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Wolf
United Nations Raises Palestinian Flag; McCain Speech Blames Obama for Syrian ISIS, Afghani Taliban Situations; Democrats: Obama Needs to End Syrian Conflict. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired September 30, 2015 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[13:32:12] WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: There's other breaking news that we are following here, a story first played out at the United Nations a while ago. Despite objections from the United States and Israel, the Palestinian flag was raised outside of the U.N. headquarters in New York. And the Palestinians see it as a presence in the international arena.
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MAHMOUD ABBAS, PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): The question of Palestine was one of the first just comments made within the United Nation, and yet, regrettably, this issue has remained unsolved. As the organization and its members continue to be unable to end this injustice inflicted upon our people, and to insist that our people exercise their right of self-determination and freedom and their independence as a sovereign state.
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BLITZER: The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Traditionally, only member states can fly their flag, and they have nonmember observer status, but earlier this month, the assembly allowed the Palestinians and the Vatican, for that matter, to add their flags to the collection of flags flying in New York outside of the United Nations.
Meanwhile, other breaking news, "a total lack of American leadership" is how the Arizona Senator John McCain is describing the Obama administration's handling of the Russian air strikes to keep Bashar al Assad in power. McCain is the leader of the Armed Services Committee, and he gave an impassioned speech on the Senate floor a little while ago, blaming the president's troop withdrawal for new Taliban gains in Afghanistan as well.
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SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R-AZ), CHAIRMAN, SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: In the last couple of days, the Taliban capturing the strategic city of Kunduz, and that is terrible in the respect that Kunduz is in the northern part of Afghanistan where it was believed it was fairly stable, showing the ability of the Taliban and the effects of our withdrawal.
But I come back to Syria and the Russian activities today. After four years in Syria, the United States has stood by as Bashar al Assad and his war on the Syrian people goes on and on and on, and as this slaughter, it has been the single greatest contributor to the rise and the continued success of ISIL. Have no doubt, it was Bashar al Assad that gave birth to ISIL. The president has said for years, for years, that Assad must go, but he has done nothing that has brought us any closer to achieving that the outcome.
This administration has confused our friends and encouraged the enemies, and mistaken an excessive caution for prudence and replaced the risk of actions with the perils of inaction. And into the wreckage, into the wreckage of the Middle East's policy has now stepped Vladimir Putin. As in Ukraine and elsewhere, he perceives the administration's action as weakness, and he is taking full advantage.
[12:35:32] Over the past few weeks, Vladimir Putin has been engaged in a significant military buildup in western Syria, and deploying strike aircraft. And by the way, he is deploying aircraft that are air-to-air and not air-to-ground. My friend, ISIS has no air force. The White House has said it is unclear exactly what Russia's intentions are. If the White House is confused about Russia's plans in Syria, then the United States is even in worse trouble that many fear, because it is not hard, it is not hard to discern what Vladimir Putin wants. In fact, from Russia's military build up in Syria to its military intelligence with Syria, Iran and Iraq. And remember that Iraq is the country where we lost thousands of American lives. And now the Iraqi government announces sharing intelligence with Syria and Iran. Amazing. Amazing. Putin's ambitions are obviously. He wants to prop up Assad, and play kingmaker in any transition, undermine U.S. policy and operations, and ultimately expand Russian power to the Middle East to a degree, as I mentioned, unseen since 1973.
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BLITZER: And this is just coming in, the Russian President Vladimir Putin met with members of his own government to speak out about the air strikes that Russia launched inside of Syria today. And in Putin's own words -- let me read to you what he said -- "Syria is the issue here. The only real way to fight international terrorism and international terrorist groups that are creating chaos in Syria and the territory of neighboring countries right now is to take the initiative and fight and destroy the terrorists in the territory they have already captured rather than waiting for them to arrive on our soil." He went on to say, and I'm quote again, "First, we will support the Syrian army only in its lawful fight against terrorist groups. Second, our support will be limited to air strikes and will not involve ground operations. Third, our support will have a limited time frame and will continue only while the Syrian army conducts its anti-terrorist offensive."
Meanwhile, Republicans have been telling the president U.S. strategy is clearly not working. But guess what? Now, we are a hearing that some of the Democrats are saying basically the same thing. I'm going to speak with one House Democrats behind the letter to President Obama demanding a peaceful solution, a new strategy for the U.S. to the deal with what is going on in Syria.
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[13:42:45] BLITZER: Getting back to the breaking news right now, Russia, today, for the first time, launching air strikes inside of Syria. All of this happening as some of the Democrats inside of the House of Representatives are pressing President Obama to lead an international effort to end that war in Syria. Their appeal is more urgent now that Russia has launched air strikes. In a letter signed by some 55 Democrats, Congressman Jim Himes writes, I'm quoting, "It is time to devote ourselves to a negotiated peace and work with allies, including surrounding Arab states that have a vested interest in the security and stability of the region, moving forward with both a peace plan and a coordinated assault again on ISIL," or ISIS, as it's also called.
Congressman Himes is joining us from Capitol Hill.
First, your reaction to the start of Russian air strikes on various targets in Syria that began today.
REP. JIM HIMES, (D), CONNECTICUT: Well, Wolf, it is one more reason for urgency for the United States to exercise some leadership and pull everybody together around the table to solve this thing. With Russia engaged, and bringing in weapons and personnel, it is that much violence to occur, and that much predictability, because we have all kinds of countries flying in Syria. And so this is one more reason why it is time for everybody to stand down and realize that we have all got a common interest in an outcome that may not be to our liking. When Russia and Iran get a vote, and they do in that region, we may not get the deal that we want, but it is a deal that will stop the violence and hopefully stop the flow of hundreds of thousands migrants out of Syria and into places like Europe and, soon, the United States.
BLITZER: Seven million people, internally, and externally, maybe 300,000 people have been killed in these four years of this civil war in Syria. In this letter, among other things, you say that the situation worsens day to day, shows no sign of improving. You wrote the letter together with your colleagues, Democrats. Are you losing confidence in the president, in his ability to do anything about what is going on?
HIMES: Well, it is funny, because I was listening to Senator McCain earlier, and there is a mistake that people in Washington make, which is to think that if we can just get the right answer, and do everything right, everything will be fine in the Middle East. I have always felt that it ISIS is a daunting realization for me that the evident to arm and train Syrian so-called moderates, and you don't have to be a foreign policy Einstein to know that if you are putting in a force the fight both Assad and ISIS, and not only fighting on one side of the Middle Eastern civil war, which is never a good idea, but fighting on both sides of the civil war. And so I have never had confidence in that and the results are clear in the last couple of weeks suggests that that particular aspect of the policy has not worked, and so, yes, it is time to try something different.
[13:45:45] BLITZER: What do you suggest for the president to do in the days and the weeks ahead?
HIMES: I want the president to get together with a country that has a stake or influence in the country, and that is going to the include Vladimir Putin. And people forget that Syria was a client state of the Soviet Union, and there is a naval base there, and so I want them to get together with Turkey, and Jordan countries and, yes, Iraq, and that is uncomfortable, because it is an appalling regime, but they have influence in the region, and for those folks to get together to phase Assad out of power and do two things. Describe the post Assad Syria will look like which is participation of the Sunnis and the Kurds, and the Russians and the -- we all align strategically around eradicating eye circumstances and when we have reached that level of agreement from where we go from here will we be effective against is.
BLITZER: And the House Intelligence Committee, Russian's intention right now in Syria, and they say it is only to have Russia strengthen its own influence in the region at the expense of the United States. Do you accept that?
HIMES: Yeah. I think that it is probably accurate as far as it goes. But remember that Syria has for generations been a Soviet and Russian client state. Assad and his father got their military hardware, their training and everything else from the Soviet Union and from Russia. So Putin is asserting himself in areas not where he is sort of breaking new ground -- but think of Crimea, which, of course, does in fact have a long Russian history -- and asserting himself in areas to make the case that there is a tradition of Russian participation there. The other thing about Putin and Russia, and as much as I respect Senator McCain, they are not our geo strategic threat right now. They are a problem for us, no question. But this is a country whose economy is imploding, and the currency has been tanked, and the president is playing dangerous games all over the world, and while he is dangerous, we need to remember that we do have some things in common with Russia, fighting Islamic terrorism, doing things like making sure that Iran does not arrive at a nuclear weapon, and so we have to remember that part, too.
BLITZER: Thank you, Congressman Jim Himes, for joining us.
HIMES: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: Jim Himes, a member of the House Intelligence Committee.
And coming up, we are standing by for a briefing from the Pentagon about Russia's new air strikes. They were launched today inside Syria as Russia targeted ISIS, as it claims, somebody else. Our experts are standing by.
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[13:50:44] BLITZER: Earlier this hour, we heard from the White House press secretary with reaction to these Russian air strikes that happened earlier today inside Syria. And coming up at the top of the hour, we expect to hear from the Pentagon, the Defense Secretary Ash Carter. He is scheduled for the briefing momentarily. Standby, because CNN will have live coverage. In the meantime, let's talk about the breaking news, the start of
these Russian air strikes inside of Syria, the Russian targets, what we could be hearing from the Pentagon chief. Joining us, our chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, over at the United Nations in New York; and our CNN military analyst, Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, joining us from Orlando.
Christiane, what are you hearing about the Russian strikes from inside of Syria, these Russian strikes?
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, as you can see it is raining here, and some would say it is raining Russian missiles, but on the wrong target targets. We are hearing from the French, and soon I will be interviewing the foreign minister that they got no warning whatsoever before the Russian strike, and that senior American officials plus Syrian opposition, and plus o others are saying that so far, what they know is that the Russian air strikes so far have not hit eye is sis, but they have hit others, according to the opposition anti-Assad rebel rebels, and system of them of course are those trained by the United States.
So there is also policy going on inside of this chamber, which many are questioning right now. They are saying that the United States is conceding to the day facto facts on the ground, and military hardware and its own politics, and intelligence operation, and it is taking the lead for now entirely to bolster the Assad regime. The head of the NATO's forces, the American general, Philip Breedlove, has said that all of the hardware that Russia has taken in does not comfort to what is required to target is, and they don't believe it is Russia's main aim -- Wolf?
BLITZER: And, General Hertling, we are told that to a Russian military attache goes up to the embassy in Baghdad and alerts U.S. military personnel that Russia is about to start air strikes, you better not have any planes in the area, because that could cause a problem. So what does the U.S. do in this situation?
LT. GEN. MARK HERTLING, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, it is what they did, Wolf, they continued to fly aircraft in northern Syria. This is not something to bother the U.S. military, and especially the U.S. Air Force. They will continue the fight in the north. And also, I would say this is not de-confliction as promised by President Obama or President Putin. This is a diplomatic action presented by a general at an embassy. This is contrary to the way that all military coordination and de-confliction is conducted. So this is just another attempt by Putin to do things his way and no one else's. It's just a sad state of affairs.
BLITZER: And, Christiane, all of this follows the news that President Obama met with President Putin, and Secretary Kerry has been meeting with Foreign Minister Lavrov, and it's all been a surprise to the United States.
AMANPOUR: Yes, they saw the buildup, and then they started to get clear on when they saw the military hardware and personnel moving in, and also, they were taken totally by surprise, and we don't know how effective it is going to be, but totally by surprise with the Russian announcement of the intelligence-gathering coalition of Teheran and Damascus and Baghdad. And that basically cuts out the taking the lead and the United States is having to follow Russia's lead right now. They assume that Russia won't be able to tolerate any kind of quagmire or getting bogged down. But at the moment Russia's aim is to bolster Assad and according to the United States, the drone surveillance missions are not over ISIS positions but are over the anti-Assad rebels including some of those the United States has tried to equip and train. So this is a pretty bleak state of affairs right now.
[13:55:12] BLITZER: And we're standing by, Christiane, General Hertling, to hear from the defense secretary of the United States, Ash Carter. You see that live picture coming up.
That's it for me. Our special coverage of this Pentagon briefing, the breaking news on the Russian air strikes in Syria, all of this will continue right after a quick break.
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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
[13:59:44] BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news here on CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin. I want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and all around the world.
The breaking news is this. Any minute now, the U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter will be speaking from the Pentagon. Live pictures in the upper right corner of your screen as the world is watching what he could say in the wake of these dramatic turn of events in this U.S.-led war on ISIS.
