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Istanbul Airport Reopens After Terror Attack; Brexit Timing Remains Uncertain; EU Leaders Meet to Discuss Brexit; Hillary Clinton Battles Trust Issues; Interview with Mark Pritchard. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired June 29, 2016 - 04:00   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

[04:00:34] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks for joining us, everybody. I'm John Vause outside the UK parliament in London.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rosemary Church at CNN World headquarters. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world.

You are watching CNN's breaking coverage of the deadly attack on Istanbul's international airport.

Ataturk Airport in Istanbul is back open hours after terrorists armed with bombs and guns killed at least 36 people at one of the world's busiest transit hubs. Crews have been working to clean up the carnage left behind after the attack by three militants. Reports from the same say they opened fire on passengers before blowing themselves up.

A surveillance camera captured the moment one of the bombings went off. And we're going to bring you that now, though, we should warn you, some may find it disturbing. Now you can see the flash of the explosion and people running and stumbling as they try to get to safety.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The place, you know, the baggage area and duty- free, it was all very eerie. The bags have just piled themselves up on the floor. There was panels fallen from the ceiling. And the closer we got outside it was quite apparent there have been some kind of explosion in that indoor area, which I think, you know, having watched the images on TV I can now pinpoint where it was.

And then from that, we went out to what was the taxi rank, where, you know, where you would have hailed a taxi to be on your way. And it looked, you know, like a disaster movie. There was just devastation where blood still on the floor. Obviously by that point the ambulances had taken away the wounded and it was just soldiers and police again hustling us all out. Just pushing us all out into the multi-storey car park and just out into the night, really.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: And I understand there were also --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I tried to stick around -- COOPER: I also understand there were family members holding up signs

with their loved ones' names on them trying to find them any way they could.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was -- there was at least one or two. I distinctly remember holding up some paper. And obviously people looking back into the crowd, I guess they had been split up from friends or loved ones. But again, the police were just doing their best to get everyone through. You know, you could understand why they wouldn't want people lingering. But some very frustrated passengers, you know, looking back into the airport, clearly having been with someone or having been split up from loved ones. I mean, it was all a mad crush.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: A witness talking there with our Anderson Cooper. And the Turkish prime minister says ISIS is most likely the blame for this attack. But so far there's been no claim of responsibility.

For the latest, we are joined by CNN photojournalist Joe Duran.

So, Joe, the big question being asked is how these three suicide bombers got through the many levels of security at the airport and actually entered that building. What are authorities saying about that?

JOE DURAN, CNN PHOTOJOURNALIST: Well, they're not giving any explanations at the moment. And as you said, many, many people are wondering how this could happen. Behind me, you see the entrance to the airport. There are several policemen there with machine guns checking cars. I was able to go in by taxi just an hour ago and our taxi was stopped. My I.D. was checked. And they opened up the trunk and let us through.

But as you get closer to the terminal there are many, many policemen around the terminal, inside and outside with machine guns. It is now tense, but the airport is getting back to normal. I've heard in the last few minutes, the second one went away with airplanes taking off. Most of the flights have been Turkish Airlines. The second runway is now open. And passengers are making their way through the terminal to catch their flights.

And the cleanup crews are now removing a lot of the debris and a lot of the ceiling that collapsed and trying to get the airport back to normal. But it will take some time, Rosemary.

[04:05:13] CHURCH: Yes, as you mentioned, the airport, it's been reopened. This is an effort to find some form of normalcy, but what impact will this terror attack likely have on how security is carried out at the airport going forward? And how Turkey responds to the threat of terrorism?

DURAN: Well, I think -- I think security will remain very, very high. The city itself has been on alert for some time. There's been a lot of security around the city. I've been stopped a couple of times to check I.D. as I make my way around the city. I think it will remain so and more so after this attack.

The economy, as you know, has been hurt badly by the last few attacks. And tourism is way, way down. One can only expect tourism to take another fall. And talking to businessmen throughout the city the last few days, business is down 60 percent, they say. And with this next attack, it -- things don't look very good for the economy.

CHURCH: A lot of ramifications as a result of this.

CNN photojournalist Joe Duran talking to us there at the front of the airport. Many thanks to you.

John.

VAUSE: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is calling for a united global front against terrorism. He says to terrorists there is no difference between Istanbul and London, Ankara and Berlin. That message is drawing strong support from world leaders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: We are still collecting information and trying to ascertain what happened and who did it. And I won't comment further on it except to say that this is daily fare. And that's why I say the first challenge we need to face is countering non-state violent actives for a host of reasons.

ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (Through Translator): I offer my deepest sympathies to the relatives of the victims and the injured. And I want to say to all of the Turkish people that we consider ourselves united with them in the fight against terror.

FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, FRENCH PRESIDENT (Through Translator): We fear that these terrorist acts which come after others are born to make the situation in Turkey more difficult. But we must act that's what we're also doing in Europe and France and coordinate further our services and carry out as much as possible the necessary actions against terrorism and trafficking.

MALCOLM TURNBULL, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: This is a reminder that Islamist terrorists seek to destroy, divide and kill Muslims, as well as Christians and other people of non-Muslim faiths. They are a murderous criminal movement seeking to create division and destruction and make us turn on each other.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And it's worth pointing out the Ataturk Airport is Turkey's busiest airport. It's the third busiest in Europe behind Heathrow and Paris' Charles de Gaulle. More than 60 million international and domestic travelers pass through Ataturk Airport in 2015. The airport is the main hub for Turkish Airlines and features two main terminals. Its international terminal has been in operation for nearly 20 years.

VAUSE: Well, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack but Turkish officials believe ISIS is to blame. One American official tells CNN, the attack bears the hallmarks of ISIS in terms of the target and the method.

Well, for more, I want to bring in Fawaz Gerges. He's an expert on ISIS. He is author of the book "ISIS: A History."

So, Fawaz, there's no claim of responsibility for this attack but that's not surprising, is it?

FAWAZ GERGES, AUTHOR, "ISIS: A HISTORY": No. I mean, you have two major suspects. You have ISIS or the so-called Islamic State and you have Kurdish militants.

VAUSE: The PKK.

GERGES: Absolutely. Or elements of the PKK. This is the most sophisticated and daring and ambitious attack to strike, it's spectacular. And it does basically carry the hallmarks of ISIS. ISIS has chosen one of the most important, John, commercial and symbolic targets in Turkey. Multiple messages to the Turkish government.

As you know, for your own viewers, Turkey has recently joined the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS. Turkey was and is one of the most important wait stations for ISIS to bring fighters and materials to Syria. So there is all-out war between ISIS and the Turkish government. And in the past year, ISIS has carried out some major attacks against the tourist industry, against the economy. This is both political and economic.

[04:10:01] It's economic warfare. The idea is to paralyze the Turkish economy and it has succeeded to a great extent.

VAUSE: OK. If we cover the premise, if we believe that this is most likely ISIS, which is behind this, that then gets to the next question, was this inspired by ISIS? Was this also like a lone wolf style, if you like? Or was this directed by ISIS where these jihadists who actually went into Turkey or they're homegrown terrorists who came back with some training who carried this out? Because as you say, it was very well coordinated. It was a spectacular attack. The airport in Istanbul is meant to have incredibly tight security.

GERGES: I mean, first of all, we don't have the inclination yet, For our own viewers we have to be very careful. But if you ask me based on what I know, this is a highly sophisticated attack. These are the special operation forces of whatever particular group, either ISIS or either militant that basically these fighters had a particular mission to disturb the security because you'll have multiple layers of security.

I've been to -- you've been to Istanbul airport, I have been multiple times. This is a highly secured airport. And remember, I would argue there are hundreds of ISIS cells inside Turkey. ISIS has been building cells in Turkey for the last five years or so. You have an infrastructure. And it's basically a drive from the Syrian border to any particular part, a few hours from Turkey. So this is not homegrown, I mean, terrorism, you know, ala Brussels or Paris. This is a major operation by ISIS. Special operation forces, skilled, daring, ambitious, targeting really the heart, the nerve center of the economic and political stability of Turkey.

VAUSE: And what else we have going on here at the airport in Istanbul, not just suicide bombers, but suicide warriors.

GERGES: Absolutely.

VAUSE: Who go in there armed, open fire and then detonate these explosives. That does seem to take it up a notch. It's an escalation.

GERGES: I mean, and go into the airport where you have hundreds of security forces, daring the security forces, trying to really bleed, I mean, paralyze and terrorize. And ISIS is trying to send multiple messages. First, politically, that of course you are fighting ISIS, we're going to bleed you. And secondly, economically. We're going to make -- we're going to really paralyze the economy because the tourist industry, the Turkish economy has suffered a great deal in the past year and this really complicates and aggravates both a political and economic situation in Turkey.

VAUSE: And, you know, we've been hearing that the Turkish intelligence, the Turkey security apparatus is very good. It's very effective. But yet there was no warning about this attack coming, there's no chatter. How can something like that happen in a country like Turkey which, as you said, is meant to have a handle on this kind of stuff?

GERGES: Very difficult. Whether you're talking about Washington, whether you're talking about, I mean, California, Brussels, Paris, even London, god forbid, these are soft targets. But Turkey is more vulnerable for a variety of reasons. You have a very solid network of ISIS and al Qaeda fighters. You have many Turkish who subscribe to the ideology. It borders Syria. Thousands of fighters cross Turkey to Syria. So of course it's very, very difficult. And this is why, I mean, Turkey has really suffered major blows in the past year.

I fear, John, I hope I'm wrong, this is not the first and won't be the last, either in Turkey or outside Turkey.

VAUSE: Everyone hopes you're wrong. But I suspect it will be right, unfortunately.

Fawaz, thank you very much for being here -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. We're going to take a very short break here. But we've got more coverage of the Istanbul airport attacks still to come.

Plus, we will show you how the financial markets are handling all the uncertainty from Britain's Brexit vote. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:18:10] CHURCH: Three terrorists armed with bombs and guns have killed at least 36 people and wounded nearly 150. The Istanbul airport has now reopened and there are flights coming in and out. But we want you to take a look at what happened overnight. Surveillance video shows disturbing moments before one of the three bombers blew himself up.

And you can see what looks like a security person approaching a wounded attacker who's lying on the floor there. Soon after, the officer seems to realize something is wrong and quickly runs away. Moments later a bomb explodes filling the area with smoke.

And Turkish officials believe ISIS is behind the attack, though no one at this point has blamed responsibility.

So stay with CNN as we continue to bring you the latest on that terror attack in Turkey. Right now I want to cross to John in London to bring us up to day on the fallout from Britain's decision to leave the European Union -- John.

VAUSE: Thank you, Rosemary.

And good morning from London where financial markets have settled into something like stability after last week's shocked Brexit vote. Some traders had described a sense of calm returning to the markets. Don't forget the share prices nosedived in the two days after that surprising result.

Right, though, bank stocks are moving up helping to lift European shares. Earlier stock markets in Asia closed higher. The body of shares worldwide is estimated to have fallen by a staggering $3 trillion in the heavy selling of Monday as well as last Friday.

In Brussels, EU leaders are meeting for a second day without the British prime minister. They're discussing the UK's exit from the European Union. We don't know yet how that will happen. David Cameron says he won't be the one who takes the next step, but his successor, whoever that might be, will.

[04:20:04] There is more uncertainty, though, about what shape Britain will be in when all of this shakes out. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is in Brussels this Wednesday to discuss how Scotland can remain part of the EU.

The referendum result continues to stir very strong feelings here in London. Thousands of anti-Brexit demonstrators marched on parliament Tuesday after a rally into Trafalgar Square.

Erin McLaughlin standing by this hour, live in Brussels with the very latest developments there. And Nina Dos Santos is keeping an eye on the markets here in London. First, though, to Nina.

So if we look at exactly what's happening on the stock markets right now, surprising I guess, in some ways is that the banks are recovering.

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN MONEY EUROPE EDITOR: Yes, they're recovering a little bit. Remember, these are institutions that lost around about a quarter of their market value in some cases on Friday session alone and then fell another 15 percent on Monday session so they've got some way to go but --

VAUSE: Sort of nickel and dime today really.

DOS SANTOS: But the real concern here is that banking stocks may well suffer from here on because what we've seen is the UK credit rating being downgraded a couple of times and so -- by the likes of Moody's, Fitch, S&P. That will have an automatic ramifications of the kind of stock of UK bonds that they hold on their books that are now rated less than it did. We saw evidence of that with Moody's overnight coming out marking about two -- 10 UK financial institutions for a downgrade.

So that could put further pressure on banking stocks but if we're figuring out how the economy is likely to be affected here in the UK, a lot of people preparing themselves, John, for a technical recession in the fourth quarter of the year. What they're going to be looking for is evidence of consumer spending falling off the cliff on the high street. Evidence of people not competing on home purchases and things like that. So it'll be the high street and then the home street that's going to be affected first. That's where economists are going to be looking aside from turbulence aside from the market.

VAUSE: Yes. But also, if you do look at the markets, what is interesting, though, is they continue to trade on whatever the news of the day is about Brexit. You know, it looks like they're going to sort of minimize the fallout from this referendum. You know, the markets are ready to go up with the bad news. And they tank again.

DOS SANTOS: And it's a fairly typical pattern. But we should also remember it's easier, as one CEO of one financial institution was telling me, to buy or sell the news which is Friday's results. It's going to be a lot harder. I know it sounds like a cliche, and I've said it before, but it's going to be a lot harder to trade all of the rumors -- the rumor mill that's taking place in Brussels at the moment and all the kind of trials and tribulations and twists and turns of the political landscape as the UK does extricate itself from a 42-year long relationship with the European Union.

But also we've got two leadership battles coming up here in the UK, on both sides of the House of Commons behind us. So those are the kind of things that are going to continue to move. Stock markets in the UK also continue to move the pound. With all of its turbulence as a backdrop, we should remember that companies are also starting to think potentially about relocating from London. That could have a knock on effect from the economy.

Vodafone is the latest company today which by the way has an Italian CEO to say we may start thinking about moving our headquarter away from the UK if this continues to be so turbulent.

VAUSE: And you know, this is all just at the very early stages. It's all just beginning. You'll have a lot more on this next hour?

DOS SANTOS: I do.

VAUSE: Excellent . OK. Thank you, Nina.

Let's go over to Erin McLaughlin who's in Brussels. We have this big meeting today. 27 leaders. No sign of the UK. I

guess David Cameron no longer welcome there among the EU leaders.

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, the arrivals are over, that historic meeting you're just talking about without the UK now under way.

Last night was British Prime Minister David Cameron's last supper. His chance to explain to the other EU leaders what he felt went wrong. He pointed to immigration saying that people in the UK were very concerned about the freedom of movement. And it's something that EU leaders need to think about.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCLAUGHLIN (voice-over): Historic and dramatic, Europe's heads of state and government gather in Brussels to reflect on the referendum certain to alter the course of the European project.

DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We mustn't turn our backs on Europe.

MCLAUGHLIN (on camera): The most anticipated leader of this summit has just arrived. British Prime Minister David Cameron ready to assume his place in history. He has a lot of explaining to do.

(Voice-over): The day began with political theater. Leave campaigning Nigel Farage took one last shot at the institution he vows to break from.

NIGEL FARAGE, LEADER, UK INDEPENDENT PARTY: You know, when I came here 17 years ago, and I said, I wanted to lead a campaign to get Britain to leave the European Union, you all laughed at me. Well, I have to say, you're not laughing now, are you?

MCLAUGHLIN: Chris Jones, a British citizen who works at the European parliament, had this to say in response.

CHRIS JONES, THE GREENS, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: All I see is my country being made a laughingstock on the European stage because of the poor quality of its politics and its politicians. And he embodies that entirely.

MCLAUGHLIN: Jones says he plans to become a Belgium citizen so that he can retain the right to live and travel in Europe. One of many lives altered by the decision of 17 million. A clear (INAUDIBLE) they're wondering what happens next.

[04:25:05] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm Belgian and my husband is English, and -- so we feel like separated. We're going to move to France. So we don't know what will be our status in France.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here I feel really welcomes because I'm an expat. In the UK, I'm an immigrant. The ones getting jobs.

MCLAUGHLIN: At a pub across from the EU Commission, Nigel Farage enjoys the end of his day. We're blocked from filming, told it's a private meeting. There will be no more media today.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCLAUGHLIN: Well, today's summit is all about unity and emphasizing introduction of certainty into this situation. Also looking at what it means to bring ordinary people closer to the institutions here in Brussels.

Also worth mentioning that later today, the Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will be meeting with the presidents of the European Commissions. A spokesperson telling CNN not to expect anything dramatic out of that meeting, although Scotland has made no secret of its intention to remain inside the EU despite this referendum -- John.

VAUSE: OK, Erin, thank you. Erin McLaughlin, live in Brussels. Much more from you, too, in the hours ahead.

And we'll have a lot more analysis on the UK's decision to leave the EU just ahead. Plus, Rosemary is here with the other breaking news this hour.

CHURCH: That's right, John. I'll bring you the very latest on the terror attack that killed dozens and wounded many more at Istanbul's main airport. We'll examine why Turkey has become such a regular target for extremis in recent times.

In the U.S. the presidential nominees have been adding their condemnation of the attack in Istanbul. According to Donald Trump, it's time for the U.S. to fight fire with fire. That story, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:30:00] VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone, to CNN's continuing coverage of the deadly terror attack at Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport. I'm John Vause in London.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and of course all around the world.

Let's bring you up to date now with the very latest developments on this story. And planes have resumed flights in and out of the airport hours after suicide bombers killed 36 people and wounded nearly 150 others. Cleanup crews are still working this hour to remove debris, broken glass and abandoned luggage littering the departure terminal.

Turkey's prime minister says the terrorists arrived by taxi and started shooting before blowing themselves up. Though we still have yet to hear any official blame of responsibility he believes ISIS also referred to as Da'esh is behind the coordinated attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BINALI YILDIRIM, TURKISH PRIME MINISTER (Through Translator): Findings by our security forces indicate that this error attack was carried out by Da'esh. Even though the findings point to Da'esh, the probe is still under way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And CNN has been hearing from witnesses who saw the carnage first hand, when three terrorists fired shots and detonated explosives. We spoke to a passenger who entered the international terminal moments after one of the bombs went off. And he described the scene for us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't actually hear the blast, but I stepped out of the plane, walked around the corner, and this wave of sort of screaming people towards me. I mean, you know, the only other thing I could say, like zombie apocalypse. You know, just screaming, didn't know where they were going. There were kids on the floor. Someone in a wheelchair which is sort of stuck in the middle the door, crying out for people.

And yes, the crowds have sort of often fired and there were police rushing about. Sort of calmed down a bit and then flared up again. And this is just to passport control so that the police kept the whole thing closed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Just one of the many witness reports there. And this deadly attack unfolded as the ink dries on a new deal between Turkey and Israel. The countries normalized diplomatic relations the day of the bombings.

Now while there's no suggestion this was a motive for terrorists, Istanbul airport is a major hub for Israeli tourists.

Oren Liebermann is following this angle from Jerusalem. And he joins me now.

So, Oren, what has been the reaction across Israel at these terror attacks at Istanbul's airport? And what are leaders saying needs to happen next?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, I'll get to that in just one second. But we have just learned from a Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that one Palestinian was killed in this attack and six others were wounded so we're waiting for more information from there.

As for Israelis, as you said, this hub is a very common hub for Israeli tourists, either heading straight for Turkey or using it as a hub. Turkey is one of the most popular travel destinations for Israeli tourists.

Here, that airport is widely considered a very secured airport from some of the airport security experts we have spoken with. Meanwhile from politicians here, from leaders here, there's been condemnation from across the political spectrum. The leader of the opposition called this terrorism a threat against humanity and said that the world needs to come together in fighting it.

Now as for the deal, the reconciliation pact between Israel and Turkey, even some of the politicians who oppose that deal had no problem and no hesitation in condemning this attack --Rosemary.

[04:35:07] CHURCH: Yes, and we mentioned just before I brought you in, this terror attack came on the day the diplomatic deal was signed between Turkey and Israel in an effort to normalize relations between those two nations. What is being said about that in Israel? Is any link being made, any suggestion there may be some sort of link here, some sort of motive?

LIEBERMANN: No, there has been no suggestion that this coming -- this attack coming on the day that this deal was signed that there's some link there. That would be no suggestion there. We haven't seen anybody put that forward yet. But one of the ministers here has said that there is an opportunity now with this deal signed that Israel and Turkey can work together as they haven't worked together in years to fight terrorism across the spectrum here.

So that has been the first reaction we've seen using this reconciliation pact as an opportunity for both countries in the fight against terrorism.

CHURCH: All right. Oren Liebermann bringing us reaction there from Jerusalem. Many thanks to you.

We'll take a short break here. But still to come, much more ahead on that deadly attack in Turkey's busiest airport.

VAUSE: Also still to come, what will the UK's future deal with the European Union look like. We're checking the possibilities through a member of Britain's parliament. Next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:40:34] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. And thanks for being with us this hour. I'm Rosemary Church at CNN World headquarters.

VAUSE: I'm John Vause outside of parliament in London. You're watching CNN's breaking coverage on the deadly attack on Istanbul's international airport.

CHURCH: And cleanup is under way in the international terminal where flights have resumed again. Broken glass, debris and blood were strewn across the floor after the suicide bombers struck. They skilled at least 36 people and wounded nearly 150.

This disturbing surveillance video captured the terrifying moments before a blast. And you can see people running away just before a bomb exploded. No one has claimed responsibility for the attackers yet. But Turkish and U.S. authorities say early signs point to ISIS.

Now we've got much more on the terror attack in Istanbul's Ataturk Airport coming up in the hours ahead. But first let's go back to John Vause in London for the very latest on the UK's vote to leave the European Union -- John.

VAUSE: Rosemary, thank you. And good morning again from London. We're still feeling the impact from the shock vote last week. We're watching events in Brussels where EU leaders are meeting for a second day without the British prime minister. They're discussing the UK's exit from the European Union. We don't know yet how soon that will happen.

David Cameron says he won't be the one who takes the next step. That will be left to his successor, whoever that might be. And there's more uncertainty about the future shape of Britain. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is in Brussels this Wednesday. She is discussing how Scotland can remain part of the EU. On Tuesday, she said a new bid for Scottish independence might be the answer.

The referendum result continues to stir some very strong feelings here in London. Thousands of anti-Brexit demonstrators marched on parliament Tuesday after a rally in Trafalgar Square.

Britain isn't expected to have a new prime minister before September. The Conservative Party is now doing the job of trying to decide who that might be. And joining me here is Mark Pritchard, a conservative member of parliament.

Mister Pritchard, thank you for coming in. First up, what do you think of the chances that Scotland will have this referendum on independence? Is this just talk or is this sort of a real threat?

MARK PRITCHARD, BRITISH MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, CONSERVATIVE PARTY: Well, we've only just had a referendum over the Scottish issue. And it was a margin of over 10 percent. So the majority of Scots want to remain in the United Kingdom. And we saw in the local election results, the SMP, the nationalist party, the separatist party in Scotland, actually having fewer votes than they previously had.

So I think the support for the SMP is in decline but still strong. I think the support for another referendum, we've only just settled that, so I think the support would still be strong for remaining part of the United Kingdom.

With that said, I also recognize that Scotland did vote to remain in the European Union but we are still part of a single country. And there is currently no mechanism within Europe --

VAUSE: Right.

PRITCHARD: -- to separate out parts of the constituent parts of countries and allow them to separately become members of the European Union.

VAUSE: OK. Let's talk about the referendum because there are calls, four million people or more, cited online petition, essentially wanting a do-over. What are the chances?

PRITCHARD: Look, we've had this referendum. It's the people's referendum, not the politicians' referendum. That is that it was the first time in 43 years the British people have had a say on the European question. It was a simple in or out question. They've given their answer, the British people, resoundingly. It was close, but resoundingly. It's a clear majority of 4 percent.

And it's now clear for all politicians to respect that, recognize it, and implement it. Nevertheless recognizing that we need to bring the country together, unite and get the best deal for Britain.

VAUSE: And here's the thing. You say it's a straight in and out vote but that's not how the deal is shaping up with the EU, is it? Because they're basically saying you can't get a good trade deal unless you're willing to accept free movement of immigration. And that was a key issue in the referendum. So it could -- what sort of deal? How do you think this is going to wash out?

PRITCHARD: Well, John, you're absolutely right. The question, the referendum question was very binary. We're now working through the consequences of the referendum result is far more complex. Clearly the Conservative Party, we've got a new leader, a new prime minister in place, and they will have to work that through. What is clear, I think the big question for the new prime minister will be, do we remain part of a single market?

[04:45:02] And if so, like Norway, for example, still has to contribute to the EU budget, still accepts EU rules, and still accepts free movements of people but is not around the decision-making table, the people will ask them, why did we vote to come out?

(CROSSTALK)

PRITCHARD: So the -- exactly. So the second choice is to work through some sort of free trade agreement with the European Union. But when do we start to do that? How friendly are they going to be in us trying to achieve that and how long will it take?

VAUSE: And very quickly, do you agree with Nigel Farage who said no deal with the EU is better than the deal you have now?

PRITCHARD: Look, let me say, UKIP, the independence body here in the UK, and Nigel Farage leads this in European parliament. They only have one member of parliament in the United Kingdom parliament. And I think that Farage -- Nigel Farage, the UKIP, will have a very limited say on the way the country goes forward.

VAUSE: Last question, are you watching with interest what's happening on the other side of politics, with the disarray in the Labour Party? Because essentially they've come out of this worse than the conservatives, haven't they?

PRITCHARD: Look, Jeremy Corbin is a decent man, principled man, and a man of conviction. And that is a lot to be said about a man in politics.

VAUSE: Yes.

PRITCHARD: But look, it's for the Labour Party to decide who their next leader is. But what I do think in a liberal, open and a strong democracy, which we've remained, we need a strong and effective opposition. So I hope whoever the next leader of the Labour Party is they will hold the government to account and to our new prime minister.

VAUSE: Thanks for coming in. Good to speak with you. Thank you, sir.

And CNN will have continuing coverage of the UK's decision in the hours ahead. But for now, Rosemary Church has more on the terror attack at Istanbul's main airport -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: That's right, John. And just ahead, we will bring you reaction from the U.S. presidential hopefuls including Donald Trump's claim the U.S. needs to be much tougher on terror. We'll have that, after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:50:59] CHURCH: And thanks for being with us this hour. I'm Rosemary Church at CNN World headquarters.

VAUSE: I'm John Vause outside parliament here in London where it's just gone 9:50 on a Wednesday morning. You're watching CNN's breaking coverage of the deadly attack on Istanbul's international airport.

An investigation is now under way to find out who is behind that attack. At least 36 people are dead, nearly 150 wounded after three terrorists struck the Ataturk Airport last night. Well, reports say they opened fire on passengers before blowing themselves up. No one has claimed responsibility but Turkish officials believe ISIS is to blame and one U.S. official tells CNN the attack bears the hallmarks of ISIS in terms of target and method.

CHURCH: And like other acts of terror, this one is also playing out on the U.S. presidential campaign trail. Republican Donald Trump says the U.S. needs to be tough.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Many, many people killed. Many, many people injured.

Folks, there's something going on that's really, really bad. All right. It's bad. And we better get smart. And we better get tough or we're not going to have much of a country left, OK? It's bad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Democrat Hillary Clinton didn't mention the bombings during a Tuesday night event but issued a statement earlier saying this, "Today's attack in Istanbul only strengthens our resolve to defeat the forces of terrorism and radical jihadist around the world. And it reminds us that the United States cannot retreat."

Well, U.S. lawmakers have finally wrapped up their two-year investigation into the 2012 Benghazi terror attacks which claimed the lives of four American diplomats. The report written by Republicans contains no new revelations about Hillary Clinton's role but the damage may have already been done to the Democrat's presidential campaign.

Jeff Zeleny reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hillary Clinton feeling vindicated tonight.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's pretty clear it's time to move on.

ZELENY: The most exhaustive review yet of the Benghazi attack revealing no new evidence of wrongdoing by the former secretary of state.

CLINTON: After more than two years and $7 million spent by the Benghazi Committee out of taxpayer funds, it had found nothing, nothing to contradict the conclusions of the Independent Accountability Board or the conclusions of the prior multiple earlier investigations.

ZELENY: Visiting Colorado today, Clinton embraced the findings, even while calling out the politics behind it.

CLINTON: This unfortunately took on a partisan tinge.

ZELENY: That suspicion was validated last fall when House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy suggested Benghazi could topple her candidacy.

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R), MAJORITY LEADER: Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee. A select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping. Why? Because she's untrustable.

ZELENY: Her 11-hour testimony rallied Democrats behind her.

CLINTON: You know, I would imagine I've thought more about what happened than all of you put together. I've lost more sleep than all of you put together.

ZELENY: And contributed to today's no-fault finding.

CNN's Dana Bash asked Chairman Trey Gowdy why no conclusion was reached.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Does that suggest that you don't have the goods on placing any blame on the administration, specifically the woman who wants to be president of the United States?

REP. TREY GOWDY (R), CHAIRMAN, HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE ON BENGHAZI: Dana, shockingly, that was not what the House asked me to do. Look at the resolution. The resolution doesn't mention Secretary Clinton. Speaker Boehner nor Speaker Ryan have ever asked me to do anything about 2016 presidential politics.

ZELENY: Yet political fallout remains, as Clinton tries rebuilding trust and credibility with voters.

CLINTON: A lot of people tell pollsters they don't trust me and I don't like hearing that. And I thought a lot about what's behind it.

[04:55:08] ZELENY: When asked in a CNN/ORC poll who was more honest and trustworthy, only 37 percent said Clinton and 45 percent Donald Trump, 17 percent say neither.

She's tackling it head on in her general election fight with Trump.

CLINTON: And a lot of what people read about me in certain corners of the Internet and a lot of what Donald Trump says about me is just that same nonsense. But I know trust has to be earned.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Jeff Zeleny with that report.

Thanks for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church here at CNN center.

VAUSE: I'm John Vause in London. We'll have the very latest from the terror attack at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport after a short break.

You're watching CNN.

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