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South Korean President Says Goodbye; A Rare Look Inside Europol's Cybercrime Centre; Feud Escalates Between Turkey And The Netherlands; The Netherlands Holds Elections Wednesday; Turkish President Compares Dutch Government To Nazis; Dutch Prime Minister: Erdogan Remarks "Unacceptable"; The Netherlands Barred Turkish Foreign Ministers' Plane From Landing; South Korea Looks To Election After President's Ouster; Lawmaker: Ousted South Korean President Says "Sorry"; South Korean Political Crisis Could Have International Impact; Shakespeare Married Manager; Putin Aide Denies Russia Tampered With U.S. Election; U.S. Senate Forms Cybersecurity Subcommittee. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired March 13, 2017 - 01:00   ET

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

[01:00:00] CYRIL VANIER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Tempers are not cooling down between Turkey and the Netherlands: one side is threatening retaliation, the other wants an apology. We'll see how upcoming elections in both countries are heating up the rhetoric. And from the Blue House, to her own house: South Korea's now ex-President, moves out from the Presidential mansion but remains defiant.

Plus, cyber-hacking is emerging as a major threat to western democracy, so we'll take you behind the digital fronts line to see how your Europol, is fighting back. Thank you everyone, for joining us. I'm Cyril Vanier. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

Threats and insults, from Turkey's President after the Netherlands blocked two Turkish Ministers from holding political rallies on Dutch soil on Saturday that sparked angry protests on the streets of both countries. The Dutch government said, it barred the Ministers because it was worried about keeping order. But the Turkish President compared the Netherlands to Nazis, and warned that the country would pay the price. CNN's Atika Shubert, has more on the growing rift between the two countries.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Rotterdam has returned to normal after Saturday night, riot police were called in to disperse. Hundreds of people were gathered here at the Turkish consulate, angry, at the banning of a number of Turkish political rallies. A number of people were arrested, a few were injured, but the streets are quiet now. On a diplomatic level, however, still very tense. Harsh words from the leaders of both countries - the Dutch Prime Minister on a Sunday morning talk shows, insists that the country would not "Be blackmailed." Meanwhile, Turkish President said, the Netherlands was fascist and racist, and that this was all a dangerous game of election politics. Take a listen what both leaders had to say. RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRESIDENT (through translator): If you

sacrifice Turkish Dutch relations to the elections that will be held on Wednesday, you will pay the price. You will pay the price. We haven't started to take the necessary steps yet.

MARK RUTTE, DUTCHU PRIME MINISTER: We are absolutely willing to de- escalate, of course, these utterings of the President of the Turkish Republic do not help, and they're completely unacceptability.

SHUBERT: The diplomatic fallout may not end with the Netherlands' Denmark, has announced that it will now postpone the visit by the Turkish Prime Minister precisely, because of rising tensions. And of course, this all happens just three days before the election in the Netherlands. We have to wait until Wednesday to find out how this fared in the minds of voters. Atika Shubert, CNN, Rotterdam.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: There're a lot of questions around this story, let's speak to come to Dominic Thomas who joins me from Amsterdam. He's the Chair of the French and Francophone Studies Department and UCLA. Dominic, good to have you with us. I want to go back to the root cause of this diplomatic rouse. Several European countries, including most recently the Netherlands of course barred, Turkish political rallies from taking place, and most them cite its security concerns. Is that the real reason?

DOMINIC THOMAS, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES FRENCH AND FRANCOPHONE STUDIES DEPARTMENT CHAIR: Well, I think no. The real reason is, this is all about elections. Elections, that are about to take place in Turkey in a month time, where Erdogan is proposing a referendum that will dramatically reform the constitution, and of course, the elections' coming up this week in the Netherlands. Germany, took a similar position to the Netherlands where they have elections coming up in six months. And the French took a very different decision by allowing the Foreign Minister to speak in the eastern town of next. No matter what has happened, or no matter what decision was made, and we can talk about that perhaps a little bit more.

The fact is, it has brought increasing attention or public attention to the presence of very large ex-pat or dual citizen communities from Turkey, living in Germany, where they're estimated over a million and several hundred thousand in the Netherlands. And this has given another opportunity in this election that is being driven by the far- right populist builders and discussions around Islam, terrorism, border control, and national identity by bringing attention to these communities and raising suspicion about their allegiance or alliance to Dutch and to the Netherlands as a priority. So, essentially -

VANIER: So, Dominic - hold on. The Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, is up for re-election in two days. And you mentioned that he's against builders who've been critical of immigration, critical of what he calls Islamization as well. Is that pushing the Dutch Prime Minister, Mr. Rutte, to the right? And is that the reason why he prevented those Turkish political rallies from taking place? [01:04:40] THOMAS: I mean, I think it's the - it really is the big

question is; by preventing the rally, he of course has created a diplomatic row with the Turkish President who of course is using this as an opportunity to deflect from criticism of his own, let's say, democratic deficit in his country at the moment by being able to kind of take the high ground. But of course, the reactions of the Turkish President are giving the current Prime Minister in the Netherlands the opportunity to stand tough against Turkey, and to look like he is going to defend the country and so on, and that could play out very well. However, he's also coming under, you know, tremendous criticism as indeed as the European Union, for what is after all a fairly hypocritical relationship with Turkey.

And the far-right in Germany, the Netherlands, and elsewhere, have already been critical of the European Union because of the deal it struck in 2016 with Turkey, to essentially pay Turkey to serve as a shield in the migrant's crisis. So, this has a much longer history here, and we can see the tensions rising when stakes are extraordinarily high in this election Wednesday. Where you have a vast array of political parties running and the outcome is undetermined, and so much of this has relied on emotions and fear. And with so many undecided voters going into this election, you can see how this is beginning to wear on the candidates running up to the election.

VANIER: You've told us a lot about the wider context. In your final estimation, when the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says, "Well, barring my Ministers - My Turkish and Muslim Ministers, from entering these Western European countries." That's Islamophobia. Do you think he has a point?

THOMAS: Yes. I mean, of course, he does. Because, what the reaction one would've, you know, hoped from European leaders would perhaps of being to say that, no, in these countries we value democratic principles. We believe in freedom of speech. We believe in transparency of the judiciary. And when people want to talk and speak, we have no problem with that. Secondly, we have no problem with people living in this country who are dual citizens.

I think that that would have upheld the values tolerance, and would've exposed Erdogan for the dramatic and downfall in democratic principle in his country. And that would've been a more powerful stance, by not allowing these people to speak. And let's face it, that it's not the first-time that international leaders have come into European countries to campaign for their election or referenda. That would've been a better way to proceed on this, and would've avoided, potentially, this diplomatic crisis.

VANIER: All right. Dominic Thomas, who monitors European elections, who's in the Netherlands two days ahead of this election. We'll speak to you of course later on in the week. Pleasure speaking to you today. thank you very much.

THOMAS: Thank you, Cyril.

VANIER: South Korea is getting ready for a snap election possibly in May, to replace ousted President, Park Geun-hye. She left the Presidential Blue House on Sunday, after a court on Friday upheld her impeachment over corruption scandal. She was greeted by supporters at her private residence. Her critics want her arrested. And local media say, she's expected to be interrogated by prosecutors. Lawmakers, spoke on Park's behalf on Sunday, this is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIN KYUNG-WOOK, SOUTH KOREAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER (through translator): I am sorry that I couldn't fulfill my duty as your President until the end. I thank people who have supported and believed in me. I will accept all the results. It will take time, but I believe that the truth will definitely, come out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VANIER: So, what does that mean exactly? CNN's Paula Hancocks, is in Seoul. She joins us, with the latest. Paula, how do you interpreter that? The truth will come out.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Cyril, it just shows that Park Geun-hye is defiant to the end. She is denying that she has done any wrongdoing, that she has done throughout this corruption scandal and the three-month long investigation. Now, we did hear from special prosecutors that once she lost her presidential immunity, they actually wanted her to be indicted as a bribery suspect. Now, it remains to be seen whether or not it will happen or what turn this investigation will take. But it's not just South Korea we need to look at when we're seeing what the implications are of this Presidential scandal.

Scenes of pure joy, a stark contrast to disappointment and anger just down the road. South Korea is bitterly divided, but the implications of Park Geun-hye's impeachment reached far wider than these shores. North Korea's still technically at war with its southern neighbor, has been watching this scandal very closely. Even showing relative restraint since corruption emerged last October. North Korean state- run media Friday, called Park, a common criminal.

DAVID KANG, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: I think in some ways; North Korea is probably, enjoying all of this unfortunately. And hoping that a President gets elected, who's going to take a more engagement stance. And that - I would say, that probably appears likely.

HANCOCKS: The latest polls show liberal candidate, Moon Jae-in, as the front-runner so far, but two months before the election has to be held, anything could happen. Past liberal presidents were more willing to engage with North Korea, this could be a potential sticking point with the Trump administration in the U.S., who publicly, at least, seems more hard line in their approach. And there is THAAD, the U.S. Anti-Missile Defense System which started arriving in South Korea on Monday, which liberal candidates have already said, they don't want.

[01:10:15] JOHN DELURY, YONSEI UNIVERSITY: In fact, I would suspect, part of the reason for accelerating the deployment of THAAD is not just responding to North Korean missile threats, but also trying to get that thing in place before, potentially, you have a liberal President who'll say, I'm not sure about that.

HANCOCKS: John has been clear about his oppositions of THAAD. South Korean businesses say, they're suffering due to boycotts that the Chinese government says they didn't put in place.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this something we want? Do, we really want to have a problem with China? A lot of Koreans worried about the problems with China, causing economic problems within South Korea. So, tensions are high.

HANCOCKS: The first job for any new president will actually be to try and heal the rift in South Korea - has been polarizing corruption scandal, and there is a very sharp divide here. Cyril.

VANIER: Paula, there's going to be an election with the next two months. You've explained how important that's going be, especially with respect to North Korea. What the political landscape like, right now in South Korea going into this campaign?

HANCOCKS: Well, I think there's an expectation that Park Geun-hye's party - the conservative party, and a splinter group, which broke away during this scandal, is likely to feel a backlash from what has happened. There is an expectation, and certainly, polls would confirm this that the liberal candidates are going to do far better. There's one candidate, Moon Jae-in, who's the favorite at the moment, he's been favorite for many months. So, certainly, it's an expectation that there could be some quite significant policy changes.

Moon Jae-in, for example, has the exact opposite policies to what Park Geun-hye did. So, there's a real fear among pro-Park supporters, that they won't get a candidate that they want. But there really is a very divisive feeling, politically and also socially, in South Korea at this point. This, as I say, will be one of the first things that a President will have to deal with no matter which end of the political scale they actually come from. Cyril.

VANIER: All right. Paula Hancocks, live from Seoul. You'll be monitoring this for us throughout the whole process. Thank you very much. And Russia has repeatedly denied trying to influence the U.S. Presidential Election. When we come back, after the break: a top aide, the President Vladimir Putin, speaks out about the allegations. Plus, cyber-attacks are a growing threat across Europe. A rare look at what Europol's doing to fight them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:14:54] KATE RILEY, CNN WORLD SPORT CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kate Riley with your CNN WORLD SPORT headlines. Sunday saw the Premiere League a managerial Mary-go-round continues. Craig Shakespeare has officially been named as the Leicester City manager until the end of the season. The Englishman was appointed caretaker after the club fired the boss, Claudio Ranieri, as the team struggled to defend their Premier League title. Shakespeare has charged -- being charged with keeping the club in the E.P.L. this season but its next game is important too at home to Sevilla in the Champions League. They are 2-1 down after the first leg.

Now, staying in the E.P.L the only game on Sunday, while Liverpool looking for an important wins against Burnley at Anfield. It wasn't a convincing victory. For the Reds, it was a hard fought one as they had to come from behind to claim all 3 points winning 2-1 in the end consolidates their push for top 4 finish. They are now five points clear of Arsenal but the Gunners do have two games in hand though.

Meanwhile, over Spain, the battle for being top of La Liga continue between Barcelona. They end with the day with a point lead and Real Madrid, found despite their horrible comeback against P.S.G., Barcelona was quickly brought and backed down to earth as they lost to Deportivo de La Coruna, 2-1 round. Real Madrid behind a Sergio Ramos header faired far better beating. Real bet as 2-1 and return to the top of the table in Spain.

And that's a look at your World Sports Headlines. I'm Kate Riley.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VANIER: Welcome back. A long time top aide to Russian President Vladamir Putin, flatly denied accusations that Russia interfered with the U.S. Elections. Dmitry Peskov dismisses the conclusions of 16 U.S. intelligence agencies and he insists that Trump campaign officials' contacts with the Russian Ambassador to the U.S. were only about bilateral relations between Washington and Moscow. This is what he said to CNN's Fareed Zakaria.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAREED ZAKARIA CNN, FAREED ZAKARIA GPS HOST: Does the Russian government have any collaboration or serious communication back and forth with Donald Trump's campaign during the election campaign last year?

DMITRY PESKOV, KREMLIN SPOKESMAN: The answer is very simple, no. The answer is very simple, no. And the fact that Russia is being demonized in that sense comes very strange to us. And we are really sorry about that because this -- the whole situation takes us from -- takes us away from the perspective of getting our relationship to a better condition. We quite unexpectedly, we were faced with a situation when Russia, all of a sudden, became a, let's say, a nightmare for the United States. And we sincerely cannot understand why American people and American politicians started the process of self-humiliation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VANIER: One person who watched this interview very closely is CNN Contributor and former Moscow Bureau Chief, Jill Dougherty, who joins us now from Seattle, Washington. Jill you know Americans, you know Russians, so I want to get your perspective on this. It seems to me, correct me if I'm wrong; Dmitry Peskov being more than a little disingenuous here when he says, well unexpectedly, Russia became a nightmare for Americans. I mean, relations between the 2 countries have been poor for a long time.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well they have, but I think what he's referring to obviously, is right now, the allegations that the Trump Administration has since somehow allied with Russia and in fact before the -- during the election campaign, these are allegations. But what's happening now is it's a sudden train lot of this drip of information and allegation stories, etc. And I think you know, you'd have to say for the Russians, it probably is kind of a nightmare. And here in the United States, there's really no end in sight.

There are many investigations. But right now, Russia is depicted extremely negatively. I mean, I think you could say that he's to a certain extent right about the demonization. Now part of that, of course, objectively from people who are in these security services in the United States, we'll say there's an objective reason for that because of the alleged interference in the election. But the result is some demonization. It's very hard to talk about Russia in positive terms right now.

VANIER: And given what you just said, do you think there's any sort of sudden fraud in Russia over perceived chaos in American Politics? Any rejoicing in Moscow?

DOUGHERTY: Well, yes, of course there is because the weaker the United States looks, Russia looks stronger. And that just is the kind of the way it is. But I think the interesting comment by Dmitry Peskov was that word "Humiliating itself," the United States is humiliating itself. And what he's saying in that interview with Fareed is essentially, you know, the United States is the most powerful country in the world. It has very long stable political tradition. So how could they possibly be affected by another country? I mean, this really is a rhetorical question. And it's a way of saying, you know, certainly Russia didn't do it and how could it possibly happen with the big strong United States?

So, it's a way of, a kind of, you know, kind of attacking the United States. But it's an interesting way I think of putting it. And Russia is certainly exploiting this image of the United States as a country that is in political chaos, something that they talk about. And just as Dmitry Peskov says that, Russian media are criticizing the United States for a system that is controlled by rich people and by the rich media, the oligarchic media, as they put it.

[01:21:18] VANIER: All right Jill, thank you very much with your insights. We appreciate it. Thanks.

As Europe gets ready for a season of crucial elections, it's some high alert. Security Analyst say European government were targeted by thousands of cyber-attacks last year. Now, intelligence agencies are fighting back against espionage and those who might try to secretly influence voters. CNN's Nina Dos Santos was granted rare access to Europe's Cyber Crime Center at The Hague.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)