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As Obama Works Out His Next Move For Afghanistan, Karzai's Credibility As A Leader, Afghan Corruption Still Overshadow U.S. Role

Aired November 12, 2009 - 12:00   ET

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

STAN GRANT, CNN INT'L. ANCHOR, PRISM (voice over): The U.S. general wants one thing, the U.S. ambassador want another. And the U.S. commander in chief wants his war counselors to revise his options for Afghanistan

A self-confessed killer is charged, in Israel, with murder, but is he a Jewish terrorist or just mentally disturbed?

And today's "PRISM Segment", adoption and Islam. It is essentially illegal to adopt in Muslim countries, but should more exceptions be made?

(On camera): From CNN Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, this is PRISM, where we take the story, look at it from multiple perspectives. I'm Stan Grant.

U.S. President Barack Obama is asking his national security team to come up with a plan that lays out exactly how and when U.S. forces will turn over responsibility to the Afghanistan government. Mr. Obama met with top defense aides again yesterday. They reportedly presented him with a number of options regarding the war in Afghanistan. In the end the president went with, none of the above; sending them back to the drawing board to map out a more concrete exit strategy.

The U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan apparently has similar misgivings about sending in more troops. Published reports say Ambassador Karl Eikenberry cautioned President Obama about corruption in the Afghanistan government and expressed doubts about its ability to combat the Taliban.

What are they saying about the ambassador's comments in Afghanistan? Let's go to Chris Lawrence, in CNN Kabul, to find out.

And, Chris, these comments go right to the heart of the effectiveness of this government in Afghanistan.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN KABUL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Stan. And you have to remember that before he was Ambassador Eikenberry he was General Eikenberry, the military commander of U.S. here in Afghanistan. So he's got both that military and that diplomatic experience, which means his voice could carry a lot of weight within the White House.

Now, the ambassador or staff have not confirmed that that is the advice that they gave the president. They say they have corresponded with the president, but won't say what his recommendations were. However, a senior State Department official says, yes, there are some real concerns about how reliable President Karzai can be as a partner.

And just to give you some perspective, this is not only an American concern. It is not a concern that just popped up in the last few days. As far back as a few weeks ago a senior Western diplomat, not an American, said that they had real concerns about Karzai's reliability. And said, corruption was one of the primary reason for that. And that the first few weeks of the Karzai new administration would be crucial in order to establish what the relationship was going to be, between the Western nations and his government going forward - Stan.

GRANT: Chris Lawrence joining us there, live from Kabul, Afghanistan. Well, right now the German defense minister is in Afghanistan for talks with Mr. Karzai and the top NATO commander. Germany, with more than 4,000 troops in the country, says it's war strategy is working. Frederik Pleitgen takes a look at the Germans' hands-off approach.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: With the U.S. and NATO rethinking their strategy for Afghanistan, is a troop increase really the answer?

The Germans say they have something that is working better. Fewer soldiers, more civilian reconstruction.

(On camera): The big question for everyone in Afghanistan now is, which sort of approach is working? Do you think yours is working here?

Yes, I think our approach is working here. Since a long time we are doing, the connecting this way, of operations, therefore the local population is used to us and see that we are doing no harm. We are just supporting them.

PLEITGEN (voice over): In southern Afghanistan, which is under Dutch command, but where the majority of soldiers American, there are more than 34,000 troops fighting the Taliban. By comparison, in the north, under German command, less than 6,000 soldiers are on the ground.

Instead, a myriad of civilian reconstruction projects. Aid agencies say the key is putting locals in charge.

TANYA CARBONE, GERMAN AGENCY FOR TECHNICAL ASSSITANCE: The peace dividend is that people, first of all, stay here, they stabilize their own environment. They are satisfied with their work.

PLEITGEN: But things are not as rosy as they sound. Much of the territory the Germans are operating in has always been anti-Taliban. There is not much of an insurgency to speak of here. And in other places, the Germans are feeling the pressure as well, like Kundus (ph), where the Taliban are gaining ground. A ground commander had to call an airstrike after insurgents captured two NATO tanker trucks.

Still, so far, Germany is resisting calls to put more boots on the ground. In the south, many U.S. troops say more boots on the ground is a must.

CORPORAL JIMMY PARKER, U.S. ARMY: We need the help down here. Even though we are handling our own, but we need more forces down here. This area is too big for just one company to be here.

PLEITGEN: Reinforcements have been coming in for months, whole battalions being airlifted from Iraq to Afghanistan, as America shifts its focus. Now, the president is weighing whether to send up to 40,000 additional soldiers. And America wants its allies to step up their efforts as well.

ROBERT GATES, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Other nations have put more than 35,000 troops on the ground in Afghanistan. And their views are important to us as we consider the way ahead.

PLEITGEN: More troops, however, would also mean more casualties. And so far, most European nation's, chief among them the Germans, want to scale down their presence. Not beef it up.

MARKUS KAIM, CENTER FOR POLITICS AND SCIENCE: A lack of ambition, I would say, a reluctance to do more. It has more to do with a special German perspective, or maybe a strategic culture.

PLEITGEN: But all sides agree, security in Afghanistan ultimately can only be achieved by Afghan security forces.

ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN, SECRETARY-GENERAL, NATO: We have to realize that our training mission in Afghanistan must be stepped up, in the coming years, if we are to achieve our goal, the transition to Afghan lead.

PLEITGEN: The aims are the same, but America and its NATO allies are deeply divided trying to find the road to success in Afghanistan. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRANT: The U.S. president is locked in another sort of battle, the one against unemployment. It is now at 10.2 percent. He's just announced a jobs and economic growth forum to be held next month at the White House. It will include business leaders and financial experts, looking for ways to spur badly needed jobs growth.

Mr. Obama said the U.S. economy is growing at its fastest rate in two years, yet millions of people remain out of work.

Nine days, five cities, four countries, for Barack Obama during a trip with major political, economic and diplomatic implications. The U.S. president departed Thursday morning, from Washington, with a brief stop to meet troops in Alaska. Then it is on Tokyo. He'll hold talks with new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on the economy and relocating U.S. bases on Okinawa.

Next stop Singapore, for the 20th Annual APEC Summit. Expect plenty of discussion there over the need for new stimulus spending and concerns over the weakening dollar. From there, stop in Shanghai and Beijing. He will have a high-profile meeting with China's President Hu Jintao. And last stop, Seoul. Mr. Obama will meet with President Lee Myung-bak amid rising tensions with North Korea.

APEC finance and trade ministers are already in talks, ahead of that visit by Mr. Obama. In a joint statement the ministers say they are looking beyond the crisis and focusing now on recovery. They say a key challenge is to scale back stimulus spending while maintaining growth. The APEC ministers also warned against resorting to protectionism. A free- trade zone is a major topic of discussion. APEC says its 21-member economies make up more than 40 percent of the world's population and together represent more than half of the global economy.

Let's go to Jerusalem now, where and American-born Israeli settler has been indicted on murder charges. Police call Yaakov Teitel a terrorist. His attorney says he's mentally unstable and needs psychiatric help. Teitel was arrested last month in connection with a string of attacks and murder plots. Kevin Flower joins us now from CNN Jerusalem.

And, Kevin, these attacks involve bomb attacks -and also, if I am right, suspicion that he may be responsible for even more?

KEVIN FLOWER, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Stan.

It is actually a 12-year record, or string of attacks. Jaakov Teitel first came to Israel in 1997. And authorities believe he was responsible for two murders. And then he left, went back to the United States, emigrated in 2000, and at that point, police believe, he was involved in various attacks, including pipe bombs attacks against messianic Jews, liberal scholars. He is suspected in involvement in other shootings that the police have not been able to prove at this point.

So, this case has garnered a lot of media attention. He's been dubbed the Jewish terrorist, and also been called a serial killer, by the Israeli police. And especially, chilling today was an exchange that he had with a journalists in court, as he was being charged. This is what he had to say to that journalist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have any regret?

JAAKOV TEITEL, CHARGED WITH MURDER: No. No regrets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are completely approve of what you did?

TEITEL: Absolutely. It was a pleasure, a pleasure and an honor to have served my God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLOWER: Now, Teitel's attorney says -has indicated he believes his client is mentally disturbed. He said he has confessed to some crimes to the police that he did not in fact commit. They have not, at this point, entered a plea, guilty or not guilty. That might be a few weeks to a couple of months off, but clearly this is a man who has some problems. And he's going to have some major legal problems going forward, too, Stan.

GRANT: Kevin, thank you for that. Kevin Flower joining us live there, from CNN Jerusalem.

Well, they say all they wanted was to adopt, but now they are headed for two years in an Egyptian jail. And in tonight's "PRISM Segment" we take an in-depth look at adoption in the Muslim world.

Plus, with the West focused on an economic recovery, China is moving further into Middle Eastern markets. We'll explain coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRANT: Welcome back.

One couple attempts to adopt in Egypt but instead is sentenced to two years in prison. In tonight's "PRISM Segment", we explore the complexities of adoption in the Muslim world. Senior International Correspondent Ben Wedeman reports from Cairo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INT'L. CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Snapshots from happier times. Suzanne Hagelof and her Egyptian husband, Medhat Metyas, seen here vacationing on the Red Sea. They thought their dream of having a child had finally come true.

That dream became a nightmare in a chaotic Cairo courtroom earlier this year, when they and another American couple went on trail and were convicted of forging documents an engaging in human trafficking. They were sentenced to two years in jail.

To gain custody of the childe, Marko (ph), the couple entered a shady world of dubious donations to orphanages and doctors willing to turn a blind eye to the law. But they always insisted they were never aware of doing anything illegal.

Suzanne and Medhat are now in prison and Marko is in a state-run orphanage somewhere in Cairo. Under the Egyptian civil code, which is based upon the French legal system and the Sharia, or the Islamic Law, adoption is illegal. For the legal team that defended Suzan Hagelof and her husband, the law, the adoption law, is an ass.

"They did nothing against their religion. Christianity allows for adoption," says lawyer Khalil Hamani. "Islam should not forbid me from doing what Christianity allows me."

They will appeal the case and are optimistic the sentence will be overturned.

"The verdict was political pandering," says Khalil. "And it will be dismissed by the court. I'm sure of it."

Human rights groups are pushing to amend the law, to allow for adoption among Egypt's Coptic Christian minority, which makes up about 10 percent of the population. But in a country where Muslim/Christian relations can be tense, powerful institutions do not want to rock the boat. According to Youssef Sidhom, editor of Egypt's largest Christian newspaper.

YOUSSEF SIDHOM, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, WATANI NEWSPAPER: The Christian church will not welcome any legislation which contradicts with the Islamic Sharia.

WEDEMAN (On camera): The adoption law may eventually be changed, but the wheels of justice in Egypt grind slowly. Too slow, and too late, perhaps, for Suzanne Hagelof and her husband. Ben Wedeman, CNN, Cairo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRANT: For some background now, Islamic Sharia law does not allow for adoption, as a result it is essentially illegal in Muslim countries. The Quran talks specifically about lineage legitimacy and inheritance, in regards to children and adoption. According to the Quran, if a person is not someone's real child, they cannot become their natural child through a legal declaration.

However, there are allowances for orphans and poor or needy children. Families can become guardians to a child, as long as the child's true paternity is maintained.

Well, guardianship is just one option open to those living in Iraq, though, there too, it is subject to certain guidelines. Mohammed Jamjoom joins us now from CNN Baghdad, with more.

And Mohammed, obviously, obviously, there is a huge need for children to be taken care of in Iraq. I think about 1 million orphans across the country. What happens to them? Where does the law stand?

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN BAGHDAD CORRESPONDENT: Well, Stan, the law in Iraq is very clear. Adoption is not allowed. What they tell you is that only guardianship is granted in certain instances where there is an orphan and they do not have anybody to take care of them. But, you know, as with many things in Iraq, here, what is on paper is very different than the actual reality. Now we spoke to UNICEF today. And UNICEF told us that as far as orphans here, you know, they said as you mentioned, there are 870,000 at this point.

But they said that as far as orphans are concerned that they have very few options, that they can either go to the extended family, or go to the next in line, the relative of the father, or they can go to an orphanage, where they have absolutely, basically, no recourse. They have not options beyond that. It is a very dangerous place for them. They told us they are not aware of any adoption programs in Iraq.

But then we also spoke to the Ministry of Social Affairs. The Ministry of Social Affairs told us a bit of a different story. They said that there are programs here that sound quite a bit like adoption programs. They said that parents, families, who want to try to take in children, who are orphans, can go to the court here. They can apply and they can take in children from the ages of one to four, and they can raise them.

But again, that is very different. Occasionally you hear about success stories. You hear about happy endings. There was a story a few years ago that Chris Lawrence reported on, where there was a child who had been adopted by an American service member. The child had cerebral palsy and he ended up in America. He was given the -sorry, the service member was given guardianship of the child. He was given what is called a humanitarian parole.

That is the child you see on screen, right now.

And this service member took the child to the States. But, again, that is a happy ending that is lacking for many of the children here. By most estimates, by people here in the know, they say that it is very difficult for orphans here. They really have no options whatsoever, Stan.

GRANT: Let's talk about this guardianship. It goes, it has preference for biological family members, is that right? What is the process involved? And do they effectively have those children, then, permanently?

JAMJOOM: Well, yes. That is what is supposed to happen. What you see is, let's take the instance of a child who looses their father. The mother can't support the child. Typically, what happens then is the extended family, or community, would take in the mother and the child. But if the child looses both the father and the mother, there is nobody to take care of the child, the custom here, the tribal custom, not just here, but in other places in the Middle East, where there is Sharia Law, where there is Islamic law, is for the father's older brother, the uncle of the child, or maybe even the grandfather, because it is a patriarchy. They are supposed to be the ones who get formal guardianship from the courts here, and then determine the future of the child. So, you see that replicated in so many countries across the Middle East.

Occasionally, there are guardianship disputes. But again, unless it is the mother of the child, who somehow was away from the child and comes back into the child's life, nobody really has the option to go after the guardianship of the child, except for the blood relatives, Stan.

GRANT: Mohammed, thank you for that. Mohammed Jamjoom bringing us up to date there, from Baghdad.

Now, depending on which newspapers you read, you may be aware that the actress Angelina Jolie is considering to adding to her adoptive family, with a child from Syria. So, it will be interesting to see just where the law stands on that, as it progresses. And we want o know what you think. Should adoption be legal in the Muslim world. You can even talk about Angelina Jolie, if you like. Send your thoughts to my Twitter account, that is StanGrantCNN.

Well, China is on the move, Beijing is scoping investments in Egypt and pouring money into Africa. A live report on all that from our "Marketplace Middle East" anchor John Defterios.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRANT: Well now on PRISM our focus turns to the business of the Middle East. Marketplace Middle East that is, where we see China digging deep to hedge against the future; lessons to be learned from the fall of Communism. And some keen business moves. To cover all of that, we go to CNN London, and "Marketplace Middle East Anchor John Defterios.

And, John, we are seeing China's Premier Win Jiabao in Egypt. That is a long-running relationship China has with Egypt, at a time when they are talking about a new silk road, from the Middle East to China. What are these talks likely to involve?

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN INT'L. ANCHOR, MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST: Well, it is quite interesting, Stan. This is not a meeting that really kind of appears on the radar, say for example in Europe and the United States, but the fact that you see Wen Jiabao going to Sharm El-Sheikh, they came out with this Sharm El-Sheikh action plan. It is not just for Egypt but the entire continent of Africa. North Africa, now, a new focus with the oil and gas reserves in Libya.

This action plan calls for China, providing another $10 billion worth of loans over the next three years. It has invested $26 billion onto the continent in the last decade; $16 billion of that, Stan, in the oil and gas sector alone. And as a result of it, a very quick pay off for China. A third of their energy supplies are coming from Africa. And I think of it in a broader Middle East context, as well. You know, China is now the number one exporter to the region of the Middle East, and that has happened in the last year. Surpassing the United States, and surpassing the European Union. This is all happened in the last three or four years. It is getting 1 million barrels of oil a day from Saudi Arabia in 2010.

So, a big power play by China. It is using these vast reserves that it has and it is putting it to play to get natural resources, particularly oil and gas for the next generation, if you want to put it that way.

GRANT: And, John, all that money buys a lot of influence. We know that people have talked about the ongoing tensions and emerging tensions between China and the U.S., particularly here in the Middle East over oil. China also talking, at some point, about replacing the dollar as the currency to value oil as well.

DEFTERIOS: It is a very sensitive issue. The U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was in Tokyo ahead of the visit of President Obama to Asia. And this visit that he has early next week to China. He says they support a strong dollar, but the reality is, since 2001, the dollar is down 37 percent, in that time frame. Down another 7 percent so far in 2009.

What does this mean, Stan? The bottom line is China is holding $800 billion worth of U.S. assets, right now. As the dollar falls those assets lose value and it is an issue within the Middle East, as well. If you look at the broader, sovereign government funds in the Middle East, they hold about a $1 trillion in U.S. bonds and other assets. So they are very concerned, as well, that the U.S. dollar is losing this reserve currency power. There were discussions last week that have been dismissed by central bankers and, in fact, we had an interview on "Marketplace Middle East" with the central bank out of the UAE, that there are secret talks to replace the dollar as the reserve currency. But it is a point of contention and I think it is going to be something that comes up, next week, in the bilateral talks between China and the United States.

Don't forget we have a 10 percent unemployment rate in the United States, right now. And China does not like the fact that it is seeing tariffs against its steel and tire products coming into the U.S. market.

GRANT: John, thank you for that. John Defterios joining us there, the anchor of "Marketplace Middle East".

Of course, touching on those meetings that President Obama will be having in China as well. You can join John for "Marketplace Middle East" every weekend, including Friday night at 23:45 in Abu Dhabi, 20:45 in Central Europe.

Time now to take a look at the global weather picture. Mari Ramos is at the CNN World Weather Center.

Hi, Mari.

MARI RAMOS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hello there, Stan.

Let's go ahead and start in Asia. The snow a big problem across northeastern parts of China, in particular; hundreds of flights were cancelled into that area. They had record-setting snowfall. You know, not easy to get around.

As you can see from this image right over here, you know, they have record setting snowfall in this particular area. Since they have been keeping records, it is the most since 1955. It is 55 centimeters. And that is the most they have ever gotten. This was a significant storm. It is the third snowstorm to move through this area this month alone. And we are not even halfway done with the month yet.

Beijing has 16 centimeters of snow. For the most part the snow is over. It is still very cold and we are going to see those cold temperatures continuing to dip a bit farther to the south. Most of the energy from that weather system is actually moving now into the Korean Peninsula. Some of that will come down in the form of snow there as well.

And the remnants of Ida are still wrecking havoc across portions of the U.S. This is going to be an ongoing problem lasting even through the weekend, Stan. Way too much rain, way too much wind. And we are going to see some significant flooding unfortunately, across some of these areas, with the strong winds and heavy rain that will linger. Back to you.

GRANT: Mari, thank you very much for that. Mari Ramos joining us there from the World Weather Center.

And that is it for me, Stan Grant. "Top 10 Heroes" coming up next, just after we update the headlines.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END