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Obama & Merkel Meeting; Michael Jackson Investigation; S.C. Gov. Meets with Cabinet; Remembering Michael Jackson; Iran's Crackdown

Aired June 26, 2009 - 12:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And let's get you now to President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Willkommen. It's my pleasure to welcome Chancellor Merkel to the White House. We had a very productive discussion in the Oval Office, and our meetings will continue this afternoon.

Chancellor Merkel's visit is the latest chapter in the long partnership between our two countries. The service of our men and women in uniform who stood together through a long Cold Car and who serve today in Afghanistan, the innovation of our entrepreneurs who help to sustain our economies, and the bonds of friendship and trust between our people which are unbreakable.

In recent months, I've come to appreciate these bonds through my partnership with Chancellor Merkel. We've worked closely together at the G-20 summit in London, the NATO summit and the EU-U.S. summit in Prague. And I value her wisdom and her candor, and I admire her leadership and her pragmatic approach to getting things done.

She and the German people have welcomed me to germany twice during the NATO summit and again this month in Dresden. And today, I'm pleased to return the hospitality. Chancellor Merkel shares my belief that no single nation can meet the challenges of our time alone. Today we reaffirmed that the United States and Germany, one of our closest allies and an indispensable partner, will continue to play a leadership role across the range of challenges.

We're building on the bold steps we took at the G-20 summit by aggressively confronting the global economic crisis. I underscored our commitment to strengthening financial regulations, and I welcome the Chancellor Merkel's commitment to reform. As we prepare for the G-8 summit in Italy and look ahead to the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh, we agreed on the need to avoid protectionism and to embrace concerted, collective action that creates sustainable growth and shared prosperity.

I reiterated America's commitment to stand with Germany and lead in confronting the energy and climate change crisis.

And let me say, Chancellor, that I've been very impressed by Germany's foresight and commitment to clean energy, which I saw in the many wind turbines as I traveled over the German landscape. And it's my hope that the United States will match that commitment today when our House of Representatives votes on a critical energy bill that will promote a new generation of clean, renewable energy in our country.

The chancellor and I discussed the tragic situation in Iraq. Today we speak with one voice.

The rights of the Iranian people to assemble, to speak freely, to have their voices heard, those are universal aspirations. And their bravery in the face of brutality is a testament to their enduring pursuit of justice.

The violence perpetrated against them is outrageous. And despite the government's efforts to keep the world from bearing witness to that violence, we see it and we condemn it.

As I've had said before, the Iranian people will be the ultimate judge of their government's actions, but if the Iranian government desires the respect of the international community, then it must respect the rights and heed the will of its people.

The Iranian government also has other responsibilities. Working with Germany, our other European partners, as well as Russia and China, we're working to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capacity and unleashing a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. We will encourage Iran to take a path that respects international norms and leads to greater security and prosperity for the Iranian people.

We also discussed the broader Middle East and the need for all parties to redouble their efforts to achieve lasting peace, including two states, Israel and the Palestinian state, living side by side in peace and security. And during our recent visit to Buchenwald,

Chancellor Merkel spoke eloquently of Germany's everlasting responsibility to the safety and security of Israel. Going forward, Germany will remain a critical partner in our efforts to bring safety and security to Israelis, the Arab states and Palestinians, who must reject violence and recognize Israel's right to exist.

We agreed that confronting violent extremism and preventing terrorist attacks demands our continued commitment and a comprehensive strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This includes dismantling and disrupting, defeating al Qaeda and its allies. Germany has been a strong partner in the NATO mission in Afghanistan, and we honor those who serve there, including American and German soldiers who gave their lives there this week.

As I prepare to visit Moscow, Chancellor Merkel and I reaffirmed our commitment to a more substantive relationship with Russia, working with the Russian government on issues where we agree, and honestly confronting those areas where we disagree. In Moscow, we will continue to explore ways in which the United States and Russia can advance our common interests, including our joined commitment to reducing our nuclear arsenals and strengthening the global nonproliferation regime.

Now, meeting these challenges will be neither quick nor easy, but I'm reminded of a lesson from my recent visit to Dresden. Chancellor Merkel took me to a timeless baroque church devastated in the Second World War. And for decades, it lay in ruin, a symbol of war. But thanks to the donations of Germans and Americans and people around the world, it was rebuilt, and its glory was restored. Today, it stands as a stunning symbol of what's possible when countries and friends work together.

And in that spirit, I want to welcome my friend, Chancellor Merkel.

ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): Well, thank you very much. And let me say that we very much like to remember -- and when I say we, I mean the whole as the German people -- we have very fond memories, I should say, of your visit to Dresden, and also very moving memories of your visit, Mr. President to the former concentration camp of Buchenwald.

We celebrated on the 23rd of May the 60-year anniversary of the Federal Republic of Germany, and we're more than aware of the fact that Germany would not stand as it stands today had not our American friends helped us after the end of the Second World War. But we also know that now, in this 21st century, challenges cannot be met by just one nation going it alone.

So we need to stand together, we need to do this together, and in this spirit we conducted our talks. We had a number of issues on our agenda today.

I would like to underline that the Iranian people need to be given the right to peaceful demonstrations, that the Iranian people have the right to have votes be counted and the election results substantiated. That the rights of human beings, of individuals, of citizens are indivisible the world over, and also apply therefore to the Iranian people.

We have to work to it that the Iranian nuclear program is stopped, that Iran does not get possession of at nuclear weapon. In this context, it is very desirable, of course, that also to know (ph) that the peace process in the Middle East gains momentum, that there is progress, visible progress here, because that too might send out a positive message to those forces in the Middle East who are not ready to be peaceful. Germany and America will work very closely together on this, just as on questions related to arms reduction and disarmament.

We would like to wish you, Mr. President Obama, the best of success during your upcoming visit to Russia. A partnership with Russia is very important for Germany, also important for the European Union, but we have every interest also in seeing a very good relationship between the United States of America and Russia.

We need Russia, for example. We need it looking at the problems we have with Iran, and we want to forge a common position wherever possible with Russia, but also with China. We've done that over the years in the format of the United Nations with a number of resolutions, and that needs to be continued.

We dealt with the preparation of the G-8 meeting that is upcoming, and also the Pittsburgh meeting of the G-20. We're on a good path here. I think there's been progress.

You have made very important steps here in the United States as to financial market regulation. We in the European Union are also working on that.

And in the summer of this year, we can then sort of take stock and see where these regulations meet and try to create a level playing field for the rest of the world. And it makes it possible to boost competition, but that avoids a future crisis of this magnitude.

We are very grateful that we are also able, together with the United States, to work on principles as to how matters are to be taken into the future after this crisis, but we now have to emerge, obviously, from this crisis, and recovery of our economies is a great precondition for the progress.

We talked about climate, just as I did this morning when I was in Congress. I said that this is indeed a sea change that I see, this upcoming bill anticipated today in the House on climate. That this really points to the fact that the United States are very serious on climate, and this has -- it should not be underestimated what sort of opportunity this brings to us to come to a good, a sustainable result during the Copenhagen conference.

I have been in many, many climate negotiations and debates in my country, in the European Union, so I know what's at stake when you talk about target reductions, how tricky that is, when you try to come to certain common ground. I wish you every success. I hope that you will come to good results when the vote is taken.

I think it's so important that when we're at one in saying we want a success in Copenhagen. We need to talk to the emerging countries and emerging economies as to their possible contribution, but the fact that with the United States, we stand where we stand today is an enormous success, which I would not have thought possible a year ago. Let me be very serious.

Thank you very much for the gracious hospitality offered to me and for the very extensive exchange of views that we were having.

OBAMA: We've got time for a few questions, so I'm going to start with Jeff Zeleny of "The New York Times."

JEFF ZELENY, "NEW YORK TIMES": Thank you, Mr. President.

A couple weeks ago on Iran, you suggested that there were few differences with Mr. Mousavi and President Ahmadinejad. I'm wondering if the ensuing times since you made those comments have changed your views on that? And will you apologize for interfering in Iranian affairs, as President Ahmadinejad suggested you should, or does he need to apologize for saying that you are "someone like President Bush"?

And Chancellor Merkel...

OBAMA: Well, Jeff, how many questions you getting in here, brother? I think you got two in, and we want to make sure we give some other folks a chance.

Well, first of all, what I said originally was that, given the structure of the Iranian government, and that power resided ultimately with Khamenei, the supreme leader, and given that there we aren't at that point significant differences on the core national security interests that we initially had talked about diplomatically, i.e. nuclear weapons development in Iran, the exportation of terrorist activity, that we could not automatically assume that there would be a huge shift on those particular national security issues, depending on who won that election. I think what's absolutely clear is, over the course of subsequent days, that Mousavi has shown to have captured the imagination or the spirit of forces within Iran that were interested in opening up, and that he has become a representative of many of those people who are on the streets and who have displayed extraordinary bravery and extraordinary courage.

I continue to believe that, ultimately, it's up to the Iranian people to make decisions about who their leaders are going to be. But as I said this week, and I've said previously, a government that treats its own citizens with that kind of ruthlessness and violence, and that cannot deal with peaceful protesters who are trying to have their voices heard in an equally peaceful way, I think has moved outside of universal norms, international norms that are important to uphold.

And Chancellor Merkel and I share the belief that what's happened in Iran is unacceptable when it comes to violence against its own citizens, and we call on the Iranian government to uphold those international principles.

What was the second part of your question there, Jeff?

ZELENY: Mr. President, I was wondering if you had a response to his call for you to apologize, or if he should apologize for calling you similar to President Bush.

OBAMA: Yes. The -- I don't think -- I don't take Mr. Ahmadinejad's statements seriously about apologies, particularly given the fact that the United States has gone out of its way not to interfere with the election process in Iran. And I'm really not concerned about Mr. Ahmadinejad apologizing to me.

I would suggest that Mr. Ahmadinejad think carefully about the obligations he owes to his own people. And he might want to consider looking at the families of those who have been beaten or shot or detained. And, you know, that's where I think Mr. Ahmadinejad and others need to answer their questions.

QUESTION: Mr. President, did you talk with the chancellor about the issue of Guantanamo (INAUDIBLE)?

(through translator): Madam Chancellor, could you make any commitments on this?

OBAMA: Well, first of all, I have discussed in the past with Chancellor Merkel our interests in closing Guantanamo. I think it has become a symbol internationally of the United States straying from some of our core ideals in our very legitimate pursuit of our national security and our concerns about international terrorism. And we are going to be looking for the help of our friends and our allies as we execute that process with one that's going to be admittedly difficult politically.

And so in the past, I've spoken to not only Chancellor Merkel, but other European leaders. We're pleased that the EU provided a legal framework for how to evaluate the detainees that are in Guantanamo, and we have seen a positive response from countries across Europe in the general sense of wanting to help.

And I think the particulars, the specifics of, you know, what particular detainee might be transferred where, those are still very preliminary discussions. And I think that Chancellor Merkel, she has an obligation, obviously, to make sure that Germany's national security interests come first in these considerations. We understand that, and we expect that we will continue to have, you know, constructive negotiations on some of these issues.

But there have been no particular requests made about x number of detainees being placed by such and such a date, and Chancellor Merkel has not made commitments that are specific in that sort. The conversations have remained at a fairly general level at this point.

MERKEL (through translator): Well, we did address that issue, as it was said. And I made it very clear that we are not going to shun our responsibility.

Our minister of interior is responsible for looking into the matter. And I said it might be a good idea to continue to have very close contact to the home secretary here in the United States.

All these contacts are already in existence, because as we've gone through the question of what is to happen with the former detainees of Guantanamo, it's one thing if we're at the beginning of a process, we're discussing that. But let me tell you yet again very clearly, we are not going to shy away at our particularly responsibility, but it needs to be brought in line, as the president says, with the legal situation we have in Germany.

We are showing a constructive spirit and we will come to a result. I'm confident of that.

OBAMA: (INAUDIBLE)

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President, Chancellor. A question for each of you.

On Iran, does -- do the events of the past few weeks and even of the past couple of days indefinitely stall your ability to have any kind of meaningful dialogue with them on the nuclear issue? And frankly, are you just losing precious time on that issue?

And then on Iraq, an upsurge in violence, a lot of bombings, a lot of deaths. Does that give you any thoughts on the coming deadline to pull the combat troops from the cities? OBAMA: Well, on the Iranian issue, I think that we are still waiting to see how the situation in Iran plays out. Obviously, I continue to be deeply disturbed by reports of violence that are taking place there. I continue to call on the Iranian government to deal with people who are peacefully protesting, wanting their voices to be heard in a way that respects international principles. There is no doubt that any direct dialogue or diplomacy with Iran is going to be affected by the events of the last several weeks, and we don't yet know how any potential dialogue will have been affected until we see what's happened inside of Iran.

I will tell you -- and this was the point that I was making earlier in response to Jeff's question -- we have a continuing set of national security interests that are going to have to be dealt with, because the clock is ticking. Iran is developing nuclear capacity at a fairly rapid clip. They have been doing so for quite some time. Iran's possession of nuclear weapons would trigger an arms race in the Middle East that would be bad not just for U.S. security, it would be bad for the security of the entire region, including, by the way, Iranian security.

And so even as we clearly speak out in a unified voice in opposition to the violence that's taken place in Iran, we have to also be steady in recognizing that the prospect of Iran with a nuclear weapon is a big problem, and that we've got to work in concert with the international community to try to prevent that from happening. So my expectation would be, and we did discuss this, that you're going to continue to see some multilateral discussions with Iran.

There is a structure that exists, the P-5 plus one talks, that include Russia and China. There are going to be discussions that continue on the international stage around Iran's nuclear program. I think the direct dialogue between the United States and Iran, and how that proceeds, I think we're going to have to see how that plays itself out in the days and weeks ahead.

On Iraq, obviously any time there's a bombing in Iraq, we are concerned. Any time there's loss of innocent life or the loss of military personnel, we grieve for their families and it makes us pay attention.

I will tell you, if you look at the overall trend, despite some of these high-profile bombings, Iraq's security situation has continued to dramatically improve. And when I speak to General Odierno and Chris Hill, our ambassador in Iraq, they continue to be overall very positive about the trend lines in Iraq.

I think there's still some work to do. I think the Maliki government is not only going to have to continue to strengthen its security forces, but it's also going to have to engage in the political give and take leading up to the national elections that we've been talking about for quite some time. And I haven't seen as much political progress in Iraq, negotiations between the Sunni, the Shia and the Kurds, as I would like to see.

So there are always -- let me not say always -- there will continue to be incidents of violence inside of Iraq for some time. They are at a much, much lower level than they were in the past.

I think the biggest challenge right now is going to be less those attacks by remnants of al Qaeda in Iraq or other insurgent groups, and the bigger challenge is going to be, can the Shia, the Sunni and Kurds resolve some of these major political issues having to do with federalism, having to do with boundaries, having to do with how oil revenues are shared? If those issues get resolved, then I think you will see a further normalization of the security atmosphere inside Iraq.

OK?

MERKEL (through translator): On Iran, over the past years, weeks, we have seen horrifying scenes, looking at how, for example, the security forces have dealt with demonstrators. And we will not forget this. And let me say that we shall do everything in order to identify the exact number of victims, who those victims were, how they dealt with those demonstrators.

In this day and age of the 21st century, Iran cannot count on the world community taking a blind eye -- turning a blind eye to this. We are able to see this, the images. My own experience from the GDR (ph) tells me that it is so important that when knows, when one is in such a situation, that people somewhere else in the world are knowledgeable of what is happening to you.

And irrespective of that, the question that Iran must not be allowed to regain possession of a weapon is even more important, without bringing, on the other hand, those in Iran who would like to have a different system, bringing them into difficulties. I mean, we would like to have a diplomatic solution to preventing Iran from gaining possession of a nuclear weapon.

So I completely agree with the president here. We have to bring Russia and China along in order to see to it that this solution is brought about. The more resolve, the more determination we show in doing that, the better our prospects also for the Middle East process. And I think we can be successful also on the Middle East process, and then be successful in our talks with Iran.

The microphone of the gentleman is not working. We cannot translate.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE). And what did she tell you about Germany? Has she had any unpleasant experience as an African woman in Germany in the '80s?

And second question, you visited Germany twice, but you broke with the tradition of your predecessors to give interviews to the media of the host country before. Why is this? And how long do we have to wait before you provide a German outlet with an interview? Maybe until November 9th? Or will it be a little bit earlier?

OBAMA: Would you like that interview?

(LAUGHTER)

QUESTION: If this is a commitment, I would appreciate that very, very much.

MERKEL: We have to talk about that.

QUESTION (through translator): My second question is to the chancellor.

You already made a distinction yourself on climate policy between the House and the Senate. (INAUDIBLE) more stringent rules on climate change will be successful not only in the House, but also pass through the Senate?

What would be the consequence of that if they are not able to do this before the Copenhagen conference? How then would America deal with this situation? Have you received a reply to this?

OBAMA: Well, first of all, in terms of my emotional maps, the times that I visited Germany have been extraordinary, and I've had a wonderful time. And the people of Germany I think have I think received me with great warmth and affection.

Keep in mind that, obviously, I visited Germany even before I was elected president, and we had a pretty good rally in Berlin. It wasn't bad. And so I will always have, I think, a warm spot in my heart for Germany, in part because of the response and the reaction that I've received from the German people.

I will tell you that part of the warmth I feel toward Germany is because I like Chancellor Merkel a lot. You know, I've now dealt with a lot of world leaders, and I think that Chancellor Merkel is smart, practical, and I trust her when she says something. And so that kind of approach is exactly what you want from an international partner, and I very much enjoyed my interactions with her and her team.

My sister, she obviously had a great time in Heidelberg. When I met her, she was going out with a German guy, and I don't want to comment on how that played itself out. That may have an impact on how she views Germany right now, but that's, I think, a little too personal for a press conference.

Even though the question wasn't directed to me, I do want to make this point about climate change.

Europe, in many ways over the last several years, has moved more rapidly than the United States on addressing this issue. And I've been very blunt and frank with Chancellor Merkel that we are still working through creating the framework where we can help lead the international effort.

I think that this legislation that we are seeking to pass indicates enormous progress from where we have been, but I think we all recognize that there's going to be more to do, and that the United States is going to have on to work with Germany and other advanced economies to make sure that our obligations are clear. And then we're going to have to work with the emerging economies which have enormous potential for growth, but unfortunately also have enormous potential for contributing to go greenhouse gases so that their obligations are clear.

And I'm the first one to acknowledge that the United States over the last several years has not been where we need to be. We're not going to get there all in one fell swoop, but I'm very proud of the progress that's being made and I think that the energy bill that's being debated in the House is an example of that progress. If we can get the framework in place, I'm confident the United States can be an important partner in this process.

ANGELA MERKEL, GERMANY'S CHANCELLOR (through translator): Well, you will understand my refraining from commenting in any way on the behavior of members of parliament who are, after all, free in their decisions. That would be totally counterproductive.

But I must say that I'm very gratified to know that the president feels 100 percent committed to this issue, which has become apparent in all of our talks. He wants to see to it that Copenhagen is a success.

We are both convinced that this question of climate change amounts to much more than just numbers and targets. It means that we take a commitment and shoulder a responsibility for those countries in the world that would be far more heavily affected by climate change. But that we also feel committed to ensuring energy security for our own countries' dependence on raw materials, on commodities, is also something that can bring us into very unpleasant political dependence. So it's always good to look at new technology, to use, for example, when you have finite fuel sources to deal with them responsibly and economically. And this is something that we've come out very strongly in favor of in our own countries and we do it internationally.

Let me perhaps say something on Alma (ph) in Heidelberg. In the book "Dreams From My Father," (ph) she is telling us a little bit about her own impressions. And I know (ph) you've probably read it. I found this very interesting because on the one hand she describes us as a country where, quite frankly, you have the impression that each and every one needs to fend for his or herself. There is not this big sort of community, the sort of family network that protects you that you have in Africa.

But then as you go on throughout the book, Alma tells you it was also something good, maybe, because it strengthens people's own sort of awareness of their own self, of their own responsibility. And I think it's very important to look at this when we deal, for example, with Africa. That on the one hand we accept that the way that we live may sometimes be very tough, tough on people. But on the other hand, we should also perhaps, in our dealings with the Africans, address how certainly things can be dealt with more efficiently.

So it was, for me, a very enriching experience to read this book, understand a lot of things about -- and I think Heidelberg, after all, got through this very well.

OBAMA: Thank you very much, everybody.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: All right. And there it is. Maybe a lengthier than we thought news conference between the two leaders, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Obama. They discussed a number of things, as we thought they might. Iran, of course, front and center in the discussions. Iran, and Russia, and China, and the leaders wanting help from Russia and China with Iran.

So much more to talk about out of this news conference. We'll get to our Dan Lothian in just a couple of minutes. But when we come back, our coverage of the death of music superstar Michael Jackson continues. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(AUDIO GAP)

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Actually being towed away from his Holmby Hills residence behind us. What we've learned from LAPD is that that car has been impounded. And CNN has now been able to confirm that it does belong to the physician -- to Michael Jackson's personal physician and the detectives are looking to talk with that physician.

I spoke with someone within the department earlier this morning who said detectives are looking for that physician. She was not able to confirm whether or not yet they have been able to track him down. Detectives also telling us that within the car there may be some medications that would be pectinate to their investigation.

Now all the pieces here clearly just starting to come together. Don Lemon just referred to the fact that a former family lawyer has talked about some concerns.

HARRIS: Hey, Kara.

FINNSTROM: Yes.

HARRIS: Kara, if you would, hang on to the thought. We've got to make a quick pivot here. We're going to get back to you in just a moment. South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford is speaking.

GOV. MARK SANFORD, (R) SOUTH CAROLINA: Felt in very, very significant way, but then picked up the pieces and built from there. And it really began with, first of all, a larger quest that I think are well expressed in the book of Psalms on the notion of humility. Humility towards other, humility in one's own spirit and, I guess, the larger context that Scott's alluding to in terms of me wanting to address you all, is and at the epicenter of the administrative team really rests with the cabinet. And in as much as I had not yet had a chance to apologize to you all personally, I wanted to do so.

I've made general apologies to the people of South Carolina or to staff at large, but you all are really the epicenter of that team, you know, through about 65,000 state employees serves the people of South Carolina. And so I wanted generally to apologize to every one of you all for letting you down. I've been making legislative calls throughout the morning and yesterday afternoon on my way back up from Sullivans, apologizing to them, saying I'm sorry. But I owed that to you all. And, very specifically, you know, I owed it to you, Reggie (ph), for putting you in a bad place with regard to S.L.E.D. (ph) and the members of S.L.E.D., in leaving as I had. I owed it to you very specifically, Joe, and to the team at commerce for the way that I put you all in a bad spot in what was a legitimate trip, but still based on what, you know, I did in terms of eating dinner down there, it put you all at a bad stop and I owe you that apology.

And so I just wanted to say that as we kick off, you know, the larger question of leadership is always, what's it mean? Where do we go from here? I think that part of what it means going forward is every one of you all has specific duties to the people of South Carolina that you have to perform. And that is with or without, in other words, me doing right on a given day or doing wrong on a given day. Those responsibilities still exist.

I mean, whether I lift myself up right or wrong or get it right or wrong on a given day, at the end of the day, what John does with corrections has to go on every single day with regard to folks that are incarcerated in the system in South Carolina. I mean you think about Chad's work with PRT every day in terms of attracting people to the state of South Carolina. Your work has to go on. And so I just owed you all that apology and I wanted to make it and I'll hand it back to you, Scott.

HARRIS: All right. South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford speaking to his cabinet and apologizing for the events certainly of the last few days and certainly beyond that. The governor said he will reimburse the state for an economic development trip to Argentina last year. During that trip, he met with his mistress. Again, he apologized to his cabinet and he said, has said previously that he has no plans to resign and he certainly didn't offer his resignation in the comments we just listened to. We will continue to monitor the back and forth here. The South Carolina cabinet meeting with Governor Sanford.

Grammy-winning R&B artist Patti Austin recorded a duet with Michael Jackson in 1979 for the "Off the Wall" album. Patti Austin is joining us.

Patti, it is great to see you. I'm sorry about the occasion of our visit. You are absolutely one of my favorite artists.

PATTI AUSTIN, GRAMMY-WINNING SINGER (via telephone): Well, thank you very much.

HARRIS: You really are. And I'm just sort of curious -- I thought I had -- I think I do have it somewhere, Diana Ross has issued a statement on the passing of Michael Jackson. I want to get to your thoughts with her thoughts. She says, "I can't stop crying. This is too sudden and shocking. I am unable to imagine this. My heart is hurting. I am in prayer for his kids and the family." That a statement from Diana Ross, such an important figure in Michael Jackson's young life. I remember the special Diana Ross introduces the Jackson 5 back in the day. What are your thoughts today, Patti?

AUSTIN: I'm so sorry. I am checking into an airport as we speak. Sadly going to fill in on a gig for Wayman Tisdale, who we just lost about a month ago.

HARRIS: That's right.

AUSTIN: So it's just a very sad time.

I'm very, very sad about Michael. I cannot say -- I wish I could say that it was unexpected. For those of us that knew him for any time in his adult life, there was always the suspicion that there would never be an old Michael Jackson. And -- but it's still -- it's still shocking, you know.

HARRIS: Let me -- can I have you expand on that, Patti. Can I have you . . .

AUSTIN: (INAUDIBLE) Michael to make a shocking departure.

HARRIS: Yes, can I have you -- I know it's a little tough for us to communicate back as forth because of where you are in the airport, but can I have you expand on that idea? Because I've written something -- a little something on our blog today and I had that same sense growing up with Michael Jackson and that we might not see Michael Jackson as an old man. Tell me why you thought that and felt that.

AUSTIN: Part of it, I think, for me, was connected to the mystique of genius. You know, there seems to be a thing where people who are geniuses don't seem to (INAUDIBLE). Michael was tremendously a type a personality wise, protectionist. And I also -- for a good clip, became (ph) close to Michael between actually the time -- the first time I worked with him was on "The Wiz." And then I -- then we picked up again when we did "The Dude" and "Off the Wall."

And it became apparent that Michael did not take care of himself very well. He went through a short period where he hired a chef to try to eat a balanced diet. He very seldom did that. He didn't work out, he just worked, and like a demon. He did everything to the extreme.

We would get ready to go on stage to perform and he would stand in the wings like a -- kind of like the Warner Brothers' frog. And then the lights would go up and he would become this demon on stage. And then he would finish and curl right back up into a ball again.

So everything was done to the extreme. And when you live your life at that left, you're kind of like a hummingbird, you know, you don't have a terribly long life span. So I think that had a lot to do with it. I also think that Michael internalized a lot of his grief. He was a very troubled spirit. And, you know, you combine all of those elements and you burn out quickly.

HARRIS: Patti, you're a phenomenal singer with a phenomenal career. I'm going to point folks to a couple of songs of yours. A duet you recorded with Narada Michael Walden, "Gimme Gimme Gimme," "Do You Love Me?" I believe that was from "The Dude" album. And, of course, everybody knows "Baby, Come To Me."

But as a singer, I would love for you to direct people watching this to a couple of songs, give me one, maybe two songs that, in your opinion, show off Michael Jackson as a singer at his best.

AUSTIN: Wow. That's an interesting question. Well, I think -- you know, I'm hearing so many people talk about Michael at this point, obviously, and his music. I was very, very, very lucky to be there during what I would call the golden years of his career. But I sense the stuff that he (INAUDIBLE) the most was the stuff that was created for him.

And I don't just say it because Quincy was my godfather. But the stuff that was created for him by Quincy Jones and Rob Temperton and Bruce Cazine (ph), who was kind of like the holy trilogy for Michael Jackson. And anything he did with them was brilliant because everything they did with him was tailored for him and his voice and his personality. And that's really the stuff that put Michael on the map. And he was able to keep himself there because he's a -- he was a genius, you know. But -- and an absolutely brilliant performer. And had the leg up that I was fortunate enough to have in my career, which was to come up in the industry at the time that all of the innovators were still around.

HARRIS: Well, Patti, I can't thank you enough. Thanks for taking the time. And you mentioned another tremendous name, Wayman Tisdale. We certainly miss him. And we will certainly miss Michael Jackson. Patti Austin for us.

Patti, appreciate it. Thank you.

The latest in Iran. We're back in the NEWSROOM in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And turning now to the turmoil in Iran. A leading Muslim cleric is demanding the leaders of anti-government demonstrations be punished, in his words, strongly and with cruelty. Iran's national security council also criticized opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi today. Iran's labor news agency reports the council told him his demands that the election be annulled, we're quoting here, illogical and unethical. The demonstrations began after the bitterly disputed June 12th presidential election.

You know it is hard to get news out of Iran. Reporters have been severely restricted. But we are certainly working our sources. Ivan Watson is at the Iran desk here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And, Ivan, some fiery words, I understand, from today's prayers in Tehran.

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. I'm going to tell you about them in just a second.

I just want to tell you, Tony, we're just getting reports and trying to confirm them, but from one of our affiliates as well in Sweden, that a group of demonstrators have tried to break in to Iran's embassy there in Stockholm and that riot police have been summoned to try to break that up. And we'll keep you up to date on that, OK, Tony.

HARRIS: OK. Great. Thank you.

WATSON: In the meantime, this hard-line cleric, who's highly placed in the Iranian regime, his name is Ahmed Khatami, he spoke at the weekly Friday prayers at Tehran University. It's a weekly gathering where you get government officials there. It's very important for the Iranian regime and their supporters.

He came out swinging today. He called for the opposition leaders of these demonstrations that we've seen to be punished. He claims they're supported by America and Israel. And he went on to make some really incredible claims about the woman, the 26-year-old woman, Neda Agha Sultan, who the whole world saw shot in the chest, who died on the streets in Tehran on Saturday. Let's take a listen to what he said.

HARRIS: OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AHMED KHATAMI, MEMBER OF ASSEMBLY OF EXPERTS (through translator): About this whom who was killed and Mr. Obama sheds crocodile tears for her and the west makes a prodigy out of it, if any wise person sees this film, would see that this is the work of the rioters. It is the work of the seekers of unrest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Incredible accusation, Tony. They think the demonstrators intentionally shot her to win simply around the world.

HARRIS: Oh, boy. All right. Just thoughts, reactions. What about the international community on this, Ivan?

WATSON: Yes, you've had a meeting of foreign ministers from the group of eight wealthiest countries.

HARRIS: That's right.

WATSON: They came out with a joint communique, calling for Iran to respect human rights, to respect freedom of expression and deploring the violence that they've see over the past 10 days.

HARRIS: OK, Ivan, appreciate it. Thank you.

Remembering the young Michael Jackson right here in the NEWSROOM.

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HARRIS: Michael Jackson, back in the day, young Michael. Look at that. Charisma, presence, working the mike. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL JACKSON: (singing)

(END VIDEO CLIP) HARRIS: Oh, share your thoughts with us on the blog, cnn.com/newsroom.

We are pushing forward now. Betty is in for Kyra. The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM continues right now.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, first, we were stunned. Now anybody who's ever been fascinated with Michael Jackson, and that's just about everybody, wants answers. We are pushing forward today through a fog of unanswered questions.

Also, no mercy for anti-government protesters from a well-connected cleric in Iran. The opposition leader says the struggle goes on, but legally.

And South Carolina's governor on the job but still under fire for his Argentinian fling. This hour we will hear from Mark Sanford's wife.

Hello, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen, live at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

All right, let's get to it. Los Angeles, Tokyo, London