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Nicolas Sarkozy Elected French President; Arrival Ceremony at White House Held for Queen Elizabeth II; Interview with Muwaffak al- Rubaie; Expensive German Beer Next Year?

Aired May 07, 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: It's noon in Washington, 6:00 p.m. in Paris.
Hello and welcome to our report broadcast all around the globe.

I'm Rosemary Church.

JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: I'm Jim Clancy.

From Lisbon to London, Brisbane to Beijing, wherever you're watching, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

He's one won a mandate, no doubt of that, a mandate for change. But still, he has one more battle before he can push through some sweeping reforms.

CHURCH: That's right. We begin in France, of course, where new president-elect Nicolas Sarkozy is already looking ahead to next month's parliamentary elections.

CLANCY: Now, he needs his conservative party to win a majority in that election in order to push through the tax cuts, the work incentives, the tougher measures on crime and immigration he wants. Sarkozy beat socialist Segolene Royal by about six percentage points, a decisive win in Sunday's runoff vote.

CHURCH: That's right. But sporadic violence broke out in several cities overnight, with protesters torching cars and clashing with police. But Sarkozy is trying to calm opposition fears, promising to represent all of France without exception.

CLANCY: And perhaps surprising to some, he's reaching out to the United States, saying it can always count on France for friendship. Many expect relations between the countries to warm considerably with Sarkozy at the helm.

Now, we're covering this story from two capitals. Bill Schneider will have some reaction from Washington. But let's begin, though, with our colleague Hala Gorani, live from Paris.

Hala, I think a lot of people were surprised after so many years in the Bush administration and not frosty relations, but not the guest relations across the Atlantic in Paris, but then they heard this from Nicolas Sarkozy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLAS SARKOZY, FRENCH PRESIDENT-ELECT (through translator): I want to call my American friends to tell them that they can trust on our freedom, rely on our friendship. And the treasures (ph) of history have been faced together. France will always be with them when they need us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: Will the Franco-U.S. relationship change? And why?

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You said it wasn't necessarily frosty with Jacques Chirac. I think we can safely call it frosty in some cases, Jim.

If you will remember, before the Iraq war, the envoy of Jacques Chirac at the U.N., that speech he gave exposing France's reasons for opposing the Iraq invasion, there is no love lost between Jacques Chirac and George Bush. And you mentioned there Nicolas Sarkozy really extending a hand to the Americans, but also making sure -- and this is perhaps just as much for his domestic, as for his international audience, also underlining the fact that though France is a friend to America, and though France and America can always count on France to be at her side in time of need, Sarkozy said, "I also want to say friendship is accepting that friends can think differently, and then added that the U.S. should not block efforts to combat global warming.

So you had really the two tracks. And yes, it will be a warmer relationship between the two countries, because it was so tense for so many years, but at the same time they have major points of disagreement. Not just Iraq, but also, for instance, Turkey's entry into the EU -- Jim.

CLANCY: Hala, stay right there. I want to bring in Bill Schneider, our senior political analyst.

And at a time when France takes a turn towards the right, you have the U.S. taking a bit of a turn towards the left, with the Democrats in control of the House and Senate.

How does all of this impact from the U.S. perspective the relationship?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, I think the United States welcomes the president of France, who is at least friendlier to the United States, although as Hala said, he reserves the right to differ on Issues like Iraq, where he agreed with Jacques Chirac's criticism of American policy in Iraq, and global warming. Nevertheless, he has a friendlier attitude and respects and admires a great deal of the United States.

What's important to recognize, however, is Nicolas Sarkozy was not elected because of his international policy. He was elected because of his domestic policy, particularly the economy, the sense that the French want change. And when they said change, they weren't primarily talking about change in foreign policy, they were talking about change in economics. They want a more liberalized economy, as the Europeans would put it, less government restrictions.

And here's something amazing. A lot of French are unhappy with the 35-hour work week. They want to work more. And one of the things that Sarkozy said he admires about the United States is the ambition, the hard work and the drive.

CLANCY: Well, Hala, a quick last question to you. And, you know, how much of a change does this mean for the French people? I mean, looking across the Atlantic, I mean, the French, according to Sarkozy, I mean, have been living the life with long vacations, with free education, and with job security for life.

GORANI: And not just according to Sarkozy. They have been living that life.

If you were employed in this country -- let's put things in perspective a bit here. Yes, unemployment is relatively high compared to other European countries, but if you have a job here, your kids go to school for free, and these are very good schools. You have free health care.

France is the sixth largest economy in the world. Sure, it's gone down in the last few years.

So you're going to have to, if you're the president of this country, to balance preserving what has been accomplished and what your citizens enjoy every single day. They pay for it, of course, through high taxes, but balancing that and reforming the economy in order to create new jobs.

It's going to be very difficult for Nicolas Sarkozy to manage this, because he already has unions, very powerful unions in this country, saying, if you're going to make any radical changes, you better consult us first. And everyone here knows when unions oppose government decisions, there are major strikes. So this is something that French people are concerned about as well, but it will be interesting to look at going forward.

CLANCY: Well, you're making it interesting thus far.

Hala Gorani in Paris. Bill Schneider, live from Washington.

To both of you, thanks for the analysis.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

CLANCY: Now, you can read more about the incoming president of France and his rise to power on our special Web site, CNN.com/france. There you'll also find a link to election night bloggers and their thoughts on the weekend vote -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: Well, U.S. President George W. Bush welcomed Britain's Queen Elizabeth to the White House just a short while ago in a ceremony that was long on pomp, if a little light on circumstance. Richard Quest joins us now live from Washington with the latest on the queen's visit.

And Richard, presumably at this hour she is enjoying a royal lunch.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That is exactly what is happening at the White House behind me. It's being described on the itinerary as a private lunch, which tends to suggest there will just be the queen, the duke, the Bushes, and maybe one or two other people. This is a chance, not only a "get to know you," this is a chance for a frank exchange of views.

Before that, it was all pomp and ceremony, classic state arrival and state visit. National anthems, a 21-gun salute, reviewing of troops. But the president was also very keen to make it clear why he thought this state visit was important.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our two nations hold fundamental values in common. We honor our traditions and our shared history. We recognize that the strongest societies respect the rights and dignity of the individual. We understand and accept the burdens of global leadership. And we have built our special relationship on the surest foundations, our deep and abiding love of liberty.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II, UNITED KINGDOM: A state visit provides us with a brief opportunity to step back from our current occupations to reflect on the very essence of our relationship. It gives us the chance to look back at how the stories of our two countries have been inextricably woven together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: Pomp and ceremony was what it was about at the White House this morning. It will be glitz and glamour tonight when the two leaders get together for the state banquet.

If for no other reason than this will be President Bush's first white-tie dinner. In the realms of formality, Rosemary, it doesn't get much higher than that.

The menu includes pea soup, a fish course, a meat course, a salad course, and a dessert course. So five instead of four. White instead of black. And 134 people, Rosemary, at the White House for what is the hottest ticket in town.

CHURCH: Wow. Richard Quest there monitoring everything there on this royal visit.

Thanks so much.

CLANCY: And missing lunch, I might point out, by being here and doing that live report with us. CHURCH: He's so dedicated.

All right. Turning now to some other news on this day.

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

CLANCY: We're covering not only the news that the world needs to know, but also the news that the world is talking about. This is one of the stories, a case in point.

CHURCH: That's right. An international controversy that began with a kiss, then led to protests and criminal charges is much ado about nothing. That's according to Shilpa Shetty.

CLANCY: That's right. Now, she's the actress at the center of this whole brouhaha -- if I can say that. Shetty says she wants to move on with her life and capitalize on her notoriety.

Well, she's got some now.

CHURCH: Yes.

CLANCY: "Big Brother" and this.

CHURCH: That's right, absolutely.

Now, that's what she wants to do, but as Satinder Bindra reports, it may not be that easy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SATINDER BINDRA, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It all started with this, Richard Gere kissing Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty on the cheek at a function to raise AIDS awareness in India. The kisses were a bit too much for some Indians who protested.

Both Gere and Shetty were charged with committing an indecent act in public. A local court even issued an arrest warrant for the U.S. actor. And Shetty continues to be attacked by her critics.

I sat down with the actress, who pointed out only some Indians found her behavior distasteful.

SHILPA SHETTY, ACTRESS: And I would describe the some as a lunatic fringe. And that is so not the sensibility of the majority of India.

BINDRA: Shetty says she also sees no reason to apologize.

SHETTY: How am I at fault? He kissed me. I didn't kiss him. You know? BINDRA: After the kisses, Shetty says Gere called her several times to apologize. He also put out this statement for all Indians: "What's most important to me is that my intentions as an HIV/AIDS advocate be made clear and that my friends in India understand that it has never been, nor could it ever be, my intention to offend you. If that has happened, of course it is easy for me to offer a sincere apology."

Despite the apology, the right-wing Hindu politician, Jai Bhagwan Goel, warns his party will continue fighting for the strictest possible punishment for both Gere and Shetty.

"Even if we have to fight this all the way to the supreme court," he says, "we will. We don't want leniency to be shown to any such person, because it corrupts our society."

Shetty, who attracted huge international attention earlier this year by winning the U.K.-based reality TV show "Big Brother," says threats don't scare her.

(on camera): The Indian actress is now in London promoting her latest movie, "Metro". So far, she says she received no formal notice from any court and says she's confident the legal system here won't pursue something as trivial as a few kisses.

(voice over): Shetty's acted in more than 50 Bollywood movies and says both "Big Brother" and the kiss controversy raised her brand value as an actress. And now she has even got other plans to cash in on her growing fame.

SHETTY: Start off with one restaurant, and is that will be in central London. And then we go on to opening the next and the next. Yes, there's that. There's my perfume launch. I'm very excited.

BINDRA: The only thing Shetty says all of the media attention has failed to get her is a husband. At 31, she's single and still looking.

Satinder Bindra, CNN, Mumbai.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, we, of course, wanted to hear what you think about this controversy. And we asked if you thought this was a huge embarrassment for India.

CLANCY: Or maybe you think that it's blown a bit out of proportion? But here's what some of you had to say --

Eva from India says there are much more important issues in India that should be taken to the supreme court. She writes, "I think it's a huge embarrassment to India to make such a huge issue over a scene found in any typical Bollywood movie." ' CHURCH: Interesting. Well, Nirav is Indian but has lived in the United States for most of his life. He says he's disappointed at the amount of attention this has received, and he says, "I am ashamed to be a part of a country that would try and condemn such an innocent act. Shame on India!"

CLANCY: And Anthony from South Korea had this to say -- "Why do they want to charge her with indecency when she was in Gere's clutches? I feel sorry for Indian people if their society is so repressed."

CHURCH: And Melanie didn't say where she was writing from, but she did say, "After the amount of exposure Gere has had to India, surely he has come to some understanding of their culture. Where is his sensitivity?"

Quite a cross-section there of views.

CLANCY: Yes.

Well, we enjoy reading your e-mails. And be sure to write down your first name or where you're writing from there so we can always say that.

CHURCH: Yes.

CLANCY: E-mail us, yourviews@cnn.com.

CHURCH: Yes. We like to know where it's coming from.

All right.

CLANCY: Well, the world's largest aluminum company is poised to take over its main competitor. This is a deal worth billions.

CHURCH: It is. The details on that and the Dow's winning streak are up next.

Plus, an interview with Iran's national security adviser, Mowaffak al-Rubaie.

Stay with us.

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CHURCH: And a warm welcome back to our viewers joining us from more than 200 countries and territories all around the globe, including the United States.

CLANCY: You're tuned into CNN international and YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Jim Clancy.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. Here are some of the top stories we are following.

CLANCY: French President-Elect, Nicholas Sarkozy, will now focus on legislative elections that, after winning Sunday's presidential vote. If the polls are correct, Sarkozy's party could gain a majority in two rounds of legislative voting on June the 10th and the 17th. Sarkozy's agenda packed with pro-market anti-crime and immigration reform.

CHURCH: Cameroon officials say no one survived the crash of a Kenya Airways passenger plane. Search and rescue crews hacked through a heavily forested swamp on Monday to reach the wreckage. The 747 crashed early Saturday, just minutes after taking off from the Dualia Airport in heavy rain. The flight carried passengers from 25 different countries.

CLANCY: U.S. President George W. Bush, welcoming Britain's Queen Elizabeth to the White House just a short time ago. We covered it here live. He'll host his administration's first ever white-tie dinner tonight, in honor of the queen. The six-day royal visit to the United States ends on Tuesday.

CHURCH: We want to return to France now where a new political era is taking shape. One newspaper there says, and I'm quoting here, "fasten your seat belts, this will be quite a ride."

Hala Gorani (ph) joins again from Paris with more on the victory of conservative Nicholas Sarkozy. So, Hala, what sort of ride are they talking about?

HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are talking about a country that is very difficult to reform and to govern. Governments before Nicholas Sarkozy's government, which he is due to announce in the coming days, have tried reforming the economy here. And they have been faced with union resistance, with resistance from students and from the street. So the question people are asking is, not what are the reforms that Nicholas Sarkozy is intending to implement, he's detailed those. He's explained those to the French people. The question people are asking is why would he succeed where others have failed before him? Now Robin Oakley has this story. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's been a late night for Nicholas Sarkozy and his supporters the Champs Elysees victory celebrations. Celebrations during which he promised to be a president for all the people.

NICHOLAS SARKOZY, FRENCH PRESIDENT-ELECT (through translator): I want to tell them that tonight is not a victory of one France against another. There is for me tonight only one victory -- that of democracy.

OAKLEY: But as Parisians return to work Monday, to what their new president-elect hopes will soon be a longer working week for most, the clearing up was going on at the Place de la Bastille where those disappointed by Sarkozy's triumph had congregated. Some, clashing with the police. Evidence of their displeasure was still on view, raising questions about how much trouble there will be as he seeks to implement his program. That offered something for everybody -- a promised Mediterranean union embracing the peoples of Northern African states like Morocco and Algeria. A strengthened friendship with the United States. And a renewed commitment to the European Union, whose leaders rushed to send him messages of congratulations.

ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): We have agreed to further and intensify German-French cooperation. I wished him a lot of success in his work, and I believe the cooperation with him will be a very good one.

JOSE MANUEL BARROSO, PRES. EUROPEAN COMMISSION (through translator): I have just called him with my warmest congratulations, for me personally and from the European Commission.

OAKLEY: Both hope Mr. Sarkozy will help drive through a replacement for the EU constitution France rejected in a referendum in 2005. There are predictions he will, but this time letting parliament, not the French people, decide.

CHRISTIAN MALARD, FRANCE 3 TV: No referendum, too dangerous now. But definitely it will get through the political game and ask the deputies to vote for new treaties and get France back inside the European game.

OAKLEY: Mr. Sarkozy has strongly opposed Turkey's joining the European Union and one leader there hopes he will not keep his promises.

TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Both in terms of the EU process and Franco-Turkish relations, our wish is that we will not see the statements made by Mr. Sarkozy during the election campaign having an effect on bilateral ties.

OAKLEY (on camera): There is a yearning across Europe for a reformed, rejuvenated and freshly confident France to become once more a major player in the EU, and a major contributor to Europe's economy. But as Europe's leaders saw the disturbances here at the Place de la Bastille on Sunday night, limited though they were, some would have wondered if Mr. Sarkozy will be able to push through his reform agenda or whether once more change will be snuffed out by the strength of the streets. Robin Oakley, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Well, some of the union leaders have promised, as you know, there are two rounds in the French election, have promised a third round of the French election. And that is the round that might be disputed more on the streets of Paris, as Robin mentioned there, then at the polling stations.

Rosemary?

CHURCH: Hala, just a quick question on immigration. Of course, Sarkozy upset the immigrant population in the past. Is he expected to offer some sort of olive branch here?

GORANI: Well, the first olive branch was his victory speech. Throughout the campaign, he was careful to include all French in the policies he's proposing for the country. But addressing in a very presidential tone all of the he French people, not only those who voted for him and agreed with his ideas, but also the others. That is the olive branch that he offered those communities. But they are going to wait and see because some of them felt very offended, and in fact insulted, when a year and a half ago he toured some immigrant communities in the suburbs of Paris and called some of the youth who caused trouble there "scum that needed to be cleaned out from the streets."

So it's going to be a relationship between this French president, who definitely is more in favor of police control to crackdown against crime and illegal immigration. This president and those communities, it's going to be a relationship that will be interesting to observe. Because, if it disintegrates, that's where you might have trouble again in the Parisian suburbs and the suburbs of other big French cities.

CHURCH: A very delicate balancing act, there. Hala Gorani, reporting from Paris. Thanks so much.

CLANCY: Alright. We have been talking about how he's trying to modify this look that he has on an international stage. We are just getting really to Nicolas Sarkozy, around the world.

CHURCH: That's right.

CLANCY: But France's president-elect going to be taking office with quite the representation in France.

CHURCH: That's right. We pretty much heard from Hala, the problem is his approach to one of France's biggest problems: unrest in French suburbs that attracted a lot of attention.

CLANCY: And what he will do about all of them now will be the focus of a lot of attention. CHURCH: Jonathan Mann joins us now with some insight.

JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nicholas Sarkozy has big plans for all of France but if there's one word that sums up his style and substance, it is the R-word. The word is racaille.

Depending on how you read your dictionary, you can translate it as riffraff, thugs or most infamously, for president-elect Sarkozy as we just heard, as scum. And his use of it wasn't entirely out of character.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN FENBY, "FRANCE ON THE BRINK": He's always in the past been very much the attack dog. The rottweiler of the French mainstream right. Of course that has made him a kind of evil demon for a lot of people on the left and in particular, for young second generation immigrants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANN: The story starts in one of France's immigrant suburbs. Places that are crowded, poor and crime ridden. In 2005, while serving as interior minister, Sarkozy promised to hose down the suburbs with a pressure washer and get rid of the racaille responsible for petty crime. A lot of French were impressed by the remarks. A lot of them were shocked.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK LOZES, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST (through translator): It would be good if he would take a look at his language. It would be good if he would recognize that saying he is going to clean up the suburbs with a pressure washer, they are terrible words.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANN: And they may have contributed to a terrible episode. Just days after Sarkozy's scum comment, two teenagers died accidentally trying to hide from police. Neighborhoods across the country erupted in an unprecedented wave of violence and arson. Those neighborhoods are largely in the suburbs that ring cities like Paris, but the violence was all over the country in 2005, spreading, as you can see, like an infection. Those are the neighborhoods that represent one of Sarkozy's biggest challenges as president.

And, as you can see, from Lille in the north to Paris in the center to Marcene in the very south, they are all over the country. There were incidents, as well, last night in some French cities. Supporters say that France has a problem and the president-elect is just the most honest about it.

We are talking about places like this. Places nobody would ever want to live, neglected, largely Muslim immigrant suburbs that are far from jobs, literally on the margins of French life with unemployment reaching 40 percent among young people. To be fair, Sarkozy encouraged Muslim participation in public life. He's argued in favor of making it easier to build mosques and he supports a kind of affirmative action. But that's not all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FENBY: He certainly wants to control immigration. He certainly wants to get rid of illegal immigrants without proper resident permits, of whom there are a lot in France. And he wants to develop relationships with the North African countries, in particular, in order, to put it very basically, that immigrants will stay at home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANN: A tough on crime candidate who speaks his mind and isn't afraid to make enemies. If that reminds you of someone else, you're not alone. Sarkozy has been likened to Margaret Thatcher, without the skirts, but also to Rudy Giuliani. The two men have met in fact, in France, back in 2002. It will be interesting to see if Giuliani makes another pilgrimage to Paris now.

CHURCH: That's right. Just want to go back to his rivals, Sarkozy's rivals. Segolene Royal, she said once he was elected, there would be this real upheaval.

Have we seen that? Are we likely to see that?

MANN: It seemed like a desperate last-minute bid for support. She said, if you dare elect this man, the country will be in danger. The truth is, we have not seen upheaval. Robin Oakley made reference to something that did happen, arson involving cars. I think something approaching 300 arrests in the first hours after the election. But the French police liken it to just another night of celebration, somewhere between Bastille Day, the French national holiday and New Year's Day, in terms of how many cars were actually set aflame. So it wasn't a fun time to be in some neighborhoods in Paris but not that unusual of a night.

CHURCH: Alright. Jonathan Mann with that insight. Thank you very much.

Jim?

CLANCY: Alright, we will take a short break. When we come back, we have something very interesting for you. We will be going to the source in Iraq. The vice president has issued a warning on behalf of his country's Sunni Muslims. Up next, Iraq's national security adviser is in Washington. Muwaffak al-Rubaie, joining us here live to talk about plans to defuse some tensions there.

And later, cheese ripens and rots. We are not kidding. It may be boring but thousands of people on the internet can't seem to get enough of it. What are we talking about? We will have it explain this one.

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CLANCY: Hello, everyone. Welcome back. You're watching YOUR WORLD TODAY on CNN international.

CHURCH: Where we are seen live in more than 200 countries and territories right across the globe.

CLANCY: The Iraqi government is feeling a bit of the heat. Its own vice president standing up, giving a televised interview. Tariq al-Hashemi says he wants the government to come through with some constitutional changes or he would pull out of the majority Sunni block. It's a very important block, and to talk a little more about this and other issues, we are joined by Iraq's National Security Adviser, Muwaffak al-Rubaie.

Great to have you with us there from Washington. Let's just listen. I want everybody to hear what the vice president had to say. This is a ranking Sunni politician. Some would say the most powerful Sunni politician right now. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TARIQ AL-HASHEMI, IRAQI VICE PRESIDENT: If the constitution not be subject to major changes, definitely, I would tell my customers, quite frankly, I have made the mistake of the life, when I put my endorsement to that national effort.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: The mistake of my life to support the constitution, this national accord, this compromise, does it have to be changed and why?

Muwaffak al-Rubaie, can you hear me?

MUWAFFAK AL-RUBAIE, IRAQ'S NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I can hear you very well.

CLANCY: Does the constitution have to be changed and why? This is a threat to pull out of the government by what, Tuesday?

AL-RUBAIE: Jim, at the outset, I need to say a big big thank you very much for the American people, for the American government, for everything they have done in Iraq. For the sacrifices in blood and treasure and tears and sweat. And it's well worth the investing in this. We are walking just the last mile. We need the helping hand of the United States of America to get to the success. We should not give up on this project. I think it's well worth investing in it and just the last mile we are walking. They should take our hand to the full success.

CLANCY: But is it unraveling on your side? We hear Vice President Hashemi there saying pull out of the government unless there is constitutional changes made.

AL-RUBAIE: I think there is a lot of political posturing here. There's a lot of work into democracy. This is a Democratic game we are playing in Iraq. And if we are talking about the constitutional changes, we have a mechanism within the constitution to change the constitution. And I think if we get this started, we have already formed a committee, which is a very strong committee from the Council of Representatives to review the constitution. We admit that there are deficiencies.

CLANCY: What does he want to change?

AL-RUBAIE: I think we need to look at a number of issues in the constitution. Number one to review radically the de-ratification law and replace it with what we call accountability and justice law. We also need to look at the provincial election law in the constitution. We need to look into other areas. We need to look into checks and balances within the constitution so that every community feels like they have a veto power on the strategic decisions being taken inside the government and within the Council of Representatives.

CLANCY: Alright. Mr. al-Rubaie, you're there in Washington. You must have a sense that the U.S. is making a shift here. They are looking, whether the Democrats win or Republicans, it doesn't matter. The American people are saying, the time is going to come and it's going to come very soon and we want to begin to pullout our troops. We made the sacrifice. We appreciate you are appreciative of that. The question is, is this government really getting ready for it?

AL-RUBAIE: Well, I think we should not hasten this. And make it ...

CLANCY: But it's a reality. I don't think the people should be trying to tell you have plenty of time. Because when I survey the scene here, I look ahead and I don't think you have what I would call too much time.

AL-RUBAIE: Well, I don't think we should make time and related to a time. I think we should make it related to the conditions which we are creating on the ground. We are working really hard to accelerate the training, the equipment, the preparedness of the Iraqi security forces, be it the army or the police. So if the conditions are right on the ground, like the level of threat is down and Iraqi security forces can stand to the challenges of the threats, then I don't think there is any point in the coalition forces to stay in Iraq ...

CLANCY: One final question, and I have run out of time.

AL-RUBAIE: It's extremely dangerous play in the hand of the terrorist by setting a timetable. A timetable based on objective finding on the ground, conditions based.

CLANCY: All right. I'm out of time. I wanted to hear about Iran, but we will have to go another time. Muwaffak al-Rubaie, I want to thank you very much for being with us here on YOUR WORLD TODAY.

AL-RUBAIE: Thank you, Jim, for having me.

CLANCY: Rosemary?

CHURCH: Alright, a very different story coming up. Beer drinkers in Germany discover global warming is not all bad. CLANCY: For one thing, it gives them a good excuse to open up the beer gardens a little early this year, but there could be a price to pay.

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CHURCH: And welcome back to you all. Another environmental story here for you. This one about a product close to the heart of Germans everywhere.

CLANCY: Not just Germans, beer! Frederick Kliken (ph) had the tough duty of toasting the early opening of beer garden season with the sobering tale of how everything is indeed related.

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FREDERICK KLIKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Beer garden season started early in Germany this year. The reason: one of the hottest and sunniest springs on record. But those enjoying their cold, blond brew here in Munich don't realize the sun they worship is killing Wolfgang Lichti's crop. Lichti grows barley, one of the main ingredients in beer. But the earth around the fledgling plants is dry and dusty. Too much sun and too little rain Lichti says, may mean this year there will be no harvest.

WOLFGANG LICHTI, BARLEY GROWER (through translator): If it rains within the next couple of days, we may only lose 20 percent. But if it doesn't rain soon, the entire crop will fail, and the barley would be unusable.

KLIKEN: Peter Hahn of the German Brewers Union say a barley shortage in Germany could drive beer prices through the roof by fall.

PETER HAHN, GERMAN BREWERS UNION (through translator): We fear that through this really early warm and dry weather, barley will not be available in the quantities they need. As you know, scarce commodities are expensive and so we fear a heavy increases in prices.

KLIKEN: But there's another reason for the barley shortage, the Brewers Union claims and it has to do with environmental politics. The oil from this rake (ph) plants are used to make environmentally friendly fuels, like eco diesel.

(on camera): Crops like this rake field are highly subsidized by the European Union and the German government. And brewers her say that because these crops are so highly subsidized, less farmers are growing barley and that further drives prices.

(voice over): For now the beer continues to flow at beer gardens like here in Munich and the Brewers Union said it's not sure by how much prices could increase. One thing seems certain, however, its president says, global warming could make the commodity Germans consume in such abundance, a lot scarcer.

Frederick Kliken, CNN, Berlin.

CLANCY: That has to be it for this hour. I'm Jim Clancy.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church.

But before we go, we want to bring out pictures from creddervision.tv. The slow molding of a piece of cheese, something everyone wants to watch. Apparently, the cheese makers had 1.2 million hits on the website there since December. Extraordinary.

CLANCY: The fans love it. It's like mold, man. It grows on you!

CHURCH: Exactly. See you tomorrow. Take care.

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