Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Saturday

Israel And Lebanon Indicate They Will Comply With U.N. Resolution to End Violence in The Middle East; Pakistan Looking for Militant Linked to Al Qaeda in U.K. Terror Plot; Major Delays at Heathrow Airport in Britain

Aired August 12, 2006 - 18:00   ET

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

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: -- cease-fire. My guest is going to answer that question.
Plus, arrested in connection with the airline terror plot. One lawyer says she is appalled by the way her clients are being treated.

But first let's catch you up on the hour's headlines. From houses to cafes, British police raided Internet cafes in several cities today including London. They're looking for more evidence in the alleged airline terror plot.

And boy frustrated passengers. Another day of long lines at London's Heathrow Airport. The increased security has wrecked flight schedules and travel plans. A third of Saturday's flights out of Heathrow were canceled.

And back here on the home front, President Bush is weighing in on the alleged terror plot. In his weekly radio address this morning he said new air security measures are needed because the U.S. cannot be sure the terror threat has been eliminated.

And now to the Middle East, where the fighting between Israeli and Lebanese forces rages on even as progress toward a peace deal is made. Meantime, Hezbollah is voicing reservations. But the Lebanese cabinet just a short time ago approved a Security Council resolution aimed at ending the fighting.

Also, Hezbollah fighters have shot down an Israeli helicopter in southern Lebanon. Israeli forces confirmed the incident but have not given more details.

And let us not forget that soldiers are also dying in Iraq. Two American soldiers were killed south of Baghdad today, their patrol struck an Improvised Explosive Device. U.S. military deaths in Iraq now total 2,600.

And Venezuela President Hugo Chavez plans to visit his friend Cuba's Fidel Castro. Tonight the eve of his 80th birthday, Castro is recovering from intestinal surgery. And according to Cuba's communist party newspaper, Castro has been sitting up and walking in his hospital room.

Items belonging to convicted uni-bomber Ted Kaczynski are headed to auction. A judge has ruled that belongings found in Kaczynski's Montana cabin a decade ago can be sold online. Kaczynski is serving a life sentence without parole.

A month after the Middle East conflict began, the best chance for peace finally arrives. And it's accompanied by some of the worst fighting we're seeing. Fierce battles we're showing you raged in southern Lebanon today between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. Meantime, Lebanon's cabinet approved a U.N. resolution aimed at ending the fighting and Israel is expected to follow suit tomorrow. I just spoke with the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations.

Now as the diplomatic efforts reach a new stage, Israeli troops are pushing deeper into southern Lebanon. CNN's Matthew Chance is on the Israeli/Lebanese border.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The heavy price of Israel's expanded offensive in southern Lebanon. As the clock ticks towards a cease-fire, more Israeli soldiers reported killed Saturday, (INAUDIBLE) than any other day in this war. Each day it seems another grim record is set.

TRANSLATION OF DAN HALUTZ, ISRAELI CHIEF OF STAFF: We're fighting Hezbollah and will continue to fight until a cease-fire is decided. But more than that, until it has decided what the mechanisms for implementing it is.

CHANCE: Both Israel and Hezbollah have already agreed in principal to stop the fighting, just not yet. The Lebanese cabinet has approved the U.N. resolution. Israel is expected to do the same on Sunday. Israeli media is even quoting government officials as saying offensive military operations will end on Monday at 7:00 a.m. But that leaves a few days yet to wage war, long enough for Israel to triple its forces in southern Lebanon, to seize areas deep inside the country that Israel says are used by Hezbollah to launch its rockets. Israeli military officials confirm a helicopter was shot down late Saturday by Hezbollah guerrillas. The militia is vowing to keep fighting until Israeli troops are gone. That could take some time.

DORE GOLD, ISRAELI GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: The withdrawal of Israeli forces could only begin when we really see the peacekeepers move into this area as well as the Lebanese army.

CHANCE: And every day, Hezbollah rockets continue to pound Israel, wreaking havoc across the country's north. Many Israelis are skeptical a U.N. resolution will restore peace. But for them and the Lebanese too, it's the only hope. Matthew Chance, CNN, on the Israeli/Lebanese border.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: The Lebanese cabinet, including its two members from Hezbollah, approved the U.N.- sponsored resolution unanimously just two hours ago. Now Hezbollah's leader did voice concerns about the deal but said his group will abide by a cease-fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HASSAN NASRALLAH, HEZBOLLAH LEADER: Therefore, whenever there's a timing for the cessation of hostilities, the resistance will be obliged by it. Whenever there's a declaration before and after, I assure you the resistance was a reaction, therefore, when the Israeli aggression stops, then the reaction by the resistance will stop.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: And there are yet new turns in the story. CNN's Jim Clancy in Beirut with more of the day's events in Lebanon. Jim, a short time ago, is it true that the two ministers from Hezbollah on the cabinet actually said in that closed-door meeting that they were not going to be disarming south of the Litani River near the Israeli border?

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: According to our sources, yes, that's true. And U.S. diplomats are on the lines tonight between Washington and Beirut seeking some clarification and consideration of what happens next. There are obviously concerns that although a breakthrough was brokered there at the U.N. Security Council, this is a deal that may be breaking down. Now, on its face, when they came out of the cabinet meeting, there was -- in front of the television cameras, Carol, a show of unity. Here's the Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FOUAD SINIORA, LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER: There won't be any weapons in the country starting from the area which is the zone that will be south of the Litani. There won't be any weapons other than the weapons of the central government.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: Now the Litani River is about 15 miles in. That is the territory that Israel is trying to seize here in the last, oh, 24 to 48 hours in this conflict, so that it could create that kind of buffer zone for the Lebanese army and the UNIFIL forces to go in there, some 30,000 troops in all, 15,000 Lebanese and 15,000 international peacekeepers. But tonight sources are telling CNN that inside the meeting, Hezbollah ministers informed the government that they would not quit the south, give up their arms below the Litani River under any circumstances. Meaning that as 1701 specifies, they would have to pull out as Israeli troops were pulling out, that the Lebanese army would have to deploy there. In fact, my source telling me tonight that there was a general -- Lebanese army general inside the cabinet meeting trying to make the point that he wasn't going to take command down there unless it was a sole command for the Lebanese army and working with the international peacekeepers. And that's where the objections all came in.

Now, this is a very serious development, because, as you know, Israel's security cabinet is going to be meeting on Sunday. They have to consider whether they accept this deal. What we have is a situation that is developing hour to hour. There's another cabinet meeting that is scheduled on Sunday. That was supposedly going to work out some of the details of implementation. In reality, if we're to read what all of our sources are telling us now, it may be to really hammer out a commitment by Hezbollah that they're going to comply with the letter and the spirit of resolution 1701. Everyone has known that Iran and Syria use Hezbollah as a lever in this region, as more or less an extension of their influence and power. And the understanding is from our sources that they don't want to give that up and that the orders have come down, in order for them to maintain their position here. That breaks the deal. And the Lebanese government obviously trying to salvage it. There may be 24 more hours to do that. Carol?

LIN: All right, thanks very much, Jim Clancy reporting live from Beirut.

We also have this development. The Israeli Defense Forces have confirmed to CNN that four more Israeli soldiers killed today. This is in addition to a downed helicopter, a helicopter shot down by Hezbollah. So the violence escalating as -- according to the U.N. plan, that Israel and Hezbollah would stop fighting by Monday morning, but each side trying to gain as much ground in the interim.

Want to get back to another one of our top stories. That airline terror plot expanding today. 23 men still being questioned in Great Britain and authorities in Pakistan now are hunting for a terrorist link to Al Qaeda. Also, a report says that one of the British suspects may have ties to the wife of a 9/11 fugitive. CNN's Deborah Feyerick begins our team coverage from London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As investigators worked to unravel the terror plot, police raided several Internet cafes in and around London. One of them is near Heathrow Airport where authorities say some of the suspected suicide bombers planned to begin their deadly journeys. Police are still questioning 23 suspects, most seemingly educated from middle-class families. Security experts say the kind of men terrorists might try to recruit.

SAJJAN GOHEL, ASIA-PACIFIC FOUNDATION: Some of them have studied at university. They have the western social skills, good jobs. They're basically able to blend into the fabric of society and reappear at time of their choosing.

FEYERICK: Sajjan Gohel is a security expert specializing in Pakistan, a country friendly to the U.S. and Britain, but where militant Islamic groups also exist, some of them with links to Al Qaeda. Earlier this week, seven men were arrested in Pakistan in connection with the alleged jet liner plot. Pakistani authorities say one of them, British citizen Rashid Rauf, appeared in court Saturday. Investigators believe he was key to the operation. A Pakistani intelligence source tells CNN Rashid Rauf is related to one of those arrested in England. And while authorities believe that two of the British suspects met with an Al Qaeda explosives expert in Pakistan, what they don't know is whether Osama bin Laden was aware of or played any part in the plot. Experts say it hardly matters.

GOHEL: And bin Laden's propaganda machine has been very potent in encouraging and inspiring groups to reenact Al Qaeda-type attacks. So Al Qaeda central may not be behind a certain terrorist attack that takes place, but what it does, it encourages people to take up arms against their own society to kill and be killed.

FEYERICK (on camera): Investigators in at least three countries, Pakistan, Britain and the United States are now running down leads. Experts say this plot can't be looked at in isolation. But in the context of plots that came before, and those that may come after. Deborah Feyerick, CNN, London.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: We're going to stick with this story, because CNN has obtained an interview with a lawyer for two of the terror plot suspects. And she says that her clients are being mistreated. She made her accusation in an exclusive CNN interview, but we have not been able to confirm her claims. Nevertheless, let's hear her out. CNN's Dan Rivers has more from London. Dan?

DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I've been talking to Mudassar Arani who's representing two of the 23 people currently being detained over this alleged plot. And as you say, she has some stinging criticism of the way the police have been treating her clients.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RIVERS (voice-over): Zeroing in on suspects' houses across Britain, the police are continuing their meticulous investigation into the alleged terrorist plot. A clearer picture is emerging about the men detained, who police suspect of being involved in a massive conspiracy. Mudassar Arani is the court appointed lawyer of two of the suspects. For the first time she's spoken about their condition and painted a bleak picture.

MUDASSAR ARANI, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: They seem just ordinary people who were very shocked at what was happening to them. They were wearing the clothing which was provided by the police officers. The clothing was not sufficiently warm enough for them. They haven't even been interviewed, let alone given any indication of charges.

RIVERS: One of the men arrested during the police raids has been released. According to Ms. Arani, he was an innocent bystander in the wrong place at the wrong time. But she and the other defense lawyers are concerned about how little access they've been given to the others.

ARANI: We have been provided with very limited contact with our clients. For instance, yesterday, an application was made to the magistrate's court for one for further detention. We were not allowed to have consultations prior to the application. That's a joke.

RIVERS: And in terms of their access to contact with their family, how much contact have they been given? ARANI: They're extremely concerned about their families. They have not had any form of contact with members of their families. And that is obviously causing a lot of stress and anxiety to them.

RIVERS: Ms. Arani is now waiting to see if her clients want to make a formal complaint. Police officers at the station where the men are being held were unavailable for comment.

RIVERS (on camera): As the men remain bars under tight security, at their family homes, the police are continuing their in depth forensic examination looking for clues. And this family, like many of the others, have been told to leave their family home and live in a hotel while that investigation continues.

(voice-over): The police can hold the men for a further 25 days as they try to unravel this complicated conspiracy.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

RIVERS: And there are reports in newspapers coming out here on Sunday in Britain that there are allegedly other terrorist cells that the police are investigating here in Britain. So there may be much more on this story with the investigation widening here in the UK.

LIN: Dan, there may be those in the United States who might think it absurd that terror suspects are complaining about how warm they are in their prison cell. I don't know much about the British legal system there. Did the attorney at all elaborate on what the defense plan was going to be?

RIVERS: Well, firstly, her criticism of the way they're being treated was fairly widespread. Not only their physical conditions, saying that the air conditioning was turned up so it was freezing cold, they weren't given blankets at night. One of the men was fasting for religious reasons. And when he came to finish that fast, he wasn't given any food or water, so he ended up without food or water for 26 hours. There are a whole bunch of allegations basically that the police just weren't being -- treating them in a humane way. Secondly, and perhaps actually more seriously a thing -- the first allegations perhaps could be dismissed as well, you know, they're in a cold cell, big deal. The second allegations are more serious I think, because there she's saying she didn't have a chance to brief her clients before they appeared in court. They were given no chance to make a phone call to their family, to let their family know where they were, what had happened to them, how they were. They weren't being told after their court appearance what had happened to them, what the decision of the court was, that it was to remand them for a further period of detention. So I think those are the criticisms that are more serious in all this, the fact that she is accusing the police of basically not playing by the rules.

LIN: Dan, interesting. Thank you very much. Dan Rivers reporting live from London.

All right this just in to the CNN Center. We're getting this off an Israeli website, Ynet News, that the Israeli army will begin pulling out of southern Lebanon where they've been fighting obviously as you know Hezbollah guerrillas. The timetable is within a week or two according to this website, quoting a senior official in Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office. The timetable, within a week or two Israeli troops would start withdrawing from the territory after the first international forces and the Lebanese army arrive in southern Lebanon. All right just want to bring you the very latest. That's from Ynet News.

Now blasting a hole in a united front. Still to come, the aviation community has backed new security measures until now. Find out who's upset and how it could affect your travel.

Also, after the break, security and politics. How both sides are trying to gain political advantage this election year using your safety as the issue.

And here at home, two Texas border patrol agents facing a long time behind bars. But the drug smuggler they tried to arrest is let off Scott-free. What's going on here? We're going to take a closer look. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Security and politics. In Washington, they are often opposite sides of the same coin. President Bush says the foiled terror plot in the U.S. is proof positive his anti-terrorism policies are working. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux traveling with the president in Crawford, Texas. Suzanne, the topic of the radio address?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You're absolutely right, Carol. And of course the White House is determined to portray this failed attack as a success story. But democrats are arguing it is anything but.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): With the five year anniversary of 9/11 just a month away, President Bush is using the foiled terrorist plot to make the case that Americans are safer under his watch.

BUSH: Because of the measures we've taken to protect the American people, our nation is safer than it was prior to September the 11th.

MALVEAUX: But democrats dismiss the president's reassurances as little more than lip service.

SEN. MARK PRYOR, (D) ARKANSAS: It's time for Washington to be tough and smart about the threats we face. Americans deserve real security, not just leaders who talk tough but fail to deliver.

MALVEAUX: The dueling weekend radio addresses highlight the heated political battle taking place between democrats and republicans over whether the United States is winning the broader war on terror. Both sides are accusing the other of using the foiled terrorist plot for political gain. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said, "Partisan politicking during this critical time undermines this obligation and republican scare tactics fail to make America safer."

BUSH: Unfortunately some have suggested recently that the terrorist threat is being used for partisan political advantage. We can have legitimate disagreements about the best way to fight the terrorists, yet there should be no disagreement about the dangers we face.

MALVEAUX: Political analysts clearly see a familiar political strategy in play. With congressional midterm elections less than 13 weeks away, the White House and GOP are hammering home one message.

DAVID GERGEN, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: This is their central argument, the democrats are a party of defeat. They've seized on the -- and a party of weakness. They seized on the Lieberman loss as a way to re-enforce that point. This is going to be a central theme in the campaign of 2006 just as republicans used it in 2004 and 2002.

MALVEAUX: But the question is whether that theme will resonate in the midterm elections. A new "Newsweek" poll shows 44 percent of Americans say they trust republicans to do a better job handling the war on terror at home and abroad. 39 percent say they trust the democrats. But more than half surveyed, 53 percent, say they want the democrats to win enough seats to take over congress in November.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Now, political analysts say that in the past, when terrorist plots were uncovered, they have had very little effect or impact on the president's long-term standing. It is much more likely that President Bush is going to be judged on the events in Iraq and of course the current Middle East conflict. Carol?

LIN: Suzanne, thank you.

Obviously, anybody who's traveled in the last 72 hours, you've realized how much your life has changed. Handling those new restrictions on carry-on luggage and doing pretty well at that? Well what does it mean for businesses that sell the restricted items at the nation's airports? Homeland Security officials are promising to keep the heat up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Flying is safe. It is safe precisely because of the measures we're taking here and are being taken elsewhere in the world. And the commitment of people at TSA is to keep it safe.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Let's see how it's going. CNN's Gary Nurenberg live at Dulles Airport outside of Washington. Gary, you've had a chance to talk to some of the people who try to do business selling toothpaste and water. What are they going to do?

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, let me give you an update on the lines at the security checkpoints here Carol. They've fluctuated throughout the day depending on the schedule of departing flights. A couple of hours ago it was just horrendous. A couple of minutes ago, believe it or not, it was a piece of cake. As you can see, Dulles has really cleared out. Day three of these new restrictions, passengers appear to know what to expect and arrive prepared.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NURENBERG (voice-over): With some international flights canceled, workers at Dulles said check-in lines appeared shorter than on a typical Saturday. Some passengers did some repacking to get liquids and gels, now banned from carry-ones, into checked baggage instead.

MARY CRUISE, PASSENGER: So we took the shoes out of the big bag and we're carrying those. And the makeup and mouthwash goes in the other bags. So it makes a big difference who wants to carry your shoes.

NURENBERG (on camera): The limits on carry-ons meant more checked baggage.

You've got a lot of luggage.

ROSALINA VENTURA, PASSENGER: It is. We have like about six or seven.

NURENBERG (voice-over): Passengers downed drinks before hitting the security checkpoint. The ban is also having an impact on the in- airport stores that sell the restricted items, everything from water to makeup and toothpaste.

KELLY PRICE, WESTFIELD CONCESSIONS: On the other hand, people are, you know because of the regulations, are getting here earlier and spending longer, so a lot of other retailers' sales have actually increased as a result.

NURENBERG: The new restrictions are making it more complicated for Marisol Duarte to get baby Isabella to Argentina.

MARISOL DUARTE, PASSENGER: When you take off and land we usually use like water or juice or something she really wants, something really sweet. And we can't take that.

NURENBERG: But for those who were prepared.

ANITA EDWARDS, PASSENGER: We were pleasantly surprised and so far it's actually been pretty smooth.

NURENBERG: There has been some trepidation.

MALLORY ABBOT, PASSENGER: We were pretty nervous actually knowing we were coming into the U.S. and we had separate lines in Johannesburg. People going to Atlanta and New York, so we felt kind of like, they were like OK, people who are targeted go this way. NURENBERG: Mallory Abbot and her brother wrap liquor and wine bottles in bubble wrap, sticking them in checked baggage instead of carry-on, adopting what seems to be the prevalent attitude.

ABBOT: Better safe than sorry. Even though it's annoying, we have nothing to hide, so search us.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

NURENBERG: Search you, maybe. Search your carry-on bags, Carol, for sure.

LIN: Oh, boy. I'm taking a trip in early September and I'm bracing myself for my 3-year-old and me. We'll see what happens. Thanks, Gary.

Well, all day Monday, CNN is going to show you where America is most vulnerable to terrorist attacks. You'll get essential insight on the threats and what you can do to stay safe. Target America all day Monday right here only on CNN.

And we've got you updated on all the players and their positions in the Middle East. But will the aggression really stop? A Lebanese expert weighs in straight ahead.

And here at home, two Texas border patrol agents are facing a long time behind bars. But the drug smuggler they tried to arrest is let off Scott-free. What is going on here? We're going to take a closer look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Want to bring you up to speed this weekend and this is what's happening right now. Israel confirms that one of its helicopters was downed by Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. Israel also says it lost seven soldiers today in its expanded ground offensive.

And the Lebanese cabinet adopts the U.N. agreement that's meant to bring an end to the fighting. And Israel says it will halt operations on Monday.

Now the airline terror probe widens. Officials in Britain and Pakistan are holding some 40 suspects. Germany now is investigating possible links. Still no sign of terrorist involvement in this country.

The Department of Homeland Security says it will test a new liquid explosives detector in six American airports. Critics have charged that the Bush administration dragged its feet getting the test under way.

President Bush says the U.S. can't let its guard down. In his weekly radio address Mr. Bush said the airline terror plot shows how America's enemies are constantly changing their tactics. And terrorism charges in Michigan against some men who raised alarms by purchasing dozens of prepaid phones. The men all were questioned by the FBI. They're being held in a county jail. And all three are of Middle Eastern descent, if that matters to you.

Now federal agents have arrested three more Egyptian students who landed in the United States late last month and disappeared. Nine of the 11 students are now being held. They were supposed to report to Montana State University, but they didn't.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is expected to pay a birthday visit to Cuba's Fidel Castro. They're friends. Cuba's state media also say that Castro is moving around in the wake of his recent intestinal surgery. He turns 80 tomorrow.

Now we want to show you a border security story. Gaping holes are allowing some criminals to get off Scott-free. You heard me, Scott-free. And two border agents are facing prison terms for trying to catch a drug smuggler. Our Casey Wian reports on a federal policy that may be keeping the border patrol from doing its job.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As border patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean await sentencing for the way they tried to apprehend a Mexican drug smuggler, it's becoming clearer border patrol agents are being prevented from doing their jobs by questionable policies that could subject agents to criminal prosecution and allow illegal alien and drug smugglers to go free.

DEBRA KANOF, ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY: It's very important that we police our own. If we have to scrutinize the actions of federal law enforcement officers in the same way we would, and maybe even closer than we would, an average citizen.

WIAN: Assistant U.S. attorney Debra Kanof made those comments the day agents Ramos and Compean were convicted for pursuing and shooting an illegal alien drug smuggler. They face 20 years to life in prison. During the trial she accused the agents of violating a little-known border patrol policy prohibiting high speed pursuits of illegal aliens and smugglers. Kanof declined our interview request.

Stadla (ph) is the drug smuggler who was shot in the buttocks after a scuffle with the agents. He was granted immunity from prosecution and is now suing the border patrol for five million dollars.

Agent Ramos says there is a policy against high speed vehicle pursuits, but it's routinely ignored for practical reason.

IGNACIO RAMOS, BORDER PATROL AGENT: We don't really know what we have unless the car, or whatever vehicle it is, stops. And if a vehicle fails to yield, we'll never know what it is. It's not the first time it's been done by me or any agent out here.

WIAN: In fact, Ramos, a former nominee for border patrol agent of the year, says part of his job was to instruct border patrol agents in pursuit techniques.

T.J. BONNER, NATL. BORDER PATROL COUNCIL: The chase policy says that if a border patrol agent is following a vehicle, pursuing, if you will, and the vehicle breaks a traffic law, speeds, blows through a stop sign, et cetera, that they need supervisory approval to continue the chase. Now, perhaps there was a violation of that policy but does that rise to the level of criminal misconduct? Absolutely not.

WIAN: The attorney for the man smuggling this load of Marijuana denies claims by two sources he has since been arrested again for drug smuggling. He now lives in Juarez (ph), Mexico.

Meanwhile agent Ramos says the only thing he would do differently is to file a report that shots were fired during the pursuit. He still can't believe he's the one facing decades in prison, largely for not filing paperwork.

(on camera): The case is drawing the attention of members of Congress. We've been contacted by the offices of two, who are considering legislation to close some of the gaping loopholes in border security, exposed by this case. Casey Wian, CNN, El Paso, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Coming up, we're all used to hearing frustrated air passengers complain but today it's an airline that is speaking out. We're going to show you.

Also, widowed by the war on terror. Her husband was killed fighting for al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden and she couldn't be more proud. She's going to tell you her story in her own words.

And next, crisis in the Middle East. Despite cease-fire plans, Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah militants make an 11th hour push for control of southern Lebanon. You're watching CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: There has been a lot of praise for the arrest of the terror suspects in the London bomb plot. And you can see the threat level remains extremely high in the United Kingdom. But there's a high level of anxiety for the signature airline of the United Kingdom. So we're going to go to London's Heathrow Airport where we find CNN's Richard Quest. Richard.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Carol Lin. For passengers at Heathrow Airport, some of whom have been waiting hours, others days, life is pretty miserable here but for the biggest airline out of Heathrow, British Airways, things are also pretty grim. BA says many of its planes are leaving only half full for one simple reason, it's taking the security authorities far too long to process the passengers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) QUEST (voice-over): Long lines, frustrated passengers, canceled flights. The new strict security measures are biting hard and for Heathrow's biggest airline, British Airways, enough is enough.

WILLIE WALSH, BRITISH AIRWAYS CEO: BAA has failed to allow us to operate 100 percent of our schedule. British Airways, along with other airlines, is ready and able to operate a full schedule. The weakness in the system today is getting the passengers processed through the airport.

QUEST: Willie Walsh believes much more could be done to speed the security process. More staff are needed. More security scanners should be in operation. It's not good enough.

WALSH: I'm not questioning the, how secure the airport is. It is secure. However, passengers cannot get through the system. And that is the critical issue for us. We cannot get passengers to get their bags checked in, because the baggage system is not operating. We cannot get passengers through the long queues at the security checks to get on board the aircraft. So we're having a crazy situation in many ways to have to depart aircraft without our passengers on board.

QUEST: British airports agree that the current no hand baggage policy is unsustainable for any length of time, but rejects criticism that it could do more.

TONY DOUGLAS, CEO, HEATHROW AIRPORT: This is the busiest international airport in the whole of the world. I would be lucky normally if we had four percent additional capacity here. As a consequence of these unprecedented changes, security processing times are taking up to 400 percent longer. Individual hand searches. Obviously, people have now got to come very well prepared, with no hand luggage, with personal belongings in a transparent plastic bag and for all flights for the United States, that process is repeated twice.

QUEST: The situation isn't going to get much bet are any time soon, so long as these very strict security measures remain in force.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: And around the airport and at the hotels, for instance, where I am here, Carol, it's a rather pathetic sight. Passengers walking around with these little see-through plastic bags containing nothing more than their travel documents, their passport and any medications. Who said travel was glamorous?

LIN: I think they said it back in the 1950s and not since then, Richard. So how do you do it? You travel for the job. What's your secret?

QUEST: Well, you know, I'll be absolutely honest. I haven't flown out of a British airport since these new restrictions came into place. I'm flying out on Monday night to Latvia in northern Europe. I am dreading it. I just don't, I mean, what am I going to do? I won't have my i-Pod, my camera, my noise canceling head phones. I won't have anything other than my little plastic bag with documents.

LIN: All right. No lip gloss. Just remember, no lip gloss, Richard.

QUEST: Thank you.

LIN: Thanks so much.

Getting back to our top story, a chance for peace in the Middle East. Today the Lebanese cabinet and its Hezbollah members approved a U.N. resolution. It's supposed to stop the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Well Israel is expected to OK it tomorrow and a senior Israeli official says military operations in southern Lebanon could end in the next two days. If implemented, here's how the U.N. peace plan would play out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIN (voice-over): When U.N. Security Council resolution 1701 takes effect, the militant Muslim group Hezbollah must lay down its weapons. Israel must, quote, cease all offensive military action but officials say, under the resolution, Israel may respond if Hezbollah attacks. The carefully worded draft calls for an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, in parallel with the deployment of as many as 15,000 Lebanese army troops.

Joining the army, 15,000 peacekeepers from the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon. Expanding their authority between the so-called blue line and the Litani River. The resolution allows for peacekeepers to stay for 12 months to enforce the agreement. Under the resolution, armed groups inside Lebanon must disarm totally and remain disarmed.

The resolution bans the sale of arms to Lebanon without government authorization, a measure aimed at stemming the flow of weapons to Hezbollah.

Finally, it calls for the unconditional release of the Israeli soldiers kidnapped July 12th, the incident which touched off more than four weeks of fighting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: So the United Nations Security Council OKed a resolution to end the Middle East crisis, but will we really see an end to the fighting?

Here now, Michael C. Hudson, professor at Georgetown University Center for Contemporary Arab Studies. Professor Hudson, just in the last couple of hours we have heard that the Hezbollah ministry members in Beirut have said, we're not going to disarm south of the Litani River. What does that mean for the fate of this U.N. resolution? And do you believe that this, in fact, is the solution to the Middle East crisis?

MICHAEL C. HUDSON, P.H.D, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Well, I think, Carol, that we had a moment of optimism last evening when the Security Council finally voted on a revised version, which gave certain kinds of concessions to the Lebanese side, calling for at least a more precise Israeli withdrawal.

The problem is that it's going to take time for the Lebanese and UNIFIL new forces to get into the south. And my fear is that the Israelis, who have suffered politically, rather severely so far, and militarily, are going to try to do the best they can to show that they have really won on the ground.

So I would expect that we will see, perhaps, an increased level of fighting, as indeed we have today.

LIN: We already are. Professor Hudson, are you OK with your ear piece? Because it looks like it's bothering you.

HUDSON: I'm OK. I'll just keep my hand on it here.

LIN: All right, well very quickly then, specifically, I'm asking, is this piece of paper, this U.N. resolution, when you have Hezbollah ministers already saying, well we're not going to disarm south of the Litani River, and then you have the ambassador to the United Nations saying, well, you know, lost opportunity for Lebanon, then, if Hezbollah doesn't cooperate, again, the ambassador agreed it would be a dead deal if they did not disarm.

HUDSON: Well, I don't think it's quite as stark as that. We were watching earlier today Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, giving a long talk on Lebanese television. He basically accepted the resolution and he said that the Hezbollah ministers and the government would go along. But he also said that Hezbollah had certain reservations about certain parts of the resolution, which he said he feels are unjust and not correct.

LIN: All right, professor. So in the seconds that we have left, the bottom line, if the fighting is supposed to stop as of Monday morning in the Middle East, what if it does not? Do you expect that the guns will be silent?

HUDSON: I would like to hope so, but I think it's a little bit unlikely, Carol.

LIN: Because there's no plan specifically to return the Israeli soldiers called for in this U.N. resolution. Nobody knows what the timetable is going to be for this international force to go into southern Lebanon or even if the Lebanese army can mobilize to get down there to disarm Hezbollah. None of that has been answered.

HUDSON: Until the Lebanese army and an expanded UNIFIL can actually start getting into the south, I think that both of the contending parties, the Israelis and Hezbollah, will feel they want to duke it out a little bit longer on the field, because I think Hezbollah feels it's winning, if it can survive in the long run, while Israel, I think, desperately needs kind of a major, at least symbolic victory over Hezbollah.

LIN: All right. Michael Hudson, thank you very much, professor of international relations out there. Apologies for the discomfort with the ear piece.

HUDSON: No problem.

LIN: A lot of technology involved there. Appreciate the time.

Well, "In The Footsteps of Bin Laden," what attracts people to follow the al Qaeda leader? And why are they willing to die for him? We're going to introduce you to one devout follower next. It is a story you will only see on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: He is a ruthless terrorist and the world's most wanted man. So why are followers still flocking to Osama bin Laden and why are they willing to die for him? CNN traveled to ten countries to get inside for the "CNN SPECIAL REPORT: In the Footsteps of Bin Laden." CNN's Christiane Amanpour profiles one supporter, a proud widow of the war on terror.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Malika el Aroud, a devout Muslim who had emigrated from Morocco as a child was living in Belgium when she first saw Osama bin Laden on television. His image mesmerized her and her husband, Abu Satir Damand.

MALIKA EL AROUD, WIDOW OF AL QAEDA MEMBER (through translator): He was watching. There was a fascination, a love. It was very clear, and I felt the same. Osama had a beauty in his face. It is a stunning face.

OSAMA BIN LADEN, AL QAEDA LEADER: (Arabic)

EL AROUD: When you hear his voice it makes you want to stand up right away and leave and join him.

AMANPOUR: And that's what her husband did when he traveled to Afghanistan in 2000. Malika el Aroud followed the next year.

Life with bin Laden meant living without.

EL AROUD: There were windows without glass. Just a big hole in the wall. And it was the middle of winter. There was no bathroom, no kitchen. We really thought we had gone back to the Middle Ages.

AMANPOUR: Her husband, who had spent six months in al Qaeda training camps, was given a secret deadly assignment, one that would move bin Laden closer to his ultimate goal.

EL AROUD: He told me he would be home in 15 days.

AMANPOUR: That would be the last time she would ever see him. Then, the assassination of Ahmad Shah Masoud (ph), a friend of the U.S. and legendary leader of the Northern Alliance, a formidable Afghan militia. Two men claiming to be television reporters arranged an interview with Masoud. They were suicide bombers, armed with explosives. One had them strapped to his body, the other, hidden in the camera.

PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: There is no doubt bin Laden order the assassination of Masoud. He knew the 9/11 attacks would likely provoke some kind of American reaction and he needed the Taliban to protect him. So what he gave them was the one thing they desired most which was Masoud's head on a plate.

AMANPOUR: The explosion killed Masoud. It also killed one of the two attackers, the cameraman. The other assassin was executed by Masoud's men. He was Abdel Satar Darman (ph), Malika el Aroud's husband. This had been his secret mission, and she was very proud.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: "Know Your Enemy," be sure to watch a two hour special investigation "In The Footsteps of Bin Laden." The "CNN SPECIAL REPORT" is coming up Wednesday evening, August 23rd at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. We'll be right back with a look at what you're clicking on to at CNN.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Checking the most popular stories on CNN.com. Mary Winkler won't be getting out of jail today. The Tennessee minister's wife is charged with killing her husband and a judge had approved a bail agreement but later rejected Winkler's release because of a problem with the bond company.

Also, a Texas family wants to know why water is pouring out of an oak tree in their backyard. Yes, tree. It's been squirting out of the trunk for three months now. The source has even the experts baffled. You can read more about it on CNN.com. You just click "Most Popular."

And there's a lot more ahead on CNN tonight. Up next at 7:00 Eastern, "THIS WEEK AT WAR." And then at 8:00 p.m., "CNN PRESENTS: No Survivors." Do you think you're safe when you fly? CNN investigates what passengers aren't being told and why millions could be at risk. And at 9:00 Will Ferrell stops by to talk to Larry King. And I'll be back at 10:00. Tonight, how do you track a terrorist? Online, through bank records? One investigator gives us the inside scoop. A check of the hour's headlines next and then "THIS WEEK AT WAR."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com