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Catalan Parliament Prepares For Crucial Debate; Movie Dropped From Film Festival; Namibia Under Fire For Aiding Pyongyang; Potential Nude Mona Lisa Uncovered in France. Aired at 11a-12n ET

Aired October 23, 2017 - 11:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[11:00:14] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything in my village she says, children and elderly died.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECKY ANDERSON, CONNECT THE WORLD, CNN: The next battlefield in a war against ISIS after losing Raqqa, the fight rages in there. As our

correspondence report from the front line in a decisive victory Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wins a snap election ahead his plans for North

Korea and its country's constitution, plus the drama of the silver screen building to real life. Later why this, the film was (inaudible) from the

Palestinian film festival.

Hello and welcome to "Connect the World" it is 7:00 in Abu Dhabi, I am Becky Anderson for you. A savage death cult that pretended to be an

Empire. Ultimately, ISIS's fantasies, brutal global domination being exposed as well just this, house of cards, that as we speak in being a

smashed apart exploding and imploding around them. Just look at how quickly one by one, all the places they claimed have been taken back.

Mosul, gone there would be capital Raqqa, gone. And in Syria Deir Ezzor, their last real holdouts in the pummeled country were right at this moment,

much like this American-Kurdish and Russian forces all circling, closing in the sky and on the ground. CN Nick Paton Walsh is in the things at that

massive assault is unleashed. Have a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This may be were ISIS leader have a background like that he is hiding, he probably wishes he was not. Russian

and Syrian Regime has strikes, pound ISIS's remnants in the city of Deir Ezzor. I also learned the skies on the grounds here. Banking hard keeping

out of the Russians way the US Jets, assisting these US banks Kurdish fighters to take the nearby countryside for ISIS just a day before. ISIS a

collapsing leading in their wake and almost Cold War standoff, ISIS may be holding out the pocket of the town of Deir Ezzor behind me over there

surrounded by the Syrian regime, but they been kicked out to this area by American back Kurdish STF forces now even bonds to this river here which

puts the literally meters away from the Syrian regime who backed by Russian air power. We were told in fact this Kurdish American back forces had held

face-to-face meetings with Russian military officials to be sure they do not clash around here now and the end game against ISIS, Moscow and

Washington forces literally meters away from each other.

The Kurds are so relaxed the new neighbors, that fishing is often means task, but hand grenades. Five years in Syria is ground to dust. This is

will this still fighting over. It is unclear who was left inside Deir Ezzor and those that fled, estimated recently ten thousand a day got the

skyline. They tried to filter them but last week a suicide bomber struck and yesterday they found 30 ISIS fighters. They are followed around by the

horror of what the fled, but also by suspicion. A simple question are the last to leave the most loyal to ISIS or just the least fortunate. Will do

everything in my village, she says. Air strikes, children and elderly dying, a relative just last week. The children could not stop crying for

fear. I couldn't stand there, what could I do? I don't know if our home is still standing or even who's bombing us. It doesn't have any superhero

powers here just they dust and bad dream. Up here, the shelling was kind of the ground, the hardest (inaudible). The stream is endless, like the

bombing they flee and this war, but keeps finding new chapters and adversaries around them.

(END VIDEO)

[11:05:06] ANDERSON: All the very best of CNN are on the story award- winning report has been wheeling all day and on the ground. Covering all the sides, let's bring Nick back in live right now, Nick, jets above Syria

where you are just across the border in Iraq and the big question after ISIS, Nick what is next?

PATON WALSH: Becky, forgive me I am struggling to hear you, but I think you ask me what is next after ISIS. At this point they are certainly down

to the very last part of territory, as many in the eastern part of the Euphrates Valley, the question is overstated. You saw on that reports, a

kind of insurgency that they become now. You saw there the difficult job of filtering out displaced people. People desperately needed assistance,

now within them. They found men with suicide belts over the past weeks or so and that is the issue certainly for the Kurds now, they are occupying

some would say traditionally Sunni Arab parts of Syria in their views spoils of the fight they took on, they may not be there forever, but

certainly this day and the last 48 hours they moved in into an oil filed. They are now clearly want keep hold of that seeing the (inaudible) that

they lost and taken in that oil field is simply part the reason why they should hang on to it. But the regime cover it too. So there are lots of

moving parts there about exactly where the borders of post ISIS will settle, but the key thing they can't really do anything about is exactly

how the Sunni parts of the population feel. They would just franchise a long time ago. The most heavily repressed and targeted by the Syrian

regimes backlash to the Civil War that got underway, the Sunnis, the people who ourselves some (inaudible) ISIS, some of their extremist wing is

perhaps thinking ISIS could even protect them to some degree.

There is no solution for making their lives better now in America program to rebuild Raqqa with civilian help. Locals sort of civilian counsel is

ambitious, but some might even say fanciful given the damage done to Raqqa. A huge gulf between what will like to see that Syrian City population and

where they are right now. And in that Gulf is the space where extremists find a way forward, Becky. Things has changed very fast in Iraq across the

border in just a last few weeks. Also the Peshmerga, the Iraqi Kurds took a lot of ground. It was not traditionally theirs when they kick ISIS out a

few years ago they held on to it.

And now the Iraqi government moved into take places that are available in the market, kick back very fast indeed. We could see a similar situation

play out across the border in Syria, but the Syrian Kurds has taken a lot of grounds the regime encompasses all the big problems that is the Syrian

Kurds have the coalition backing them in terms of militaries on the ground and air power too. And the Syrian regime had the Russians backing them

exactly the same way. That makes for much more uneasy situation is a little less tense, because the Syrian Kurds and the regime has a reasonably

pragmatic relationship in the past and it is completely new ground. Erdogan to try and assess here and a lot of moving parts, particularly ISIS

there, the Kurds has really cause this to get more volatile that needs to be Becky.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. Nick, thank you. Nick is in Iraq, now Iraqi is jammed between what are in this part of the world, two big powers Iran and

Saudi Arabia is a troubled past for ten brutal years. Iran and Iraq slaughtered one another in the mindless war that plowed through the 1980s.

Why after that Iraq invaded Kuwait. So Saudi Arabia rode in paying tens of billions of dollars to Washington to fight Baghdad. Well that is being the

first Gulf War how things change. Now they both want Iraq for themselves elsewhere is Ben Wedeman tells a new large battle is rising out on the

ashes of this war on ISIS.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, Secretary Tillerson is in the region. Of course, trying to build up some sort of

anti-Iranian coalition in the aftermath of the war against Isis in Riyadh. He met with King Salmon as well as Iraqi Prime Minister Heidi al-Abadi at a

time when relations between Baghdad and Riyadh seem to be thawing, but really, it may be a case of too little too late. When it comes to this US

effort to counter growing Iranian influence in the region is keep in mind Becky that there the Iranians have a huge political footprint in Lebanon,

they are very close to the regime in Damascus.

[11:10:04] And as I said before, there too. They are also very close with the government in Baghdad. Keep in mind that Iran was one of the major

supporters of Baghdad's effort to fight ISISI. It was the Iranians who armed and trained a (inaudible) as a so-called popular mobilization unit

those predominately Shia paramilitaries, and we were embedded with Ashabi in places like Tikrit, where we saw that there were Iranian advisors on the

ground. I spoke to some of them helping out to the Iraqi forces when fact is that when we were on the front lines. One of the leaders of the heist

the shabby had the nominee told me that it was better to have for Iranian advisors on the front line than 400 American advisors sitting back in the

Green zone in Baghdad now with the Heidi al-Abadi the Iraqi Prime Minister. His office today put out a statement expressing surprise at what Secretary

Tillerson and said about the role of the Shia militia. The statement stressed that those groups were critical in the war against ISIS and said

Iraq is not about to abandon them. After the sacrifices that they made during the war.

So in a sense it really is too late to try to counter Iranian influence in the region and the United States is tried in the past to work up anti-

Iranian coalitions, and they just really are to match to what Iran is, which is a regional superpower. Becky.

ANDERSON: ben Wedeman in Erbil. Thank you. Let get you up to speed on the other stories that are on our radar right now, the Kurdish presidential

and parliamentary elections in Iraq have been delayed due to a lack of candidates. They were initially scheduled for November 1st. They told

Reuters parties haven't focus on the election after last month's controversial Kurdish independence referendum. Secretary of State Rex

Tillerson met with the president of Afghanistan earlier today with a surprise visit to Kabul that lasted just two hours. They discussed

strategies for America's longest war and bring peace to the South Asian nation. Tillerson is on a weeklong tour of the region. A US soldier in

Niger spark controversy and Washington is speaking out for the first time. Myeshia Johnson, the congresswoman's account of President John's condolence

call was 100 percent correct, and she says she had nothing to say to the president. She ask the military to let her see husband's body's and the

wife took 48 hours to find him, here is what she told ABC about the presidents phone call.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MYESHIA JOHNSON, WIDOW OF SGT. LA DAVID JOHNSON: The president said he knew what he signed up for, but it hurts anyway. It made me cry because I

was very angry at the tone of his voice and how he said it. I heard him stumbling or trying to remember my husband's name. And that hurt me the

most, because if my husband is out here fighting for our country and he risk his life for our country, why can't you remember his name. And that

made me cry even more. Because my husband is an awesome soldier.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: The president is a speeding account of the coal writing on Twitter that he did say husband's name at the top of the goal and he says

without hesitation. Of all the political instability that we have covered here so far this hour, let's take a look at Japan where the country's

leader is standing strong and stable firmly on both feet after a snap election. Shinzo Abe decisions call the vote, seems had paid off, exit

polls in the Liberal Democratic Party, a strong majority paving the way for Sally to become postwar Japan longest running prime minister and the threat

of rule has a lot to do with it. She called the election to increase his mandate to both that Japan defenses. Understandable since North Korea's

been launching missile over this country in the last few months. Official said the Prime Minister and the US President Donald Trump spoke by phone on

Sunday, agreeing on the need to step up pressure on Pyongyang. Kaori Enjoji has more.

KAORI ENJOJI, JOURNALIST: A big win for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in national elections on Sunday and winning a two thirds super

majority in the House of Representatives. The primaries said that his top priorities will remain North Korea.

[11:15:13] SHINZO ABE, PRIME MINISTER, JAPAN (TRANSLATOR): An aging society attempts the situation with North Korea. This are some of national

issues we face. And I will do the utmost to lead this country as the Prime Minister.

ENJOJI: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been in office for nearly five years now. And the victory in in the election on Sunday virtually guarantees

that his party will keep in mind as leader of the party. Which means the prime minister could stay on office until the year 2021. Nearly nine years

in office and no other Prime Minister has served that long in Japanese post war history. Shinzo Abe has develop a rapport with the U.S. President,

Donald Trump, at a time when many other world leaders have struggled. Trying to drive home to the electorate this kind of continuity that Japan

needs in order to deal with some threat that Japan faces right now. He also said that he will be addressing other issues that have dogged the

government in recent years, particularly the economy, the rising debt situation and also the falling birth rate. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has

long had an addition to reinterpret the constitution, to give a stronger role to the defense forces to legitimize it and the stronger role to the

Japan's military. This will not go down well with some of its neighbor like South Korean and China, it is going to be a delicate balance for him

going forward if he does indeed want to rewrite the constitution especially when they need their help to pacify North Korea. That is the latest on the

situation in Japan, I am Kaori Enjoji.

ANDERSON: Changes to Japan's constitution to boost defense of the country. Parliamentary support shall vote would need to go to the people to be

approved in referendum as it stands, Japan's ability to respond to the growing North Korea threat is limited.

You're watching "Connect the World." I'm Becky Anderson, it's just a quarter past 7:00 in Abu Dhabi. We are broadcasting tonight the fight

against the ISIS, what happens to next? What happens to the fighters on all sides once the battle is over, that is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. And if you are just joining us, you are very welcome. Top story again this hour the fight against ISIS, the final

military pushes and the big question, what happens next? Even as the terror group dissipates in the region, the ideology behind its root causes

can't just be blown up. General Hertling at this point, he is joining from Orlando Florida via Skype, a regular contributor for CNN. The U.S. is

laser focus under Donald Trump on counterterrorism in the region, that ends ISIS coalition, doing what it says on the tin in the air, and on the

ground, intent on destroying the group's territory in Iraq and Syria, is it clear what happens next, so far as the military are concerned?

[11:20:45] MARK HERTLING, RETIRED ARMY FORMER COMMANDING GENERAL: For a military standpoint, Becky I'd say it's a little bit sporty. What is going

to happen in terms of diplomatic and international agreements in both Iraq and Syria? We've said all along that ISIS would be defeated and militarily

in these area I think they have if you use the mean that they are no longer capable of large scale operations. But many of the ISIS fighters have, in

fact, faded into Euphrates and the Tigris valleys in both Syria and Iraq. What happens next to make sure that this kind of things are squashed, this

insurgence's are squashed. Not just the U.S. military now but also the Iraqi military in the Kurds in Syria.

ANDERSON: This is almost impossible. And we hear talk on the ground that that is already happening, these fighters, these groups will just morph.

HERTLING: Yes I agree with that. There is the potential. You know we focus a lot on big picture of approach to terrorism. And we name groups

like Al-Qaeda or ISIS. But for my experience in Northern Iraq, over a decade ago, what we found is multiple terrorist groups all competing with

one another and they are looking for members to join their gang, their thuggery. We have 13 different terrorist groups that were watching while

the primary focus was on Al-Qaeda. When Al-Qaeda lost some of their groups, they would transfer to others that felt they with the ideology.

Why it's important as we've said all along, Becky that what happens with the government in these territories, how they relate to their people and

how they sustain the civilian base of the 99 percent of the population that supports countering any kind of terrorist action, how do you get them under

your control and how do they contribute to a social fabric that moves forward as opposed to continuing to go back to terrorist approach.

ANDERSON: On the ISIS specifically, a British member of parliament by the named of Rorry Stuart said, I quote, British extremists fighting with ISIS

are a serious danger to us all. There's only one way he can see to deal with that. Have a listen to what he says.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are absolutely dedicated towards the pressure of the caliphate they believe in an extremely hateful doctrine which involves

killing themselves, killing others and trying to use violence and brutality to create an eighth century seventh century state. So I am afraid we have

to be serious about fact, these people are serious danger to us. Unfortunately the only way of dealing with them will be it almost every

case is to kill them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: He is not alone Mark and hearing similar lines from Australia and French law makers, is that the only preferable option to kill them.

HERTLING: It is certainly the most comfortable one as we have seen in this large-scale operations in Iraq and Syria, but I think we have to remember

that you need many of the so-called fighters that were attracted to the conflict in the these areas were drawn there for a variety of reasons. I

think some of them were disenfranchised. Once they arrived there, but yet they could return. I would say yes. We have to be very concerned about

those who traveled to Syria and Iraq to fight in this in this ISIS battle. I am not sure we have to put all of them in the same into the same

category, but then again, if you do not do that is challenging to determine which ones are salvageable and which ones truly continue with the Extreme

Islamist ideology which perpetrated these kinds of actions of killings and suicide bombings and things like that this is going to be the difficult

part.

[11:25:08] How do we bring back people who found their way into this fight? How do you bring good government to these areas and how do you ensure that

the radical extremism that is part of this Islamic movement has standout.

ANDERSON: Good government is something the U.S. says it wants to see in Iraq says that is one way of ensuring you to see the likes of ISIS in a

post ISIS well once again a press conference yesterday, U.S. Secretary of State rex Tillerson said foreign fighters who fought ISIS, need to go home.

Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REX TILLERSON, SECRETARY OF STATE: Iranian militias that are in Iraq now that the fight against Dash and ISIS has gone to a close, those militias

needs to go home. Any foreign fighters in Iraq need to go home. And allow the Iraqi people to regain control of areas that had been overtaken by ISIS

and now been liberated allow the Iraqi people to rebuild their lives with the help of their neighbors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Iran's foreign minister fire back tweeting exactly what country is it that Iraqis who rose up to defend their homes against ISIS return to,

shameful USSP foreign policy dictated by trade dollars. He said that is going to be right meeting clarified critics do have a point is one US

journalist working in this region. So glad we had a crack team of experts dictating all Iraq policy. IS the U.S. narrative on the Trump to put the

squeeze on Iran and as we see the turf wars and appearing what a vacuum of a post ISIS world is. Foreign policy, politics, military action on the

ground, it is getting really messy.

HERTLING: I would say it is not getting really messy, Becky. It has been really messy the complexities of Iraq and Syria are confounding. I spent

over three years of my life in northern Iraq. And what is interesting is these comments that I do not take into account the complexities of the

various groups that are in this part of the world that is sure the PMU units from that are allegedly backed by Iran. There are a lot of Shia

groups within the Iraqi boundaries, they want to contribute to nationalism of Iraq. There are certainly outside influences as well, but there are

certainly outside influences in the northern part of the country so this is where the intricacies of diplomacy. The assisting of the Iraqi government

and what I would suggest is Mister Al-Abadi the current Prime Minister of Iraq understands the challenges he faces as a Shia going out to the Sunni

heartland of the North and the West and bringing them in under a nationalistic fervor.

He also understands that he has a challenge between the Arab population and the Kurds in this country we see now within the last week in terms of the

of the uprisings within Kirkuk as all of that is very challenging and requires a great central government. However in in the nation of Iraq.

ANDERSON: And he faces elections of course next year with difficult times a challenging economy and the infrastructure that is on his knees and with

a lot work to be done. Looking at for more diplomacy, as you suggest clever diplomacy rather than loosen on the old words. All right, sir thank

you for that, Lt. General Mark Hertling with an awful a lot of experience analysis on the ground for you and today out of Florida. Thank you.

HERTLING: Always a pleasure, thank you.

ANDERSON: Thank you it is already award-winner and featured a popular path and was supposed to close out a Palestinian film festival. So why dropped

at the last minutes?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:30:00] BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: From our Middle East broadcasting hub of Abu Dhabi, welcome. I'm Becky Anderson. Spain wants to make sure

300 years of its history stays exactly the way it is no matter what sound or fury comes from Catalonia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Madrid determined to dissolve the Catalan Parliament despise crowds like these asserting their right to independence. Well, Catalan law

makers are to meet on Thursday to discuss what comes next on the political front. But there is no way this is cut and dry is there are those who

don't want to have anything to do with independence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Erin McLaughlin is with us from Barcelona. Erin.

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Becky. No one really knows how this situation is going to play out and that is fueling apprehension on the

ground. I was at those demonstrations over the weekend.

Many of the people there said they had voted in the referendum. Many of the people telling they simply wanted their voices heard. They feel that

Madrid is not listening to them. Now, they say, they are scared.

Then on Sunday, I went about 20 minutes outside Barcelona to one town that is seen as the most pro-Spain, anti-independent town in all of Catalonia.

There as expected, I found plenty of voices, very critical of Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont. But at the same time, I talked to some

people who had mixed feelings about hoe the Spanish prime minister has handled all of this. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCLAUGHLIN: Nestled between the foothills of the Catalan mountains and a motorway north of Barcelona, Badia del Valles -- a working-class Catalan

town and the stronghold for Spain.

Residents here are adamant, they don't want independence. At a local church, prayers that things stay the way they are and Catalonia remains a

part of Spain.

Some here say, with the Spanish prime minister's new emergency measures to sack the Catalan government and call elections within six months, they're

prayers have been answered.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): They're not going to take our autonomy from us. They will just take those who are not capable. And in

six months, they'll fix things, the sooner, the better.

MCLAUGHLIN: Badia del Valles was founded in 1975, a few months before the Fascist Dictator, Gen. Francisco Franco, died. Spain developed it as a

social project meant to be home to the areas migrant workforce. People moved here hoping for a better life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The most important thing for me is security, a good economy, to live like we did before. Now, everything

is falling apart.

MCLAUGHLIN: But not everyone here feels this way. Even in the most pro- Spain town of Catalonia, there are those who say they feel that Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has crossed the line. Marcos Real owns a cafe off

the main square.

[11:35:00] He's outraged by the way Rajoy is handling things. After the crackdown on October 1st referendum, he closed his business to protest the

violence. He tells me, Catalans were humiliated. How do you feel about Prime Minister Rajoy move in to take direct control of Catalonia?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If I can, I'll vote. And if they don't allow me to vote, I'll do it by force as they did it on October 1st.

This is a Democratic system, and what President Rajoy is doing is skipping the law. So, this is a fascist state as it was 35 years ago.

MCLAUGHLIN: So much emotion in this tiny town. Residents worry it has a lot to lose.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCLAUGHLIN: Now in terms of next step on Thursday, we expect a special session of the Catalan Parliament there, Puigdemont could declare

independence deepening this crisis.

On Friday we expect the Senate to pass Rajoy's measure which would effectively fact the Catalan government and at that point, the question

really become how will people respond, Becky. What will the civil service do, what will the local police anything do.

ANDERSON: Erin McLaughlin is in Barcelona in Spain for you and Catalonia of course, which is keen to leave Spain. Britain came to leave the E.U.

and there, British Prime Minister Theresa May says she feels good about the country's future. Primary current state of what known as Brexit

negotiations, she addressed Parliament just a short time ago. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I am ambitious and positive about Britain's future and these negotiations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, Mrs. May says the U.K. and E.U. are united on the key principles and E.U. citizens' rights and are within a quote, touching

distance of a deal.

Well, statements of principal whole censorship, municipal officials in Ramallah canceled a movie screening of a Palestinian film festival because

the director has worked in Israel. The movie is named The Insult, it films a popular Palestinian actor and won a major award in Venice film festival.

But activists demanded the movie be dropped from the Palestinian festival because its director film part of a previous movie in Israel, Correspondent

Ian Lee joins is now from Ramallah, explain if you will.

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, I am outside the cultural center and this displace would have been packed -- people waiting to go inside to

see The Insult but that decision was made yesterday not to air it.

And you know this was going to be a bit of a hero showing for Kamel El Basha who won the best actor at the Venice film festival but of course, he

is disappointed at the municipality's decision to ban the screening of this film. But it has raised, as you pointed out, questions of principle

censorship as well as safety.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEE: The Insult depicts a complex story of Palestinians living in Lebanon where a perceived slight leads to a courtroom drama.

KAMEL EL BASHA, FILM DIRECTOR, THE INSULT: I believe that it is the first novel character in the Arab cinema for the Palestinian.

LEE: Excitement built for the film screening but the curtain didn't rise, adding injury to Insult.

EL BASHA: The governor from Ramallah decided to stop the screening -- the movie. I don't get it. It is shameful for me.

LEE: The film face criticism for one reason, Lebanese Director Ziad Doueiri previously filmed in Tel Aviv. That's a redline for many

Palestinians even though his latest film starring El Basha was shot entirely in Lebanon.

BDS or Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions led the call for the movie to be postponed. The movement in its words, works to end international support

for Israel's oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with international law.

BDS admits El Basha's film doesn't fall under their guidelines were boycotting. It is the director that they are targeting for dealing in

Israel.

OMAR BARGHOUTI, CO-FOUNDER, BDS: Making something that's inherently abnormal like the reputation, like a master-slave relationship to appear

deceptively normal. And that is what this filmmaker is doing.

LEE: A group of Palestinians took their anger to social media, demanding the movie be band, some even posting death threats. Ramallah officials say

they were forced to cancel the screening for safety. The festivals director wanted to judge himself if El Basha deserve the international

accolades.

[11:40:00] HANNA ATALLAH, FILM FESTIVAL DIRECTOR (through a translator): Unfortunately, now there is censorship that is being born, whether through

religious or political or any other reasons we had it this year. It was never before. Every Palestinian citizen should have the right to watch a

film and decide whether it is good or not.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEE: So, Becky, they are not filming the -- other screening the film, so what are they going to do, well were told that there is going to be a

statement read out describing why they banned this movie. Also, there could be a protest against that decision.

ANDERSON: Ian, what's the consequence for Palestinian movies and the film industry where you are?

LEE: You know, this is brought up a big concern for anyone in the film industry, Becky, because they do look at this as a bit of censorship and

what is going to stop someone the next time that they find something that they don't like in a movie.

Are they going to ban that movie as well? And so there is a concern here that they will face further censorship. They could face it in the future

as something that they have been able to avoid.

But something that they look at their Arab neighbor neighbors, they see the censorship in those countries. They just do not want it here in the

Palestinian territories, Becky.

ANDERSON: Ian Lee on the story for you. Ian, thank you for that. We're live from Abu Dhabi, you are watching Connect the World. I'm Becky

Anderson. Coming up...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When did the North Koreans leave?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Maybe -- let me see, maybe two weeks or three weeks.

ANDERSON: North Korea's legal name, business allies. How Pyongyang is using Africa to further its nuclear ambitions. That's next.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Quarter to eight, you are with us on Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. We are out of Abu Dhabi for you in the UAE.

[11:45:00] For more than a decade, North Korea has been with sanctions over its march towards a nuclear missile. You will be well aware of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: But Pyongyang has found a steady source of income from at least a dozen African nations and now, Numibia has come under fire from by

passing those U.N. sanctions. CNN's David McKenzie with this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE: A quick drive away from its picturesque downtown, behind this high-walled warehouse, Namibia's sleepy capital holds a secret. When did

the North Koreans leave?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe -- let me say maybe two weeks or three weeks.

MCKENZIE: Two weeks ago, they left?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

MCKENZIE: And who was operating there, the North Koreans?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

MCKENZIE: Just weeks ago, the eyewitnesses, North Koreans living and working in this sprawling compound in clear violation of U.N. sanctions.

They grew their own food, move in and out with trucks, then they vanished. But the building's title deed still shows it's a headquarters of North

Korean State Company, Mansudae.

CNN's multiple attempts to reach Mansudae and North Korean authorities were unsuccessful. As sanctions have squeezed, the North Korean regime searched

globally for foreign cash to fund its elicit nuclear and missile program.

And across Africa, they found willing partners and historic allies. In Namibia's capital alone, the national museum and statue of founding

President (Inaudible) commemorating independence even the recently finished Presidential Palace, all built by the North Korean state in their trademark

totalitarian style. But the contracts aren't just artistic.

Outside the capital, it's just scrubland, you'd never know what you were looking for. Inside this Nimibian military base, U.N. investigators say

that there's a North Korean ammunitions factory. A violation of sanctions in place for nearly a decade and a sensitive topic for a major recipient of

American aid.

NETUMBO NANDI-NDAITWAH, NAMIBIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Starting last year, we have start sending them out.

MCKENZIE: The Deputy Prime Minister says their relationship is now over, that they have given regular reports to the U.N. investigation team.

NANDI-NDAITWAH: The activities that have been taking place in Namibia in which the Koreans have been involved could not really be considered to be

generating such a heavy amount of money to fuel the nuclear development in North Korea.

MCKENZIE: But the lead U.N. investigator disagrees. He says they haven't received those reports for more than a year. Is this money insignificant

for North Korea?

HUGH GRIFFITHS, COORDINATOR, U.N. PANEL OF EXPERTS: This money is highly significant. We're looking at least 14 African member states where

Mansudae alone was running quite large construction operations, building everything from ammunition factories to presidential palaces to apartment

blocks.

MCKENZIE: The panel is investigating scores of African countries for their contracts with North Korea's Mansudae and its military. Has Namibia been

cleared by the U.N. panel?

GRIFFITHS: No, it's not being cleared by the U.N. panel. It's not enough to say you've been exonerated by the U.N. for North Korean sanctions

violations because that's not true. The panel deals with hard facts with evidence, and this is what we've been asking for Namibia for many months

now.

MCKENZIE: In Namibia, the pressure seems to be having an effect. The North Korean building site of the new Defense Ministry has ground to a halt

for now. Its dealings with North Korea have become a thorny issue. David McKenzie, CNN, Windhoek, Namibia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Great report and there's any watching doing in TV of course but you can always follow the very latest on North Korea. Tensions on CNN.com

like this, Donald Trump keeps stepping up his harsh words for Pyongyang but just how realistic is the president's fiery rhetoric.

A look at why his talk of war with the country shouldn't be taken lively. That is on the digital side, CNN.com. Well were live in Abu Dhabi for you

tonight.

CNN's spectacular home in the Middle East and the soon to be home of the New Louvre, we're at the original museum over in Paris, this fine lady --

The Mona Lisa is sitting pretty now. It turns out unwrapping her secrets just takes a little undressing. We'll explain up next.

[11:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: All right, well it's the most famous, most visited, most talked about work of art in the world, the Mona Lisa has been seen in like no

other, analyzed by experts over decades, see what secrets it holds. But now, CNN's Jim Bittermann tells us another work of art could reveal a lot

more about the masterpiece and its subject.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At the Chateau de Chantilly outside Paris, when Mathieu Deldicque heads down to the basement library were tens

of thousands of drawings, books, paintings and other works of art are stored, something is missing.

Designed by Renaissance master Raphael is still there but several months ago, Deldicque purposely set away what is potentially one of the rarest

items of the collection.

A charcoal drawing that has been called the Nude Mona Lisa, a sketch that very much resembles, impose and inform Leonardo DaVinci's famous painting

of the wife of a foreign team cloth merchant.

MATHIEU DELDICQUE, CURATOR, MUSEE CONDE: Its posture and its position is the same. The position of the arms is very close to as a position, the

posture of Mona Lisa.

BITTERMANN: It was a wealthy French nobleman (Inaudible), who acquired the sketch along with the Chateau's huge Renaissance collection. Practically

ever since, there has always been the suspicion that the drawing was either DaVinci original, or perhaps done by one of his handful of students.

So with the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo coming up in 2019, Deldicque decided to send the drawing to another Chateau The Louvre or more

accurately, the National Research and Restoration Laboratory in the basement of the famous museum.

Here, Bruno Mottin began studying the fragile 500-year-old drawing to try to discover its origins. After infrared, ultraviolet, and a host of other

analytical techniques, Mottin determined for the paper and other indicators that the sketch is indeed from DaVinci's era and region of Italy.

But what intrigued him most was the thousands of tiny holes of the dry. Evidence of a Renaissance technique called prickling which was used to copy

of drawing to a painting.

With the curator laid out the holes on his computer, they came close to exactly matching to other paintings, one in Russia and one in a private

collection, which are known to at least come from DaVinci's workshop and perhaps where even done by DaVinci. A step further towards authenticating

the Nude Mona Lisa, but the mystery still remains.

BRUNO MOTTIN, CURATOR, NATIONAL RESEARCH AND RESTORATION LABORATORY: The main question is still is, who did this drawing? Is it Leonardo himself?

We have some questions that we are not able to also meet but remain fine elements which will help to order the conclusion.

BITTERMANN: Once the scientists are finished with the sketch, it will be brought back here in preparation for the big exhibition around the

anniversary of the death of DaVinci. And only then will they make known for full results of their studies about the possibility that it was drawn

at the hands of the great artist himself. Jim Bittermann, CNN, Chantilly, France.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, we hope the mystery behind the Mona Lisa gets results. My way on the topic of master pieces, check out the Facebook page bring you

exclusive interviews and analysis from the ground in Syria, in Kurdistan, Catalonia, Iraq, Paris, news after culture, entertainment, you name it.

[11:55:00] We're getting you the facts first. That is Facebook.com/cnnconnect. Well, an apple a day keeps the alternative facts

away.

I'm Becky Anderson, that was Connect the World, thanks for watching. I'm going to leave you with some stunning images that you'll only see here on

CNN of the Louvre Abu Dhabi soon to be shining new sparkling cultural gem. Have a look at these.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(THE LOUVRE ABU DHABI)

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END