Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Polish Authorities Fear Escalation in Migrant Standoff; Austria Begins Lockdown for the Unvaccinated; Leaders, Activists Weigh in on COP26 with Mixed Reviews; Rodrigo Duterte to Run for the Senate Next Year. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired November 15, 2021 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: And when they're accused of manufacturing this crisis, the Belarusians, is there any evidence of that from where you are? You're just so coopted with the migrants there.

CHANCE: Yes, well, look, I mean the evidence is that Belarus lifted visa restrictions on people from Iraq, and people from Syria, Afghanistan, other countries as well, that basically allows them to come in, putting on extra flights to bring people in. They've then been bussed from the Belarusian capital of Minsk, by taxi companies but also perhaps under -- certainly at the very least the authorities have been turning a blind eye and actually towards them. I think pretty much complicit in making this happen.

To this camp, they've been brought to this camp and sort of often urged towards the border fence and of course there's been a lot of video evidence suggesting that the Belarusian authorities may have been actually helping people, equipping them to try and breach the razor wire.

Of course, as we mentioned, the Belarusian authorities categorically deny that. But it seems that this whole crisis is serving the purpose of putting pressure on the European Union, the EU, proponent of the (INAUDIBLE) Lithuania as well, has been harboring critics of the Belarusian regime.

Secretary Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, they're saying this plight is also provides an extraction for what he says is a buildup of Russian forces on the eastern frontier of eastern border of Ukraine. Nevertheless, you know, whatever the truth of this, these people are genuine migrants, genuine refugees. They come from their various countries. They say mainly Iraqi Kurdistan. And they are desperate in these freezing conditions to get into the European Union and to make their way to countries like Germany -- Max.

FOSTER: OK, Matthew, thank you. Matthew monitoring those events. All of those people heading towards the border. We'll wait to see what happens. Poland says they're not going to let them in. So, it's a chance situations that's building up. We'll keep across it for you throughout the day. We'll be back in just a minute. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[04:35:00]

FOSTER: Welcome to CNN NEWSROOM I'm Max Foster. If you are just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories this hour.

We are just hours away from the highly anticipated meeting between Presidents Biden and Xi Jinping. The virtual summit comes amid rising tensions over Taiwan.

And U.S. President Biden will sign his massive infrastructure bill in the coming hours. He's hoping the bill will ease rising inflation costs. Much more ahead on both of these stories in "EARLY START" in about 30 minutes from now.

Europe is at the epicenter of the pandemic again. The surging cases have officials worried about the months ahead. As you can see here on the map multiple countries have reported a serious uptick in infections over the past two weeks. Austria is beginning a mandatory lockdown today, for all of its unvaccinated residents. And they're not the only ones imposing restrictions on those who haven't had the jab yet. Our Barbie Nadeau joins us from Rome with the very latest. Is this do you think the, you know, the feature really of the upcoming lockdowns that it'll only apply to those who haven't been vaccinated.

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, in many ways this really has become the pandemic of the unvaccinated. And it's very variable all across Europe. You see where the vaccination rates are very high, like here Italy you have fewer restrictions.

In Austria, this lockdown was very, very strict keeping anyone over the age of 12 at home who hasn't been vaccinated. But you're seeing other restrictions as well in places like Berlin which has now instituted this sort of green pass that we have here we have in Italy. That you have to be vaccinated to go inside a restaurant, to go inside to go to a theater, to go to the movies, things like that. All of the sorts of things are a reflection of I think the summer of complacency. You know, people kind of forgot there was a pandemic, let their guard down. And here we are going into winter just like last year, you know, scared about what's around the corner. This time is different of course because vaccinations are available. It's just who takes them and who doesn't. And those who don't are going to be punished the most -- Max.

FOSTER: It'll be interesting test there in Austria over the coming week and months. Barbie in Rome, thank you very much indeed.

Now ahead on CNN, mixed reviews to the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. Why some say it was an insult to millions of people.

[04:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) FOSTER: Activists and world leaders are now setting their sights on COP27 next year in Egypt and offering mixed assessments that whether anything was achieved in Glasgow.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is touting the COP26 agreement that was reached in Scotland over the weekend. He says the deal reaffirms the importance of trying to hold global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and that marked the death now for coal.

Others are deeply discouraged. They argue it was watered down and failed to meet the urgency of the climate crisis. For more on this let's bring in CNN's Nina dos Santos here in London. You know, people had time to read through all of this over the weekend. Experts are coming out and giving their assessments. How would you bring it together -- Nina?

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, some people are saying that it is a mixture of grief and relief depending which side of the climate change debate you stand on. Also, whether you're a major producer of fossil fuels or a major consumer of fossil fuels. Whether you're facing an energy crunch as that transition towards greener energy takes more importance on the international agenda.

When it comes to Boris Johnson, he held a press conference yesterday evening to eventually wrap this whole summit up after it entered over time on Saturday amid a last-ditch attempt -- successful one by the way -- by two huge consumers of coal India and China to watered down the language particularly on coal which is the dirtiest of these fossil fuels. Responsible for about 37 percent of the world power production, but also a larger component of the emissions that are of course causing greenhouse gases and global warming.

Boris Johnson said that this was essentially a mixture of delight and disappointment that you couldn't have it all but it does keep the climate change agenda really alive at this point. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Of course, my delight at this progress is tinged with disappointment. For those for whom this is already a matter of life and death, who can only stand by as their islands are submerged, their farmlands turn to desert, their homes battered by storms. They demanded a high level of ambition for the summit. And while many of us were willing to go there, that wasn't true of everybody. And sadly, that's the nature of diplomacy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOS SANTOS: So, optimists are lauding the fact that this is the first time that fossil fuel consumption has really been cemented in one of these agreements with targets to phase that down in terms of coal rather than the original language that was phased out. That brought the Minister Alok Sharma in charge of these negotiations almost to the point of tears in his final press conference wrapping things up.

But there were important bilateral agreements as well that were struck on the sidelines. Notably the United States and China Agreed to cooperate on reducing methane, another key greenhouse gas and also decarbonization efforts. There were 100 countries or more they pledge to stop deforestation and to cut methane emissions.

And overall, just going back to that issue of coal. There were big coal producers as well who said we will sign on the dotted line here to try and reduce the use of this fuel. All eyes of course, will be on whether or not people reaffirm these commitments or indeed beef them up in the next summit set to take place, if you said, next year in Egypt -- Max.

FOSTER: Nina, thank you.

India pushed to water down the language on coal at the COP26 summit but the country's capital city is now dealing with severe air pollution. Scores of government offices in New Delhi are closed for a week as thick smog blankets the city and air pollution levels are expected to remain poor, according to forecasts today.

[04:45:03]

There's been another violent incident involving commercial travel. Southwest Airlines says a female passenger was arrested and charged with aggravated assault after an altercation with a Southwest employee in Dallas. Police say the woman hit a female operations agent on the head with a closed fist during the boarding process for a flight to New York. Southwest says its employee was hospitalized but has since been released. There have been more than 5,100 reports of unruly passengers this year. Most cases involve passengers refusing to wear masks.

Now the race for Vice President is shaping up to be a family feud in the Philippines. The latest on whether the outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte really wants to challenge his daughter in next year's election.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FOSTER: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte future plans are now a bit clearer. He filed his candidacy for the Senate in the last hour before registration ended for next year's elections. Earlier the talk had him running against his daughter for the vice presidency but his spokesman denies that. Sara Duterte-Carpio filed for the vice presidency despite polls showing her as the number one presidential prospect. Ivan Watson is in Hong Kong and he's going to untangle this for us -- Ivan.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Max. The deadline was about 49 minutes ago, 51 minutes ago, for filing your candidacy to run for office in the 2022 elections. And there was this last-minute flurry of announcements including from the Duterte family. On Saturday Sara Duterte, daughter of The Outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, she filed candidacy for the post of Vice President. That same day Rodrigo Duterte's spokesperson said that the outgoing president would himself file for nominating himself as Vice President. Which sets up a very awkward potential race within the family for the same position.

And then in the last minute before the deadline closed a surrogate for the outgoing president put in a bid for a seat in the Senate for Rodrigo Duterte who is being investigated by the international criminal court for his controversial war on drugs which has killed more than 6,000 people -- Max.

FOSTER: OK. Ivan, thank you. Fascinating story. We're going to watch that unfold.

We're also, on the Belarusian side of the border with Poland at a migrant camp with Matthew Chance. Because he's been walking with a group of migrants, Matthew, who are heading towards the border because they think they're going to get through.

CHANCE: Hey, Max. Yes, I'm still having a bit of trouble hearing you. Let me tell you where we're at. It seems that the entire camp that we have been reporting from for the past couple of days that has sprung up in the last couple of weeks has now entered. Let me spin you around a little bit and you can see this.

But hundreds of people, possibly the entire population of 2,000 refugees gathered in that camp have picked up their belongings and have slung them over their backs and they've made their way here to the border crossing between Belarus and Poland. You can see the razor wire fences has been put there by the Poles. There's a bit more in front of us here which I'm reluctant to step across in case I go across in the Poland.

And the Polish border police have deployed in force as you can see there determined it seems not to let these refugees pass. There have been rumors circulating in this refugee camp for the past 24, 48 hours that Poland would allow these refugees to pass. That a humanitarian corridor would be open through to Germany where the majority of these migrants from Iraqi Kurdistan mainly want to go.

But the Polish have moved to dispel that rumor. They sent text messages including to people on our team on this border, saying that don't be fooled. We're going to protect our borders. Don't believe what the Belarusian authorities are telling you. We're not going to let you pass. That's a summary of what they're saying in the text message.

You can see that warning, don't even try it, is being played out here on the ground reinforced and underlined by the fact that they've deployed all of these white helmets, border police forces to prevent these migrants going past.

Take a look over here, on the ground here as well. They are determined to leave this camp where conditions have been very poor. They're not getting enough food and water they say from the Belarusian authorities. It's getting cold. Winter is setting in. You know, it's already below freezing at night time, just above in the daytime. Any of you guys speak English? Where are you going? Where do you want to go?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Germany.

CHANCE: Into Germany. Is that for everybody?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

CHANCE: Right, everybody wants to go to Germany. There you have it.

Do you think the poles will let you through?

Yes, I don't know if you can hear that. They're saying we want to go to Germany but unfortunately the Poles have closed the border. But you know, look, you can see the Poles aren't showing any sign of capitulating. But at the same time with these thousands of refugees now facing them, just meters away from their razor wire, they're desperate. They're trapped and they want to get out of this situation -- Max.

FOSTER: It's difficult to know, you know, what advice they can follow, right? Because the Belarusians are implying that's the place to be. But the Poles aren't going to let them through. I mean, how can this be resolved?

[04:55:00]

CHANCE: Max, I can't hear you very well for some reason my signal is not very strong here. Could you try and repeat that?

FOSTER: Is there any way that you can see the situation being resolved just from what you're seeing there on the ground? It looks pretty intractable.

CHANCE: I didn't quite get it. But look, I mean, look I mean, if you're asking if whether, you know, there was any sense of movement on the ground, I'm not seeing that at the moment apart from this unexpected and sudden departure of all of those hundreds if not thousands of migrants from that camp here to this border, this border fence.

I've got somebody over here who I know speaks very good English. He's the kind of sort of elder, leader, if you like, of the refugees.

Themo. Can you try and get Themo? Oh, no, he's gone. There's a sort of leader of the refugees over here if you like. He speaks very good English. And he is now it looks like over there in the corner perhaps trying to hold some kind of talks with the Belarusian authorities. Obviously, I don't know what they're discussing, but clearly this is a very sort of dynamic situation. It was an unexpected situation. And we'll see how it develops over the course of the next few of hours -- Max.

FOSTER: We will, Matthew there on the border with Poland on the Belarusian side. Thank you for that. We'll be following that. Basically, you know, Matthew describing there, how the entire camp from what he could see heading towards that border but the Poles are letting them through. It's a desperate situation and will keep across it throughout the day. Thank you for joining us. I'm Max Foster in London. "EARLY START" with Christine and Laura up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)