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Pakistan's Supreme Court Rules Khan's Arrest was Illegal; Ukraine's Nuclear Chief Speaks ahead of Counteroffensive; U.S. Praises "Constructive" High-Level talks with China; CHP's Kilicdaroglu Backed by Alliance of Several Opposition Parties; Erdogan Faces Major Challenge from Kemal Kilicdaroglu; W.H.O.: MPOX No Longer a Global Health Emergency. Aired 11a- 12p ET
Aired May 11, 2023 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ELENI GIOKOS, CNNI HOST: Hello and welcome to "Connect the World". I'm Eleni Giokos. I am in for Becky Anderson. And coming up this hour, new
developments in the case of Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, he's been released to the custody of the Supreme Court. Khan was
dramatically arrested on Tuesday by paramilitary troops on charges of corruption and arrests the court has now deemed illegal.
Ukraine is getting new weapons multiple sources telling CNN that Britain has delivered the Storm Shadow cruise missiles it promised which can reach
deep into Russian held territory in Eastern Ukraine. These are the first longer range weapons to be provided to Kyiv.
It is a third day of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. Palestinian health officials say at least 26 people have been killed in Gaza since the strikes
began including women and children. The strikes have killed two high level Islamic Jihad commanders today. Israel says militants have fired more than
540 rockets towards Israel since the recent flare up in violence began.
The U.S. is bracing for tens of thousands of migrants to cross the Mexican border starting a few hours from now. That's when Title 42 of COVID era
public health refused to quickly expel migrants has now expired.
Right now we begin with new developments from Pakistan. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan has been released into the custody of Pakistan Supreme
Court earlier the country's top court ruled that his arrest on corruption charges was illegal.
But Khan won't be allowed to return to his residence in Islamabad due to security concerns. The order comes two days after Khan's arrest sparked
nationwide violence, which has left at least eight people dead. CNN's Producer Sophia Saifi is live for us from Islamabad, what is the latest?
SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: Eleni, it's been a very tumultuous 48 hours here in Pakistan. Imran Khan, like you just said has been released into the
custody of Supreme Court. He's been taken by his own personal security personnel to the police compound where he was already being kept. He's
going to be staying at a guesthouse there.
Overnight he's allowed 10 guests who can come and visit him even stay over into tomorrow. Tomorrow, he's been asked to appear before the lower court,
Islamabad high court for a fresh hearing. And we'll have more details on that as that happens into Friday.
Now, the Army has been called in to the country after the very violent protests that took place across Pakistan over the past two days. The Army
has been called in to make sure that the law and order situation is calm and secure by the federal government and by various provincial governments.
This does mean that there is a state of high security across the country. There weren't any protests across Pakistan today. There was some day early
in the morning but none after that. Pakistan is still ongoing with the Pakistani government has imposed an internet blackout in the country.
There's no way to really have any communication when you're out of your Wi- Fi zone. There isn't any data on mobiles. WhatsApp is down. Facebook is down. Twitter is down. YouTube, Instagram is sketchy. The Amnesty
International has come out and condemned this continual blackout of communication within the country.
There's still a complete state of unease. Pakistan needs stability. It's going through a severe economic crisis. Imran Khan is a very popular
politician. The military has had a strong hold across all institutions within this country.
And what we've seen over the past two days are striking images of protesters of Khan Supporters' coming out and actually attacking military
installments homes of military officers. The Pakistani military took out a statement last night in which they said that they will have zero tolerance
for any attack on military installations.
And Pakistan's Prime Minister has called Imran Khan Supporters terrorists. Pakistan's Information Minister just before Khan was brought into court
this afternoon, very explicitly said that the judges are favoring Imran Khan.
And she said that if Imran Khan is released, then the country will continue to burn. Now we're just going to have to wait to see how this plays out as
a sense of calm we're hoping it prevails, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Yes. Sofia Saifi, thank you so much, as you say very tumultuous last night 48 hours!
[11:05:00]
All right my next guest says it's unique that Khan has "Garnered significant public support from the urban middle class group that has not
traditionally been involved in challenging the military's role in politics. This has put increased pressure on the military establishment, which is
feeling the heat more this time".
And we're now joined by Baqir Sajjad Pakistan Fellow at the Wilson Center and Diplomatic National Security Correspondent for Dawn and he join us now
live via Skype from Washington, D.C. Sir, great to have you on. What do you make of the Supreme Court's decision to declare that the arrest of Imran
Khan was illegal?
BAQIR SAJJAD, PAKISTANI FELLOW, THE WILSON CENTER: The Supreme Court has declared Imran Khan's arrest illegal, but although he's technically a free
man, but he's still in sort of custody of the police, although it's on the protests of security.
But I see the Supreme Court decision as a step to lower the tensions in the country that have gone over the past three days. And tomorrow Imran Khan
will be taken I would say he wouldn't go to this -- High Court rather, he would be taken to Islamabad High Court which will determine whether he
remains in the custody or he's set free.
So this is an evolving situation. And we'll have to watch out. I think they events of the past three days have left a lot for everyone to reflect upon
the government, the military, and the political parties. This anger that we saw and was targeted at the military has been building up over decades now
I would say not just past year, although people were afraid of expressing themselves.
But what Imran Khan did over the past year or so was that he gave voice to those sentiments and broke those shackles of fear and people are now
expressing themselves. Beyond that the other problem that the -- why we see such intense and ferocious protests across the country is the economic pain
that the people have been suffering.
And they feel that the government has been very lackluster and very casual in dealing with the crisis and just in April, the prices of the commodities
increased by around 30--
GIOKOS: Manifesting on the ground and those economic pressures definitely manifesting on the ground. But I want to talk about the fact that the
Minister of Planning and Developments asserted today that the arrest was legal, echoing what we heard from the Justice Chief as well.
We also heard, you know from authority, saying that all supporters of Mr. Imran Khan are viewed as terrorists. And you're describing this sort of
tense environment, not only from the protesters, but in terms of what authorities are feeling about the people that have gone out on the streets
to protest as well. So what is the government's next move?
SAJJAD: I think the government is in a defined tone. It's not just defined on a regarding Iran's arrest or what the court is going to order. We have
seen them defy the Supreme Court's order about holding elections in Punjab in -- where the Provincial Assembly Elections are due.
They will continue with that. And as a colleague in Islamabad just said this that Marriyum Aurangzeb the Information Minister said that, you know,
these protests or disturbances could continue if you release Imran Khan. So that is the defiance that the government is showing.
I'm afraid that even if Imran Khan is released, the government will come up with procedural impediments to his release. They may book him in some other
case. They may arrest him in some other case. I don't see Imran Khan being released unless there is explicit order by the Supreme Court.
The government would not go to the extent of putting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's job at the stake, but they will try to defy it into the hills that
are what I see in Pakistan. The problem right now, yes just to clarify the situation for the international audience. Supreme Court was in sometime
back the arbiter you know, whenever they were crisis, people who turn to the Supreme Court.
But the recent politicization of the Supreme Court, whether it's by the government or the officials within the institution within the Supreme Court
have lowered its stature as an independent arbitrator.
GIOKOS: Yes. And that's really good to clarify on that just the independence of the justice system. What is of concern is we heard from our
reporter that the blackouts right? So cutting out of internet inability to communicate, in the hope, I guess, to stop people from organizing and
getting into the streets.
There seems to be sort of a wider issue that is playing out in tandem with what we've seen with the arrest of Imran Khan. What is the government's
next move in terms of trying to subdue the protest action is the Supreme Court overturning his arrest an important step?
[11:10:00]
SAJJAD: Yes, the Supreme Court declaring his arrest as illegal is an important step. And I think that should set the course of events over the
next few days. But as we have seen from the military's statement yesterday, they have declared those protesters terrorist instead of recognizing that
there's genuine resentment within the country.
Personally I see that the military and the government will continue on -- they will continue to crack down on the protesters. We have seen the top
leadership most of the top leadership of PTI we saw the Former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi arrested for what -- Information Minister --
he has been arrested, and several other leaders have been arrested. So the top leadership is almost in detention right now. And that crackdown would
continue for the time being those restrictions on the internet--
GIOKOS: Thank you so much sir. I have to end the interview. Thank you very much. We've run out of time. Baqir Sajjad for us there great to have you on
sir!
Well, the UK has delivered multiple Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine giving the country new long range strike capability. The British Defense
Secretary calls the donation Kyiv's best chance to defend them against Russia's continued brutality. It comes as Ukrainian forces prepare for a
long awaited counter offensive in the south and east.
And Ukraine's President has said his country needs a bit more time before launching that counter offensive though, as it awaits delivery of more
military aid from the west. When it does happen the Head of Ukraine's Nuclear Energy Agency says Ukrainian forces will have to go around the
Zaporizhzhia Power Plant to avoid damaging the facility.
CNN's Senior International Correspondent, Sam Kiley has had a chance to sit down one-on-one with Ukraine's Nuclear Chief and he joins us now live from
Kyiv. Great to have you on Sam! Look, I want to talk about these longer range missiles, how important these are for Ukraine's counter offensive.
And then the big question is they long range enough to get into Russia -- into Russia itself, not just Russian territory, that's I guess, has been
the big hesitation of supplying Kyiv with specific types of missiles?
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Eleni, this Stone Shadow is perfectly capable of striking within Russian territory. But we
haven't seen this officially. But no doubt the deal that has been struck with the United Kingdom is that they won't be used against targets inside
Russia that has been the deal in the past.
With much shorter range surface to surface missiles like the High Mars is indeed, one of the reasons you alluded to there as to why they haven't been
given longer range missiles. But this is a very important step change indeed, in terms of NATO nation supporting Ukrainian effort with its really
very top end most sophisticated cruise missile technology.
This is a strategic weapon. It's not a nuclear weapon, but it is a weapon that will be able to reach deep into Russian held territory inside Ukraine
and go after no doubt the logistics infrastructure that supports and underpins the Russian offensive effort.
And if they can be put to good use, they will be very, very useful indeed to the Ukrainians come the summer offensive or the summer offensive has
been much warranted. We are seeing signs and indeed the Head of Ukraine's Atomic Energy Industry is also saying that his people are seeing signs that
the Russians are getting very anxious even in the frontline nuclear power station that they control, at Zaporizhzhia, this are what he had to say to
me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETRO KOTIN, PRESIDENT OF ENERGOATOM: We're probably right now trying to be prepared for click getting out of the -- and also personnel -- I recently
made this is the real, or the very quick packing of everything and just getting into the cars get out of the plants, our people could witness a
decrease in this number. So for militaries, and--
KILEY: If you had to say the danger that the power station is in on a scale of 1 to 10, where would you put it?
KOTIN: They still have like nuclear workers, and technically this people understand the risks, but there are a lot of militaries and also like
thousands of military, who do not understand anything. So this will depend on how actually powerful this Rosatom engineer is not alone, this military
still do some things with this.
KILEY: So are you saying to government please do not have an offensive in this area, I mean, there is a responsibility that they have to preserve the
integrity, even if it is occupied by the Russians?
[11:15:00]
KOTIN: Ukrainian military means quite intelligent not to do that. And so it is even not needed. Because what you need is just to cut the connection
between the Zaporizhzhia Power Plant in Crimea.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KILEY: Now Eleni, the nuclear power station remains in Russian hands. It is safe at the moment but clearly, we've seen a lot of evacuation of Russian
officials, Russian -- Ukrainians, who've collaborated as officials working for the Russians also allegedly being bused out of the frontline village
areas.
And meanwhile, the Ukrainians have been enjoying for the last 48 hours a degree of success in the battle for Bakhmut that we haven't seen for some
time before. That none of this though, should be seen as part of Ukraine's summer offensive but really part of the ongoing steady state of violence
there is yet to be an offensive, but one has been much promised Eleni.
GIOKOS: All right, Sam Kiley, thank you! Still ahead on "Connect the World" an Islamic Jihad Commander and his Deputy killed in a third day of Israeli
airstrikes. What the Israeli military's Chief Spokesperson is saying about the prospects of a ceasefire?
Plus, U.S. and Chinese officials meet for constructive talks. We'll tell you about the highest level of engagement between the two countries since
January spy balloon incident. And we will take you live to the U.S./Mexico border where thousands of migrants are ready to cross in the hope the new
rules will make it easier to stay in the U.S.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Israel's Prime Minister says those he calls terrorists in Gaza cannot run and hide and that is military's campaign there is no over.
Civilians in Gaza say they can't sleep at night, fearing more aerial bombardments. A third day of airstrikes killed the Head of Islamic Jihad's
rocket units and within the past few hours his Deputy.
Health officials in Gaza say women and children are among them more than 20 others killed by Israeli strikes. Last hour on "Connect the World" the
Israeli Military's Chief Spokesperson talked about the prospects of a ceasefire and why he says it may be difficult to reach quickly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REAR ADMIRAL DANIEL HAGARI, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCE CHIEF SPOKESPERSON: I think a ceasefire is a welcome thing. Israel is a peaceful country. It has
peace agreements. The ceasefire is a great thing for us. This is what is the problem with the ceasefire is the number of the actors in the Gaza
Strip.
You have Hamas you have Islamic Jihad and like I told you Islamic Jihad inside the Gaza Strip is not the only one that makes the decision. The
problem is the ones that make the decisions live in hotels in Beirut and in Syria, and they give directions to the field. Keep on fighting, keep on
bleeding.
We want Gaza bleeding. We want the conflict with Israel, because it's good for Iran. Iran is a negative actor in the region. It is an aggressor. It
takes out tankers in the Gulf. It sends jarheads to Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[11:20:00]
GIOKOS: Well, Ben Wedeman is joining me now, this hour from Jerusalem. Tensions are certainly very high as we've seen casualties emerging over the
past few days, Ben, and then the question of potential ceasefire, whether that can be brokered, whether by the Egyptians, whether the U.S. gets
involved.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the ceasefire still doesn't seem to be anywhere near at this point. Now, the latest we
have is that this afternoon in the area of -- which is part of Gaza City, two of Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike that was followed just
a few minutes ago by a barrage of rockets out of Gaza, hitting the town of --to just about 20 kilometers south of Tel Aviv where there has been some
damage from what appears to be perhaps a rocket impact.
And there are initial reports of one person injured there. But certainly, in the absence of any sort of ceasefire, it seems like this violence is
going to continue. Now, at the moment, Israel is focusing exclusively on Islamic Jihad, Hamas, even though it is said that this is a so called joint
operation, the Israelis claimed that Hamas hasn't actually participated in any meaningful way.
So at least at the moment, it is focused on Islamic Jihad alone, even though we've seen civilians have been killed in the process of this Israeli
operation that began in the early hours of Tuesday morning, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Ben, in terms of what we're expected to see in the next few days, there are major concerns that things could escalate very quickly, what is
the sense you're getting? At the moment, this appears to be a somewhat contained conflict.
As I mentioned before, the focus is exclusively on Islamic Jihad, which was the same situation last summer when I was here for a similar around of
violence. Islamic Jihad was the target, Hamas was left out, as long as that is the case, the situation will be contained.
If that changes, however, then all bets are off. But what we're seeing, this is just, in a sense, deja vu all over again. You know, there have been
major blow ups between Israel and Gaza, back 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2021 and 2022.
And here we are, again, in the absence of a political solution and there is no movement on that front at all. This constant recurrence of these
outbreaks of violence seems to be the fate of this unhappy land for the years to come, Eleni.
GIOKOS: A very sad, never ending cycle as you've just described there. Ben Wedeman, thank you so very much. And many in the region will be remembering
Shireen Abu Akleh today, the veteran Palestinian American journalist was killed on the stage last year while covering an Israeli military raid in
the occupied West Bank.
Israel's defense forces has since admitted there is a high possibility, Akleh was shot and killed by what's it called accidental Israeli fire, but
it was said it will not pursue charges against any soldiers involved. So we're now teaching that U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan met
with a top Chinese official in Vienna earlier this week.
It's the highest level of engagement between the two countries since the spy balloon incident that happened last year or earlier this year. And the
White House says the talks were "Candid and constructive". Remember a Chinese balloon first crossed into U.S. airspace in January before passing
through to Canada.
It then hovered over Montana for a few days leading the U.S. to believe Beijing was trying to gather information on status of military sites in the
area. It was shut down by the U.S. off the east coast on February 4. Let's go to our U.S. Security Correspondent Kylie Atwood, good to have you one.
What more do we know about this meeting and the conversation?
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U,S, SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: ell, listen, as you said the White House readout calling this candid, constructive, and also substantive
in terms of the issues that they discuss saying that they discussed bilateral issues between the two countries also the Ukraine war and cross
strait issues, of course, that indicates that they discuss Taiwan.
But this is a really critical moment for this meeting between the president's national security adviser and this top official for the Chinese
ministry, because it comes as there has been this tense pressure on the relationship because you'll recall that earlier this year in February more
than three months ago now, Secretary of State Antony Blinken was supposed to be traveling to China, but he had to cancel that visit because there was
that Chinese spy balloon that was traversing over the United States.
[11:25:00]
Now, the Biden Administration said that they were just rescheduling the visit. But we still don't have a date on the calendar for when that visits
going to happen. And so it's significant that the national security adviser and Wang Yi were able to agree that they were going to keep open this
channel of dialogue between the two of them. That's according to the White House, of course, the White House reiterating time and time again that they
don't want the competition between the U.S. and China to veer into conflict.
So they really want to maintain open lines of communication. But after that Chinese spy balloon, at least at the top levels, it seems like
communication hasn't been as productive as repeated and regular as the Biden Administration would want because you have the Secretary of State who
hasn't made that trip over to China yet you also have the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Commerce, we're all talking about potential
visits to China that just aren't on the books yet.
So what we're really watching for is if those get scheduled after this significant meeting in Vienna, between these two top officials from both
sides.
GIOKOS: Kylie Atwood, thank you so much. Well, at the U.S. Mexico border everyone is watching the clock at midnight, that's around 13 hours from
now, Title 42 will expire. It is the pandemic era rule that allows the U.S. to quickly expel migrants due to the fear of COVID.
And the end of Title 42 is expected to bring a flood of people across the border hoping new rules will make it easier for them to be granted asylum.
CNN's Nick Valencia is at the border in Brownsville in Texas for us. What are you seeing?
NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Eleni, it's been very active on the streets of Brandes Ville here. And it has been since we got here just about
a week ago, things are picking up here. You could see behind me this is one of the immigration buses that bring individuals after the released on
humanitarian parole. Some of these individuals have been sleeping on the streets of Brownsville.
And in the case that you're looking at here, they're waiting on hope and news for their loved ones. Some of them had been separated after they
crossed the border. That's why you see a handful of mostly Venezuelan migrant men hoping that those that come off the bus are among their wives
and children.
You know, there have been really sing about 800 to 1000 migrants per day to --team Brownsville, which is right across the street. It's a really well-
oiled machine here. The migrants are dropped off here into the care of the city, they're processed, and then they're processed or brought right over
to this non-profit organization that helps them with basic goods basic needs.
I was talking to the mayor last night; I was in touch with the mayor's office. And they told me they're as prepared as they can be for the end of
Title 42. They reminded me that they've been on the front lines of this immigration issue for decades. And they say it's not clear yet whether or
not Title 42, although it's expected to bring a lot of people it's not clear if that will happen.
And it's interesting because when I when I talk to team Brownsville here, they seem to think that they're already in the middle of it and have been
for the last two weeks, they're not certain that they're going to see the increase that everyone has been talking about. And they're sort of
downplaying it much like we're hearing from the border patrol chief.
The city of Brownsville has declared a state of emergency to free up resources to try to make sure that they have enough money for shelter space
for these migrants as I mentioned just panning around here. There's so many on the streets here of Brownsville because they really don't have any place
to go. Some of them do have enough money to get on to their next destination.
So the bus station is right across the street. They get on Greyhound and they go on to places like Chicago or San Antonio, but the city is also
going to help them out get to those places. And I was talking to the spokesman of the city of Brownsville and he says that they're coordinating
with airlines and buses to buy tickets for these migrants to get them to places that they need to go.
The big question is right now is they have a plan in place here in the city of Brownsville. But will that plan be effective once Title 42 ends, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Nick Valencia, thank you so much. Well support is building behind the main opposition candidates in Sunday's Turkish elections. We look at
the main challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and speak to his foreign policy advisor, that's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
GIOKOS: Welcome back to "Connect the World" with me Eleni Giokos, I'm in for Becky Anderson and your headlines this hour. The Head of Islamic
Jihad's rocket units and his deputy have been killed in a third day of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.
Palestinian health officials say the death toll has risen to 28 people killed in Gaza since the strikes began including women and children.
Israel's military says Islamic Jihad has fired more than 540 rockets towards Israel, with a few of them hitting populated areas.
More sudden and dramatic changes in Pakistan for Imran Khan, the country's Supreme Court says is the rest this week was illegal. The former prime
minister has been moved into the custody of Pakistan's top court, but won't be allowed to return to his residence in Islamabad because of security
concerns.
The U.S. is worried that tens of thousands of people are preparing to cross the Mexican border once a major change takes effect for how the U.S.
handles migrants. The expiration of Title 42 in about 12 hours could make it easier for migrants to apply for asylum in the U.S.
Now Turkey's President and former Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan are set for what could be the toughest election fight of his career this
weekend. Support is building behind his main opponents. Kemal Kilicdaroglu and --today another candidate Muharrem Ince was pulled out ahead of
Sunday's vote.
Now potentially boosting the odds for Mr. Erdogan's chief rival, Jomana Karadsheh has a look at what this man could be bringing and of course
whether he'll become Turkey's next president.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The CEO of supporters rallying around their leader and never has Recep Tayyip Erdogan needed the
more. It's a razor thin race, the toughest he's ever faced. And this is the man who may end Erdogan's 20 year grip on power. Kemal Kilicdaroglu often
addressing people in these videos from his modest kitchen, the soft spoken calm former civil servant is everything Erdogan isn't.
ASLI AYDINTASBAS, VISITING FELLOW, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: I can't imagine two men who would be as opposed as different as these two. The campaigns
are different too, Erdogan is promising to make Turkey great again and really rolling out these you know, big weapon systems, Turkey's homegrown
defense industry and all of that. And Kemal Kilicdaroglu is pledging to be a uniter and will the real focus on diversity.
KARADSHEH (voice over): Kilicdaroglu's CHP is Turkey's main opposition party. It's never won a presidential election against Erdogan, but this
time, he's the candidate of the united opposition, a diverse Six Party coalition of secularists, conservatives, defectors from the ruling AK Party
and nationalist backed by Kurds.
ZIYA MERAL, SENIOR ASSOCIATE FELLOW, RUSI: This is an exceptional moment where finally we have a Turkish opposition that is able to move beyond the
limitations of identity politics, which always works to the benefit of President Erdogan, because he could count on the largest block awards in
the Turkish culture war sensitivities. And now they're fragmenting it with a much more inclusive agenda and a vision for the future.
[11:35:00]
KARADSHEH (voice over): With campaign videos promising, "Spring will come again" Kilicdaroglu and his coalition are promising to reverse years of one
man rule with a return to a parliamentary system. From a presidential won, they say eroded freedoms, hollowed out government institutions and plunge
Turkey into deep economic trouble.
KARADSHEH (on camera): For many this goes beyond campaign promises. It's about moving away from divisive rhetoric. It's about softening positions
and a call for unity in this bitterly polarized country.
KARADSHEH (voice over): The 74 year old stung Turks with this video that's been viewed more than 100 million times. It call for setting differences
aside, and for the first time speaking openly about his Alevi identity, and long persecuted minority sect.
KEMAL KILICDAROGLU, TURKISH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We will no longer talk about identities, we will talk about achievements, we will no longer talk
about divisions in differences. We will speak of our commonality and our common dreams. Will you join this campaign for this change?
AYDINTASBAS: He's not asking Turks to pick him as the leader. He's asking Turkish citizens to pick a team that will lead Turkey in to democracy and
economic transition. I think there is an overwhelming desire for change in society that you can see with young people, women. What we don't know is
whether they think this is the time and Kilicdaroglu is the guy.
KARADSHEH (voice over): And on Sunday, Turks will decide if they're ready for change, if they're ready to end the era of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Jomana
Karadsheh, CNN, Adana, Turkey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: A CHP candidate in Istanbul delivered this speech about the party's foreign policy it reads, in particular, the fate of the Syrian refugees
concerns us all being conscious of this fact. We will refuse to act as a repot or as a refugee dumping lot for the European Union; we will
renegotiate our irregular migration deal with the EU pending on our full membership targets.
And we will reopen our embassy in Damascus. We will start consultations with all Syrian interlocutors and that includes all stakeholders through
proper and direct channels. We trust that these steps will guarantee the safe return of Syrian refugees in Turkey within two years. New leadership
in Ankara could have major ramifications for regional and world politics.
For a look at Kemal Kilicdaroglu's foreign policy, I'm joined now by one of his top advisors Unal Cevikoz. Thank you, sir, for joining us. Great to
have you on! So look, bristling three days before, I guess what is one of the tightest presidential votes in years? And one of the four candidates in
-- has now pulled out of the race, the name will still appear on the ballot paper.
People outside of the country have already voted. I'm wondering whether this is going to be significant in terms of what it means for elections. I
mean, these voters are going to have to move somewhere. And I wonder if you believe you'll be absorbing some of those numbers.
UNAL CEVIKOZ, CHIEF FOREIGN POLICY ADVISER TO KEMAL KILICDAROGLU: I believe so and this simply because -- Jay was the CHP candidate for the
presidential elections five years ago. And that's the reason why he's actually someone from us. And this time, he chose to become a candidate
independently from his party.
But now that he has withdrawn, I presume, considerable amount of the votes, which will be going to him in Turkey, which will be cast on the 14th of May
will come to the CHP.
GIOKOS: Look, it's really fascinating to see what your objectives are, what you hope to do, and you want to focus on internal issues and then on
foreign policy. What are your priorities right now? Is the economy at the center of it all because another thing that you've been talking about is
including reinstating for the foreign ministry, democratization, and so forth? What is that top item on the agenda?
CEVIKOZ: The top item, the top item is obviously economy, because this is the main complaint of the people. And that's the reason why they will be
considering economy as primary issue when they're going to cast their votes, because the inflation is very high. And there's a very high amount
of unemployment in the country.
And particularly the young people who go to the university do not see any prospect after their graduation. And that's the reason why the economy is
the primary focus that the nation alliance is trying to get on. And that's the reason why economists will be of course, a very important agenda item
for the voting. But it is also true that foreign policy has to be reshaped.
[11:40:00]
And in that the foreign ministry has to take a new position. That's the reason why we have always been emphasizing that the foreign policy should
be institutionalized, because what we are currently experiencing is not an institutional foreign policy conduct. The foreign ministry, unfortunately,
is very much sidelined. And all the foreign policy decisions are taken by the president or by people who are close to him in the Presidential
Apparatus.
GIOKOS: So reviving EU membership, and that's going to be really important. We know there's been major pushback over the last few years. We've also
seen what the one of the priority items is to figure out the refugee situation where Turkey has been feeling that it's the dumping ground for
the European Union.
You've been talking about ways to help get Syrian refugees back into Syria now that Syria has been accepted back into the Arab League. I mean, there
are so many changes on that front. Is membership in the EU one of those vital issues that you want to focus on from the get go?
CEVIKOZ: Well, first of all, of course, I have to underline the fact that membership in the EU has always been a primary target for Turkey since
1963. And that is still on the agenda of the next government. The issue here is we have to resume the accession talks. And what is important is the
process itself, because we know that Turkey has already a democratic deficit.
And for several years now, Turkey has been criticized because of this democratic deficit. And that's the reason why the primary focus of the next
government will be the re-establishment and re-institution of the rule of law, separation of powers. And we are also aiming to transform the existing
regime, which is the presidential system into a strengthened parliamentary system.
Now all these of course, domestic developments will simply change the perception about Turkey in the European Union. And we believe that this
will also allow us to look at the Turkish membership bit and the Turkish accession talks again, favorably from the Brussels point of view that is
the reason why we will certainly focus on that.
And as far as the migration issue is concerned, I have the impression that we will probably review the existing agreement between Turkey and European
Union, because it is a problem, which is bothering both sides, not only Turkey, but also the European Union.
And if the European Union is going to develop a common migration policy, I think it has to be coordinated with Turkey, because Turkey is not only a
destination country, but also a transit country. And that's the reason why we have to work together to find the solution to the migration problem
around our neighborhood.
GIOKOS: So six parties have united behind Kilicdaroglu. And I wonder what the sticking points are. Because that we have seen some things that you
don't completely agree with. But you understand the importance of unity here in turn, in terms of even having a chance in winning this election.
What are the major concerns that you don't agree on? Because having unity in order to govern effectively is going to be vital if you do one.
CEVIKOZ: It is important to underline here that the six parties which are forming the nation alliance come from different ideological backgrounds.
But there is one issue which is uniting them all. It is the democratization of the country, because in the last 20 years, a growing authoritarianism
has been the main problem in the politics in Turkey.
And the confrontation between those forces who are favoring democracy against those forces who are actually favoring authoritarian regime is the
main paradigm in Turkey. And all these parties of the six, the six parties of the National Alliance got together because they want to turn the
existing system into a parliamentary system which will bring back democracy and which will bring all kinds of fundamental rights and freedoms
including, of course, the freedom of the media, freedom of expression, that is what is uniting us.
Of course, individual political parties may have differences of opinion on many issues. But this is not a problem at the moment, because what is
important here is to get the country back on track as far as democratization is concerned.
GIOKOS: Sir, thank you very much for your time, great to have you on the show. Much appreciate it. Well, for more on Turkey's elections and what
they mean for the region, please check out on Meanwhile in the Middle East newsletter. And you can find it by scanning this QR code or by going to
cnn.com/Mid East newsletter. More details there.
[11:45:00]
Well one quick programming notes, be sure to watch CNN special live coverage of the 2023 Turkey elections hosted by Becky Anderson as voters
head to the polls to choose a new president and parliament. Find out what's at stake and what the election means to Turkey's future. That's the Sunday
7 p.m. in London, 9 p.m. in Istanbul right here on CNN.
And coming up, we visit the majestic Great Bear Rainforest where indigenous communities are winning the fight to protect their territories natural
splendor, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: For thousands of years indigenous peoples have been intimately involved in caring for the ecosystems. They live in and depend on relying
on generations of accumulated knowledge to sustainably manage their territories. Today, on Call to Earth, we're headed to a majestic place in
the middle of Canada's west coast with the power of native sustainability and know how is on full display.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Behold, the Great Bear Rainforest stretching for 250 miles of beautiful solitude along the coast of British
Columbia, as part of the largest intact coastal temperate rainforest in the world, it is a wilderness the size of Ireland, and home to one of the most
extraordinary creatures on the planet.
DOUGLAS NEASLOSS, CHIEF COUNCILOR, KITASOO/XAI'XAI'S FIRST NATION: The spirit bear is something that's really unique. When you get up here, white
bear coming out of a dark green forest, it just looks really magical. And so we want to protect not.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Spirit bears are actually a subspecies of black bear that due to a double recessive gene aren't black at all. But
this rare species is just one piece of a vital wilderness.
NEASLOSS: The Great Bear Rainforest is extremely special. I mean, I think it's probably one of the most bio diverse places on the planet, you still
get wild things like bears and wolves and abundance of salmon and a bunch of different sea life. You still have old growth forests, and so we want to
keep it like that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): In the heart of this remote expanse is the town of Klemtu, home to a community of the Kitasoo Xai'xais First Nation
have lived and thrived in this region for thousands of years.
NEASLOSS: This river is right close to the community. We get three species of salmon that come up this river, and this is their spawning ground.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): According to a recent report published by the Kitasoo Xai'xais this rich ecosystem suffer from 100 years of
unsustainable extraction, fish, wildlife and forests from outside interests.
NEASLOSS: So now we're just getting ready to enter Kitasoo Bay and that's the area of probably the most important area.
[11:50:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): In June of 2022, they announced the creation of a marine protected area to preserve the herring stocks that are
so vital to both wildlife and the community.
NEASLOSS: Kitasoo Bay was declared by the military chiefs as supported by the community and it was lost. So the rest of the world knows about it.
We've engaged provincial governments, federal governments, we've engaged stakeholders, letting everyone know that it's closed, we've left the
document open to collaborate it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): But the push to reverse a century's worth of degradation actually started more than two decades ago. In 2000, they
released their own land and resource protection and management plan aimed at building an economy based on conservation and non-extractive activities,
like eco-tourism.
NEASLOSS: I think indigenous knowledge is super important. And I think it needs to be integrated whether it's wildlife management, fisheries
management, ocean management. You know, I think right now we are in a new era of collaboration. We're in this era of reconciliation, then how do you,
how do we work together? How do indigenous people and non-Indigenous people work together?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Neighboring First Nations first came together in 2012, to issue a ban on trophy hunting of bears. And five years
later, thanks to indigenous led research and analysis, the British Columbian government banned the hunting of grizzly bears across the entire
province.
NEASLOSS: And that was huge, but we knew we weren't quite finished yet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): In July of 2022, just a month after the marine protected area was announced, the government agreed to put a stop to
Black Bear hunting as well. And First Nation leaders say they've now managed to protect half of their territory.
NEASLOSS: We've been working with different levels of government, different levels of stakeholders; there's been a lot of negotiation, a lot of
debates, a lot of science, a lot of collaboration. And I would say that 2022 is probably the first time that we're able to see some significant
progress on some of these files.
We have a belief that if you take care of the land, the land will take care of you. And so that's ingrained in all of our work here. It doesn't matter
if it's a stewardship, if its tourism, if it's an economic development, we want to make sure that we're looking at long term sustainable industries.
And we want to make sure that we have a place that the world can enjoy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Well, let us know what you are doing to answer the call with the #Call to Earth. "Connect the world" will be right back right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Welcome back. The prime suspect in the disappearance of American student, Natalee Holloway in Aruba 18 years ago is heading to the U.S. to
face charges. Peru has agreed to temporarily extradite Joran van der Sloot to Alabama where prosecutors want to try him for extortion and wire fraud.
Van der Sloot has been serving 28 years in a Peruvian prison for murdering the young student he met in a casino in 2010. Holloway's parents say the
extradition means they will finally get justice for Natalee. The MPOX outbreak previously known as monkey pox is no longer a global health
emergency. That's according to the World Health Organization.
Last July, the W.H.O. called the outbreak an extraordinary event of international concern. But after meeting this week, and MPOX committee
says, global cases have been declining for months especially after vaccine became more widely available.
[11:55:00]
Emirates group has reported its most profitable year ever. The group which includes Dubai's flagship airline Emirates posted $3 billion in profits.
That's compared to a loss of 1 billion last year. It comes after a strong return in travel demand and an expansion of the group's airline operations.
Police in Malaysia say listen to this, two boys ages six and three crashed their parents car when they took it out for a late night shopping trip on
Wednesday to buy a toy car. The brothers attracted some attention once they hit the road from people who apparently thought a drunk driver was behind
the wheel.
Police say it was the six year old boy driving and made it about two and a half kilometers before they lost control and crashed, so happy no one was
injured. Police are investigating but an absolutely crazy story. Right, more up next, we have "One World" coming up. Thanks so much for joining us.
I'm Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:00]
END
