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CNN Live Saturday
Three Turks Taken Hostage in Iraq
Aired June 26, 2004 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: As we wrap up our live coverage here on CNN of this special memorial service for Paul Johnson, at the top of the hour, CNN LIVE SATURDAY, where we will continue our coverage of the goings on just four days now before the official handover in Iraq. Our coverage involves a presence in Turkey, as well, where now the government there has itself in the middle of great concerns because three Turkish workers have been kidnapped in Iraq just moments ago, and now the threat coming from the terrorist group of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, now saying that those Turkish workers will be beheaded in 72 hours unless Turkish companies pull out of Iraq. Our live coverage begins right now.
It is 9:00 p.m. in Baghdad, 2:00 p.m. in Egg Harbor, New Jersey. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. Ahead this hour, trouble in Iraq this afternoon. Suspected al Qaeda militants have reportedly kidnapped three Turks and are threatening to behead them, days before the handover of power to the new regime. We're live with the latest.
Alphonso Van Marsh will be joining us live from Ankara, Turkey, with the latest there.
And 40 and near 40 and fabulous, despite their age. Several high profile athletes are still finding a way to remain on top of their game. We'll find out their secret. Those stories in a moment, but first the headlines.
Amid continuing violence in Iraq, a multimillion dollar reminder comes from the coalition, $10 million is the bounty on Abu Musab al- Zarqawi's life, and he is linked to al Qaeda. He is blamed for attacks on both Americans and Iraqis, which are increasing as the handover nears.
Ahead of President Bush's arrival in Turkey, four people were killed in a bomb explosion in Istanbul. Police say one of the dead is the bomber. And it's a woman. Earlier, three people were wounded in a bomb blast in front of the hotel in Ankara where Mr. Bush will be staying.
And in Pakistan, the prime minister has resigned after reports of strained relationships with the president, General Pervez Musharraf, but the shakeup is not expected to lead to any major policy changes in Pakistan. Musharraf is still the head of the government.
News now of those Turkish captors comes out of Iraq as President Bush heads to Turkey for the NATO summit. The president, who just wrapped up the E.U. summit in Ireland wants more NATO involvement in Iraq. CNN's Alphonso Van Marsh is live from Ankara with more on that and the reaction to the now hostage situation involving three turks in Iraq -- Alphonso.
ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fredricka. We're getting word now from Foreign Ministry officials that they are trying to verify this information, these latest reports about three Turks apparently kidnapped in Iraq. It's important to remember, Foreign Ministry officials say, that some 2,000 to 5,000 trucks, Turkish trucks cross the border into Iraq every day.
Now, this news comes also as there are protests here in the capital. Some 6,000 protesters gathered for what was supposed to be a peaceful gathering to protest against the U.S. President Bush's policy in the region. But we understand that about 100 people broke away from that protest, tried to break through the police barricade, and police answered with tear gas.
Now, it's interesting how these protesters kind of go out there, because it explains and kind of demonstrates the relationship between Turkey and the United States, a very prickly one, sometimes give, sometimes take. And as some Turks here say, it's a very serious but delicate dance.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VAN MARSH (voice-over): U.S. fighter jets landing at a U.S. base in Turkey. A common scene before the invasion of Iraq. Today, U.S. military movements at Incirlik base are limited to humanitarian and logistical missions. An expansion of the U.S. military role here could be part of President George W. Bush's talks with Turkish leaders this weekend.
ABDULLAH GUL, TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER: They may ask something related to Incirlik. We will check that, we will look at that, according to our agreement, between us...
VAN MARSH: The agreement or relationship between Turkey and the United States is a lot like the tango. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) students learning to dance at an Istanbul university.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: America (UNINTELLIGIBLE) is the male, the leading. And Turkish (UNINTELLIGIBLE) is sort of the female. And basically it's the male leads and the female just follows.
VAN MARSH: But Turkey says it intends to lead during the U.S. talks in upcoming NATO summit, with some pointed questions about U.S. plans for Iraq.
GUL: We want more consultation, close consultation on Iraq.
VAN MARSH: Americans have been focused on the transition of power in central and southern Iraq, but Turks fear Washington isn't doing enough to stop Kurds from establishing an independent state in northern Iraq.
GUL: This is very dangerous for the Iraqis. It opens the way for separation. Separation means it's a disaster in the Middle East. Middle East cannot tolerate to have another problem there.
VAN MARSH: President Bush now says he'll help Turkey fight against armed Kurdish groups, known as the PKK, in Turkey and northern Iraq.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will work together to deal with the PKK. We're after terrorists.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAN MARSH: And like the give and take of the tango, the United States wants Turkey, NATO's only Muslim member nation, to play a greater role in Middle East peace. And in return, Turkey wants America's support as it tries to get a place in the European Union -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Alphonso, let me ask you now, we go back to the three Turks that have been taken hostage now in Iraq. Are you getting a sense from people there has ever been any kind of concern among Turks who were continuing to do business in Iraq as to whether they might fall victim to something like this happening?
VAN MARSH: Well, there's been a long-standing series of protests, almost on a weekly basis here in Turkey. Turks very upset with U.S. policy in the region. They're against the war, they are against the idea that this conflict is continuing on right next door in their border, and keeping in mind that there is always a lot of traffic, a lot of business, a lot of business interests between Turkey and Iraq. Again, some 2,000 to 5,000 trucks going across that border every day. Recently there was a Turk and an Egyptian kidnapped in Iraq. They were let go. Good news for the families here in Turkey, but this news about three Turks being kidnapped today and that very serious threat, if accurate, is very troubling on this side of the Turkey-Iraq border -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Alphonso Van Marsh, thanks very much from Ankara, Turkey. And now let's go straight to Baghdad, Iraq, where our Jane Arraf is there, Baghdad bureau chief. And Jane, do we have any more details as to how and where and when these three Turks, who we're now seeing on Al Jazeera Television, who were taken hostage by the group claiming responsibility to be associated with Abu al-Zarqawi?
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, we don't yet have details on these specific hostages. But you'll recall that other Turks, Turkish truck drivers, in fact, who form a large part of the economy that keeps this country running were kidnapped and then released. This of course, a horrifying twist and an apparent widening of the targets.
Turkey, as you'll recall, was one country that refused to allow U.S. troops to use its bases, to go through the northern border for the war. Now, it does have a lot of support personnel here. The economy very much depends on those Turkish truck drivers who drive supplies for U.S. bases and for the markets here through Turkey. And these could be any number of these men who often come from impoverished areas near the board; the threat, of course, similar to those threats by the group linked with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, that indeed made good on its threat to behead a South Korean, absolutely horrifying here not just the Turks but to everyone.
And in the midst of this, Fredricka, coalition officials are saying that the Zarqawi network appears to be widening. That in fact it is growing and it's becoming a magnet that in their words, success, and they're talking about the kind of success, that means headline grabbing deadly attacks and horrifying beheadings breed success, and it is a magnet for other networks, other groups that are possibly becoming affiliated with Zarqawi -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Jane, prior to this incident, given that you've spent an awful lot of time there, did you ever get a sense from Turkish workers who are among the many thousands who continue to do business back and forth between Turkey and Iraq, that they felt a sense of immunity for anything like this to be happening to them, any kind of backlash, given the fact the government stayed away from being particularly involved in the war in Iraq leading into it?
ARRAF: There's always the temptation here among different groups, whether they are aid workers or whether they're nationals of countries that oppose the war to think that it couldn't possibly happen to them, that there would be no reason to kidnap them, that there'd be no reason to harm them.
But this clearly, Fredricka, along with other widenings of targets that we seem to be seeing, attacks on political parties, car bombs going off in the street hurting innocent bystanders, it does appear to be apparent that these attacks, some of them, are meant to cause chaos and to instill terror in the population. There isn't necessarily a logical sense of where this is going -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And this is the same group that claimed responsibility for the beheadings of Nick Berg and Kim Sun-il just less than a week ago for the North Korean (sic). Have coalition forces been feeling rather confident, given that they have particularly targeted some safehouses involving Zarqawi within recent days, confident that they were closing in on this group?
ARRAF: It's quite similar to the statements that we were hearing before Saddam Hussein was caught, that they were in fact very close, but as you know very close doesn't mean anything at all unless they've got him. Now, yesterday's attack on the safehouse -- and they say this is the third strike by the coalition on a Zarqawi network safehouse in a week -- actually according to military sources, didn't intend to get Zarqawi. It was a surprise, apparently, when someone they believed may have been him pulled up in a car just shortly before that air strike took place.
Now, he was very quickly bundled away. There's no certainty that it was him, but they do believe he has been operating in Fallujah, because that has been a place that's attracted people from all over the region, fighters from outside Iraq, fighters from inside Iraq. It has been one of the main battlegrounds here.
Zarqawi clearly is the most wanted man in Iraq. They're appealing to Iraqis to help find him and they are reiterating they have a $10 million reward, but there seem to be many places he could hide, and they acknowledge it won't be so easy -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Jane Arraf, thanks very much, from Baghdad. American Nick Berg beheaded by that same group more than a month ago, and South Korean Kim Sun-il just over a week ago, and now the threat of the Turkish hostages that they would be killed within 72 hours unless Turkish groups pull out of Iraq. More on that later.
With just four days remaining before the handover of power, security remains a fragile issue in war-torn Iraq. We'll find out what role it will play in the political process.
Also, wild weather forces hundreds from home in the southwest. We're live with the details.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I knew better than to do it. I didn't really want to do it at some level, but I could do it, it was there, and I did it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And Monica Lewinsky is not the only one speaking out against Bill Clinton's new book. We'll hear from her and the other women from the former president's past.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Four days to go. Security is front and center in Iraq as political power passes from the Americans to Iraqis on Wednesday. The concern is highlighted today by the kidnapping and threatened beheadings of three Turk workers. Sheerin Hunter is deputy director of Middle East studies at CSIS, the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Good to see you.
SHEERIN HUNTER, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right, well, insurgents and terrorists seem to be making good on their promises in Iraq, with stepped up violence, now just four days away from the handover. Might Turkey respond a bit differently with its three workers now, being -- their lives being threatened, given they're the only Muslim NATO nation and that they are the neighbor of Iraq? Might they be willing to negotiate with these -- with these hostage takers?
HUNTER: I doubt it. I think that Turks are, you know, very much a part of the, you know, Western alliance, and more importantly, Turkish government, you know, generally has had a policy of not negotiating with the kidnappers and terrorists, and I do not believe that they would want to enter into any kind of negotiation, or certainly to succumb to their threats or accept their conditions.
However, what may happen is that some of the private Turkish enterprises and so on obviously will feel somewhat more constrained in terms of becoming active in Iraq.
WHITFIELD: And let's evaluate the timing now. President Bush and other world leaders making their way into Turkey as we speak. In fact, President Bush is landing momentarily, about to deplane, and now the timing of these three Turks that are taken hostage. Clearly it is by no coincidence that these Turks would be the ones taken hostage.
HUNTER: Well, that is certainly -- I mean, if you take also into account that there were a couple of terrorist attacks in Turkey a few days ago, it is obviously the goal of the terrorists in Iraq to show that no country that is engaged in Iraq on the side of the coalition forces and on the side of, you know, basically making the handover successful and, you know, stabilizing Iraqi future is going to be, you know, free from their attacks. So in that sense, you're right. And they are targeting Turkey because of its position as a key Western ally and also as a very important country. The only secular democracy in the Middle East. So absolutely.
WHITFIELD: Just four days until the handover. It's easy to explain the worries of what will happen after June 30.
HUNTER: Right.
WHITFIELD: What do you see as encouraging signs?
HUNTER: Well, I see one particularly encouraging sign, and that is it seems to me that some of those Iraqis, like including some of the Shia militants like Muqtada al-Sadr and his militia, they -- and some of the Sunnis that have been, you know, creating a lot of problem in Fallujah and in the Sunni triangle, they are beginning to realize that continued instability in Iraq is not going to serve the interests of Iraqi people, but rather it is going to create an environment in which the foreigners will come and manipulate Iraq's situation for their own interests, and this is where the al Qaeda, for example, activities there come into play.
I was very encouraged to see that both Sunni leaders and the Shia leader, Muqtada al-Sadr, they have come and condemned the attacks a few days ago that killed about 100 Iraqis. So I think that's -- obviously, I'm not suggesting, I mean, I'm not trying to paint a very optimistic picture or say that violence is going to -- is going to stop, but I think that the really true Iraqi elements and Iraqi forces may finally come to realize that even achievement of their own political goals will become more difficult if this violence escalates and Iraq becomes sort of a playground for all kinds of external terrorist entities.
WHITFIELD: OK.
HUNTER: And because of that, I think they might be more willing to enter into a more peaceful bargaining with the interim government towards future where Iraq can have elections and have a proper constitution.
WHITFIELD: All right. Sheerin Hunter, deputy director of Middle East studies at CSIS, the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Thanks very much for joining us.
HUNTER: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: A legal surprise that could help defense attorneys in the Scott Peterson murder trial. We'll have the details. And find out what effect it could have on the jurors.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The summit between the U.S. and E.U. brought agreement on Iraq, ending what President Bush called bitter differences. The president and other European leaders also discussed the best way to secure Iraq's future. Suzanne Malveaux is traveling with the president and has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the streets of Shannon and Dublin, protests over U.S. Iraq policy. But from the grounds of an insulated 16th century castle, a show of support.
BUSH: Some people didn't agree with the decision that I made and others made as well, but we all agree that a democratic Iraq, a peaceful Iraq, an Iraq which has its territorial integrity intact is in the benefit of -- is in all our benefit.
MALVEAUX: But the European Union leaders also expressed concern over the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.
BERTIE AHERN, IRISH PRIME MINISTER: How prisoners have been dealt with in some of the -- in one of the prisons, what has happened in some of the -- from Afghanistan, and Guantanamo (ph), that that's been an issue. The president has answered those.
MALVEAUX: The E.U. gathered in Shannon, Ireland to discuss mutual interests, producing agreements on bringing peace to Sudan, sharing GPS satellite systems and reforming the Middle East. But the consensus over how to support Iraq is far from certain.
While the E.U. members pledged their backing for free elections, debt forgiveness and aid and training Iraqi security forces, Mr. Bush is hoping for a stronger commitment from his NATO allies.
BUSH: The NATO mission in Afghanistan is helping the people of that country establish democracy after years of tyranny. And NATO has the capability, and I believe the responsibility, to help the Iraqi people defeat the terrorist threat that's facing their country.
MALVEAUX: After Iraqis take control June 30, more than 130,000 U.S. troops will remain there as part of a multinational force.
(on camera): President Bush is under growing pressure to get the international community to take on a greater share in the burden of securing Iraq's stability. The president goes on to Turkey for the NATO summit with modest expectations that NATO members commit to helping train Iraqi troops. Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Ennis, Ireland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: We're less than 100 hours away from the handover of power to the democratic Iraq, but security remains a hot button issue. We're live from Baghdad, with the latest.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired June 26, 2004 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: As we wrap up our live coverage here on CNN of this special memorial service for Paul Johnson, at the top of the hour, CNN LIVE SATURDAY, where we will continue our coverage of the goings on just four days now before the official handover in Iraq. Our coverage involves a presence in Turkey, as well, where now the government there has itself in the middle of great concerns because three Turkish workers have been kidnapped in Iraq just moments ago, and now the threat coming from the terrorist group of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, now saying that those Turkish workers will be beheaded in 72 hours unless Turkish companies pull out of Iraq. Our live coverage begins right now.
It is 9:00 p.m. in Baghdad, 2:00 p.m. in Egg Harbor, New Jersey. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. Ahead this hour, trouble in Iraq this afternoon. Suspected al Qaeda militants have reportedly kidnapped three Turks and are threatening to behead them, days before the handover of power to the new regime. We're live with the latest.
Alphonso Van Marsh will be joining us live from Ankara, Turkey, with the latest there.
And 40 and near 40 and fabulous, despite their age. Several high profile athletes are still finding a way to remain on top of their game. We'll find out their secret. Those stories in a moment, but first the headlines.
Amid continuing violence in Iraq, a multimillion dollar reminder comes from the coalition, $10 million is the bounty on Abu Musab al- Zarqawi's life, and he is linked to al Qaeda. He is blamed for attacks on both Americans and Iraqis, which are increasing as the handover nears.
Ahead of President Bush's arrival in Turkey, four people were killed in a bomb explosion in Istanbul. Police say one of the dead is the bomber. And it's a woman. Earlier, three people were wounded in a bomb blast in front of the hotel in Ankara where Mr. Bush will be staying.
And in Pakistan, the prime minister has resigned after reports of strained relationships with the president, General Pervez Musharraf, but the shakeup is not expected to lead to any major policy changes in Pakistan. Musharraf is still the head of the government.
News now of those Turkish captors comes out of Iraq as President Bush heads to Turkey for the NATO summit. The president, who just wrapped up the E.U. summit in Ireland wants more NATO involvement in Iraq. CNN's Alphonso Van Marsh is live from Ankara with more on that and the reaction to the now hostage situation involving three turks in Iraq -- Alphonso.
ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fredricka. We're getting word now from Foreign Ministry officials that they are trying to verify this information, these latest reports about three Turks apparently kidnapped in Iraq. It's important to remember, Foreign Ministry officials say, that some 2,000 to 5,000 trucks, Turkish trucks cross the border into Iraq every day.
Now, this news comes also as there are protests here in the capital. Some 6,000 protesters gathered for what was supposed to be a peaceful gathering to protest against the U.S. President Bush's policy in the region. But we understand that about 100 people broke away from that protest, tried to break through the police barricade, and police answered with tear gas.
Now, it's interesting how these protesters kind of go out there, because it explains and kind of demonstrates the relationship between Turkey and the United States, a very prickly one, sometimes give, sometimes take. And as some Turks here say, it's a very serious but delicate dance.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VAN MARSH (voice-over): U.S. fighter jets landing at a U.S. base in Turkey. A common scene before the invasion of Iraq. Today, U.S. military movements at Incirlik base are limited to humanitarian and logistical missions. An expansion of the U.S. military role here could be part of President George W. Bush's talks with Turkish leaders this weekend.
ABDULLAH GUL, TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER: They may ask something related to Incirlik. We will check that, we will look at that, according to our agreement, between us...
VAN MARSH: The agreement or relationship between Turkey and the United States is a lot like the tango. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) students learning to dance at an Istanbul university.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: America (UNINTELLIGIBLE) is the male, the leading. And Turkish (UNINTELLIGIBLE) is sort of the female. And basically it's the male leads and the female just follows.
VAN MARSH: But Turkey says it intends to lead during the U.S. talks in upcoming NATO summit, with some pointed questions about U.S. plans for Iraq.
GUL: We want more consultation, close consultation on Iraq.
VAN MARSH: Americans have been focused on the transition of power in central and southern Iraq, but Turks fear Washington isn't doing enough to stop Kurds from establishing an independent state in northern Iraq.
GUL: This is very dangerous for the Iraqis. It opens the way for separation. Separation means it's a disaster in the Middle East. Middle East cannot tolerate to have another problem there.
VAN MARSH: President Bush now says he'll help Turkey fight against armed Kurdish groups, known as the PKK, in Turkey and northern Iraq.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will work together to deal with the PKK. We're after terrorists.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAN MARSH: And like the give and take of the tango, the United States wants Turkey, NATO's only Muslim member nation, to play a greater role in Middle East peace. And in return, Turkey wants America's support as it tries to get a place in the European Union -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Alphonso, let me ask you now, we go back to the three Turks that have been taken hostage now in Iraq. Are you getting a sense from people there has ever been any kind of concern among Turks who were continuing to do business in Iraq as to whether they might fall victim to something like this happening?
VAN MARSH: Well, there's been a long-standing series of protests, almost on a weekly basis here in Turkey. Turks very upset with U.S. policy in the region. They're against the war, they are against the idea that this conflict is continuing on right next door in their border, and keeping in mind that there is always a lot of traffic, a lot of business, a lot of business interests between Turkey and Iraq. Again, some 2,000 to 5,000 trucks going across that border every day. Recently there was a Turk and an Egyptian kidnapped in Iraq. They were let go. Good news for the families here in Turkey, but this news about three Turks being kidnapped today and that very serious threat, if accurate, is very troubling on this side of the Turkey-Iraq border -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Alphonso Van Marsh, thanks very much from Ankara, Turkey. And now let's go straight to Baghdad, Iraq, where our Jane Arraf is there, Baghdad bureau chief. And Jane, do we have any more details as to how and where and when these three Turks, who we're now seeing on Al Jazeera Television, who were taken hostage by the group claiming responsibility to be associated with Abu al-Zarqawi?
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, we don't yet have details on these specific hostages. But you'll recall that other Turks, Turkish truck drivers, in fact, who form a large part of the economy that keeps this country running were kidnapped and then released. This of course, a horrifying twist and an apparent widening of the targets.
Turkey, as you'll recall, was one country that refused to allow U.S. troops to use its bases, to go through the northern border for the war. Now, it does have a lot of support personnel here. The economy very much depends on those Turkish truck drivers who drive supplies for U.S. bases and for the markets here through Turkey. And these could be any number of these men who often come from impoverished areas near the board; the threat, of course, similar to those threats by the group linked with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, that indeed made good on its threat to behead a South Korean, absolutely horrifying here not just the Turks but to everyone.
And in the midst of this, Fredricka, coalition officials are saying that the Zarqawi network appears to be widening. That in fact it is growing and it's becoming a magnet that in their words, success, and they're talking about the kind of success, that means headline grabbing deadly attacks and horrifying beheadings breed success, and it is a magnet for other networks, other groups that are possibly becoming affiliated with Zarqawi -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Jane, prior to this incident, given that you've spent an awful lot of time there, did you ever get a sense from Turkish workers who are among the many thousands who continue to do business back and forth between Turkey and Iraq, that they felt a sense of immunity for anything like this to be happening to them, any kind of backlash, given the fact the government stayed away from being particularly involved in the war in Iraq leading into it?
ARRAF: There's always the temptation here among different groups, whether they are aid workers or whether they're nationals of countries that oppose the war to think that it couldn't possibly happen to them, that there would be no reason to kidnap them, that there'd be no reason to harm them.
But this clearly, Fredricka, along with other widenings of targets that we seem to be seeing, attacks on political parties, car bombs going off in the street hurting innocent bystanders, it does appear to be apparent that these attacks, some of them, are meant to cause chaos and to instill terror in the population. There isn't necessarily a logical sense of where this is going -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And this is the same group that claimed responsibility for the beheadings of Nick Berg and Kim Sun-il just less than a week ago for the North Korean (sic). Have coalition forces been feeling rather confident, given that they have particularly targeted some safehouses involving Zarqawi within recent days, confident that they were closing in on this group?
ARRAF: It's quite similar to the statements that we were hearing before Saddam Hussein was caught, that they were in fact very close, but as you know very close doesn't mean anything at all unless they've got him. Now, yesterday's attack on the safehouse -- and they say this is the third strike by the coalition on a Zarqawi network safehouse in a week -- actually according to military sources, didn't intend to get Zarqawi. It was a surprise, apparently, when someone they believed may have been him pulled up in a car just shortly before that air strike took place.
Now, he was very quickly bundled away. There's no certainty that it was him, but they do believe he has been operating in Fallujah, because that has been a place that's attracted people from all over the region, fighters from outside Iraq, fighters from inside Iraq. It has been one of the main battlegrounds here.
Zarqawi clearly is the most wanted man in Iraq. They're appealing to Iraqis to help find him and they are reiterating they have a $10 million reward, but there seem to be many places he could hide, and they acknowledge it won't be so easy -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Jane Arraf, thanks very much, from Baghdad. American Nick Berg beheaded by that same group more than a month ago, and South Korean Kim Sun-il just over a week ago, and now the threat of the Turkish hostages that they would be killed within 72 hours unless Turkish groups pull out of Iraq. More on that later.
With just four days remaining before the handover of power, security remains a fragile issue in war-torn Iraq. We'll find out what role it will play in the political process.
Also, wild weather forces hundreds from home in the southwest. We're live with the details.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I knew better than to do it. I didn't really want to do it at some level, but I could do it, it was there, and I did it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And Monica Lewinsky is not the only one speaking out against Bill Clinton's new book. We'll hear from her and the other women from the former president's past.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Four days to go. Security is front and center in Iraq as political power passes from the Americans to Iraqis on Wednesday. The concern is highlighted today by the kidnapping and threatened beheadings of three Turk workers. Sheerin Hunter is deputy director of Middle East studies at CSIS, the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Good to see you.
SHEERIN HUNTER, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right, well, insurgents and terrorists seem to be making good on their promises in Iraq, with stepped up violence, now just four days away from the handover. Might Turkey respond a bit differently with its three workers now, being -- their lives being threatened, given they're the only Muslim NATO nation and that they are the neighbor of Iraq? Might they be willing to negotiate with these -- with these hostage takers?
HUNTER: I doubt it. I think that Turks are, you know, very much a part of the, you know, Western alliance, and more importantly, Turkish government, you know, generally has had a policy of not negotiating with the kidnappers and terrorists, and I do not believe that they would want to enter into any kind of negotiation, or certainly to succumb to their threats or accept their conditions.
However, what may happen is that some of the private Turkish enterprises and so on obviously will feel somewhat more constrained in terms of becoming active in Iraq.
WHITFIELD: And let's evaluate the timing now. President Bush and other world leaders making their way into Turkey as we speak. In fact, President Bush is landing momentarily, about to deplane, and now the timing of these three Turks that are taken hostage. Clearly it is by no coincidence that these Turks would be the ones taken hostage.
HUNTER: Well, that is certainly -- I mean, if you take also into account that there were a couple of terrorist attacks in Turkey a few days ago, it is obviously the goal of the terrorists in Iraq to show that no country that is engaged in Iraq on the side of the coalition forces and on the side of, you know, basically making the handover successful and, you know, stabilizing Iraqi future is going to be, you know, free from their attacks. So in that sense, you're right. And they are targeting Turkey because of its position as a key Western ally and also as a very important country. The only secular democracy in the Middle East. So absolutely.
WHITFIELD: Just four days until the handover. It's easy to explain the worries of what will happen after June 30.
HUNTER: Right.
WHITFIELD: What do you see as encouraging signs?
HUNTER: Well, I see one particularly encouraging sign, and that is it seems to me that some of those Iraqis, like including some of the Shia militants like Muqtada al-Sadr and his militia, they -- and some of the Sunnis that have been, you know, creating a lot of problem in Fallujah and in the Sunni triangle, they are beginning to realize that continued instability in Iraq is not going to serve the interests of Iraqi people, but rather it is going to create an environment in which the foreigners will come and manipulate Iraq's situation for their own interests, and this is where the al Qaeda, for example, activities there come into play.
I was very encouraged to see that both Sunni leaders and the Shia leader, Muqtada al-Sadr, they have come and condemned the attacks a few days ago that killed about 100 Iraqis. So I think that's -- obviously, I'm not suggesting, I mean, I'm not trying to paint a very optimistic picture or say that violence is going to -- is going to stop, but I think that the really true Iraqi elements and Iraqi forces may finally come to realize that even achievement of their own political goals will become more difficult if this violence escalates and Iraq becomes sort of a playground for all kinds of external terrorist entities.
WHITFIELD: OK.
HUNTER: And because of that, I think they might be more willing to enter into a more peaceful bargaining with the interim government towards future where Iraq can have elections and have a proper constitution.
WHITFIELD: All right. Sheerin Hunter, deputy director of Middle East studies at CSIS, the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Thanks very much for joining us.
HUNTER: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: A legal surprise that could help defense attorneys in the Scott Peterson murder trial. We'll have the details. And find out what effect it could have on the jurors.
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WHITFIELD: The summit between the U.S. and E.U. brought agreement on Iraq, ending what President Bush called bitter differences. The president and other European leaders also discussed the best way to secure Iraq's future. Suzanne Malveaux is traveling with the president and has more.
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SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the streets of Shannon and Dublin, protests over U.S. Iraq policy. But from the grounds of an insulated 16th century castle, a show of support.
BUSH: Some people didn't agree with the decision that I made and others made as well, but we all agree that a democratic Iraq, a peaceful Iraq, an Iraq which has its territorial integrity intact is in the benefit of -- is in all our benefit.
MALVEAUX: But the European Union leaders also expressed concern over the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.
BERTIE AHERN, IRISH PRIME MINISTER: How prisoners have been dealt with in some of the -- in one of the prisons, what has happened in some of the -- from Afghanistan, and Guantanamo (ph), that that's been an issue. The president has answered those.
MALVEAUX: The E.U. gathered in Shannon, Ireland to discuss mutual interests, producing agreements on bringing peace to Sudan, sharing GPS satellite systems and reforming the Middle East. But the consensus over how to support Iraq is far from certain.
While the E.U. members pledged their backing for free elections, debt forgiveness and aid and training Iraqi security forces, Mr. Bush is hoping for a stronger commitment from his NATO allies.
BUSH: The NATO mission in Afghanistan is helping the people of that country establish democracy after years of tyranny. And NATO has the capability, and I believe the responsibility, to help the Iraqi people defeat the terrorist threat that's facing their country.
MALVEAUX: After Iraqis take control June 30, more than 130,000 U.S. troops will remain there as part of a multinational force.
(on camera): President Bush is under growing pressure to get the international community to take on a greater share in the burden of securing Iraq's stability. The president goes on to Turkey for the NATO summit with modest expectations that NATO members commit to helping train Iraqi troops. Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Ennis, Ireland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: We're less than 100 hours away from the handover of power to the democratic Iraq, but security remains a hot button issue. We're live from Baghdad, with the latest.
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