's the appeal of Muqtada al-Sadr?

FREDERIK: Well, Muqtada al-Sadr has a massive appeal, of course, among his following. His Mehdi army is also a social organization here in Iraq that organizes social services here for many people. And really, his following, his backers are a very, very tight-knit community. And today you could see this was a very, very massive display of Muqtada al-Sadr's power.

Remember, the United States believes that he's not even in Iraq right now. They think he's hiding somewhere in Iran. And they've been going a long ways to point out that he is hiding in Iran and that he might not actually be calling the shots in this organization anymore. But today Muqtada al-Sadr showed that he is still very much in charge of his organization. And when you see the pictures of that demonstration today, the people going on the streets there, they were not holding up pictures of Muqtada al-Sadr. They were not holding up pictures or banners of Muqtada al-Sadr's political organization.

They were holding up Iraqi flags and waving Iraqi flags. And really, their message was one of Iraqi unity, and their message was for Iraqis to unite against the United States. So, what Muqtada al- Sadr is saying is that he is still very much politically in charge of his people, and that if you want peace and stability in this country, you're not going to be able to achieve it without Muqtada al-Sadr -- Jim.

CLANCY: Frederik, some big changes under way today in Baghdad as well. I know you've been out on the streets already today. What did you see?

PLEITGEN: Well, I was out on the streets in Baghdad for a little while early this morning, and really, there was absolutely nothing going on, on the streets. There were no cars on the streets, there were no people on the streets. And that, of course, has to do with the fact that there's a 24-hour curfew on vehicle movement in the city and in many other parts of Iraq as well.

So, really, there was absolutely nothing going on. There were a couple of sniper attacks in the city today, and a mortar attack also in the city that killed one person. But it was much less violence and much less movement in the city than you were seeing only a few days ago.

And when you think back four years to the time when American troops went into the city, when American soldiers, together with the Iraqis, toppled that statue of Saddam Hussein, the political mood in the country really has changed a lot, and people are very frustrated, of course, today with the ongoing violence in this country. So not many people are celebrating this day today -- Jim.

CLANCY: Frederik Pleitgen reporting there for us live from Baghdad.

Thanks.

CHURCH: All right. To neighboring Iran now. And that country has declared it's ready to take the next step withitis nuclear program. In a planned speech with the international media watching, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced Iran has reached the industrial level of uranium enrichment. Now, that means it's ready to begin the process of producing enough fuel to feed commercial nuclear reactors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Iran has succeeded in the nuclear fuel cycle development to attain production at an industrial level. And today, on the anniversary of that beautiful day, with great pride, I announce that as of today, our dear country Iran is amongst the countries of the world that produces industrial levels of nuclear fuel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, Iran's declaration is also meant to send a message to the United Nations that its sanctions are not working. And it puts the international body in a quandary over what to do next.

Well, Senior U.N. Correspondent Richard Roth has some perspective from New York.

Richard, what's been the reaction there at the U.N. to these comments?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, reaction at the moment, we have exclusively the U.N. secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, who has been urging Iran to cooperate after the passage of a recent Security Council resolution imposing more sanctions on Tehran. This morning, this is what the secretary-general had to say following the speech by the president of Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAN KI-MOON, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: I sincerely hope that even at this time, when Iranian government is undergoing Security Council sanctions, they should engage in dialogue with the international community. It is very important for any member countries to fully comply with the Security Council resolution. I urge the Iranian government to do so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: Of course, the secretary-general does not impose sanctions. It's the members of the Security Council. U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said it's another signal of defiance by Iran, another missed opportunity. That's according to the United States.

It's a significant development based upon what the Iranian president has said. The Security Council is likely to wait for more information from the International Atomic Energy Agency, its nuclear watchdog, which does not have enough access to Iran, to Natanz, the site of those additional centrifuges added.

There are gaps in its reporting ability, and that's not going to please the Security Council, Rosemary, which will be interested in more information. Then it will be up to the U.S. and Britain and those countries interested in imposing more sanctions to gather China, Russia once again, after 60 days are up on the latest resolution, to see if they can get tough again.

It's an escalating crisis. As Iran adds more centrifuges, the United Nations Security Council may be adding more sanctions.

CHURCH: And the world is watching all of these developments. Richard Roth at the United Nations.

Thanks so much for that.

CLANCY: Now, Iran, of course, threatening to give up -- to pull back from the nonproliferation treaty. But, you know, they have used their membership in that for decades to go inside the offices of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna and have their scientists look through all of the data there. As a member country, signatory to that agreement, they've been able to acquire a lot of knowledge openly from the international community.

So, it's a double-edged sword if they pull back. A lot of this, as Richard says, just ratcheting up the tension. Everybody jockeying for position.

CHURCH: That's right. And the world still trying to work out what today's announcement means exactly. What are the ramifications, and where does this put Iran, really?

We don't really know at this point. But we're going to find out a little bit more about Iran's nuclear program, the origins of it. Our Jonathan Mann on "INSIGHT" will be coming up to explain that, too.

CLANCY: Just a few minutes away.

CHURCH: Well, let's check now some other news that we're following on this day.

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CLANCY: Hello, everyone. And welcome back to CNN International and YOUR WORLD TODAY.

CHURCH: We're covering the news the world wants to know.

CLANCY: Well, though they're now back with their families, the propaganda war surrounding their time in Iranian custody may not be over.

CHURCH: That's right. Tehran has released new footage of the 15 British marines and sailors showing them in what seems to be a relaxed mood. This to counter allegations of mistreatment made by the 14 servicemen and one woman.

CLANCY: And it all comes amid the controversial decision by the British Ministry of Defense to allow the 15 to sell their stories.

More from Matthew Chance on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): These latest images of the British sailors and marines are only fueling controversy. Broadcast on Iranian television, they show the captured Britons together and relaxed, playing Ping-Pong, even laughing. It's clearly meant to contrast with their own accounts of rough treatment at Iranian hands.

Then now, revelations they're being allowed by the British Defense Ministry to profit from their experience by giving media interviews usually strictly banned.

BOB STEWART, FMR. BRITISH ARMY COMMANDER: It really does compare very badly against the six people that have died in the last week, against the Royal Marines who are currently fighting a very serious battle in Helmand Province in Afghanistan, and because, quite frankly, vast sections of the armed forces feel it's not fair.

CHANCE: There's been a strong reaction, too, from families of British service personnel who have died in combat. Fathers like Mike Aston, whose son Russell was killed in Iraq nearly four years ago.

MIKE ASTON, FATHER OF CORPORAL RUSSELL ASTON: I know how I felt three years, 10 months after the even watching the rejoicing. I couldn't watch it for a second time. Very upsetting. And now to find out that they can sell their story, it's tacky and it's sordid.

CHANCE: And it may be lucrative. Faye Turney, the only woman captive, singled out by the Iranians, is reported to agree to a six- figure sum for her story.

TURNEY: I was offered a lot of money for this kind of -- my story. I've taken -- I've not taken the biggest offer. I've gone down, because I wanted to speak to yourself, "The Sun," because I knew my point would get across.

I want everyone out there to know my story from my side, see what I went through. When it comes to money, the ship, HMS Cornwall, is getting a percentage of that money to go towards helping the personnel on that ship and their families.

CHANCE: Given what Faye Turney and her comrades went through, there are those who believe a little cash is justified.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's going to suffer for years to come, I suspect, because they were talking about -- you know, one time they thought they were going to be shot. They're going to have to live through those nightmares. And I think if it means it buys a holiday for her and her family, I have no problem with it.

CHANCE: The British Defense Ministry says it's allowing the interviews because of the exceptional media interest in the events, but the fact those embroiled in a less than glorious episode for the British military should get special treatment has riled the many whose tales of heroism and combat may never be told.

Matthew Chance, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CHURCH: That's an interesting story. And there's quite an array of feelings out there as to how people feel about the surprise announcement from the British Ministry of Defense really to allow them to sell these stories.

CLANCY: You know, and it's pretty common in Britain for someone to be able to sell their story. Not so common in other parts of the world. Still, they could cash in, and cash in big.

That's why we're asking you a question this day -- should the British sailors and marines be allowed to profit from the telling of the story of their capture?

CHURCH: So get those e-mails to us. And of course, we'll read a selection of them on air. Make sure you give us your name and your location.

CLANCY: Right. The address, yourviews@cnn.com.

Looking forward to hearing from you. Already a few messages coming in.

Well, the United States is expected to file a complaint with the World Trade Organization against China. What's it over? Copyright piracy.

An official announcement set for a little bit later today. The piracy of Hollywood movie DVDs of course nothing new in China. And Chinese prosecutors' inability to rein in offenders, it seems unlikely the problem is going to go away any time soon.

More from John Vause.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): You find them on Beijing's busy street corners, the pirates of China.

(on camera): OK. What do you have? Wow.

(voice over): And in back rooms, selling the latest Hollywood blockbusters for a fraction of the retail price.

(on camera): So, how much for these? How much?

Twenty? Twenty each?

(voice over): That's 20 yuan, about $2.50 U.S. And it's not just lone sellers working from a suitcase. At this government-owned store, there's no shortage of choices.

(on camera): Well, these are just some of the more recent releases which are available here. There's "Bobby". There's also the DiCaprio movie "Blood Diamond". Over here, "Little Miss Sunshine," just to name a few.

All of these available for just a couple of bucks.

(voice over): Total cost of our DVDs...

(on camera): Eighty-five?

(voice over): ... a little more than 10 U.S. dollars, cheaper than the guy (ph) in the back room.

(on camera): So, for the cost of an average cinema ticket, or thereabouts, we ended up with seven DVDs, most of them fairly new or recent releases. And all of them pretty good quality.

(voice over): And all totally legal here, because under Chinese law, prosecutors must show vendors have made a profit of around 13,000 U.S. dollars from the pirated goods. In most cases, impossible to prove.

"We can only warn them and let them go. After that, they'll continue selling again," says the official in charge of enforcing China's copyright laws.

On state-run television, confiscated pirated DVDs, CDs and software are often shown being sent through the wood chipper or crushed by a steamroller. But prosecutions are rare, which is why Hollywood and Washington wants tougher laws and better enforcement.

MICHAEL ELLIS, MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION: The criminal threshold to bring a criminal case are far too high, so people are not being prosecuted through a criminal process.

VAUSE: But for now, the pirates of China seem free to sell, and in the process costing U.S. business more than $2 billion a year.

John Vause, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: All right. Still ahead on YOUR WORLD TODAY, we'll check on the top business headlines.

CLANCY: Also ahead, Tehran continuing to be defiant about its nuclear program. We have some insight into how the nuclear age came about in Iran.

CHURCH: And is France ready to vote for a woman president? We'll find out.

Stay with us.

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