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Libya Uprising; The View from Egypt; Libyans in U.S. Celebrate

Aired August 22, 2011 - 09:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kyra Phillips, right here live at the CNN Center with special coverage for the battle of Tripoli.

We're following the fast-moving fighting in the Libyan capital, with rebels in control of most of the city now.

Here is what we've got this hour: in cars, pickups, trash trucks, convoys of rebels sweeping into Tripoli, heading for Green Square. Their mission? Back up their guys being targeted by Gadhafi snipers. But it, apparently, hasn't been enough.

We're now hearing that rebel fighters are pulling back from the square because of heavy resistance from pro-Gadhafi forces.

We've got correspondents on the ground reporting minute by minute on all the development. CNN's Sara Sidner is hunkered down in Green Square, right there in the heart of Tripoli. And our Matthew Chance is in the city's Rixos Hotel, the same hotel where senior Libyan officials and their families just fled for some place safer.

Meantime, we're covering all the angles of this story.

Nic Robertson was our first correspondent in Tripoli, at the start of the uprising. He's at our Washington bureau.

And our national security contributor, Fran Townsend, met with top Libyan officials just last year. She's in New York.

And Zain Verjee is following international reaction from London.

Dan Lothian is with the president on Martha's Vineyard.

And also, Barbara Starr has got the military perspective from the Pentagon.

All right. Let's get to Tripoli where all the action is right now.

We've been telling you about the fighting in and around Green Square. And it's been a big symbol for the Gadhafi regime. Well, in fact, until just recently, they've been using it for big pro-government demonstrations.

CNN's Sara Sidner has been right there in the middle of it all, watching the rebel invasion and some pretty heavy fighting as well. She just filed this report before the rebels pulled back from the square. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Allahu Akbar. Finished, finished, Gadhafi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tripoli very, very happy. Gadhafi finished. Now, we live in freedom.

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are in Green Square what you're seeing behind me are a few people that the rebels are now saying there's going to be a massive battle here. They do not have full control of the city.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At the moment, we are not fully in control of Tripoli because you can see, you can see that --

SIDNER: What does this make you -- how do you feel about this day? You are from Tripoli. Why is this day important? This day historic day?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A historic day because we had to leave from here like scared, without anything, and now we had to fight. I'm not a fighter. I'm a student. And it's my first time like handle a gun.

SIDNER: The civilians are now gone from here and now, we also have to leave.

(GUNFIRE)

Right now, what's happening as everyone's --

(GUNFIRE)

SIDNER: We're here in the middle of Tripoli. What we're seeing is rebels all over the square. There are really no civilians, mostly men with guns in the square.

But we're also seeing people running. There's a lot of gunfire. They say there are snipers. We all had to pull back.

The situation is very tense here. But there is a lot of celebrating going on. Some of this is just gunfire in the air.

But people are very, very concerned because they say there were snipers posted at the top of some buildings. They're not sure exactly where some of the gunfire is coming from.

So, every now and then, you see people running, trying to get out of the way.

But right now, the rebels have Green Square, and it is a historic moment here in Tripoli, in the capital. The real stronghold of Moammar Gadhafi has now been taken over by the rebels.

Sara Sidner, CNN, Tripoli.

(END VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: And ahead of an exclusive phone interview on al Jazeera, reportedly with Moammar Gadhafi's son, Mohammed. Al Jazeera's anchor said that rebels had surrounded Mohammed's home and planned to take him to Benghazi. Well, the anchor added an exchange of gunfire, one of Mohammed's guards was harm and rebel fighter killed.

Here is part of that dramatic interview.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MOHAMMED GADHAFI, SON OF MOAMMAR GADHAFI (through translator): I'm standing outside my house. I'm being attacked right now. There's gunfire outside my house. They're inside my house. Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, that al Jazeera anchor then reported that according to the chairman of the rebel's Transitional National Council, Mohammed Gadhafi and his family have not been harmed, but that their movements are under control of rebel forces.

Now, at least two of Mohammed's brothers in rebel custody right now. But Moammar Gadhafi, his whereabouts still unknown.

Nic Robertson has more on the Gadhafis. And he's actually interviewed the family over the years.

Nic, what do you know at this point?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, wanted by the International Criminal Court, arrest warrants issued for him for war crimes now in custody of the rebels. He was, according to his brother, Saadi Gadhafi, who I met and interviewed, I interviewed both of them when I was in -- when I was in Tripoli a couple of months ago. According to Saadi Gadhafi, Saif was actually running the country, which means with him arrested, running the country is going to be much harder for Moammar Gadhafi.

That, obviously, added to the fact that he's probably holed up somewhere, that he doesn't control the reins of power now that the rebels have the initiative. And it does seem right now that wherever Gadhafi is, he is in the last phases of his freedom, if you will.

The rebels, if they do know where he is, are not saying where he is. But very likely, the pockets -- he will be in one of those pockets of resistance inside Tripoli. It seems that the whole family was caught off guard by the speed of the rebel movement. That's why three sons have already been picked up. They weren't expecting the rebels to come into the capital so fast. And perhaps that's the best key to understanding where Moammar Gadhafi is right now.

He was also called out, caught by surprise of the speed of movement, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And, Nic, you've interviewed, you know, the family over the years. What is your sense? Is this it?

You've heard the posturing. You've heard the confidence from various members of the family. What's your take now with regard to their attitude, their response, and what's happening?

ROBERTSON: I'm surprised that they've been picked up so quickly. There was certainly indication over the past few months that Saadi Gadhafi, while loyal to his father, didn't have a real military role and that he was looking for a way to get out of the country. Saif was in a leadership role when I interviewed him a few months ago after NATO when -- just before the NATO bombing began, I couldn't believe that he didn't have a clearer picture of how he was going to take control of the country. He's been isolated by the best of his friends and allies in the past. There was a seminal movement where he went on television and berated the nation.

I spoke to two people who wrote speeches for him, to give on television. He went off-script, apparently because he had just been to meet his father right before he went on television.

So, this seems to be a man who, essentially, threw away the opportunities right in the early stages of building some kind of consensus. And right now, his fate is really being handed over to the International Criminal Court, as they want, should he stand trial in The Hague or will the Libyan Transitional National Council keep a hold of him? And this is one of the big tests under scrutiny, the international community, how the Transitional National Council, national council in Libya, is going to handle building democracy in the country.

The fact that these sons have been rounded up is just bad news for Moammar Gadhafi himself. He must be next on the list. It must be fairly soon to happen, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Nic, we'll be talking a lot more in the next couple of hours. Thanks so much.

And if Gadhafi is negotiating an exit, what is he likely to deal with?

Let's bring in Fran Townsend. She's CNN's national security contributor. She's also a member of the CIA's external advisory committee and she's had experience dealing with Gadhafi regime. Last year, she visited high-ranking Libyan officials at the invitation of the Libyan government.

So, Fran, what are you paying attention to right now at this hour?

FRAN TOWNSEND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTOR: It's interesting, Kyra, from a number of perspectives. I met with both the Gadhafis, Saif al-Islam and Moatessem, another son.

To the extent, most people, most Americans will think that once some of these sons are in captivity, that will affect Moammar Gadhafi -- I don't think so. He is not driven by the normal personal emotional things. I do think he will try to evade capture. I do think he will fight to the end. I don't think he's going to look for an exit plan. In fact, I spoke to a senior Italian official who has been directly involved in this. And I think, even our European allies are quite stunned that Gadhafi doesn't seem to care about an exit plan. Their take is that he wants to be a martyr. And it looks like the rebels may just give him that opportunity.

PHILLIPS: Fran, we're having some issues with your volume, we're going to try and perfect that so we can talk a little bit more, because, of course, we want your insight in this, especially your personal experiences from dealing with members of the Gadhafi family.

So, meanwhile, while we try to work that out, CNN's Zain Verjee is in London with reaction from around the world to what's happening now in Libya. And it is getting a tremendous international play at this hour.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: It's the top story around the world, Kyra.

Let's take a look at "The Independent." Its headline reads like this. It says, "The end game is at hand, but holds dangers of its own." It goes on to say this, "The population's perception of the opposition's strength will be key to what happens next. And this will depend, to a large extent, on how far the leaders of its National Transitional Council can present a united front and a coherent vision for Libya's future."

Check out "The National" in the UAE, Kyra. Its headline, "Arab Uprisings Need Patience, Not Pessimism." It says, "Revolutions of these sort require more patience and persistence to see them through to their conclusions. The end of street demonstrations, whenever that comes, must only be viewed as the start of these nation's own revolutions."

And, finally, look at "The Guardian." "Neighborhood Watch," that's the headline. It says, "Fear that even the lavish application of air power would not bring a clear victory in Libya has been displaced by anxiety about Libya's future after victory."

One thing to consider as you look at pictures of the rebels, Kyra, is the rebels are all really united because they have one goal. Get rid of Gadhafi. Get rid of the regime.

They don't have many analysts say, a lot more than that in common. They're a lot of differences and they're also made up of really different groups. You've got former Gadhafi loyalists in there, Islamists, secularists. So, they all want different things.

So, the question is, are they really going to be able to agree on a way forward for Libya?

PHILLIPS: We'll talk about it much more in the next couple of hours. Zain, thanks.

So, what does a post-Gadhafi Libya mean to the U.S.? Are we any safer? And could we see American boots on the ground in Libya? Retired Major General James "Spider" Marks joins us from Washington next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: We're continuing to follow that fast-moving fighting happening right now in the Libyan capital. Calling in to us now -- as you know, she's been working around the clock for us, Sara Sidner out of Tripoli.

Sara, what's going on around you at this point? Bring us up-to-date on the situation.

SIDNER (via telephone): Just about 45 minutes ago, we were getting very, very close to Green Square, the main square of Tripoli, where we were just the night before, when rebels rushed in and took over that square and were celebrating.

But we were unable to get there, because at one point, rebels said everyone must push back. They had been given a command to push back. They all pushed back and we are now with them. They are all congregated in one part of the city.

What it appears to be is that they're getting together, some of them are resting, but what they're doing here is trying to coordinate a push through the city to try to go street by street, to try and figure out where, if there are any, Gadhafi forces left, where they are, and capture them, detain them.

Now, we do have some new information because we know they are detaining people. We, ourselves, were in an area where we were taken.

They have detained one of the most famous Libyan state TV broadcasters. Her name is Hala al Misrati. She has been detained. She was with her brother. They brought her in.

Obviously, the rebels very frustrated with state TV because Libyan state TV is obviously very, very much run by the Moammar Gadhafi regime and some of the things that have been said over the past few months have really enraged people.

We're now hearing gunshots. But those, again, they are celebratory gunshots. Those are not gunshots involved in any sort of fight.

We do have to report that this is a pretty big deal because everyone in this town and in Libya pretty much knows her and knows who she is. She's quite well-known. And so, she has been detained.

We tried to see her. We were unable to see her, to see if she was being treated properly.

But at this point, the rebels say they are treating her properly and will be taking her to court at some later date.

PHILLIPS: Sara, is this -- is this the anchor we actually got a clip of, that was holding the gun on set, saying that she was going to stick -- yes, we're actually looking at it right now. Is this the same -- I'm trying to find her name, the same anchorwoman? Have you seen this, where she went on the air, holding the gun, saying that she's going to -- she will go down a martyr?

SIDNER: No, I do not know if it is the same one because we've been literally out of communication. We have no television. The only way we can communicate with you is through satellite. We are unable to see any of the coverage.

PHILLIPS: Here it is, Sara. Hala Misrati. It's Hala Misrati.

SIDNER: That is her.

PHILLIPS: That is her.

SIDNER: That is Hala Misrati, the person that was holding the gun.

PHILLIPS: Yes.

SIDNER: You can imagine how angry people were. And I can tell you that outside the area where they detained her, they said they found her in her car near a coffee shop at some point in the last couple of hours. They got into the car with her and had her brother drive her to this -- what was a training facility for people who were training to be in the world of petroleum and learning how to do jobs in that particular line of work. They took her to this random sort of building.

And there we know she was sitting there with her brother, though we were unable to see her ourselves, but a very big deal because outside the pandemonium that ensued when they found out that Hala al Misrati, the Libyan state broadcaster, had been taken into custody. And they all wanted a piece of her. They wanted at her. They wanted to see her. They wanted to scream at her. I don't know what else they were planning to do.

But gunshots went off inside the building. We had to take cover. And we were able to get out basically. But a very tense moment and a very sort of big moment, I think, for a lot of people who saw her face and really saw her as a mouthpiece for the Gadhafi regime.

PHILLIPS: She actually -- I'm getting some of the translation here, as I've been able to pull it off the computer, Sara, because obviously you haven't been able to see it. But she sat up there and said with this weapon, holding the gun, I either kill or die today.

So, what you're saying is that this woman, this Hala Misrati, is quite well-known. And the fact that she was taken in sends out a tremendous message here.

SIDNER: It does send out a message. It sends out the message that if you were part of the Gadhafi regime, if you incited violence, if you incited terror in people's hearts, if you, in some way, make people feel scared or feel like they were not safe, you will be detained.

And what they are going to do next is very unclear because, you know, this city is so different than what it was just 24 hours ago. There is nothing functioning. Everything is closed.

As I said, if you're taking her to court, are the courts functioning? Are the judges there? Do you trust their decision?

And they said, oh, yes, the courts are functioning and we will be taking her to the court. So, we don't really know what that means, to be to be honest. We don't know if they're going to be trusting the same judges that were there in place during the Gadhafi regime or if they're going to start putting their own courts together. That remains unanswered.

What we do know is that there's a lot of anger in this city, surrounding those who are seen as supporters of Gadhafi -- not only supporters, but those who would put fear into people's hearts through a message from Gadhafi.

PHILLIPS: All right. Sara Sidner there, calling in from Tripoli, doing some incredible work for hours on end -- Sara, thanks so much. We'll be talking more.

Also, while I told you, we're going to talk with retired Major General James "Spider" Marks. He's going to be joining us right after the break, live from Washington. We'll talk about what's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: OK. Let's check in with what's new this morning out of Libya at this hour:

After celebrating their sweep into the very heart of the city, rebel fights have now pulled -- fighters, rather, have pulled back from green square, Sara Sidner reporting that to us moments ago. Pro- Gadhafi forces are putting up some pretty serious resistance.

In the meantime, al Arabiya is reporting that one of Moammar Gadhafi's sons is holed up in a huge family compound on the edge of Tripoli with tanks standing guard outside. Gadhafi himself is still MIA, his whereabouts unknown at this hour. Three of his sons, we are being told, are in rebel hands.

Well, NATO says that Gadhafi's regime is crumbling. And while we've seen rebels celebrating that fact, there's also major international concern about what could happen next.

Retired Major General James "Spider" Marks is joining me out of Washington.

Spider, good to see you.

MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Hi, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: I was speaking to a number of high-level military types over the weekend. And they were saying to me, yes, it's great to see a dictator like this go. But we've got enough on our plate right now. This is just one more thing that we have -- we're going to have to stress about and figure out how we're going to endure this with all the other countries that we're involved with right now.

What's your take, first of all, from a U.S. military perspective? MARKS: Well, you know, Kyra, that's a classic. And it's very legitimate. It's a classic tail wagging the dog. Clearly, the United States has a very legitimate role, could assume a very prominent role on the ground as Libya transitions. It's the most difficult part right now, ensuring that there isn't score settling, there isn't a bunch of vengeance, and who takes control of this military that Gadhafi has in place since it was created, you know, some 60 years ago.

So -- but the United States has said -- or at least the administration has said we are not going to put boots on the ground. Therefore, we've got to get intimately involved and, frankly, we are, with the NATO powers, to ensure that there is a military presence on the ground, to ensure a smooth transition.

PHILLIPS: But as we know very well, Spider, because we've both been there. Even with the boots on the ground, we saw what happened in Iraq -- the looting, the violence, the civil war issue. I mean, there was a controversy. Are we in civil war or not? It sure appeared to be, when we were there.

This is the same concern going forward in Libya as well.

MARKS: Kyra, if we're going to look back, let's look back really precisely.

In Baghdad during those early days, we were directed to keep our hands off. That this cathartic uprising that occurred we thought would be very, very episodic. And so, we were directed don't get in between with what's happening between the people on the ground, institutions, each other, et cetera.

Now, looking forward, we've learned that lesson. So, I would imagine that the sooner there are boots on the ground in Libya, specifically Tripoli, the better.

It's very -- you know, we've got to be very careful about what we hear about control of Tripoli. A lot of folks on the ground have said the rebels and the opposition now control Libya -- or excuse me, control Tripoli.

That's a very liberal use of that term. Clearly, pockets of Tripoli are being controlled by rebel forces.

But we just saw that aerial photograph. Tripoli is a very big place. There's a lot that's still unknown. The only way you get known is you put boots on the ground to try to help you figure out.

PHILLIPS: But how do you know who you can trust and who you can't trust with regard to the rebels?

MARKS: You can't. It's very, very difficult. We, the international community, are relying on what we're being fed from the opposition forces in terms of what their intentions are. And, clearly, we understand their intentions based on their actions. So, the notion of trust can only be achieved over time and with very close personal interaction.

PHILLIPS: Spider Marks, I know you're watching this closely with us and you'll be joining us for the next couple of hours. Appreciate it so much, Spider.

MARKS: Thanks, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Let's bring you up-to-date with what we know right now.

You know, rebels are saying that they have detained three of Gadhafi's sons. One of them could actually end up in the Netherlands, we are being told.

And also, today, the International Criminal Court is working to bring Saif al-Islam to The Hague. He could be tried for crimes against humanity.

Zain Verjee in London.

So, first, starting with his son, when could he be transferred? When could that happen, Zain?

VERJEE: Well, the International Criminal Court has accused him for crimes against humanity and war crimes. They would want it to happen as soon as possible. It's likely that they're in touch with the rebels, trying to negotiate some kind of transfer. Although the international community has also said that this needs to be a Libyan process.

So, it's not really clear right now. We don't know.

Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, Kyra, when I met him, was really riding high. He was seen as a successor to Moammar Gadhafi. He was a modern guy.

He presented a reformist face to the world. He had helped to end Libya's pariah's status. He helped influence his father to end the program that Libya had of pursuing weapons of mass destruction. He opened Libya for business. He paid compensation to victims of the Lockerbie bombing and their families.

And, really, this was totally turned around 180. He was seen as a man who could actually help broker some kind of peace deal when the fighting first broke out in Libya. But he picked sides, he threw it all in. Many said he was just a wolf in sheep's clothing.

He was the man that got on television and talked about rivers of blood. He's been accused of organizing killings, mass murders of civilians, of organizing mercenaries to come in and do the dirty work.

So, a real fall from the perceptions he had many years ago. The International Criminal Court, though, does want him and the want to try him.

PHILLIPS: All right. Zain Verjee out of London -- Zain, you'll be with us, obviously, the next couple of hours as well.

And also coming up, CNN's Matthew Chance at the hotel controlled by Gadhafi forces.

PHILLIPS: All right. Let's bring you the latest now in the battle for Tripoli. Rebels controlling most of the capital this morning through pro-Gadhafi forces have just been pushed them back from a key battleground. That coming to us from our Sara Sidner, who just called in.

Meantime, U.S. and NATO officials are worried that Gadhafi loyalists might mount a last-ditch attack against the civilians there. Also, the African Union schedules an emergency meeting in Libya, as well. Reps there should be sitting down about now in the Ethiopian capital. We're following all those angles for you.

Plus, CNN's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon on what the U.S. Military role could look like.

And Barbara, I'm sure you've seen the interviews with General Marks and various other military leaders we've been talking to. Everybody is speculating about what could happen.

What are you getting from the Pentagon?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, Pentagon officials say don't count on any involvement by U.S. forces. President Obama, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta have long said this will not involve U.S. forces on the ground. This is a NATO coalition- led operation. That's how they want to keep it and they want to work with whatever new government emerges in Libya.

Let me go back to what you were saying a minute ago. A last-ditch attack. At this hour, that is a major concern by NATO. I just got off the phone with senior NATO officials and they say that is something they're watching very carefully, as they continue to see these loyalists, militias and security forces on the ground in Tripoli fight back against the rebel advances. They are concerned this could spiral into attacks against civilians.

NATO planes remain on station overhead. They will move to stop anything that they can. But look, this is a large, urban city. Any air strikes inside Tripoli, always problematic. You never know exactly who you're hitting when it's forces on the ground. So the coming hours and days still could have considerable danger attached to them, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: OK. Barbara Starr from the Pentagon. Barbara, thanks so much.

And as we mentioned, Moammar Gadhafi's whereabouts still unknown. So we've been talking a lot about where could he go, what will be next? Will he stay in country, fight to the very end?

Nic Robertson, our senior international correspondent, joining us out of Washington.

A lot of speculation now, Nic, about his whereabouts. From your sources, your experience, what's your take now? What do you think he's -- where he is and what's going through his mind with regard to where things stand at this point?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, predicting what's going through his mind, I think, perhaps is the toughest thing right now. I mean, he said he wanted to retire to the desert of Libya and write his memoirs. That is not going to happen.

It's going to look, if he is going to run, he's going to look to his friends around the world, Venezuela, Hugo Chavez was a regular visitor to Libya, sort of brothers in arms, if you will, raising the (INAUDIBLE), if you will to the rest of the world. So there's a possibility that he may choose to go there. That could be one place where perhaps he could find a friendly and warm and safe welcome. He would want to escape the possibility of capture and delivery to the International Criminal Court.

He may go to South Africa. He's had a lot of influence in Africa, has played himself as an African leader, hosted representatives from many African nations. His advisors were telling me several months ago it was going to be an African solution for Libya, that the -- we've seen African politicians try to play a role in ending the conflict in Libya. So South Africa's a possibility.

Zimbabwe, another rogue state. Perhaps he could hole up there and risk international capture. There are other possibilities, as well. But the key thing for him is going to be not being picked up and delivered to an international tribunal and wanting to go down as a hero. That's going to be what's going through his mind right now, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: You know, you mentioned South Africa. I don't know if a lot of people realize, this is a man that had a friendship with Nelson Mandela.

ROBERTSON: Yes He sort of played himself as a great Arab leader. When that fell flat, when the sort of Arab leaders parted -- sort of meeting of the minds with him, he turned to Africa and wanted to cast himself as a great African leader.

Two years ago in Tripoli, I remember seeing him at a sort of -- he'd gathered together all these sort of tribal and regional leaders from all over Africa. He sat on this massive throne. They were there in their regional costumes and they came and gave him gifts on the stage. It was a huge, elaborate affair. But he was couriering good favor.

Libya, after all, is the richest African nation per capita income, at least until the past year, over $35,000 a year average annual income. It is a relatively rich country. He had money to spend in Africa to build friendships and relationships and South Africa was one of those countries that he was close to. He was at the north end of Africa, if you will. They were at the south end. So he will have looked at South Africans as perhaps a way out of the situation right now.

But getting out for him right now, is going to be entirely dependent on getting to some means of transport. And if he's holed up in a smaller area in the city, getting to an aircraft to make that happen may be his biggest short-term challenge.

PHILLIPS: You know, it's interesting and you, obviously, have been to Saudi Arabia a number of times. You didn't mention Saudi Arabia. I mean, this is a place known to house dictators. If you think of Tunisia, Pakistan. Although there was a time where Moammar Gadhafi wanted King Abdullah assassinated, does this count out -- knowing what Saudi Arabia has done in the past, but also knowing the background between these two, or the relationship between these two, what's your take on Saudi Arabia?

ROBERTSON: There are bigger relationships at play, obviously. One of the things that Saudi Arabia has tried to do through this whole Arab spring is slow down the exit of any of these leaders. Ben Ali in Tunisia. They were against him taking flight, although he did end up going to Saudi Arabia. They didn't want Mubarak to step down. They really threw that back in the face of the United States, when the United States turned essentially against Mubarak and said that he should leave power.

What Saudi Arabia has tried to do is to stop the impression that they should be next, that their leadership, King Abdullah should step down. That there should be a broader western-style democracy in the country there. Whether or not these sort of old enmities with Gadhafi would allow him to take refuge in Saudi Arabia is perhaps something of a stretch. I mean, one of Saif-al-Islam, Gadhafi's sons, top adviser, spent over a year and a half in jail in Saudi Arabia, over half of that in solitary confinement for allegedly paying millions of Euros to a middleman who was going to assassinate King Abdullah in Mecca.

So there's a lot of bad blood there. But sometimes an enemy's enemy - my enemy -- sometimes a situation can be that Saudi Arabia may want to send a message to the rest of the world and it may suit their medium- term political needs to give Gadhafi shelter. But a lot of bad blood there for sure -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Nic, thanks so much.

Now ,CNN's Dan Lothian is in Massachusetts with the president.

Dan, let's talk about how the president is reacting to the developments in Libya. And, are we likely to hear from him today?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's a big question. I think the White House wants to wait and see how the situation unfolds on the ground. There are still a lot of questions there about the fate of Moammar Gadhafi and what the White House doesn't want to do is get the president out in front of the camera when the situation is still so fluid. We've been talking about the statement that the president put out last night. Part of that statement saying, quote, "The people of Libya are showing that the universal pursuit of dignity and freedom is far stronger than the iron fist of a dictator."

President Obama has been saying on top of the situation in Libya with briefings from one of his top advisors, John Brennan. We're told that there is a briefing to take place sometime this morning. We don't know if that has happened as of yet.

Also, the president held a high-level conference call with senior members of his national security team, including his chief of staff, his national security advisor, the secretary of defense, in addition to other briefings that the president has been getting.

We do expect to have a briefing from the deputy White House spokesman here on Martha's Vineyard sometime this morning. And that's when we'll get a chance to get more reaction from the White House to the situation unfolding in Libya, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Dan, let us know if you hear anything.

And coming up, Ben Wedeman is in Cairo, where Egyptians recently celebrated another leader's downfall. We'll get his take on what's happening in Libya, right after the break.

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PHILLIPS: You know, when we see all the images from Green Square and all the protesters as we were following through last night, we can't help but remember Tahrir Square and how Egyptians witnessed the fall of their dictator and celebrate into the night for weeks on end.

Ben Wedeman remembers that well. He joins us now live from Cairo.

Are you getting the similar feelings that so many people around the region are, looking at what is happening now in the square there in Libya and remembering what went down there in Cairo?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In Cairo, however, Kyra, it was really revolution on fast forward. It only went on for 18 days. Libya, it's been six months and it's really been a war as much as a revolution.

You've had pitch battles across the country. And I was basically in the middle of most of them. And what we saw here in Egypt, for instance, is that the army played a neutral role. They would not open fire on the anti-Mubarak protesters.

In Libya, it was a completely different picture. The army firing broad missiles into the middle of towns like Misrata, where we saw ordinary Libyans being randomly targeted by their own armed forces. So it's a completely sort of different equation.

And, of course, in Green Square, the situation is very fluid. It's not clear whether Gadhafi's forces had try to make some sort of counter attack. When Hosni Mubarak stepped down, he was out of the game. In Libya, the situation, as I said, we still don't know the final outcome. Although, clearly, Moammar Gadhafi is on his way out. It's just not clear when Libyans will be able to finally say he is gone after 42 years of dictatorial rule, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Ben Wedeman out of Cairo. Ben, thanks.

And coming up, we're going to actually talk to two Libyan-American brothers. Their father was kidnapped by Gadhafi's regime two decades ago. They still don't even know if he's dead or alive. We'll get their take on what's happening right now out of Libya.

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PHILLIPS: Well, the rebel advance on Tripoli is giving Libyan- Americans a big reason to celebrate. Also new hope that the long festering grievances with the Gadhafi regime will finally be righted. Three Libyan-American brothers hope that they're going to finally find out about their missing father, whether he's dead or even alive.

Isaac Almegaryaf is a Libyan opposition activist who disappeared 21 years ago. He was kidnapped in Egypt and handed over to Libyan security forces. Some of his letters were later smuggled out of a Libyan prison.

Well his sons Ahmed and Bashir are joining me now. They are both college students here in Atlanta.

So first of all let's talk about gentlemen, I mean this -- I know you finally think that this could be the answer, you're going to get the answer to the whereabouts of your father. But as -- before we talk about that, what's happening now, Ahmed, you said you've been Skyping actually with your cousin in Benghazi?

AHMED ALMEGARYAF, SON OF ISAAC ALMEGARYAF: Yes. As I spoke with my cousin last night in Benghazi, they weren't able to sleep. He said everybody is still out celebrating and cheering. Everything is so peaceful.

I also spoke with a friend in Tripoli who was actually quite the opposite. He was very frightened, still hearing gunshots and planes overhead.

PHILLIPS: Now, you were five years old when your dad was -- was taken away, correct?

A. ALMEGARYAF: Correct.

PHILLIPS: You were five weeks.

BASHIR ALMEGARYAF, SON OF ISAAC ALMEGARYAF: Yes.

PHILLIPS: And so you -- ever since you were born, you were telling me, this is what you've been waiting to see?

B. ALMEGARYAF: Exactly. This is the one day I've been waiting for my whole life. And it's overwhelming, the sense of joy and happiness that's come now and I'm just waiting to hear more updates.

PHILLIPS: And -- and what is it that you've been hearing that has been inspiring you? You say this is what you've been -- you've been filled with joy and you've been inspired by all of this. What is it exactly, what are you hearing that's giving you confidence in what's going on right now?

B. ALMEGARYAF: Well, my father's dream has always been to have -- help people, help change the regime, because Gadhafi has been oppressive for about 42 years now. And just having normal people, civilians, attempting to defend themselves against Gadhafi's security forces, people -- even teachers, regular, normal people are standing up.

And that's definitely the --

PHILLIPS: Well, it's the first time you've witnessed something like this. I know and you've talked to family members and they tell you the same, the older family members are like, this is remarkable.

So Ahmed, what could this mean with regard to your father? Do you still believe he's alive? Do you think you'll finally get the answer you've been looking for now?

A. ALMEGARYAF: Definitely. We're -- we're -- we're nervous, we're anxious, we're very excited, If he's alive, we'll be there in a split second to see him. And if he does pass, we view him definitely as a martyr and, you know, gave his life for his country and for his people.

PHILLIPS: Now your mom and your older brother immediately flew to Cairo when all this started happening. And are they wanting to -- to get into Libya?

A. ALMEGARYAF: Yes, definitely. They just arrived into Cairo last night. They gave us a call and told us that they're going into Libya.

PHILLIPS: And why do they want to do that? And do they feel safe?

B. ALMEGARYAF: They finally want to celebrate with family my mother has never seen her -- she hasn't seen her brothers for over 20 years now. So to get to celebrate a regime change and Gadhafi's toppling is something that she's been waiting for, for a long time.

PHILLIPS: Well, I have a feeling I know what both of you are going to be writing about in class this semester, I'll have no doubt from a first-hand perspective. All right, please keep us updated from your mom, your brother, and especially with regard to your father and if indeed he's still alive. We want to make sure we follow up.

A. ALMEGARYAF: Thank you so much.

B. ALMEGARYAF: Thank you Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Bashir, Ahmed, thank you both. Thank you.

Well, Wall Street opens for business after a four-week losing streak. We're going to go live to the New York Stock Exchange for the details.

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PHILLIPS: Ok. We're going to get back to our Libya coverage in just a moment. But we've got to get over to the meteorologist Reynolds Wolf who is tracking the first hurricane in the Atlantic this season, Hurricane Irene.

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REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely.

PHILLIPS: What's the status?

WOLF: Well, the status is this thing is getting stronger. It's amazing what a difference 24 hours will make. Yesterday morning this time this was a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds at 50 miles-an-hour, now we're stirring right at 80 miles an hour as we speak.

It's going to be very crucial to see what happens over the next 12 to 24 hours. Because this system is going to be getting very close to Hispaniola. What's important about that is the part of the island, the dead center is intersected by a giant range of mountains with some peaks that exceed 10,000 feet.

The reason why that's important is as this tropical system gets very close to it, that high mountain range can disrupt the circulation. And if that happens, you might see this thing collapse all together.

However, the latest forecast at the National Hurricane Service shows a very different center -- story altogether actually going to the Turks and Caicos (ph) and then, the National Hurricane Center forecast is going to the Bahamas as we get to Thursday at 2:00 a.m.

Notice then the cone of probability includes a great deal of the Florida peninsula. It's still too early to see if it's going to make landfall. In part of this, the possibility is it could veer a little farther to the south and just stay in Cuba. It might move into the Gulf of Mexico, it may stay in the Atlantic.

However, you have to know that Florida right now is in play. And if it makes landfall or not, you have to keep in mind it's a very long season going all the way to November 30th. So if you don't have your hurricane preparedness kit together as of yet, that includes the bottle of water, the batteries, the non-perishable food items, it's time to get ready. It's a long season, again all the way through November. And this is the first named hurricane of this Atlantic season, but you know, it only takes one, it only takes one storm --

PHILLIPS: Right.

WOLF: -- that can make a huge difference to a lot of people.

PHILLIPS: Ok Reynolds, thanks.

WOLF: You bet.

PHILLIPS: Also Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange where stocks are actually coming back from a pretty brutal week last week. But Alison we know how stories out of the Middle East can impact those numbers and impact them quickly.

ALISON KOSIK, CNNMONEY.COM: Yes, things can change on a dime, but at least it's nice to see the games, Kyra, but just to keep it real for a second, it's not necessarily based on fundamentals. It's not based on strong economic reports or strong earnings, the problems that we had about the slowing economy last week, they're still with us week. It's not necessarily a sign that the market has hit bottom.

What you're seeing is kind of a bounce back from the past month and gosh, what an incredible month it's been. Take a look at the past four weeks; the Dow, Nasdaq, S&P 500, all down about 15 percent to 18 percent. For the S&P 500 it's the biggest four-week loss we have seen since 2009. Many are saying, you know what? This market is clearly oversold. They see this bargain hunting opportunity right now to buy back stocks that have been beaten up.

And analysts say, you know what? We're not sure if the volatility is over yet, which means Kyra, don't expect the gains to necessarily to stick today. We'll keep an eye on it for you -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Ok. Keep us posted, thanks Alison.

We'll have the latest from Tripoli after a quick break.

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