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Japan Nuclear Crisis Raised; Libya Announces Cease-Fire

Aired March 18, 2011 - 10:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It is 10:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 7:00 a.m. on the West. I'm Carol Costello, sitting in for Kyra Phillips.

Right now, we're following two huge stories that are echoing around the world. In Japan, new developments in the nuclear crisis and a new measure of just how dangerous this situation is.

And in Libya, the world takes action against a dictator and the fear that he could slaughter his own people. We'll look at the no fly zone. The United States' role in that and the military strikes that could begin at any time.

Let's begin, though, in Japan and the latest assessment from the prime minister there. He says the situation at the damaged nuclear plant is, "very grave." Japan's nuclear agency is raising the crisis level on the damaged plant and the overheated nuclear fuel. The new rating, five out of seven.

In the meantime, crews are back to work this morning spraying water on the overheated nuclear fuel and it might be working. International atomic experts are saying things are fairly stable right now.

Now let's take a closer look at the raised crisis level. The new rating five out of seven means it has consequences wider than just a local level. Historically, it puts it at the same level as the Three Mile Island accident.

CNN's Stan Grant has been our point man in the week long drama. So Stan, Japanese officials, they've have raised this threat level to five and yet the IAEA sort of playing that down and there are glimmers of hope coming out of Japan saying that things are fairly stable, so what should we believe?

STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's such a mixed picture because on the one hand you get this lifted to a five. Remember Chernobyl would have been a number seven. So now you're talking about an event of wider consequences, an event that may indicate, according to most other events that are measured at this level, may indicate some structural damage, severe damage to the core of the reactor itself. And yet you get the IAEA and officials here saying that it's essentially a procedural matter, essentially it's recognition of the past couple of days where they've had explosions and they've had fires and the radiation that was peaking and dropping. This level now indicates those events.

You could also look at it and say, well, after a week of trying everything, pumping sea water, dropping water from the air, firing water off the back of truck, trying everything they possibly can having to evacuate people and evacuate workers, that they still can't get in control of it and in fact, the level is going up. And it really comes back to this, Carol, the information. People are questioning the information flow. Questioning the veracity of the data that we are receiving. So on the one hand you get indication of stability. On the other hand, you get the raising of this level. People just don't know quite what to believe. Carol

COSTELLO: It's very uncomfortable. And with all of this, there are new efforts under way it to cool down reactor number three, so how is that going?

GRANT: Yes, again, they're putting water into there. Yesterday they dropped it from the sky and helicopters today off the back of water trucks. Still ongoing this effort. But they're not sure exactly how successful that is. Indications are that the water is getting in, they're seeing steam rising and they're hoping that the water is getting in there to be able to cool down these reactors, but again, until they get up close, until the reactors start to cool enough, they're not going to be sure of any of this. To be able to answer any of these questions.

Also, pinning a lot of hope right now in getting external power support, power supply here trying to attach generators. What they're hoping is if those generators kick in, they may be able to fire up the coolant processes and really get a handle on this. Carol.

COSTELLO: Stan Grant reporting live from Tokyo, many thanks.

Turning our attention to Libya now and a U.N. move that may be a game changer in that country's civil war. About an hour ago, Libya's foreign minister announced a cease fire. The move follows the U.N.'s approval of a no-fly zone in Libya, clearing the way for possible military action against Moammar Gadhafi's government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN RICE, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: The security council has authorized the use of force including enforcement of a no-fly zone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Residents of the rebel held city of Benghazi poured into the streets to celebrate that move. Opposition supporters have been calling for a no fly zone and have been worried about a possible attack by pro Gadhafi forces on their city. Just minutes ago, we actually talked with an opposition leader in the city of Misrata. I asked him with if that cease-fire was really happening.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VOICE OF LIBYAN OPPOSITION LEADER (ON THE PHONE): Right now I will speak to you, I can take the phone outside and you can hear the bombs.

COSTELLO: Only if it's safe to do that, sir.

LIBYAN OPPOSITION LEADER: Sorry?

COSTELLO: Is it safe to do that?

LIBYAN OPPOSITION LEADER: Yes, I go closer to the window. Maybe you will - I'm moving closer to the window so maybe you can hear the shelling. This war criminal has to be brought to justice. We call upon the international community to bomb him into submission and take him to the Hague and try him. And free Libya of this dictator, murderous dictator, who killed the Libyan people and wasted their resources.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: In Yemen, 33 people have been killed and hundreds injured in anti-government protests in Sanaa. Witnesses say supporters and opponents of the government threw rocks at each other. We're told security forces opened fire and also used tear gas. Yemen's interior ministry say both sides suffered casualties, but they're offering no specifics.

A Japanese man could not been in a worst place at a worst time, in his car driving along the coast the second a killer wave hit. We'll show you the incredible video he shot from the driver's seat. He survived that encounter. So many others did not. Coming up next, we'll talk about the emotional toll this epic disaster is having on the Japanese people.

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COSTELLO: Turning back to Libya now. CNN's Nic Robertson has been talking with Libyan government officials this morning on the idea of that no fly zone. Nic joins us live from Tripoli. What are you hearing now, Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the government still sticking to its line that it's going to immediately implement a cease-fire, immediately end hostilities, immediately respect the rights of civilians, their human rights, offer them humanitarian aid where they need it. But what we're hearing from just 120 miles away from the town of Misrata from a doctor there and an opposition leader flies in the face of that.

They're saying the government is attacking civilians and opposition fighters in the city there. They described fires being across the city, the hospital running out of medical supply, dead babies being brought into the hospital killed in the fighting, 25 killed, they say, in the last 24 hours, it appears.

We're not allowed to go to Misrata. The government, at the moment, this morning, wasn't even allowing us outside of our hotel, never mind the drive to 120 miles, so we can't independently verify what they're saying, but it flies directly in the face of what these officials were telling us. And the deputy foreign minister, last night, told us that he couldn't speak for the army, he could only tell us and give us this foreign ministry statement.

And I think the most interesting and telling moment was at the at the end of the foreign minister's very brief press statement here. He was told in the press conference by a senior government official. He looks as if he might answer questions and he was told to end it right there and walked away. And that seems to be the government line, say one thing, answer no questions. And somewhere else, something definitely is happening, Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, I talked to that opposition leader not long ago and he was begging for that no-fly zone to be implemented like right now. But it probably won't be, maybe until the weekend. Is it too late? I mean are Gadhafi forces just, you know, bringing up the fire power now in light of what they know will happen with that no fly zone?

ROBERTSON: There are a number of things that I think we can fairly readily see and say that are going to be troubling and difficult for the implementation of the no fly zone here. And if you are in the mind set as this Libyan regime may be that they can push ahead with their military offensive. They will exploit these issues and they would want in Misrata that this is an urban environment where there are civilians living in houses in the city, to know from the air or even from the ground, if you're an international force who was opposition and who was rebels and where it was safe to bomb and target would be a very difficult thing to do and before you could even get in that position, we've heard from senior officials at the Pentagon that you would need to take out and destroy Libya's air defense system.

So it seems that there a window of opportunity here if the Libyan government wants to exploit facts on the ground, exploit the military opportunities on the ground despite calling for a cease-fire before they think that the international community can be ready to follow through on a no-fly zone. There seems to be some time in which they can do that. We've heard that there could be strikes within hours. The reality is that in Misrata, for example, it would be something very, very difficult to achieve and the government here would certainly know that, Carol.

COSTELLO: Nic Robertson, reporting live from Tripoli.

One week after Japan's nightmare began, we're getting an incredible look at it's first moments. A man driving on a coastal road shot this video the minute the tsunami hit.

As you can see, it's just incredible that wave crashes over the wall and it just doesn't let up. The driver says the water was about seven feet high and actually lifted his car off the road. Of course, he said it was too risky to get out of the car. He rode it out instead on top of the water in his car and, yes, he did survive.

There are thousands of rescuers spanning out across the bleak landscape of the disaster zones. They're not only witnessing tragedy, they're living it. Many are grieving their own terrible losses, but they are pushing on in a mission that is both vital and cruel.

Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is in Tokyo and Sanjay, it's tough to gauge right now the psychological toll on the people of Japan but it's sure to be grave, of course.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is. And as you describe it is a very bleak landscape, very cold outside, there has been a lack of manpower in terms of medical personnel. Many of these evacuation centers and many of these medical personnel are grieving themselves, as a result of their own losses, personal losses. You are starting to see some improvements. Manpower starting to improve because of foreign aid or foreign doctors and nurses coming in. But there are still distribution problem, some of the most basic supplies of water, food, blankets, medications.

You know, it's an extremely tough situation and I will say this, as well, Carol, that as much as the focus is on physical injuries, and it should be obviously after something like this, I've seen this before in Haiti, in Pakistan, and even in the Sri Lanka tsunami back in 2004, focusing on some of the mental issues as well at the time, you know, now, right away, is very important, as well, because it's just compounding one problem after another and that emotional too, you can just see it in people's faces down here. People are very haunted by what's happened.

COSTELLO: And I know things are really bad in the shelters because it's cold, they have no electricity. We talked to an evangelist (INAUDIBLE) Graham not long ago. He is flying in like 90 tons of supplies and I asked him how do you plan to get them from a major city to those in need. And he really didn't have an answer for that. Can he possibly do that?

GUPTA: I think so. You know, I'm not entirely sure what the issue is. It could be everything from people avoiding some of the evacuation zones around the nuclear plants to the roads being, you know, affected by the earthquake and the tsunami just being difficult to traverse. There could be lots of different reasons for this.

But clearly people are now getting to these areas, journalists are like us, other relief organizations are. So whether it involves taking big trucks and literally going to these devastated areas with lots of blankets, lots of food, water, et cetera, or using even air, to get some of these supplies in. It has to be done, Carol. I can't over estimate or over describe how cold it is for the people.

I mean, these are elderly people living in retirement communities whose homes are washed away, who are literally at risk of freezing to death or dying from lack of basic necessities. They survived so much of the tragedy already. It's just heartbreaking to think that they may not survive because of, you know, some basic needs.

COSTELLO: Well, help is on the way from the United States. We just hope that help gets to where it needs to be.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, reporting live from Tokyo. In the heart of the disaster zone, a small but welcome sight of normalcy. This is Miyaga Prefecture, one of the areas hardest hit by the earthquake and the tsunami, for the first time since those twin tragedies, bus service has resumed. Those long lines of people making the trip to Sendai. Because that entire city was not damaged.

The Japan crisis impacts a GM plant here in the United States. It is going to suspend production due to a parts shortage.

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COSTELLO: What's happening in Japan has forced a GM plant in Louisiana to temporarily shut down. The Shreveport assembly plant will go idle due to a shortage of parts from Japan. The plant makes Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups. GM says it has enough vehicles to meet customer demand and the automaker does say it will resume production as soon as possible.

By no means is this just a GM problem. Companies around the world are shutting down production because of the disaster in Japan and it could mean the products you buy will be in short supply.

Alison Kosik is in the New York Stock Exchange with more details. So Alison, how big of an issue is this?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know, it would become a big issue especially if you're in needs of one of these specific products that could be affected or if you're one of these companies because the fact is we really don't know how long these shut downs are going to last. The fact is many companies are temporarily shutting down production in Japan for safety reasons and we know these companies. Toshiba and Sony, Freescale, semiconductor, Texas Instruments. Freescale and Texas Instruments, they make those chips for phone, for TVs, for tablets, for video games. So we could wind up seeing shortages in these kinds of items.

Analysts are also worried about parts for Apple's iPad 2 which was just launched last week. And then there is the auto industry. Nissan, Honda and Toyota, they have also stopped production in Japan and there are real concerns for Toyota about the Prius because the Prius is only made in Japan. What we're also finding, Carol, is that even Fedex isn't shipping to and from some of the hardest hit areas in Japan. So even if the products are made, it may not even be able to get from point A to point B. Carol.

COSTELLO: So if fewer products being made, does that mean prices will go up?

KOSIK: You know what, it really could, but it winds up depending on what product you're talking about. You know, most manufacturers, they do have some inventory on hand, but what may happen is they can run low in a few days or weeks so we could have product shortages and then, of course, higher prices. It's simple supply and demand here. It's really going to depend on how long the shutdowns last. Carol.

COSTELLO: And before you go, can you give us a quick check of the markets?

KOSIK: You got it. We have a nice rally going. The Dow up 117 points. The rally is happening because of the cease-fire announced in Libya. You know, it's one less thing for traders and investors to worry about. But I tell you what, investors are still responding to those minute by minute headlines out of the mideast and Japan. So it's really still a sign that the market is still on edge. But it's a market that seems to be focusing on the positive, at least for right now. Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Alison Kosik, live at the New York Stock Exchange.

Googling the missing in Japan, an online message board offers help in the time of crisis.

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COSTELLO: For thousands of Japanese, their main focus is putting their lives back together. In towns where the tsunami worked through, the task appeared overwhelmingly.

CNN's Gary Tuchman followed one family to their destroyed home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what many families along Japan's Pacific coast are coming home to. The Ichikawa family lives in a city of Hachinohe, two blocks from the ocean where a wall of water devoured their neighborhood. Now with the helps of friends, they try to clean up, but the task they have in front of them appears to be overwhelming.

(on camera): You can see this family's house is off its foundation. How high did the water go? Here's the water line all the way up there, that's at least 10 feet of water that came down this street. You can see the mud. I mean it's an insurmountable amount of mud to shovel just to clean up this driveway. And they don't even know if they're going to move back in the house, but they want to clean up, this family and get an idea if it's possible to move back.

And it's so cold out right now, the snow is coming down again. What they've done is they've put together this portable heater unit so they can work into the night and not freeze.

(voice-over): Friends are helping with the physical work and the psychological support. 17-year-old, Ren (ph), his mother, Chikako, and his father, Hidemitsu are in a state of shock.

HIDEMITSU ICHIKAWA, TSUNAMI VICTIM (through translator): I have no words to express my feelings. I lost my mind. We will have to start from zero.

TUCHMAN: The nearby Pacific provides one of the great charms of living in the neighborhood, but now many of the homes are decimated. The ocean they say has turned against them. (on camera): The city of Hachinohe has spent an enormous amount of money to build this elaborate series of sea walls, 30 feet tall, to protect its neighborhoods from flooding. But not surprisingly, when the tsunami came, these walls made very little difference.

(voice-over): The Ichikawas have no idea how to even start figuring out whether they can ever live in this house again.

HIDEMITSU ICHIKAWA (through translator): This is a nightmare, but we are alive.

TUCHMAN: And for that, they are grateful.

Gary Tuchman, CNN, Hachinohe, Japan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: A lot of Americans are reaching out to the victims in Japan. The Christian aid organization, Samaritan's Purse, is sending a plane filled with 90 tons of relief supplies. Last hour I talked with evangelist Franklin Graham, the organization's president, and asked what he would say to those who wonder how god could let such a tragedy happen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKLIN GRAHAM, PRES. & CEO, SAMARITAN'S PURSE: I don't believe god does want this to happen. I don't think it was ever god's intention. But we know that there are going to be storms in life no matter what happens, we need to keep our faith and trust in almighty god and I want the people of Japan to know that god hasn't forgotten them, god does care for them and he loves them and this plane behind me and all the materials that are on it, Carol, we're giving this to the people of Japan to help them in their hour of need. It's got blanket, shelter material, hygiene kits.

These are things that the people need desperately and it's going to be there tomorrow night and there's a lot of people, Carol, that have backed this, people like Vince Gill, Ricky Skags, Amy Grant, people like that have helped us sponsor this, Lowe's Hardware. They have been a sponsor to this. Duncan Aviation out of Nebraska, we've had hundreds of people that have just bought pallet loads of material to put on this airplane. And we're just one of many people that are going to Japan and letting the Japanese people know that we care and god cares and we're standing by them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Samaritan's Purse is already working with those in shelters around the coastal Japanese city of Sendai. If you want to help the victims of the earthquake and the tsunami in Japan, here's how. Go to cnn.com/impact to reach the "Impact Your World" site. You'll find links to several charitable organizations where you can send or text donations.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: It is half past the hour.

Let's begin in Japan and the latest assessment from the prime minister there. He says the situation at the damaged nuclear plant is, quote, "very grave." Japan's nuclear agency is raising the crisis level on the damaged plant and the overheated nuclear field (ph). The new rating, five out of seven. That's the same as the accident at Three Mile Island in 1979.

The unfolding drama of the nuclear crisis has at times threatened to overshadow the horrible human toll. Today, in the heart of the tsunami zone, a moment of silence to remember those dead and missing.

(VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: As you can see, life came to a standstill in Miyagi prefecture this morning, exactly one week to the moment that the earthquake struck. Sadly, it marked only the beginning of the terror for this region. Minutes later, the tsunami crashed ashore.

This morning, the death toll is again raised. More than 6,900 people now confirmed dead. More than 10,000 still missing. That number is eventually expected to climb into the tens of thousands.

It took ten years, a full decade, to formally count the dead and missing from the Kobe earthquake. It may take much, much longer to capture the full tragedy of this disaster.

CNN's Brian Todd is at Misawa air base in northern Japan with a closer look at that. Hello, Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. As you mentioned, there are going to be many problems in getting a full accurate count of the dead and missing from the tsunami. There are a few reasons for that.

We were just in three coastal towns that were very hard hit. We were in Ofanado, we were in Unosamai and in Kamaichi, three coastal fishing towns that are fairly close to each other. In two of those towns, it they have large sections that were leveled and destroyed by the tsunami. But in Unosamai, it was a virtual natural armageddon. The entire town was just completely wiped out.

And as far as counting the missing, it's very difficult now because in Japan, they don't report you missing unless a family member reports you. Well, one official told me we're afraid that whole families have just gotten swept away, gone missing. And so there is no one to even report them. No one to come look for them, no one to tell us. So, that's a huge problem. They may never get an accurate count of the missing.

The tsunamis, just by their very force and energy, wash away a lot of the victims to sea. A lot of those victims will wash back. They'll be picked up, they'll be accounted for, they'll be identified. But frankly, a lot of those victims will not wash back and there are many reasons for that, as you can probably imagine. So Carol, counting the dead and missing from this particular tragedy is just one more just horrific aspect of all of this, and it's not going to give families much closure.

COSTELLO: Brian Todd, reporting live from northern Japan.

There is online help, though, for those searching for loved ones missing in Japan. Jason Carroll is following that part of the story. Tell us how, Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a great resource, Carol. It's called Person Finder. It's basically Google's version of an online message board. Anyone can post questions asking for information about a missing person in Japan, and that person can in turn answer back.

Now, we're going to show you how it works. Just take a look at this. If you go to Google's main page and then click on "resources related to the crisis in Japan," then scroll down to the person finder box and either click on "I'm looking for someone" or "I have information about someone."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON TANZ, SENIOR EDITOR, "WIRED" MAGAZINE: At any point if I hear about somebody, I can add take information to the database. And then hours later or weeks later, someone who happens to be searching for that can find that information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Well, Carol, the idea for Google's Person Finder came about after another major disaster, the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Google wanted to help people reach each other, and their engineers came up with the idea for the people searching Web site. Tech observers say Haiti taught Google the importance of getting their site up quickly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID GOLDMAN, CNNMONEY.COM: After they developed the Person Finder for the Haiti earthquake, it took 72 hours to get that live. But with this Japan Person Finder, it took just one hour to get that done. So, it really shows how they've been able to develop the process and really tweak it so that they can get this done very, very fast.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: So, big changes there in terms of how they've updated it. Person Finder has also gotten some powerful results. So far, Google is tracking more than 318,000 records, such as this one about Samantha Harrison. Take a look. It says "Sam called from AFB, 6:45 a.m. Eastern time and she is okay. Kids okay."

Also, there is it one from Mark Smith saying, "Mark, I saw you're okay. This is great news. Hang in there. We're all sending our best wishes to you. Trying to call, et cetera. Let us know if you need anything."

Now, Carol, there is also somewhat of a drawback to the site. Google does not verify who is posting the information and when I checked, there were some complaints about people posting inaccurate updates. So, if you do receive information about a loved one on Person Finder, you should try to obviously follow up and get official word from some sort of government source.

Also we should tell you, in addition to being able to use in as some sort of a message board, this site also allows people to see the names of people in some of those emergency shelters that have been set up there. So, perhaps if you're looking for a loved one who is in Japan, you can go on the site and at least check into see if will they've checked into one of these shelters. Carol?

COSTELLO: Interesting stuff. And thanks for the warning about it, too. Jason Carroll, reporting live from New York.

Libya announces a cease-fire after the U.N. approves a no-fly zone and residents of a rebel-held city react.

(VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Just ahead, live reports on the situation in Libya and what the United States' role will be in a no-fly zone mission.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We'll continue our coverage in Japan in a second, but we wanted to bring you up-to-date about the breaking news coming out of Libya. The country's foreign minister has announced a cease-fire and a halt to military action against opposition forces. The move follows a U.N. vote hailed by residents in the rebel-held city of Benghazi.

The security council approved a no-fly zone for Libya, clearing the way for military action against the Gadhafi regime. Benghazi residents have been calling for a no-fly zone and have feared an attack by pro-Gadhafi forces.

A lot of are you probably wondering exactly what U.S. forces would do to help enforce that no-fly zone. What are the dangers? CNN's John King works his magic on the big board.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KING, CNN HOST, "JOHN KING USA": The issue in the early hours of any no-fly zone would be Gadhafi's significant surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft systems, again, located here along the strategic north coast.

These purple circles, longer-range surface-to-air missiles that would imperil any pilots in a no-fly zone. These smaller circles are more localized around the major cities here. Secretary Gates and others warning that if you have a no-fly zone in the early hours, these would be the greatest risk to any pilot. So, flip the equation this way. In the early hours, if there are strikes, look for the targets to be right here, the surface-to-air missles anti-aircraft facilities, as well as the northern Libyan air strips that have been used in the strikes against the rebels.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: John King. Chris Lawrence, our Pentagon correspondent, is also here. So, Chris, when it comes to enforcing this no-fly zone, how dangerous could it get?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It's believed that Colonel Gadhafi has a number of long range missiles, Carol, that could reach possibly just shy of maybe 200 miles off the coast. He's also got between two dozen and three dozen of those surface-to-air missile installations like John mentioned.

But most of these, as well as his fighter jets, were all delivered in the 1970s and early '80s. They're Soviet-era. They're not the latest technology.

The U.S. military has right now about five major warships in the Mediterranean Sea near Libya. But some of the military officials I've been speaking with say when you think of the no-fly zone, don't just think of American fighter pilots flying over Libya, that are it are other assets the U.S. may be bringing in to this, possibly the use of unmanned drones. The U.S. also has --

COSTELLO: Chris Lawrence - Chris -- I apologize. We're going to have to interrupt you for a second because the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, is speaking at the State Department. Let's listen.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: -- for that call to be answered. Colonel Gadhafi's refusal to hear the repeated calls up until now to halt violence against his own people has left us with no other choice but to pursue this course of action.

While this resolution is an important step, it is only that, an important step. We and our partners will continue to explore the most effective measures to end this crisis.

We talked at length about the Irish government's extraordinary support for ending global hunger, an area that we are going to continue to work on together. We will be hopefully traveling to Africa at some point to highlight the joint project, the Thousand Days Campaign to improve maternal and --

COSTELLO: We'll jump out of this, and then when secretary Clinton says more, of course, we'll jump right back.

Let's go back to Chris Lawrence now because I know you'll get into, like, what are the biggest concerns about this no-fly zone when it comes to the United States military? LAWRENCE: Well, just yesterday, Carol, you know, the Air Force chief of staff said a no-fly zone by itself won't be enough. It will not be enough on its own to stop Colonel Gadhafi's momentum.

So, there are two concerns here. One is from people like Senator John McCain who say it's too little too late, that perhaps these weeks ago the no-fly zone could have helped the rebels, their cause, but now it may be too late. And the other side is what you get here from some military officials I've spoken with in the Pentagon is a fear of not so much overcoming Colonel Gadhafi's air defenses. Everyone I've spoken with is confident they can do that. But it's more of this idea of mission creep (ph), that although right now already a no-fly zone alone might not be enough. So, that may mean taking out his artillery, his tanks on the ground.

And there is some concern from officials I've spoken with about as you enter a battlefield, little by little you can add responsibilities, and that could lead to a much bigger operation than the one you started with. Carol?

COSTELLO: All right. Chris Lawrence, reporting live from the Pentagon. Thank you.

Let's talk a little more about the no-fly zone. Joining me now is retired Major General James "Spider" Marks. Thanks for joining us, General. We appreciate it.

MAJ. GENERAL JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS (RET.): Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: So it's done. A no-fly zone will be established over Libya. But there are still so many unanswered questions, like what will the United States' role be? Will we have a lead role or not?

MARKS: Carol, we'll have a lead role. There's no doubt about that. And clearly what a no-fly zone is going to end up being is -- we're in essence going to war against Libya. I think the historical analog is what took place in Yugoslavia back in 1999, Operation Allied Force. The intent was not put ground forces in. No ground forces were used at the start. And it was an air campaign, NATO led the thing. A number of contributing nations and that was done extremely well, and it achieved its military and political objectives. Milosevic left power, was arrested. Now he's gone.

But what we ended up with eventually is ground forces that are still very much involved on the ground in Kosovo. So, I think we really need to call this what it is. And we're going to war against Libya. And in order to do that, the very first step of a no-fly zone is you're going to take out the air defense systems and the command control systems.

COSTELLO: Well, I've just got to say, our military is stretched already. We're involved in two wars. Now the military is involved in a humanitarian mission in Japan. How many troops are we talking about, and can the United States military handle this?

MARKS: Sure. The U.S. military can handle it, it certainly can. But, again, the point that I'm trying to make is it goes -- it may only at this point, Carol, involve aircraft. But that's an extremely robust application of power. And also you will see air forces and aircraft, the cooperation from Qatar, Jordan, I would imagine, Saudi Arabia. You'll want to have an Arab face involved in this and a significant contribution.

But it will be controlled by coalition forces clearly led by the United States. In fact, you'll probably see flights emanating out of Signoella in Sicily, Aviano in Italy, Rhoda in Spain. It will be highly coordinated. But it will be an effort to put a very strong kinetic force against Gadhafi's forces.

And also bear in mind, when you establish a no-fly zone, that's no-fly for anybody. You know, the rebels have some aircraft. They can't lift those things off the ground, either. So, the only people that are flying are those instituting this no-fly zone.

COSTELLO: Gotcha. This could get ugly, couldn't it? I mean, Gadhafi said to those who continue to resist, we will find you in your closets. We will have no mercy and no pity. His troops are already moving toward rebel strongholds. Like we just talked to an opposition leader in Misrati. And he said things are terrible there. Gadhafi forces are already killing people.

So, I guess the question is, does the no-fly zone come too late?

MARKS: Well, the implementation of this action clearly comes much too late. There could have been an initiative, and it could have been done by proxy. The United States doesn't need to step up and glue themselves to this problem. This needs to be a solution that the Libyans want, ask for and can use.

So, it is a little bit too late, but this by itself as Chris indicated, is going to lead to some notion of mission creep. In order to accomplish this, it needs to be done very aggressively, very swiftly, and it's the going end up with breaking things in Libya. And Gadhafi is going to know that he's at war.

COSTELLO: General, we're going go back to Hillary Clinton. She's talking about Libya again. So, bear with us.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

QUESTION: And just very briefly, these attacks - well, we always do this. This is now a tradition. But the third question, Yemen, snipers are tiring from rooftops on people. What you can tell us about that?

CLINTON: Well, first as to Libya, obviously, the United States is very pleased with yesterday's vote. It sent a strong message that needs to be heeded. The efforts by the international community to come together to make clear to Colonel Gadhafi that cannot continue his violence against his own people. He cannot continue to attack those who started out by peacefully demonstrating for changes that are within the right of any human being to do so. And the fact that he now has received not just the message of those of us who have been calling for him to end and the fact that he has lost his legitimacy, but the Arab League and the statement that they called for with respect to the resolution.

Now, we've seen press reports of a cease-fire by the Libyan government. This is a fluid and dynamic situation. We are going to be not responsive or impressed by words. We would have to see actions on the ground. And that is not yet at all clear. We will continue to work with our partners and the international community to press Gadhafi to leave and to support the legitimate aspirations of the Libyan people.

It is important, Jill, that we take this one step at a time. The diplomatic effort that was required to answer questions and create a level of cooperation as represented by the resolution was very intense in the last weeks. And the overwhelming vote by the Security Council, I think, reflects a broad understanding that, number one, stop the violence and, number two, we do believe that a final result of any negotiations would have to be the decision by Colonel Gadhafi to leave. But let's take this one step at a time.

With regard to Yemen, our message remains the same. The violence needs to end; negotiations need to be pursued in order to reach a political solution.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our next question, Christopher Donahue from News Talk.

QUESTION: Good morning, Madam Secretary. Good morning (INAUDIBLE). Thank you for having us here again, Madam Secretary.

Just on the question a colleague asked there, is anything short of Colonel Gadhafi leaving acceptable? And in the discussions you've had, on this matter this morning, did you seek or receive any support from Ireland on what may follow military action, be that troop transporter or whatever it may be through Shannon Airport?

And just also, Secretary Clinton, the last time you were in Dublin, you said to us you were working very hard to convince the president to come to Dublin. We have that now, and will you be there and what advice do you have for him on what to expect?

CLINTON: Well, with respect to Libya, again, I want to take this one step at a time. We don't know what the final outcome will be. The first and overwhelming urgent action is to end the violence. And we have to see clear set of decisions that are operationalized on the ground by Gadhafi's forces to move physically a significant distance away from the east, where they have been pursuing their campaign against the opposition. There will have to be an accounting of what has already occurred.

There are many stories, as you know, of massacres, abductions. Until we can have a better idea of what actually happened, it's hard to know what the next steps will be.

The secretary-general appointed a special representative, a former Jordanian foreign minister. We will obviously want to have the international community involved in any kind of dialogue with the opposition and with the Gadhafi regime.

So, we just passed this resolution last night. And I think we'll be working to operationalize.

COSTELLO: We're going to jump out of this one more time. We're going to go to a break. We'll be right back with the latest on the ground in Libya.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: As you know, we've been monitoring Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who spoke about the developments in Libya. Here's what she had to say moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: The conversation that Inman (ph) and I had about Libya began with the passage of the Security Council Resolution 1973, which provides authority for the international community to take enforcement actions to protect civilians in Libya. The Libyan people have called for international assistance, and this resolution paves the way for that call to be answered.

Colonel's Gadhafi's refusal to hear the repeated calls up until now to halt violence against his open people has left us with no other choice but to pursue this course of action.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: We'll have much more on the developments in Libya's civil war. That's coming up at the top of the hour.

(COMMERICAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Here's a quick look at other stories we're following.

Later today, President Obama is expected to discuss the latest regarding the Libyan civil war and the U.N.'s expected response. This is, the Libyan government declares a cease-fire.

The president also expected to sign another extension today that will fund the federal government through April 8th.

And today is the last day for members of the U.S. military to final for an additional $500 per month in retroactive pay if their term of duty was extended through the Pentagon's stop-loss policy.

The next hour of NEWSROOM starts right now. Suzanne Malveaux, I'll see you in about five minutes.