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Nine Civilians Killed In Russian Attacks On Ukraine; Ukraine May Be Striking Wagner-Backed Forces In Sudan; Americans Detained By Iran Back In US; Qatari Prime Minister: Proud To Reunite Families; "Treasures And Secrets" Discovered Off The Egyptian Coast. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired September 20, 2023 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello and welcome. I'm Anna Coren live from Hong Kong. Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM. Shocking allegations as Canada suggests India was behind the murder of a prominent Sikh leader this summer. How Canada's Prime Minister is trying to ease tensions now.
President Biden and Zelenskyy make their cases for continued support for Ukraine from the United Nations.
And archaeologists uncovered treasures and secrets of the Egyptian coast. What we're learning about those Egypt times.
The Canadian Prime Minister is trying to lower the temperature with India without letting up on its investigation after a round of sharp accusations and diplomatic expulsions. Tensions spiked just after Justin Trudeau suggested the Indian government could be behind the murder of a Sikh leader on Canadian soil, and that allegation did not go over well with New Delhi. CNN's Paula Newton has the story.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voiceover): Hardeep Singh Nijjar was just steps away from the temple he led in worship when Canadian police say he was shot several times by masked gunman who had marked him for murder as he sat in his gray truck. Police say the suspects then fled on foot, possibly in this car, a silver Toyota Camry. Canadian police released this image pleading for the public's help.
That was mid-June. There has been no trace of the car or suspects since. The trail had gone cold. But many in the Sikh community in British Columbia believe it had all the hallmarks of a political assassination. Then, in a stunning disclosure, their suspicions were voiced by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
JUSTINE TRUDEAU, PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA: Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty. NEWTON (voiceover): He cited credible intelligence that the Indian government may have ordered Nijjar's killing.
TRUDEA: Indian -- the government of India needs to take this matter with the utmost seriousness. We are doing that. We are not looking to provoke or escalate. We are simply laying out the facts as we understand them. And we want to work with the government of India.
NEWTON (voiceover): Nijjar's lawyer confirms to CNN that Canadian intelligence officials warn the Sikh leader that his life was in danger.
NEWTON: Did they offer any protection?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They did not offer any protection but they advised him to relocate, they advised him do not go to work. Besides giving advice how to safeguard his life, they did not give him any protection.
NEWTON (voiceover): The Indian government has denied allegations linking it to the killing. Trudeau says he confronted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the accusations at the G20 Summit last week but Modi would not accept his claims. Trudeau instead went public with the accusations but not before speaking with U.S. President Joe Biden and other allies.
This audacious killing in front of a place of worship is now no closer to being solved. Canada and India have traded tit for tat diplomatic expulsions with India firing back that Canada shelters terrorists and extremists. At issue, is sick independence. India has long sought to put down the separatist movement to divide India and it labeled Nijjar a wanted terrorist in 2022.
While Canada is leaning on what it describes as solid evidence, Canadian police are still asking for the public's help telling CNN this homicide remains a priority investigation.
Paula Newton, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, let's now go to New Delhi and CNN's Vedika Sud. Vedika, what has been the latest reaction from the Modi government?
VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER: Well, it's the same that it was yesterday. For now, there has been no further development from the government side. But there were three words that really stood out from that statement issued by India's External Affairs Ministry which is unsubstantiated, motivated and absurd. I want to very quickly, Anna, take you through some of the top headlines from the national newspapers here in India and how they've been covering this diplomatic route that's been escalating day by day between Canada and India.
I want to start with Times of India. It reads absurd. India slams through discharge of hand in Niger skilling, both countries expel one diplomat each, ties moving into deep freeze. [02:05:06]
Now this is one-line ties moving into deep freeze that you got to see in most of the newspapers. But what really stood out to me in this newspaper The Times of India as well is U.S., U.K., Australia and New Zealand voice concern but shown Canada's call for joint condemnation. Perhaps one reason for this, Anna, at this point is that there is no strong evidence or any evidence at all that has been put out by Justin Trudeau in Parliament.
Especially after making such a strong statement in Parliament Monday. Let's go on now to the other newspapers here. The Hindustan Times. Trudeau triggers diplomatic firestorm with India remark ties with Canada hit a new low. Diplomats expelled. Canada updates travel advisory for India. HardeepNijjar, a designated terrorist. For India, Nijjar was declared a terrorist in 2020. And there are some charges, very serious charges against him.
He's also called an absconder by the Ministry of Home Affairs here in India. Now let's go into the Indian Express where it says Trudeau claims Indian Government lead to Khalistan leaders killing. Delhi says absurd. Again, India, Canada ties at new low, expelled diplomats in tit for tat action. Now, what's very important here is to see how most of the western nations really react to this for now. They've condemned the death.
They've said that there is concern over this, but no one's really come out and support at Trudeau here despite him dialing both Biden as well as the U.K. Prime Minister. The ties are at an all-time low. There's no doubt about that. And we have to see where it goes from here. Trade ties are not really the best at this point. We also did know that Trudeau before coming in decided not to talk about trade agreements with Modi during that bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit earlier this month.
So, we'll have to wait and watch and see how this really plays out. You have senior diplomats on both sides that have been expelled. And we're just waiting to see if there's any other reaction coming in from the Indian government. At this point, Trudeau has said that he's not trying to escalate tensions but the fact that on the floor of parliament is gone ahead and made that strong statement is an escalation in itself. Back to you, Anna.
COREN: Vedika Sud in New Delhi. Thank you. Michael Kugelman is the director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center. Michael, great to have you with us. What do you make of these allegations made by Prime Minister Trudeau against the Indian government?
MICHAEL KUGELMAN, DIRECTOR OF THE SOUTH ASIA INSTITUTE, WILSON CENTER: Well, they're stunning for several reasons. One is that India has been publicly accused in the past of being involved with assassinations in countries -- several countries in its neighborhood. But it is rarely have ever been accused of being involved with assassinations in countries in the West, and particularly a country like Canada, a key Western partner. And another reason why these allegations are so stunning is that they were made public. The Canadian government decided not to keep them quiet. Decided not to convey them through more discreet means. And I think that that's such an unusual thing to happen. And clearly, it's contributed to this really deep crisis between India and Canada had the Canadian government not gone public with these allegations. I don't think you'd be seeing this a crisis in relations with India that is as serious as it is now.
COREN: I want to talk about that relationship. And I guess the damage that has been done but, you know, Trudeau is yet to produce the hard facts that apparently will come with time. But we understand from reports of the Canadian government gathered intelligence from multiple countries and we know that Canada is a member of the Five Eyes, which includes the U.S., Britain, Australia, New Zealand.
So, you would have to assume that this statement is credible. These allegations are credible.
KUGELMAN: Right. Indeed, I mean, Canada would have gone through a very extensive process to investigate this assassination. And you're right. I mean, it counts on very close intelligence relationships with the United States and the U.K. and Australia, among others. And, you know, it's quite notable that those countries, part of the five of the members of the Five Eyes Alliance. They all, not just Canada have -- are experiencing this this challenge of members of their Sikh diaspora communities that have expressed support for Sikh separatist causes.
So, I think that they're all in the same boat in that regard. But -- I mean, certainly India's position, its publicly stated position is very different. Rejecting these allegations vociferously but indeed, one would think that Canada would have had to undertake a significant very careful investigation before being willing and comfortable to make these allegations (INAUDIBLE)
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COREN: Tell me that the damage that this will do to the Canadian- Indian relationship? Is this a game changer or can they come back from this?
KUGELMAN: I think the relationship is salvageable. Neither capital wants a rupture and ties. When you look at the nature of this relationship. It's a there's a very significant trade dimension to it. Canada is a top investor in India. There's also a very large Indian diaspora in Canada, and people to people relations are very strong on the whole you've got -- Canada is one of the top destinations for Indian students overseas.
And that was strategic convergences in this relationship as well. I mean, Canada values China for the role, it believes that can play in helping counter the challenge posed by China. But no, that we are experiencing, I think, a very pivotal critical moment for this relationship. For many years, it's been, you know, the Sikh issue has been the albatross around the neck of the candidate in the relationship but it's been able to get around that. Trade ties have grown, defense ties have grown, the strategic convergences have been there. But what we're starting to see now is the tensions are so high that it seeping into other aspects of the relationship. Just a few weeks ago, Canada announced that it was going to pause talks with India on a new trade deal. So when you start to see indications that these tensions over the Sikh issue are impacting the relationship on the whole, including areas that had been safe for many years such as trade relations.
That's unsettling because there is, you know, you do have countries with fraught relationships, including India and China that still managed to get along through commercial cooperation and the like. But if you're starting to see that, you know, this is India-Canada relationship shows that it's not as resilient and foolproof as its backers may hope it is, that I think is an ominous sign for the relationship.
COREN: Michael Kugelman, we certainly appreciate the context. Thanks so much for your time.
KUGELMAN: Thank you.
COREN: World leaders gathered at the United Nations in New York. Will hold a high-level meeting in the coming hours to discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The world dominated the opening session with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy drawing vigorous applause and his first in-person address to the General Assembly since Russia has 2022 invasion. He accused Russia of terrorism, genocide and weaponizing the global food trade.
U.S. President Joe Biden urged members to stand firm in their support for Ukraine. Mr. Biden says if Ukraine can be carved up, no country's independence is secure. More now from CNN's Kayla Tausche.
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My fellow leaders, we gathered once more at an inflection point in world history.
KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): U.S. President Joe Biden urging the United Nations to stand with Ukraine as war with Russia drags on, and he paddles for more aid money with his Congress.
BIDEN: I ask you this. If we abandon the core principles of the United States to appease an aggressor, can any member state in this body feel confident that they are protected? If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure? I'd respectfully suggest the answer is no.
TAUSCHE (voiceover): The message meant to galvanize many war weary countries nearly 600 days after Russia's invasion, that Ukraine could be any of them. Pull in to Ukraine's neighbor to the west knows that all too well. ANDRZEJ DUDA, PRESIDENT OF POLAND: On first September 1939, Nazi Germany invaded my homeland Poland, the Second World War broke out. On 17th September 1939, we received a blow from another direction. The Soviet Union also made an onslaught on Poland. This is precisely why we understand the tragedy of Ukraine better than any other country in the world.
TAUSCHE (voiceover): Poland has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine, providing military aid, transportation, and refuge for thousands.
DUDA: Upon the Russian aggression on Ukraine, the Polls have once again illustrated that solidarity is not only the great history, but that solidarity leaves in us.
TAUSCHE (voiceover): Ukraine's President making his first in-person visit to the forum called on all countries to join the fight.
VOLODYMR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: We must act united to defeat the aggressor and focus all our capabilities and energy on addressing these challenges.
TAUSCHE (voiceover): And that the founding principles of the United Nations must be upheld.
ZELENSKYY: Weaponization must be restrained. War crimes must be punished. Deported people must come back home and occupy and must return to their own land.
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We must be united to make it and we'll do it. Slava Ukraini.
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TAUSCHE (on camera): Amid high profile absences such as that of Vladimir Putin, the Russian president growing questions about whether the United Nations remains an effective and relevant forum for international cooperation. At least for his part, the President of Poland says yes, U.N. is very much needed and there's no better system to deliver assistance and aid to those in need. Kayla Tausche, CNN, traveling with the president in New York City.
COREN: Joining us now is Sam Green. Professor of Russian politics at King's College London and director of the Democratic Resilience Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis. Sam, great to have you with us. Oh, what did you make of President Zelenskyy's speech and were there any surprises?
SAMUEL GREENE, PROFESSOR OF RUSSIAN POLITICS, KING'S COLLEGE LONDON: No, I don't think there were any surprises in particular, you know, we know and have known for some time the situation that Ukraine is in. We know, the moral case. We know the political case. We know the geopolitical case. And we know what it is that Ukraine needs from the world. The questions really need to be answered on the other side, what's the -- what's the level of support that the West United States and Europe in particular is able to support? What are the opinions in the global south and around the world? And, you know, how do people see their role in this conflict going forward? Those are questions that really Zelenskyy is putting to the world, not the other way around.
COREN: Sam, you mentioned the global South and quite frankly, many of the countries in the Global South have been sitting on the front -- on the fence, you know, they are friends with the United States and the allies supporting this war in Ukraine. And then they are also friends with Russia. How can Zelenskyy change their minds? I mean, this is a war that has been going on for almost 19 months now.
GREENE: Yes. I mean, look, part of the argument is the moral one, right? Part of the argument is making it clear that this is a war of imperialist expansion from Moscow's position. But, you know, the reality is, for a lot of these countries. Some of which are not democratic countries, right? Some of these are countries in which Moscow was able to provide certain kinds of services to authoritarian regimes.
And they are, you know, friendly, as a result of that. But, you know, there are, you know, as we said, a lot of other countries that are, you know, on the fence, because this is costly, right? Because this is a war that even if they're not taking sides, right? Is increasing the cost of feeding their populations is increasing the cost of trade, the cost of capital, the cost of energy, and simply making life much more difficult.
And so, I think that part of the solution has got to be Western governments not just making this a rhetorical argument, not just making it a moral argument, but also being willing to get involved in transactions providing aid, trade facilitation, and other sorts of things that can actually make lives easier for societies around the world. And demonstrate that at the end of the day, the West is not simply doing this attempt of supporting Ukraine for its own benefit, but it is interested in trying to build a fairer and more prosperous world.
COREN: Tell me what does Zelenskyy want from Biden in his trip to Washington later this week? And is it Biden who needs to convince all Republicans?
GREENE: Yes. Well, that really is the question. I mean, what Zelenskyy needs from the United States is consistency of support, right? It -- both military support but also direct budgetary support, economic support, really has made a critical contribution to Ukraine's resilience throughout this conflict. And in order to keep fighting, in order to keep resisting Russia, Ukraine needs that support to still be there.
Of course, politically, that support from the Biden administration is very much there. And so, the message, I think, needs to be heard loud and clear among the Republican leadership, particularly in the House of Representatives. That is, you're looking at a political showdown over the future of the budget, over the future military spending in general and over the future of spending to support Ukraine. It is there. I think that this argument needs to be made about, you know, why a Ukrainian victory into Russian defeat is in the U.S. fundamental national interest and is worth investing in.
COREN: Sam Greene, we really appreciate your perspective. Thanks so much for joining us.
GREENE: Thank you.
COREN: A surge in violence in the South Caucasus is raising concern of an all-out conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The focus of the current fighting is a small independent enclave deep inside Azerbaijan territory called Nagorno-Karabkh. Home to many ethnic Armenians. It has seen two previous wars between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
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Officials in Nagorno-Karabkh accused the Azerbaijani government of carrying out a mission of genocide. After a military operation which left at least 27 people dead, including seven civilians. Azerbaijan says it's fighting terrorists and will continue to do so until armed forces in the region surrender. Nic Robertson has more.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Azerbaijani officials say they've launched a counter terrorism offensive around the Armenian majority enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. Residents of that enclave there are about 120,000 of them say that there have been casualties including a few civilians. Houses have been damaged. People have been seen taken to hospital. Women and children seen caring in the streets and some residents say that they're worried that is -- that no one is taking care of their situation.
They're concerned about what's going to happen next. Over the past few weeks, Armenian officials say that the Azerbaijan government has been amassing weapons near the border of the enclave and have said that they have feared an outbreak of violence like this from the Azerbaijan government. And they point to the fact over the past few months, Azerbaijan has effectively blockaded the vital and only road from Armenia proper to the enclave through that Latin corridor.
Russian peacekeepers there have not been effective in getting that humanitarian aid into the enclave. This has brought about this hugely tense situation of spiking -- a spike in tensions and in the violence. The Azerbaijan is a sign that the Armenian army must get out of the enclave, that the government must stand down there, leave the enclave. The Armenians for their point say that they don't have an army within the enclave.
They have been fearing this situation which they consider a potential genocide that may happen here.
Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
COREN: Well, still to come. There are growing fears of a health crisis in Libya as bodies remained trapped under mud more than a week after catastrophic flooding in the country. And later this hour, CNN speaks exclusively with Iran's President about the deal that freed five Americans and freed up billions in Iranian money.
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COREN: Officials in Libya are considering whether to isolate some of the areas hardest hit by devastating floods last week amid growing concerns about a secondary health crisis. The health minister says there could still be many bodies -- excuse me, trapped under the mud in the city of Derna. And there's concern about waterborne diseases being easily spread.
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Nearly 60 rescue and recovery workers were hospitalized on Tuesday.
Well, meanwhile, the U.N. humanitarian team says it was prevented from delivering aid to the city. Allegations the Libyan government denies.
Officials have restricted the number of journalists allowed into Derna. Among a small number allowed to stay is CNN's Jomana Karadsheh.
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JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Bit by bit, they begin to clear what's left of Derna's battered streets and buildings. But for its people, it's too soon to move on. It's all still so incomprehensible.
KARADSHEH: What happened here residents say was a disaster of epic proportions. It was like a bombing an earthquake and a tsunami all in one. A wall of water as high as six-storey submerged buildings and crushed almost everything in its path and split the city into.
KARADSHEH (voiceover): Diverse comb the Mediterranean for the remains of men, women and children swept away into the sea with their homes. It is now these voters that tell the stories of lives ended too soon. Survivors still cling on to the hope their loved ones are just lost in the chaos. Outside schools turned into shelters, people scour through lists with the names of survivors inside.
Salma (ph) has been searching for her parents and her brothers. But the gut-wrenching reality is starting to sink in.
Single mother is now homeless living in this school. What happens to the next keeps her up at night.
Salma says, it feels now that life has no meaning anymore, but life is over, she says.
For the youngest survivors, life goes on, makeshift swings enough to distract them and help them forget. But deadness nightmare is far from over. Warnings of a looming health crisis have everyone on edge. Access to the disaster zones now restricted as the fumigate the area to wash away the stench of death and the ills it may bring. The ones bustling streets around Derna's old city now almost deserted.
Defiant residents who've returned to their homes are now being asked to leave. Movtas (ph) survived ISIS that once ruled his city. He's also been displaced by civil war just a few years ago. He refuses to live through that again.
I would rather die here than leave, he tells us. He doesn't trust the same powers that failed them to now protect them.
Shock and grief have turned into anger with calls for accountability for a calamity brought by mother nature compounded by man. It's years of negligence, neglect, mismanagement, corruption and a failed state they blame. A resilient Derna and its soul have been crushed. No one knows how they are their city will ever heal from this.
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Derna, Libya.
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COREN: The torrential rainfall that caused the flooding in Libya was made many times worse by human caused climate change. Well, that is according to a new scientific analysis from the World Weather Attribution Initiative. The study found that planet-warming pollution made the extreme rainfall in Libya up to 50 times more likely to occur and 50 times more severe. And the heavy rain that hit Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria was 10 times more likely to happen. Studies have found that for every one degree Celsius of warming, the air can hold around seven percent more moisture.
A mysterious ground operation and drone strikes inside Sudan are raising the question who is behind them. An exclusive CNN investigation indicates it could be Ukraine.
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COREN: Russian attacks killed at least nine civilians across Ukraine on Tuesday. Two people died from shelling in the southern city of Kherson. At least six were killed further north in Kupiansk. Early Tuesday, Russia launched 18 attack drones on Lviv, a western city far from the frontlines.
Three of those drones made it past Ukrainian air defenses, killing one person and destroying a warehouse full of humanitarian aid. The fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine may be spreading far beyond Ukraine's borders.
An exclusive CNN investigation has uncovered compelling evidence that Ukrainian forces have struck Wagner-backed fighters inside Sudan. It comes as Russia tries to expand its influence in Africa following the death of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. CNN's Nima Elbagir reports from neighboring Chad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nightfall in a war-torn neighborhood in the Sudanese city of Omdurman. You are watching a thermal imaging video depicting military forces equipped in high tech gear, far more sophisticated than the Sudanese have demonstrated today. And here, a series of high precision daytime strikes raining down from the sky.
In and around the same city, hitting targets backed by Russia's Wagner Mercenary Group in Sudan. A Ukrainian military source told CNN this is the work of a foreign military. Pressed on whether they would say unequivocally that Kyiv was behind the attacks, the source would only say that Ukrainian special services were likely responsible, which would constitute a dramatic expansion in Kyiv's theater of war against Moscow.
Previous CNN investigations exposed the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, RSF, has been heavily backed by Wagner as they fight the Sudanese army in a war for dominance. CNN obtained a series of videos of the operation showing 14 different strikes on RSF weapons and equipment, believed to be provided by Wagner. We pinpointed seven different locations of the drone strikes in Omdurman, an RSF stronghold that has become a focal point of the conflict.
And we geolocated footage of the night raid to the same city by identifying the building seen here. The drone video, obtained by CNN, had already been edited. But clues remain as to the identity of those behind the attacks. Texts on the monitor of the drone controller seen here are in Ukrainian. These commercially available drones are widely used by Ukrainian forces. They have a maximum video transmission range of around nine miles.
That means we can tell that the pilots of the drones were in Sudan, close by. It's a common tactic in Ukraine, but not so much in Sudan. Drone experts consulted by CNN said this is the first time drones like this have been deployed in this fashion in Africa. CNN shared the videos with a high-level source in Sudan's army for comment, who said they had no knowledge of the Ukrainian operation Sudan, and did not believe it was true. Sudan became embroiled in Russia's war against Ukraine last year. Despite being thousands of miles from the front lines.
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When, as we reported, Wagner exploited Sudan's gold resources to help finance Moscow's Ukraine war effort, circumventing US sanctions on Russia. After a plane carrying Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin plummeted to the ground late last month, many believed that Wagner's influence would recede. But just the opposite has happened.
Military whistleblowers in a number of African countries have told CNN that the Kremlin is consolidating its power over Wagner's networks in the Central African Republic, in Sudan, in Libya, and in Mali. And now that network has expanded further. This time into Chad.
ELBAGIR: Chad has really been impacted by the fighting in neighboring Sudan. And yet, it's emerging as a key transit point for supplies to the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan. Part of an expansion of Russia's influence in Africa.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): Cross referencing testimony from intelligence and military sources active in the region with satellite imagery, CNN has uncovered evidence that Wagner arms crossed through Chad within the last two weeks to get to an RSF military base in Sudan. If you look closely, you can see over 100 vehicles, including scores of trucks at the base.
Proof the supplies provided by Russia, Wagner, continue. A strike on Wagner-backed forces in Sudan would constitute a blow to Moscow. If it is Ukraine, they will have raised the stakes for those willing to accept Wagner's backing in the future. A lesson illustrating the price they could be forced to pay for cooperating with Russia. Nima Elbagir, CNN, N'Djamena, Chad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Still to come, archaeologists held a discovery of new treasures and secrets found at the site of a centuries-old sunken temple off of the Egyptian coast.
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COREN: Welcome back. Well five Americans detained by Iran are now back on US soil. They arrived at an army airfield near Washington early Tuesday after a long flight from Qatar. The US released five Iranians and unfroze $6 billion in Iranian assets as part of the deal. But the US says that money is only to be used for humanitarian purposes. National security adviser Jake Sullivan posted an image on social media of the Americans on the flight back to the US.
Along with the message, welcome home. Qatar's prime minister is speaking in-depth for the first time about his country's role in the US-Iran deal. He says he is proud to help reunite families. And hopeful for further diplomatic progress. Here is part of his exclusive interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMED BIN ABDULRAHMAN AL-THANI, QATARI PRIME MINISTER: I cannot claim that this will lead to a nuclear deal. But it's going to definitely lead to a better environment. We've been doing this mediating between countries, mediating in different issues for decades now.
[02:40:03]
And in our experience we know that in conflict situations, you need to unlock it by rebuilding the confidence between the parties, and I believe what happened yesterday actually, was the great building block for rebuilding the confidence between the two countries. I hope both countries are believing that this will lead to a better environment to go for an entire agreement on the nuclear issue and any other outstanding issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP) COREN: You can see the full interview with Qatar's prime minister in the day ahead on Amanpour, that's six pm in London, eight pm in Doha. CNN's Fareed Zikaria spoke exclusively with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi about the deal with the US. Here's part of their conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EBRAHIM RAISI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We did something that was prompted by humanitarian motives. And those individuals who were imprisoned in the United States whom, up to the point that we were informed, our information indicated that they were unjustly imprisoned.
But the folks who were imprisoned in Iran, they had committed crimes and their complaints have gone through the legal system. And they were condemned. And there was an opportunity for this exchange to take place. And this exchange was, as I said, prompted by purely humanitarian motives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: You can see the full interview with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Fareed Zakaria GPS. That's Sunday at 3 p.m., and 6 p.m. in London. Six p.m. and 9 p.m. in Abu Dhabi. Archaeologists have found new treasures in an underwater temple off of Egypt's Mediterranean coast. The discoveries were made at the site of what was once a thriving port city likely founded around the Eighth Century B.C.
Among the objects found, silver instruments, gold jewelry and fragile containers for perfumes. The site also includes a temple to a God where pharaohs came to receive their titles as universal kings. Well thanks so much for your company. I'm Anna Coren, and I'll be back with more news at the top of the hour. WORLD SPORT is coming up next.
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