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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

ISIS Executes American Journalist; President Obama to Speak in Eastern Europe; Ceasefire Agreement in Ukraine

Aired September 03, 2014 - 04:30   ET

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

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CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: An American murdered by terrorists on camera. ISIS claiming it has killed U.S. journalist Steven Sotloff, the horrific video ending with the threat to kill again if U.S. airstrikes continue in Iraq. What's now being done to take down the organization? And new clues this morning the executioner we're learning from analyzing that video.

We have live team coverage, ahead.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama just minutes from speaking in Eastern Europe, dealing with the crisis in Russia. News this morning, the two countries just announcing a cease-fire. Ukraine and Russia announcing a cease-fire. But will the apparent ISIS beheading of Steven Sotloff overshadow the president's trip?

We'll covering all the angles for you live.

Welcome back to EARLY START, everyone. A lot of breaking news this morning. I'm John Berman.

ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. Thirty-two minutes past the hour.

Let's begin with the growing cries for President Obama to strike back against the ISIS. The Islamic militant group beheading a second American in a gruesome video released Tuesday, a video that is authentic, this just coming to us from U.S. intelligence officials, they are authenticating that video where a knife-wielding black-hooded executioner poses a direct challenge to the president of the United States in the moments before the journalist Steven Sotloff was brutally murdered.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because of your insistence and continuing your bombings in Amerli, Samarra and the Mosul dam, despite our serious warnings, you, Obama, have yet again through actions killed another American citizen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: He's referencing the most recent bombings around the Mosul dam and the town of Amerli.

Meanwhile, the president has authorized the deployment of 350 more U.S. troops to Iraq, with the White House insisting they will not be serving in a combat role.

Anna Coren monitoring developments live from Irbil, Iraq.

If you've got more U.S. troops on the ground not in a combat role, these are clearly advisers helping the Iraqi military and the Peshmerga fight back ISIS, Anna.

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's exactly right, Christine, and this is what they desperately need, more advisers to assist and guide the operation here. Really at the moment, Christine, it really is a haphazard approach going after ISIS. Yes, obviously, those U.S. airstrikes, 124 now today according to central command making a huge difference on the ground, containing ISIS not allowing them to operate the way they have been for the past several months but not defeating them.

And then, we have the Peshmerga, the Kurdish forces, as well as the Iraqi forces taking the fight to ISIS on the ground. But at the end of the day, Christine, it's not enough. They don't have the equipment, the resources, the skill, you know, to deal with ISIS. We're talking about an extremely sophisticated, well-resourced, organized terrorist organization, something the world has never seen before. So, this is what they're up against.

So, obviously, a lot of president on President Obama to come out with a strategy, to give the people here direction as to where to take this, but how to take this fight. And obviously, those 350 American soldiers who are coming here in that advise and assist role will certainly be guiding in that role, Christine.

ROMANS: And, Anna, the reaction this morning to the murder of Steven Sotloff, the beheading in particular, such a public relations propaganda tool for this group, meant to really inspire as much fear as possible.

COREN: Yes. It's sickening. It's absolutely sickening, when we saw that video come through late yesterday, there was just a sense of dread. Speaking to officials here in Kurdistan, they obviously have condemned the video, this barbaric and inhumane act. They said that now more than ever is the time that the world must come together to defeat ISIS because there is no place for ISIS in this world.

Obviously, similar sentiments coming out of Baghdad. People are appalled by this abhorrent act. And obviously, the fear will be that this will just continue. Obviously, that execution at the end of the video threatening the British hostage that appeared.

It is just ruthless. It is gruesome. And as you say, it is there to inflict fear. It was a direct message to President Obama, the executioner saying, Obama, I'm back. I'm back because of the arrogance of your foreign policy against the Islamic state -- the so- called Islamic State, this caliphate that they're setting up against Syria and Iraq.

But certainly, here, on the ground, there is just a feeling that ISIS needs to be dealt with, because at the moment, they are being contained. But they're still being allowed to do what they do. You know, on the battlefield, we are hearing about them booby trapping dead bodies, animals. They drove a truck packed with explosives into the front line of the Peshmerga near Mosul dam, this critical piece of infrastructure that Kurdish forces managed to get back.

But still in the surrounding towns, in the hamlets and the villages, ISIS is still there. ISIS is still fighting. They're digging and they're not retreating. So, while this U.S. airstrikes making a big difference, it's not defeating ISIS and President Obama knows this.

ROMANS: Anna Coren for us this morning in Irbil, Iraq -- thank you, Anna.

The Sotloff family grieving privately awaiting authentication of the video something that U.S. intelligence officials have just told us -- yes, indeed, they can authenticate the video.

Their son at the same time is being remembered for his heartfelt reporting in places like Syria, Yemen, Egypt. Colleagues describe as an honest, thoughtful and courageous story teller.

Listen to one childhood friend of Steven Sotloff described his determination to shed light on injustice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIELLE BERRIN, JOURNALIST: Steven was my hero. He was traveling to the most dangerous troubled places on the planet so that he could report back stories of human suffering. He was someone who could not ignore pain and injustice. He felt responsible, and he had to respond.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Exactly what do we know about this video and the ISIS executioner, Karl Penhaul, he's live in London with that part of the story. He's going to break down what intelligence officials and what kind of evidence can be gleaned from that video later on in the half hour.

BERMAN: All right. There's still no public comment from conversation on the beheading of Steven Sotloff or possibly U.S. strategy to strike back against ISIS. But that could change really in just a few minutes.

We're awaiting a news conference from the president. He is in Estonia this morning. You are looking at live pictures right now. That is where the news conference will be held. He's in Estonia meeting with the president there.

He is there to talk about the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. From that region there has been breaking news as well -- word from the president of Ukraine of a cease-fire between Ukraine and Russia. That coming in just moments ago.

So, let's bring in our senior international correspondent Matthew Chance live from Estonia's capital city Tallinn.

Good morning, Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

Absolutely dramatic developments taking place on a number of different areas, as President Obama kind of finds his feet here in Tallinn, the capital Estonia. He's currently in a meeting with the Estonian president. Within the next 15 minutes he's go to be staging a joint news conference with President Ilves of Estonia.

And it's not clear to us which issue he's going to address first, the confirmation of the videotape showing the killing of Steven Sotloff, the American journalist, that was authentic or this other dramatic news, which has broken over the course of the past hour, that there's been a telephone conversation between president Vladimir Putin and Petro Poroshenko, the president of Ukraine, in which Petro Poroshenko says that they've agreed to cease-fire for the areas in eastern and southern Ukraine, where there's been such terrible fighting over the course of the past several months.

No confirmation from the Kremlin at this point. Earlier, the Kremlin said they had a conversation and said there were large areas of overlaps and agreements between the presidents. But the Ukrainian leadership going a step further than that and saying, look, you know, we've agreed to a permanent cease-fire for this area, John.

BERMAN: We are awaiting this news conference. We're just minutes away now from hearing from the president, his first chance to address the beheading of Steven Sotloff, the American journalist in Syria, and now his first chance to address the cease-fire in Ukraine as well.

Matthew, from where you are standing in Estonia, these Baltic countries that border Russia, what do they want to hear from the president this morning?

CHANCE: They want reassurance. They're only three countries of NATO, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia that actually border Russia. I mean, there are hundreds of thousands of Russian troops within about 30 to 50 miles away from where we're standing right now.

And so, they're deeply concerned that this increased Russian assertiveness in Ukraine, and other former Soviet republics as well, of course, Estonia was a Soviet republic up until 1991. And they're looking from reassurance from the U.S. U.S. President Obama coming here to offer that reassurance.

You know, Estonia is a NATO country. It qualifies for Article 5 protection, attack on one country is an attack on all of them. And that's the message that President Obama is trying to deliver here and is clearly delivering. Of course, the subtext of that and this may feed into the cease-fire

negotiations that have taken place between Ukraine and Russia, the subtext of that, is that if you're not a NATO member, you don't qualify for that kind of protection. Of course, Ukraine is not a member of the NATO alliance. That may be why they've had this conversation, the Ukrainian and Russian presidents, and hammered out a deal on their own. No one was going to come to the rescue of Ukraine.

BERMAN: All right. Matthew Chance for us in Tallinn this morning, where the president is set to speak in just a few minutes. So many dramatic developments this morning. Thank you so much, Matthew.

ROMANS: And his first public comments really since the ISIS beheading of Steven Sotloff, what will he say in the response to direct challenge to him from that terrorist in the desert.

Forty-one minutes past the hour. That address will happen to the media in just minutes. He's in Eastern Europe to deal with this intensifying crisis in Ukraine. A cease-fire announced just minutes. We're gong to head to Ukraine with what this means moving forward. Put some meat on the bones of the cease-fire deal with Reza Sayah right after the break.

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ROMANS: President Obama in Estonia this hour for the start of a three-day European swing. He still has not commented on the beheading of American journalist Steven Sotloff by ISIS extremists. We're just getting word that U.S. intelligence officials have authenticated that video that you see of Mr. Sotloff and an ISIS executioner.

So, the U.S. government saying, yes, it appears to be authentic. The president had not spoken about it yet but he will be in front of cameras. He will be addressing the media in moments. We're going to bring you those comments live when they happen.

BERMAN: Meanwhile, more breaking news: the president of Ukraine he has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the two leaders have agreed on a permanent ceasefire. This would be a dramatic developments in that conflict, coming just after Ukrainian officials reported that they had been fully engaged in combat with Russian troops and that fighting had been escalating, and Russian leader had told a European official that he could take Kiev in two weeks if he wanted to.

But again, news coming in just minutes of a permanent ceasefire between the two nations.

Reza Sayah joins us now live from Kiev this morning.

And, Reza, what do we know about the ceasefire agreement.

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, we should point out that we don't know all the details to this agreement, that on it surface, it certainly sounds like a breakthrough and it sounds like these two sides have established a ceasefire. Let's walk you through how we got here and what we know. Within the past couple of hours, Russia's Interfax news agency reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin had a phone call with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and two agreed on a path out of this conflict.

We then waited to hear from Ukrainian officials here in Kiev. And indeed, they verified that phone conversation, the office of the president indeed taking it a step further.

Here's a statement released from Poroshenko office. The result of the conversation was an agreement on a full cease-fire in Donbas, that's a region in southeastern Ukraine where this conflict has unfolded. They also reached a mutual understanding on steps that would lead to peace.

Then, we waited to hear from the pro-Russian rebels in southeastern Ukraine. We haven't heard from them yet, but again, the Russian agency Interfax within the past few minutes reporting that the pro- Russian rebels have also agreed to a cease-fire in southern Ukraine.

Again, we don't know all the details of this agreement. What's surprising, John, is up until this report, these two leaders with hurling accusations and veiled insults, but indications now that the two sides have agreed to a cease-fire. Now, we watch the battlefield to see how this impacts the battlefield, and if indeed the fighting stops in southeastern Ukraine.

BERMAN: Now, the rhetoric had been heating up, Reza, as you pointed out. So if the cease-fire does hold, it would be dramatic turnaround in the events on the ground right there. Now, Reza, I should tell you we are maybe just a minute or so away from hearing from President Obama. He's at a news conference or will be delivering news conference from Estonia.

You're looking at live pictures there. This would be the president's first chance to address the beheading of Steven Sotloff. Also, the president's first chance to address this new apparent cease-fire in Ukraine.

And, Reza, I do want to ask you about that, the fact that this deal was apparently reached between the presidents of the two nations, President Poroshenko of Ukraine and President Vladimir Putin of Russia, that might put some extra weight on it?

SAYAH: I think there's no question about it, and it's also significant because many observers were saying with the involvement, with the increasing involvement of NATO in regional countries, that was complicating this conflict. And the only solution and the only path to a settlement between these two sides, Kiev and the pro-Russian rebels were for them to sit down and hammer out some sort of settlement.

And indications are, they've reached some sort of cease-fire. Now, we wait to see what kind of concessions both sides made. Remember, Kiev's demand was for pro-Russian rebels to disarm, lay down their weapons, did that indeed happen? We don't know at this point. Then, you have the pro-Russian rebels, they were demanding self-

determination, a guarantee of autonomy in what would be a federalized government. Did they get that concession? That's not clear. But we're waiting to see if indeed those concessions were made, if a formal announcement comes in the coming hour, John.

BERMAN: Again, Reza, as I said, we're waiting for President Obama to deliver a news conference from Estonia just minutes from now.

Reza, this cease-fire that has been reached apparently in eastern Ukraine, very different situation in the ground than we would have seen two weeks ago. The pro-Russian separatists have made significant gains militarily speaking. So, if the gains remain static, that is, they get to keep what they gain in the last few weeks, this would be a much more advantageous situation for them than it was last month.

SAYAH: Yes, the pro-Russian rebels have been making significant gains. Ukrainian forces have been losing significant territory. And they were on the verge of losing another significant piece of turf, the Donetsk airport, 90 percent of the airport, according to pro- Russian rebels, were in their hands. The Ukrainian forces were struggling to hold to pockets of the airport, of course, a couple of days ago, the Ukrainian forces lost another significant airport in rebel-held Luhansk.

Remember, a couple of weeks ago, Ukrainian forces were making tremendous gains and then came this ferocious counter offensive by the pro-Russian rebels, allegedly backed by Russian forces and heavy weaponry and tanks. Of course, Moscow denies they were involved militarily with the counteroffensive. Kiev continues the accusations.

But if indeed Russia was involved, and if indeed a cease-fire was established, certainly, many observers will say Russia's involvement will have had an impact on how things turned out.

ROMANS: So, Russia was facing, Reza, maybe even further ratchet-up sanctions from the E.U., it's something that leaders are going to be talking about today and this week. Certainly, that takes the pressure off the economy of Russia and potential further sanctions.

I'm watching the Russian stock market, it's up about 3 percent right now. So, clearly, inside Russia, business leaders are relieved about the prospect of a cease-fire because this is something that has been hurting Russian citizens as well.

I mean, you've got Vladimir Putin who has been faced with sanctions from around the world. And his behavior until now has not changed, Reza.

SAYAH: Yes, I think it's a very different point of view from Moscow. Moscow's accusing Kiev, Western capital's, Washington, NATO, of bad behavior. Many say that the crux of this conflict here in Ukraine is Moscow's concern that NATO is encroaching its borders with expansion. They say that's what is concerned about and perhaps in this deal, there's assurances for Moscow that NATO is not going to expand its influence within the sphere of influence of Russia. And then, you have the economy. This conflict has impacted the

economy of Russia, of Ukraine, of the Baltic States. It wasn't good for anyone. Then you have the humanitarian crisis. More than a million people displaced, many people eager to see a resolution to this conflict. And maybe, maybe, we have it today.

BERMAN: And the question is, what does it mean for President Obama as he faces this crisis and so many crises from around the world? We are awaiting a news conference from President Obama. You can see a live picture right there in the corner of your screen, or you could a second ago. He is in Estonia where he will deliver a news conference with the president of Estonia, Toomas Hendrik.

They will be talking about, no doubt, the crisis in Ukraine. They will be talking no doubt the strengthening of NATO bonds which Reza just mentioned.

This is also the first command for the president to respond to the beheading of American journalist Steven Sotloff.

And, Christine, just moments ago, we did hear from U.S. intelligence officials who've said they did authenticate that video. It is an execution video of American journalist Steven Sotloff. That, of course, tragic news. So, two major developments this morning.

Reza, the countries of Eastern Europe, the NATO countries, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, what do they want to hear? They are no doubt watching this news conference very, very closely. What do they want to hear from the president this morning?

SAYAH: Well, I think they want to hear that the president and NATO is supporting them. They're firmly in a position that they're with NATO, that the president is supporting them.

And I think when you look at the situation in Ukraine, again, the concern is the trend towards Ukraine perhaps becoming a NATO country. When you look back at 1991, the fall of the Soviet Union, there were assurances that the Baltic States, the eastern European states would not join the NATO alliance. And steadily, many of the Baltic States, including the ones that you named, they joined the NATO alliance.

And I think when this conflict unfolded here in Ukraine, there was concern that Ukraine was the next country to leave Russia's sphere of influence and go to the NATO alliance. So, certainly, when you talk about the Baltic States, they want to hear that Obama is backing them. NATO, still influential, still intact, with the ability to protect European state and eastern European states, but the Ukrainian situation a whole different set of circumstances. It's going to be interesting to see what assurance Moscow gets that NATO influence is not expanded towards Ukraine and closing in on the Russian border.

ROMANS: It still is Russia versus the West with the two different world views. Even with some of these -- you know, that is still the big issue here that will be on the table.

Reza Sayah, thank you so much for that for us this morning in Ukraine. We're waiting that news conference with the president happening at any

moment. We're going to bring it to you live when he takes the podium. We're expecting him to make some remarks about the murder of Steven Sotloff, about the cease-fire in Ukraine.

We'll be right back.

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