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Push for Syrian Solution; Boat Capsizes Off Australia; Interview with Musician Bibi Tanga; A Time To Heal

Aired August 14, 2012 - 12:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Welcomes to NEWSROOM INTERNATIONAL. I'm Suzanne Malveaux. We're taking you around the world in 60 minutes.

Here's what's going on now:

Hundreds of refugees have died trying to make it to Australia in boats. Now, the prime minister says that she is going to do something about it.

And in Japan, researchers think even the butterflies have become victims of the country's nuclear power plant disaster.

I want to begin, however, today with developments in the on going civil war.

We're of course talking about Syria. There are meetings under way right now. We're talking about Syria, China, and Saudi Arabia. They're all focused on one topic, and that is what is taking place in that civil war. Just watch.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

MALVEAUX: Conditions inside the country -- they are deteriorating by the day.

Now, this is the scene from Deir Ezzor. This is fighting that is raging in the streets. There are bodies that are wrapped in rugs that are just left on the road.

Meanwhile, Syria's former prime minister who defected to Jordan, he says that the regime is now losing control.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RIAD HIJAB, FORMER SYRIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I can confirm to you given my experience and the position I had that the regime's morale, economy, and military has completely collapsed and only in control of no more than 30 percent of Syrian lands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So the diplomatic efforts, are they going to do anything to actually stop this conflict?

I want to bring in Hala Gorani.

And, Hala, first of all, you've got some -- I understand -- some breaking news regarding the prime minister who left Syria. What do we know about his state?

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR & CORRESPONDENT: Well, the man you just saw there who was addressing reporters in Jordan, the U.S. Treasury Department is now announcing and it happened about 15 minutes ago that it is lifting its sanctions against Riad Hijab. This perhaps a signal, a message, to other high level Syrian members that if they defect, if they leave the regime of Bashar al-Assad, sanctions against them will be lifted.

Well, it's of course unclear whether or not somebody like Riad Hijab had assets in the United States. But it could also be the beginning of a process that countries allied with the U.S. against the regime of Bashar al Assad will follow suit and unfreeze the assets of some of these high ranking regime members.

MALVEAUX: So, it is really an incentive for others to follow suit here. We don't know if they are going to follow suit, but certainly, I would give them some sort of incentive to do so.

GORANI: Absolutely.

MALVEAUX: Talk about these emergency meetings that are happening. Three different countries, sitting down, trying to figure out what is the next move, and there is an organization that really is key to all of this because they are actually looking at Syria and considering punishing measures.

GORANI: Right. And we're talking about the Organization of the Islamic Conference. This is the 56-member organization that aims to defend the interests of Muslim countries around the world. They have decided to suspend Syria.

This is not the first organization to do it. Of course, our viewers know the Arab League also suspended Syria and it is symbolic more than anything. Anyway, the regime of Bashar al-Assad has never been based on religious rule. It was always quite secular, a quite secular police state.

But here's what's interesting about the OIC, is that it's exposing this schism one again between Shia Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia, because Iran is against the suspension of Syria from the OIC. Saudi Arabia and other states have said, no, we must suspend the country.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, though, is in Mecca for the conference, which in itself at least from Saudi Arabia's perspective is giving the appearance of giving diplomacy a try in the Syria crisis.

MALVEAUX: Do you think that -- I mean, you've got the Shia and you have the Sunni. And you think country where this is playing out. In certain countries, one group dominates the other group. How does this impact the region when you see something like this breaking apart in Syria? How does it influence those countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia on opposite sides?

GORANI: Well, you know, in Syria right now, what we're seeing according to many and many analysts will agree with me on this is it is starting to become a full-fledged proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. You know, when Iran is talking about Syria, it also mentions an important other Arab spring country, if you will, and that is Bahrain. Bahrain is a majority Shia population ruled by a minority Sunni royal family.

So, if every one of these hot spots, you're seeing that battle between the two major powers in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and the gulf countries who are Sunni and Iran which is Shia in this particular case.

MALVEAUX: Let's talk about China. They have been against any kind of out right action to get rid of Assad. We're now seeing the Chinese saying we're going to welcome a Syrian representative inside our country. We're also going to welcome the opposition in our country.

GORANI: Yes.

MALVEAUX: Is China beginning to feel a little pressure here like maybe they need to do something different than Russia to actually not support the Assad regime?

GORANI: You're talking about China welcoming Bouthaina Shaaban. And, for years, she was the face of Bashar al-Assad, as of his senior presidential advisers. She's in Beijing right now meeting with the foreign minister.

China is talking about discussing the Annan six-point peace plan which according to many was dead practically from the day it was launched. Kofi Annan himself is resigning at the end of the Month of august And we don't even have successor.

China says it's going to welcome the opposition but so did Moscow as well.

The big question is going to be, once it comes down to voting on a resolution at the U.N., can China and Russia align themselves with the United States? Nothing is less certain in this case.

MALVEAUX: And do we anything about the refugee crisis? Clearly, I mean, this is spilling out into Jordan, to Turkey, many other places where folks are beginning to really feel the humanitarian crisis.

GORANI: And the host countries, Jordan itself has a problem economically of its own. I mean, can they take in, continue to take in 100,000 150,000 Syrians who need food, who need shelter? They're in tent camps provided by the UNHCR.

But the longer this drags on, the more it's going to will be an economic burden on neighboring countries. Syrians who have money are in Lebanon, they are Turkey, they are in Dubai.

Others are sleeping in tents in the desert. This is a very difficult situation to sustain longer term.

MALVEAUX: All right. Hala Gorani, thank you as always.

Aleppo is Syria's largest city, under siege for weeks now and that poses a danger for reporters, of course, who are also on the ground.

Ben Wedeman, he is the middle of the fighting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRSPONDENT: OK. He is saying do you want to go back and drive fast through the intersection because there is a sniper. He said get down. Get down. Get down. Get down.

That's all right. You're fine. Come down. Just get down.

Even if it's uncomfortable, just get down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not because uncomfortable. How are you going to do this?

WEDEMAN: OK. We made it. That's one --

(CROSSTALK)

WEDEMAN: OK, we made it. Past that one.

OK. Maybe he knows a good time to get out, to get our bearings.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Ben and his crew, they were able to get out of Aleppo and back to a safe House. But that trip as you saw took hours.

So, you might remember last week's massacre at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin where six people were killed. Well, since the shooting CNN has been looking at the rise of hate groups in the United States. These groups are not limited to our borders.

As a matter of fact in Germany neo-Nazis are posing threats of their own, organizing late night torch rallies and using the Internet to spread their message.

Our Isha Sesay reports.

ISHA SESAY, CNN CORRESPONDE: (voice-over): They appear in the middle of the night , unannounced and armed with torches. Their faces hidden behind plain white masks. It is a frightening scene that resembles the Nazi torch marches of the 1930s. This was filmed only a few months ago in Germany, filmed by neo-Nazis themselves.

After the march, they upload the video on the Internet to propagate their ideology, adding pompous music to support their message that multiculturalism is killing Germany.

PROF. HAJO FUNKE, FREE UNIVERSITY OF BERLIN: They try to achieve attraction by young people. But the idea is awkward. It is mystical idea. We already killed and are killed by the system, by black ones, Muslim ones, Jewish ones, it's a racist idea, apocalyptic idea, so it's utterly radical group.

SESAY: The neo-Nazis call themselves the "Immortals," a group that German officials describe as a serious and growing concern. They emerged in May last year when a few hundred neo-Nazis marched through an east Germantown, a flash mob organized over the Internet or using text messages. The signs target the mainstream political parties, Democrats are causing the death of our people.

Al ban's call for action destroyed the lies of the Democrats -- meaning people who support multiculturalism. Experts say the rhetoric is dangerous.

FUNKE: They are already attacking people or attacking institutions, so also this way of being radical is not without violence. And, of course, they are interlinked to a degree with violent groups.

SESAY: It's is a concern that German law enforcement agencies share. More than a dozen homes of the neo-Nazis have been raided this year to find members of the Immortals. A few weeks ago the German state of Brandenburg banned the organization because of destructive its ideology but the threat remains.

FUNKE: One organization is forbidden in one state and in other states they're not forbidden, so they can renew themselves. It's a very simple idea, put mask on your faces and represent the danger to the people.

SESAY: And the rallies continue, in real life and online. Some of the internet videos have been viewed by tens of thousands of people and almost all of them end with a chilling message: your short life make it immaterial mortal.

Isha Sesay, CNN, Atlanta.



MALVEAUX: Here is more of what we're working on for NEWSROOM INTERNATIONAL. These Afghan kids, they have seen more violence and death than a lot of adult soldiers. They just got a taste of life in America.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED KID: I liked everything here. I would like to buy everything. I love the beach. It was huge.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Almost everything -- EL: I also love everything here. I almost love everything here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We got fat. We got healthier.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: It appears to be a show of unity on state television. Today, on state television, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was shown awarding medals to his former top generals. Including Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, who is arguably the most powerful man in Egypt.

Well if you remember, Tantawi, who's a defense minister who was in power after the removal of former leader Hosni Mubarak.

Well, on Sunday, it was announced he was sent to retirement.

For more on the political shape up want to bring Fawaz Gerges in London.

And, Fawaz, first of all, explain to us whether or not this is just a show. Have you this new that's video out and it looks like he is placing medals on these former generals. But these are the folks that Morsi basically said you got to go. What is the reality of what's happening on the ground?

FAWAZ GERGES, AUTHOR, "OBAMA AND THE MIDDLE EAST". Well, it is this symbolic show, Suzanne. The fact is we may be witnessing the beginning of an historical shift in the balance of between the military on the one hand and the civilian leadership on the other hand. Remember, Suzanne, for the last 60 years the military was in charge. What Mohamed Morsi, the new president has been trying to do is assert the power of the presidency, the civilian leadership. This represents a critical moment in Egypt's future.

We have to wait and see how the balance of power will play itself out in the next few months and years but it is the beginning of emasculation and weakening of the military as an institution, as a political institution that has been unwilling to accept civilian supervision in Egypt.

MALVEAUX: So, Fawaz, should Morsi be looking over his shoulder at this point and sleeping with one eye open? I mean, when you take away and replace the top military brass who have wielded extraordinary power, he might be in some danger.

FAIRY: Well, I mean, that's what I have thought so two days ago when I heard of the decision. Now what we know, Suzanne, is that Mohamed Morsi could not have done what he has done without really manipulating tensions and disagreements within the military institution.

Obviously there are much more many more cleavages within the military than meets the eyes, and what has happened in the last few days is that what Morsi has done is to basically promote a new generation, the new defense minister is in his 50s. He's the other second in command Sami Annan, is also the reminance of the old regime.

So, yes, I think if I were Mohammed Morsi, I would worry a great about the military getting back at me. Obviously, there was a coup within the military itself that basically allowed Morsi to get rid of the two most powerful men in the military.

MALVEAUX: That's fascinating. I have not heard that before. We know that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, we know the defense secretary, Leon Panetta they were both in Egypt recently in the region.

They have both worked with Tantawi pretty closely. What do they make of the new folks right behind that are replacing him, the younger people that managed to now be put in those positions?

GERGES FARWAZ: Suzanne, probably you don't know this, but he was extremely unpopular in Washington. What we know, we know this from the WikiLeaks, leaked documents, U.S. documents, which show that American defense officials were extremely unhappy with Tantawi. They call him a dinosaur, a person who was unwilling to modernize the Egyptian military.

Unfortunately, the Egyptian military is no longer a fighting force, more of a welfare agency Tantawi under him.

I think one of the major goals of Washington is to have a centralized authority in Cairo, one centralized authority as opposed to the duality of authority that existed. Tantawi was a state within a state, and the Egyptian president was elected.

So, and, obviously, Mohamed Morsi has made it very clear, the new president, he is also a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic-based organization. He has made it very clear that he respects all the treaties Egypt signed with the neighbors including Israel, he will play the game as the game is played internationally.

So I don't think Washington is terribly concerned about the shift of power form Tantawi to a new generation of officers because the officers that were promoted are integral part of the Egyptian military as an institution.

MALVEAUX: All right. Fawaz Gerges, thank you so much for putting it into perspective. We appreciate it as always. Thank you.

GERGES: Pleasure.

MALVEAUX: The prime minister of Ethiopia, he has gone missing now. No one has seen Meles Zenawi in public for two months now. Concerns, Pete, this week when he didn't show up for a big meeting of African leaders in his own capital. Government officials say he is sick but will return to ruling the country in September. There is a lot of concern because Ethiopia has taken the lead in fighting al Qaeda, linked military groups also in neighboring Somalia; it would be a huge power vacuum.

Immigration is not only a problem here in the United States. Many countries it is a matter of life or death. Australia has a huge refugee problem right now. While politicals and politicians are debating what to do next, hundreds of immigrants are dying at sea.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Thousands of refugees risk their lives, crowding into boats heading for Australia, where they hope to be granted asylum. Well, many don't make it. More than 600 people have died in accidents at sea since 2009 according to the "New York Times."

The prime minister says simply more people are drowning. She wants it to stop. She just endorsed a new plan that would increase the number of refugees allowed in by almost half. Also part of this plan, a reopening offshore detention centers that human rights groups say are inhumane.

I want bring in Michael CNN international. I want to talk about where folks are coming from. Take a look at this map. We're talking 74 percent from four countries, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka.

Explain to us why folks are making their way to Australia and who these people are.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes, well, they're refugees from hardship, war-torn countries and people looking for a better life. It is not unusual where they're from and where they're going. The problem has been this all kicked off back in June. There was a boat capsized, a couple of boats in one month, 90 people drowned and that really -- coming from?

MALVEAUX: Where were they coming form?

HOLMES: Well, those people were coming from Afghanistan at that time. Now, they drowned and so that really was the tipping point if you like. The government was forced into a position where they started this big review, a lot of imminent people on the committee that did it. They have come out with the recommendations, ship it all back offshore. Have these refugees process the in places like Naruit , middle of nowhere, way off in the Pacific Ocean, it's a little Republican.

Also, in also Papua New Guinea, have these camps set process them there. Why? As a deterrent to make the journey in the first place by boat because it is people smugglers doing this, boats on unseaworthy.

As you said, 600 have drowned since 2009.

MALVEAUX: Unbelievable.

HOLMES: But it's been seen by processing on shore as an invitation to the people smugglers, get here, you're set. You're talking about 7,500 this year alone.

MALVEAUX: Talk about these detention centers. I mean, clearly, it sounds like that is a dangerous situation when you have the center set up. And people say, look, you know what? These are inhumane. You know, these are not all that much safer than trying to make it to Australia.

HOLMES: Well you know, the funny thing is, the prime minister that embraced this report described offshore processing as inhumane. But she's had to do a political u-turn to solve the crisis if you like. It's a political crisis, it's a social crisis.

One of the big problems is whether it was on shore or offshore, these places we're seeing as inhumane, Australia was seen as basically imprisoning refugees while they are being processed and it could take years in some cases to process these people. So, amnesty says it is by sending offshore at the call it outsourcing Australia's human rights obligations. The camps initially will be tents put up by the army. It 's going to be put by the Army.

No, it's not going to be a pretty place. There's a lot of controversy about it.

MALVEAUX: This should be run by the Australian government itself.

HOLMES: Yes, yes, with the permission of Nauru and Papua New Guine.

There will be more permanent structures built over time. Very expenses, too. This is costing now $2 billion over five years. It is an on going controversy and source of social friction in Australia, even though -- and I have Australia is One of the most multi cultural places on earth and Melbourne is one of the top two or three multicultural cities on earth, the second biggest Greek city outside of Athens.

So, it's not that Australia is an intolerant place, but it is seen there is an avalanche of refugees coming and buying.

MALVEAUX: Is there an alternative here? You talk about how costly it is to have these detention centers. It is possible that Australia could use part of its economy, taxing or whatever to allow people to go back to their countries or aid them in some other way?

HOLMES: That's part of the plan. I think it is 3,000 every year legally now and lift that to 27,000 to allow more of these refugees in. The problem is as it is in most countries, sorting through who is genuine and who is not, who is a social refugee, political refugee or economic refugee -- whether they've got criminal histories.

And this is the problem Australia has had is they have been criticized in the past for locking these people up in the interim. Well, now, they're going to keep locking them up. They're going to do it outside the country. It's sort of pushing the problem offshore while it is being dealt with. Very controversial.

MALVEAUX: Very controversial. You mentioned during the break very quickly how many top 10 cities in the world?

HOLMES: I was bragging, wasn't I?

MALVEAUX: You're from Australia.

HOLMES: And "The Economist" intelligence unit, very well respected, august journal came out with the top 20 livable cities in the world. In the top 10 four Aussie cities. I was impressed. Melbourne the top for the second year in a row, my hometown, Perth, number nine and didn't see an American one in the top 10. Sorry.

MALVEAUX: I'll come and visit.

HOLMES: Canadian ones and Vienna. Calgary, places like that.

MALVEAUX: Thank you, Michael. Good to see you.

HOLMES: Good to see you.

MALVEAUX: Well, it could affect the way you pay for your house, who becomes the next president -- it's all happening an ocean away. And we'll tell you why Europe's latest economic troubles have everything to do with your bottom line.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Europe's economy is shrinking. The group of countries known as the Eurozone including France and Germany saw their economy get smaller in the second quarter. It is only a tiny decline but since a quarter before that it was dead flat. It is now raising the possibility that Europe might be in a recession or certainly headed in that direction.

Want to bring in Richard Quest in London. We always know there is a bit of disagreement over how you design a recession, but if you stick to the classic definition, two quarters, shrinking economy, looks pretty bad. What do we know?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think if you take that traditional classic definition of a contraction over two quarters, you realize that Europe is in very deep trouble. We need to be careful between E-27, the whole European Union and the Eurozone itself. When we talk about the Eurozone, the 17-member countries who use the euro, I want to show you this.

This is basically the weather forecast for the Eurozone and the forecast so far. We can really break it down into three areas, the grow countries, the slow countries, and the woe countries. If we take today's latest numbers and look at the growers, you have Germany, Austria and Slovakia. What a pathetically small number of countries and all based in the northern parts of the Eurozone. Throw in the slow countries, and you end up with Finland at the top which is just gone negative, really serious Finland is now in trouble and of course Belgium and France.

This is the bit you really want to see, Suzanne. These are the woe countries, not surprisingly they are the Club Med countries as they are known, the periphery to give them the posh title and it is everything from Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece. That gives you an idea of the sort of problems and one final thought for the second, the worries and if you like the front is moving up from the south up to the north.

MALVEAUX: I never thought about it that way. I like what you did there, the woe countries in particular. How does this impact how we feel it here in the United States?

QUEST: Well, you have to put this into perspective. If you take the fact that Germany in the last quarter grew just 3/10 of a percent and you look at all of these that are in recession, go that way 3,000 miles and you end up in the U.S. which in the second quarter grew by .4 of 1 percent. On an annualized basis the U.S. will grow 1.5 percent give or take this year. What do all of those numbers mean in real life? it means the U.S. is growing. It is continuing to grow, sluggish and slow, sclerotic maybe, but compared to this lot, it is a rip roaring success.

MALVEAUX: Does it fit into any of those categories that you have on your own map there?

QUEST: Yes. If I was to say where the U.S. would be, it would be in the blue. It would be in the grow category. It has got not just because the numbers are similar to Germany, .3 as such, and/or even Austria's just looking down, the numbers, well, not because it is similar on that but because it has momentum. Manufacturing is picking up. Unemployment is coming down. The fiscal cliff is still the thing that could ride you off the road and into ruin but for the moment the U.S. would most definitely be a grow, not a slow and definitely not yet into the woe.

MALVEAUX: Good news. Richard, thank you very much as always. Very unique graphic there. Love it. Thanks again. Appreciate it.

QUEST: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: He mixes his African and French roots to come up with some beats like this one.

Loving it. It is his lyric that is have people's ears perking up, hitting topics like AIDS, immigration and slavery.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We're watching the two live events taking place here, of course, the presidential candidates trying to rally supporters in battleground states. We have President Obama in Oskaloosa, Iowa, part of a three-day bus tour he is taking across the state, and he is attending a grassroots rally there. Going to be talking about wind energy and the importance of wind energy in the industry and giving credit to folks there. Mitt Romney campaigning in the battleground state of Ohio. This is Bealsville, a coal mining area, and he is talking to some folks who have been laid off and workers. He is going to be attacking the president on what he is calling the president's war on coal, about 2,500 folks expected to show up at Romney's rally, but those two rallies, keeping a close eye on as they compete for the presidency.

You are listening to Bibi Tanga, a musician and globetrotter bridging the gap between Africa and France. He grew up the son of a diplomat in the Central African Republic and traveled with his father around the world. Because of a military takeover in his homeland, the family moved to France when he was just ten. He sings in English, French, and Sung Ho, the main language of the Central African Republic. His lyrics often send socially conscious messages and he writes about everything from AIDS to immigration to slavery.

He is joining us via Skype from Paris. We love your music. It really is fascinating because you combine languages. You combine cultures. It really is kind of like a melting pot. Explain how you manage to come up with such a unique sound.

BIBI TANGA, MUSICIAN: I am just like this, you know. Thank you first. Since I was little kid my father was a diplomat, so I was used to listen to a lot of music and that's the reason why we do this mixture.

MALVEAUX: You have lived in four different countries. You speak many different languages. How does that influence your music?

TANGA: You know, when you speak the language of the Central African Republic, I lived in Paris, speak English also a little bit, you know, and it is just how I am. It is just natural. There is no really complication in that, you know. That's the way I am.

MALVEAUX: Do people try to box you in to label your music one way or the other or do you just basically say, look, this just defies any tradition?

TANGA: You mean choosing the music, about African music or what when you say traditional?

MALVEAUX: How do you define your music? Do people say it is one way or the other or has to fit into a certain genre whether it is African music or French music?

TANGA: People used to say it is mixture, real mixture, you know, like we have traditional and futurist music, like love to call it, you know, afro-funk futurist music.

MALVEAUX: I love it. I want to play a bit for the audience. I know this is exclusive from your latest album. Let's listen in a little bit.

(MUSIC PLAYS)

MALVEAUX: Bi, tell bus this song, how it came about. I understand there is a strange story behind it. A near tragedy after recording this. Give us a sense of what happened here.

TANGA: Tragedy, you know, my friend which is in the band, his name is Professor Al-Assad and he used to use this sample mu had is jungle and two days later he had a heart attack and now he is doing well because we still tour together, and that's the reason why we made this song about the things you love that can make your heart jump out of your chest, you know, so that was a tragedy before but now it is a good start.

MALVEAUX: It is a good story. We're glad he is okay. We have been talking to bands, seeing bands a lot in the news lately. There is a band out of Russia arrested for protesting against Putin, performing in a cathedral in Moscow and musicians like Madonna coming out to support them and the who and all kinds of folks speaking out. What do you think is the role of musicians in these particular groups? Do you think they're effective in speaking out politically?

TANGA: Yes. I think especially now. We have to get involved. When you heard about something like what happened to the Pussy Riot, it is kind of shame. Should not happen in a country like Russia but it happened. To me it is a shame. We have to say something. They're just doing their job, you know. You cannot stop or arrest somebody for that. That's not fair.

MALVEAUX: What do you hope your band does for people around the world?

TANGA: You know, we just get a hold of some things. Some of my lyrics I talk about AIDS or malnutrition or something like that. You don't need to be involved all the time, but sometimes you have to do it. We can't do some just love songs, okay, but we have al sorts of things to talk about what happened in Africa, what happened to people like the Pussy Riot.

MALVEAUX: I see your point. It is very well made. Obviously your music is a big hit. It has a great message behind it. We'll keep following you. Thank you very much. Nice to meet you.

TANGA: Thank you very much.

MALVEAUX: A South Korean rock star is ticking off the Japanese by swimming to some volcanic islands that the two countries have been fighting over for years.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: More than 40 amateur South Korean swimmers, including a rock star, expected to complete a 55 mile relay across the Sea of Japan today. Now, they are trying to reach a small group of disputed islands. They are asserting South Korea's claim to those islands, which Japan also claims. Now, today marks the 67th anniversary of Korea's independence from Japanese colonial rule.

And in Thailand, a very strange story. This is where a politician's in some trouble. Police say he accidently shot and killed his secretary, who's also his ex-wife, with an Uzi submachine gun. It happened while they were waiting to be served their food in a restaurant. No word on why he even had this gun. And their whole lives all they've known, death and destruction. But now these little girls from Afghanistan, they are getting a taste of life right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Attacks across Afghanistan have left scores dead. A series of suicide bombs went off in the southwestern province of Nimuse . That is one bomb that exploded where a hospital -- where injured people were actually being treated. In all, we are talking about 27 people who decide, 80 others wounded.

An entire generation of Afghan children growing up scarred by war. We're talking about not only physically but emotionally as well. And for many of them, escape, even just for a little while, isn't even an option. But three young girls recently, they got a chance to get away from this conflict and to begin healing their wounds.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tamima is 11, Fatima, 10, and their sister, Gulmina, just six. They're from Kabul, Afghanistan. But for six weeks, this summer, they were transplanted to North Carolina.

GULMINA, RECEIVED TREATMENT IN THE U.S. (through translator): I liked everything here. I would like to buy everything. I love the beach. It was huge.

FATIMA, RECEIVED TREATMENT IN THE U.S. (through translator): Almost everything. I almost love everything here.

TAMIMA, RECEIVED TREATMENT IN THE U.S. (through translator): We got fat. We got healthier.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got fat?

CLANCY: They're happy, carefree children. But their story is full of pain. In December last year, the girls attended ashura ceremonies in Kabul when Shia Muslim men whipped themselves in repentance. A suicide bomber killed at least 70 people, many of them women and children. Photographer Musud Husseiny won the Pulitzer Prize for capturing the aftermath of the explosion. In this photo, you can see 10-year-old Fatima and her bloodied yellow dress in the background. Gulmina lies nearby.

TAMIMA: It was afternoon. We were in front of the mosque when the bomb exploded and then, the next thing I knew, I was bleeding.

GULMINA: There was a woman behind me. She was screaming. Then I fainted.

FATIMA: There was me and Gulmina and my uncle, but Mima was lost.

CLANCY: Not just lost, but left for dead.

TAMIMA: A guy came up and took me thinking I was dead, zipped me up in a plastic bag and put me down with a lot of other dead bodies.

CLANCY: Then, a U.S. servicemen realized Tamima wasn't dead, just unconscious. All three were wounded. Tamima was deafened.

FATIMA: Tamima's head was in pain. She was screaming. Gulmina's hands and body were hurting and she couldn't sleep for days. Then I started getting headaches.

TAMIMA: For the whole winter, I couldn't hear anything.

CLANCY: Two charities worked together to bring the sisters to the United States. The Christian group Solace for the Children arranged host families and medical care in the Charlotte area.

They were part of a group of almost two dozen Afghan children, each would be hosted in a separate home. Gulmina was visibly apprehensive and her host, Lane and Lori West, well, not much better.

LANE WEST, HOST PARENT: It's like -- it was hard to breathe. Seriously hard to breathe.

CLANCY: Lori took charge with a stuffed toy and a blanket and plenty of smiles.

LORI WEST, HOST PARENT: The universal language is just plain and love. And I think if you do that, that's a good start.

CLANCY: Fatima and Gulmina worked with a physical therapist and all three girls underwent surgeries to remove shrapnel still lodged in their bodies from the December bombing.

TAMIMA: A lot of positive changes in our bodies now.

FATIMA: It was hurting so much, and I couldn't even touch it with my hands. Now, it's fine. It's healthy.

CLANCY: Gulmina told us her surgery in Afghanistan left her with ugly scars, but treatment here has fixed that.

GULMINA: When I came to America, I'm over pain now. It got better.

CLANCY: Besides the treatment, the sisters made friends and got to enjoy their new surroundings.

FATIMA: No, I like it here. I don't want to go back.

TAMIMA: There's a lot of dust and I don't want to go back.

CLANCY: Lane and Lori, who don't have any children of their own, felt the same way.

LANE WEST: Five and a half weeks into this thing, I dread Monday.

CLANCY: Lori notes that the Solace program is meant to open lines of friendship between people who would otherwise never meet. A message for Gulmina to take home. But parting is tough for both of them.

LORI WEST: I can tell part of her doesn't want to go because she wants to stay here and she even says, you know, "me stay."

CLANCY: But, in the end, she did not. Gulmina, Tamima, and Fatima are all at home again in Kabul. We haven't used their last names to protect their family's identity. Gulmina had her own message about the kindness of strangers.

GULMINA: I'm thanking everyone so much.

CLANCY: Solace will be looking to help other Afghan children in the coming year. Six weeks in Charlotte did change these sisters to be sure, but it probably changed their American hosts even more.

Jim Clancy, CNN, Charlotte, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Massive flooding in the Philippines causing scenes like this one. We're going to take a closer look.

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