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World Speculates Over Next North Korean Nuclear Test; Russia, Syria, Iran Issue Joint Statement Condemning U.S. Attack in Syria; Horse Racing in Mauritius; Turks Set to Vote on Fundamental Shift in Government. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired April 14, 2017 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:35] IVAN WATSON, HOST: I'm Ivan Watson in Hong Kong. Welcome to News Stream" The world waits to see whether North Korea will conduct a new

nuclear test as the country prepares to celebrate its most important holiday of the year.

While tensions rise on the Korean Peninsula, we explore the parallels with another global hot spot: Syria.

And you're looking at new video from a strike in Afghanistan where the U.S. dropped the

biggest non-nuclear bomb in its arsenal.

Welcome to the program. It's the eve of North Korea's biggest national holiday, the Day of the Sun. Make no mistake, there will be massive

parades and shows of military might, all in honor of Kim il-Sung.

But for the international community, there are growing fears that North Korea could use the holiday to carry out another nuclear test.

Ahead of the holiday, the north is slamming the U.S. over its decision to send an aircraft carrier strike group to the Korean peninsula. It accuses

the U.S. of pushing the situation there to the brink of war, that's according to state media which is quoting the foreign ministry.

CNN's Alexandra Field tells us how the U.S. might respond if North Korea decides to go forward with another nuclear test.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, Ivan, even Washington says it isn't if but when North Korea carries out its sixth nuclear test.

Now, how will the U.S. respond? That's what U.S. Vice President Mike Pence will be talking about when he arrives in Seoul, South Korea later this

weekend and then he goes on to Tokyo, Japan. North Korea will of course be the top topic on the agenda. He'll be talking about all the options that

Washington has put on the table including the military option.

The U.S. decision to redeploy the aircraft carrier strike group, the USS Carl Vinson, to the waters off the Korean Peninsula has enraged Pyongyang.

North Korean state news has not put out a statement saying that the presence of nuclear strategic assets in those waters has threatened global

security and could lead to they put out a statement saying the presence of nuclear strategic assets in those waters has threatened global security and

could lead to thermonuclear war. That's the propaganda from Pyongyang.

They have also put out images this week of their leader Kim Jong-un participating in or overseeing training exercises with the country's

special forces.

We're coming up on the most important day on the North Korean calendar, the Day of the Sun, that's Saturday. It is the celebration of the founder's

birthday, but it is also a major holiday around which North Korea has previously planned to carry out provocative measures like other missile

tests.

So, the whole world is watching and waiting to see whether or not they could take another provocative action on the Day of the Sun or in the days

following it, especially given the fact that the U.S. vice president Mike Pence will be in the region - Ivan..

WATSON: All right. Thanks, Alex. That's Alexandra Field live from the South Korean capital.

Now, Moscow is watching the escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula and is urging all countries involved to exercise restraint.

When asked about the relationship between the U.S. and North Korea and whether or not the Kremlin should get involved, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry

Peskov also said, quote, Russia follows its position on the non- proliferation treaty and continues to remain the supporter of political and diplomatic methods in all crises including the North Korean crisis.

The U.S.-based monitoring group 38 North has been watching this North Korean nuclear complex looking for signs of when another test might be

conducted. Joseph Bermudez is a military analyst with the group. He explained why they believe a nuclear test is

imminent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH BERMUDEZ, MILITARY ANALYST WITH 38 NORTH: We see low level activity when they are not planning a test and we see a gradual increase and we see

activity near the north portal. There are several tunnel systems at (inaudible), and for the past two months, maybe a little longer, we've seen

increased activity around the portal. This includes the presence of trucks, trailers, the pumping out of water from inside the tunnel. We've

also seen equipment coming and going.

This pattern of activity is similar to what we've seen in several of the previous tests. Everything that we see suggests that they could test at

any time they want to from this point on.

The decision to actually test is in one person's hand, that's Kim Jong-un. Kim Jong-un has to sign an order. It's a very special order, and he's the

one that makes the final decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:05:43] WATSON: As tensions rise in North Korea, we're seeing parallels with another global hot spot: Syria. This is a tale of two dictators:

Syria's Bashar al-Assad and North Korea's Kim Jong-un. Though they are on opposite sides of the world, their regimes share some striking

similarities.

Both leaders inherited their jobs from their fathers. Their family dynasties have ruled countries of roughly similar size and population for

decades, running police states that use brute force to crush dissent.

But look at this, the North Korean and Syrian governments really like each other. Every year their governments send each other many messages of

solidarity and support. Here is KCNA congratulating the, quote, friendly Syrian government. Just over a week later, Sanaa spoke of Syria's support

to the, quote, brave leadership of North Korea.

In fact, these regimes have been friendly for decades.

The Syrian president's father Hafez al-Assad met with the North Korean leader's grandfather Kim il-Sung in the 1970s. And they've developed

military-to-military relations ever since they were both client states of the Soviet Union.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEONID PETROV, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY: North Korean helped a lot the Syrian Republican Army to develop certain aircraft and air missile

systems. They also fixed and repaired these old Soviet tanks like T-54 and T-55s which Syrian army would import from the Soviet Union.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Fast forward to today when both of these countries still depend heavily on the patronage of much larger allies. Syria gets weapons and

direct military support from Russia, while North Korea depends on China for more than 80 percent of its international trade.

And North Korea and Syria share another similarity: they're both in confrontation with the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETROV: We can see that these both regimes are pariah states, both regimes in open confrontation with the United States, and the new sheriff is in

town, which makes their life much more difficult.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: The Trump administration is trying to put a stop to Syria's alleged use of chemical weapons and North Korea's very active nuclear

weapons program, first by trying to convince Moscow and Beijing to each abandon Syria and North Korea, second by leading international efforts to

isolate these regimes through sanctions. And finally, with the threat of military action including last week's cruise missile attacks on a Syrian air base

and the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group to the Korean peninsula.

Two dictators on opposite sides of the world in a high-stakes game of brinksmanship with the United States.

Now, Syria's top diplomat just met with his Iranian and Russian counterparts in the aftermath of

that gas attack in Syria, and the U.S. missile strikes that followed. All three of those diplomats say that the retaliation from the U.S. was

uncalled for.

Matthew Chance is monitoring developments in Moscow, and he joins us from the Russian capital now.

Matthew, good to see you.

Are there signs that the U.S. missile strikes could have strengthened the alliance between Russia, Syria and Iran, or is it still too early to tell?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it's pretty clear from the fact that the foreign ministers of Russia, Syria and Iran

have met today in Moscow for a trilateral meeting. The pressure the United States is putting on Russia to turn its back on the Syrian regime is not

having much impact at this stage. This was first and foremost, this meeting, it was a show of unity, between Syria and its two main military

backers, of course, not just the Russians providing air support, but the Iranians who provide a good degree of military land support for the Syrian

government as well.

And so again, this was underlining that they still stand together. They called on the United States not to try -- not to violate the sovereignty of

Syria in the future and said that attempts at regime change, as they called it -- this is when they were talking about the missile strikes carried out

by the United States last week on that Syrian airbase would fail.

Take a listen to what Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, had to say during his joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We confirmed our opposition, it is a united position, and it consists of our

condemnation of the attack on the Syria state. And we demand that the United States should respect the sovereign of a state and avoid such

actions that threaten the common world order.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: Right, so the United States ratcheting up its pressure. Rex Tillerson, the U.S. secretary of state, was here in Moscow just a few days

ago and delivered a message to the Kremlin that he believed - he said it was our view, talking about Washington's view, that the reign of the Assad

family in Syria had come to and, but there's no sign that we've seen either from the public comments

or from any other actions that Russia is prepared to turn its back at this point on an ally in whom

it's invested billions of dollars and millions of tons of military equipment to prop up - Ivan.

WATSON: Matthew, was there -- I mean, let's get back to the launching point, the trigger of this latest crisis. Did these diplomats address at

all the initial chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians in Syria? Were there any fresh calls for an investigation from these three

officials?

CHANCE: Yes. I mean, it's interesting because it's quite contradictory, I think, the public statements we've had on this from the Russian side, and

all of the parties on this occasion - the Syrians, the Iranians, and the Russians, said that they wanted to see an impartial investigation into what

exactly happened in southern Idlib Province with those horrific images we all saw on our television screens of those dozens of people meeting

horrible deaths as a result of chemical poisoning.

There are two separate versions of events, at least two. The western version is this was a chemical weapons attack carried out by the Syrian air

force, the Russian version, which has been backed up by the Syrians as well, is that this was a normal Syrian air strike on a chemical weapons

factory run by the rebels and it was the chemicals that they controlled that caused the horrific loss of life.

So what the Russians are saying is that they want an impartial inquiry into what exactly happened. The trouble is all the inquiries that have proposed

so far, they don't regard as impartial. They say they are biased and are designed purely to blame the Syrian government for this.

WATSON: All right. That's Matthew Chance live from Moscow watching the diplomacy at

work. Thank you very much, Matthew.

Now, we're learning more about contacts between President Trump's associates and Russia. Multiple sources tell CNN that intelligence

officials outside the U.S. have been finding their own information related to the allegations.

CNN's Jim Sciutto has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: CNN has learned that British and European intelligence intercepted communications between

Trump associates and Russian officials and other Russians known to western intelligence during the U.S. Presidential campaign, and shared those

communications with their U.S. counterparts, multiple U.S. and western officials tell CNN. These sources stressed that at no point did western

intelligence, including Britain's GCHQ which is responsible for communication surveillance, target these Trump associates. Instead, their

communications were picked up as "incidental collection" during routine surveillance of known Russian targets. The U.S. and Britain are part of the

so-called five eyes agreement, along with Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, which calls for open sharing among member nations of a broad range

of intelligence. This new information comes as former Trump Foreign Policy Adviser, Carter Page, provides a confusing, even conflicting story about

his contacts with Russian intelligence. He has denied that he was a foreign agent.

CARTER PAGE, FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN FOREIGN POLICY ADVISER: This is -- it's just such a joke that it's beyond words.

SCIUTTO: Page told CNN's Jake Tapper that when he visited Russia last July, he never discussed easing sanctions on Russia related to the seizing of

Crimea.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Did you ever talk with anyone there about maybe President Trump, if he were elected, then-

candidate Trump, would be willing to get rid of the sanctions?

PAGE: Never any direct conversations such as that. I mean it --look, it's - -

TAPPER: What do you mean direct conversations? I don't know what that means, direct conversation.

PAGE: Well, I'm just saying, no, that was never said, no.

SCIUTTO: But interviewed on ABC News, Page could not provide a clear answer.

PAGE: Something may have come up in a conversation -- I have no recollection, and there is nothing specifically that I would have done that

would have given people that impression, George.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS CHIEF ANCHOR: But you can't say without equivocation that you didn't discuss the easing of sanctions?

[08:15:05] PAGE: Someone may have brought it up, I have no recollection and if did - was it was not something I was offering or some always that

someone is asking for.

SCIUTTO: These intercepted communications certainly to be of interest to the House and Senate Intelligence Committee investigations of Russian

influence in the U.S. elections as well as the FBI investigation. A source close to the Senate investigation tells me that if it is relevant to their

probe, they will certainly examine this intelligence.

Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: Now to America's unprecedented show of military force. And we have some images to show you that have just come in to CNN. They show the

moment the U.S. unleashed its biggest and most powerful non-nuclear bomb on an ISIS target.

Afghan officials say at least 36 militants were killed. Just a few hours ago the U.S. military held a press conference saying there's no evidence of

civilian casualties, and the use of a colossal bomb on ISIS tunnels was the right weapon, again, according to the U.S. military, against the right

target.

Nick Paton Walsh has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Why drop a bomb of this scale on Afghanistan right now? Well, the clear answer is that ISIS, the

threat there, needed to be sent a strong message.

Now, this was targeted towards Achin, a town in the remote province of Nangahar in the mountainous rugged east of the country. The broader issue

is that ISIS, whilst facing pushback from the Afghan military at the start when they first emerged a couple of years ago, have reestablished control

in some areas, have even been able to mount complex attacks in the capital Kabul against a military hospital right across from the U.S. embassy.

Their pill to some people, the young perhaps those bored of the Taliban insurgency there, because they have money, because they're a new, fresh

ideology, but clearly the U.S. are very worried about this threat, wanted to send a very strong message.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: Now, I've been reporting on Afghanistan off and on since 2001. And immediately one big question looms. Will one colossal bomb change the

course of the afghan war?

It's worth remembering this is America's longest overseas conflict, stretching some 16 years. In the aftermath of 9/11, the U.S. bombed Tora

Bora in 2001 hoping to kill Osama bin Laden, dropping a different massive bomb known as a daisy cutter. But bin Laden famously escaped and wouldn't

be hunted down for another decade.

ISIS isn't even the biggest enemy in Afghanistan, it's the Taliban which controls large chunks of the country. Afghan security forces suffered

record casualties last year and they are plagued by desertion and government corruption.

Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in this war, and by some accounts the war is not

going well, neither for the Afghan government nor for its western allies.

Now coming up, Turkey's political future is in the balance. A critical referendum could give more powers to the president. We hear from voters

ahead of Sunday's historic vote. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:20:27] WATSON : Welcome back to CNN's News Stream broadcasting live from Hong Kong. You see a view of Victoria Harbor there on a Friday

evening. I'm Ivan Watson. We're going to take a look now at Turkey, which is weighing a monumental shift in its political landscape.

This weekend voters must decide whether to replace their parliamentary democracy with a more powerful presidency. And it's expected to be a close

call.

Our Becky Anderson went inside President Erdogan's heartland to find out what motivates his

supporters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Witness a city waking up, Ankara, a metropolis and Turkey's political nerve center.

Just like in the U.S. and the UK, to really understand the political realities of a vast country like this, you've got to get out of the big

cities like Ankara and Istanbul and into the rural heartland, which is why today I'm taking the train to the ancient city of Konya in an Anatolia.

This high-speed rail service launched just a couple years ago is a good example of Erdogan's landscape changing infrastructure projects - roads,

railways, airports, canals which help him shore up his base amongst Turkey's burgeoning Middle Class.

New transport links have not only made the country easier to navigate, they also serve a

political purpose. Built over the last 15 years, they link Turkey's major hubs to its once forgotten rural cities.

Erdogan's investments in infrastructure super charging businesses whilst boosting his popularity in a city like Konya.

TAHIR AKYUMK, KONYA MAYOR (through translator): Konya is hugely supportive of the AK Party and President Erdogan. That's why we're preparing this

beautiful gift for him ahead of his arrival.

ANDERSON: Tahir Akyumk is the mayor. He's come to check on preparations for the president's upcoming visit. A campaign rally just days before a

referendum that could consolidate even more power in Erdogan's hands.

AKYUMK (through translator): I was born in a small village. The city has seen enormous development over the past 15 years. Today, it's a leader in

education, industry and agriculture. None of that would have been possible without the government's support.

ANDERSON: That's a view shared by Taha Buyukhelvacigil. He's a fourth generation of a family-owned conglomerate that's reaped the benefits of

government support and investment over the past decade and a half.

TAHA BUYUKHELVACIGIL, BUSINESSMAN: In the last ten years, our workers wil lbe numbers of - it will be 300, now it will be 491 (ph) people.

(inaudible). And 50 percent of the (inaudible) are R&D people. They will be working for just for R&D.

ANDERSON: And those R&D employees are as a result of the incentives that the government

has provided to a businesslike yours to innovate, correct?

BUYUKHELVACIGIL: Yes. That's also what we needed.

ANDERSON: Taha's company once only produced food products, but now it's become a leader in cutting edge pharmaceuticals. Businesses like his have

transformed Konya's economy from almost wholly agrarian to a center of industry.

But despite the progress, Konya remains a city rooted in its past, a past that comes to life in the

courtyard of this Sufi poet Rumi's tomb as a troop of whirling dervishes perform their spiritual dance.

Swirling and spinning, symbolizing, some might say, the many twists and turns of modern

Turkish politics.

Becky Anderson, CNN, Konya.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: Let's get some more perspective on this. I want to bring in the former U.S. ambassador to Iraq and Turkey, James Jeffrey. He joins us from

Washington. Great to see you, ambassador.

Thanks for making time for our program.

A question for you, if this referendum passes, what specific changes would be brought to the

constitution and why are they being presented as such as an existential transformation for Turkey?

JAMES JEFFREY, FRM. U.S. AMBASSADOR TO TURKEY: Ivan, thank you for having me. Essentially this would change the parliamentary system, which frankly,

most democracies in the world have, with the parliament choosing a entire government, including a prime minister with a system quite similar to the United States' system

with the public independently electing a president for a fixed term of five years.

That means the president might be from one party, and because the presidents are now political

leaders, so they can lead a party, again, as in the United States, and the parliament can be from a different party or a different set of parties.

So, you introduce the idea that the president has certain powers and the parliament has different powers. It won't be unified as it is in most

parliamentary systems with the nod going to the parliament.

So, in and of itself, it's not democratic, but it's a different kind of system. Erdogan's argument is it gives the president in his role stability

because it's a five-year term that can't change. The opponents say, no, this gives is one man who has shown very authoritarian tendencies,

President Erdogan, the chance to further dig in as the president of Turkey perhaps to 2029.

WATSON: And the argument that it brings stability is interesting when you consider that Erdogan and his party had been in power since 2002 pretty

much uninterrupted all that time. They have not been troubled by instability with coalition governments.

Ambassador, I'm sure you've met face to face on several occasions at least with now President

Erdogan. What do you think is motivating him to make this major change?

JEFFREY: No, I know him fairly well.

First of all, he sees himself as the equivalent of the founder of the modern Turkish republic, Mustafa Kamal Ataturk, the father of the Turks in

the 1920s. And he sees himself taking Turkey in a different direction, frankly, a direction back to its more Islamic roots while still preserving at least some of the institutions of a Democratic

state.

It's a hard balance to do. He's been able to do this by, as Becky Anderson reported, an extraordinary infrastructure and economic development program

that's turned Turkey into the 18th largest economy in the world. That's where much of his support comes from. But some of it also comes from

support from conservative voters who basically like his more Islamic tint to policy.

WATSON: Ambassador, there's a joke going around in some circles in Turkey, it's rather morbid, that says we're now being given a democratic option for

killing off what's left of our democracy. Where do you think that fear comes from?

JEFFREY ; Well, it comes not from the changes to the constitution. As I said, they're not very different than that of the United States

constitution, rather it comes from the way that President Erdogan has carried out his office, the relentless campaign against the media, the

relentless campaign against those who oppose him, the very harsh tone of his rhetoric, and

finally his attempts to co-opt institutions that might provide a balance of power, might provide a pluralistic approach to politics.

And this is what troubles many people both inside Turkey. It's fueling the no vote, and it troubles many of us outside of Turkey.

WATSON: Yeah, and it's worth noting that Turkey has consistently been rated as one of the top jailers of journalists around the world.

Ambassador James Jeffrey, thank you very much for speaking with us and sharing your opinions and views on Turkey.

JEFFREY: Thank you, Ivan.

WATSON: Now, three long years ago Boko Haram kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, Nigeria. We'll take a look at Nigeria's uphill

struggle to find the missing girls. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:32:34] WATSON: Today marks three years since the terror group Boko Haram kidnapped 276 school girls from Chibok, Nigeria. Here you see 21 of

them who were freed last October, but dozens remain in captivity. The Nigerian president says the government is in talks for their release. Isha

Sesay takes a look back at those three long years.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISHA SESAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was April 14th, 2014. 276 teenage girls were taken from their school in the middle of

the night. Some of the girls were able to escape in the hours that followed.

It happened in a town of Chibok, in Borno state, northeast Nigeria. They were captured by the terrorist group Boko Haram.

Several weeks later, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau released a video claiming responsibility for abducting the girls and threatening to sell

them as slaves.

With international outrage mounting, protests began over the Nigerian government's failure to bring the girls home and a social media campaign

#BringBackOurGirls was launched.

A month later, the hash tag had been tweeted over 1 million times to people around the globe including politician, celebrities, and then First Lady

Michelle Obama.

One year after the girls were taken, in April of 2015, Muhammadu Buhari, one Nigeria's presidential election vow to curb Boko Haram's violence.

Another year goes by. In April of 2016, CNN obtained a proof of life video sent by their captors showing 15 of the girls. We shared it with several of

the girls's mothers, some tearful moments as they recognize their daughters.

In October last year, the Nigerian government announced some of the girls were freed after negotiations with Boko Haram. I was there when two months

later those 21 girls finally returned to Chibok and reunite with their families.

The room almost vibrating with the sound of unbridled joy. But for some waiting parents, heartbreak. These women have come looking for their

daughters who are still being held by Boko Haram. They thought their children were among the group who were coming home for Christmas.

[08:35:08] (on-camera): There has been such an outpouring of grief amid the joy, the piercing screams of mothers realizing that indeed they are not to

be reunited with their daughters on this day, which has turned what should have been an overwhelmingly happy moment into a bittersweet one.

(voice-over): Although several other girls managed to escape over the course of the past three years, the majority of those kidnapped remain in

Boko Haram captivity to this day.

Isha Sesay, CNN, Los Angeles

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WATSON: Welcome back to the program.

We're going to talk about United Airlines now. The company's PR nightmare looks like it could move to the courts. The attorney for Dr. David Dao,

the passenger who was violently dragged off a United plane says his client will sue. And there are new details on the extent of the injuries Dao

suffered.

Our Rene Marsh has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION AND GOVERNMENT REGULATION CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Attorneys for David Dao, the man dragged off of a full United Express flight, fired a warning shot Thursday, saying they will probably

sue.

THOMAS DEMETRIO, DAVID DAO'S ATTORNEY: If you're going to eject a passenger, under no circumstances can it be done with unreasonable force or

violence.

MARSH (voice-over): Dao was released from the hospital Wednesday night, but suffers a long list of injuries, including a concussion, broken nose,

injured sinuses, he lost two front teeth and he's set to undergo reconstructive surgery.

After the incident, Dao appeared dazed as he rambled, just kill me.

DAVID DAO, INJURED PASSENGER: Just kill me. Just kill me.

MARSH (voice-over): His attorney explained.

DEMETRIO: He said that he left Vietnam in 1975 when Saigon fell. And he was on a boat. And he said he was terrified. He said that being dragged down

the aisle was more horrifying and harrowing than what he experienced in leaving Vietnam.

MARSH (voice-over): Dao's daughter said watching the video made her family even more outraged.

CRYSTAL DAO PEPPER, DAVID DAO'S DAUGHTER: What happened to my dad should never happen to any human being regardless of the circumstances.

We are horrified.

MARSH (voice-over): The attorney also blamed the City of Chicago and its officers. While a lawsuit has not been filed yet, they've signaled it's the

direction they're going in, asking a court to order the airline and Chicago airport police to preserve evidence, including surveillance video of

passengers boarding the flight, the cockpit voice recordings and personnel files.

JUSTIN GREEN, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: This happened in the absolute worst city, Chicago. It's famous for being a very good place to sue a corporation

and it's the last place on Earth that United Airlines would want to defend the case.

MARSH (voice-over): It took three days before the airline's CEO faced the media and apologized directly to Dao, a move that may have satisfied some

of the airline's PR problems, but in the end may hurt them legally.

[08:40:03] GREEN: The CEO of United is already on the record saying Dr. Dao did nothing wrong. So, it's going to be, I think, more difficult for United

to defend the case.

MARSH: Well, CNN has obtained an email the airline sent to passengers offering reimbursement for the flight. It says customers are eligible for

vouchers towards future flights if they release the airline from lawsuits.

Well, after CNN reported this, a United spokesperson later told us that it didn't mean to send passengers emails with that language and then told us

that no person on-board that flight would have to agree to such terms.

Rene Marsh, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: Believe it or not, the tiny east African island nation of Mauritius boasts a rich horse

racing history. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible) is the second oldest race track that we have in the world.

Racing here was introduced in 1812. There was a bit of clash between the French and the English at that time because the English took over from the

French, and this is why they introduced horse racing, to get these people to get together here so they can build a

new nation, a new population in a better atmosphere.

Mauritian are very fond of horse racing. I think in a family of five you could have three people filling horse racing in Mauritius. They are mad

about horse racing. They have horse racing in their blood.

SIMON JONES: Riding in Mauritius, it's like a (inaudible) cup every race day. It's like a Breeder's Cup every Saturday. You've got so many people

there. the betting starts on Thursday before Saturday, which is unique in itself. And as you get closer to the event, the pressure gets -- it just

builds up and builds up and builds up.

It's just a fantastic place to race and ride.

MUKESH BALGOBIN: Most of the jockeys, we've got like (inaudible), a lot of international jockeys like (inaudible) and so on, they always keep saying

that the atmosphere is unique in the world in Mauritius. We've been doing it for so many years that I want it to be something similar to Dubai, you

know, open it to other countries where people can come with their horses.

At the same time you will be a tourist attraction. Like every Saturday there's a lot of tourists visiting us here. And I think if we move and got

the big racecourse with all the facilities, and I think people will come maybe from over the world

This is my dream, to see Mauritius becoming like the second Dubai in the sport of the Indian Ocean.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: And that is News Stream. I'm Ivan Watson. On behalf of the News Stream team, have a wonderful weekend. And stay tuned. World Sport with

Rhiannon Jones is next.

END