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IDF Spokesperson Demands Hamas Return Shiri Bibas' Remains; U.S. Official: Trump is "Very Frustrated" with Zelenskyy; U.S. Deports Venezuelan Migrants from Guantanamo Bay; Senegal-Mauritania Project to Ship First LNG Cargo in Q1; Canadians Receive Big Welcome from American Town. Aired 9-9:45

Aired February 21, 2025 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: This is the IDF Spokesperson Hagari, speaking right now. Meanwhile fragile ceasefire still holding

between Israel and Hamas, despite major setbacks. We will monitor this and bring you any lines that come through. It is 04:00 p.m. in Tel Aviv, it is

06:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Eleni Giokos. This is "Connect the World".

Also coming up, Israel says Shiri Bibas is not among the remains released by Hamas. Prime Minister Netanyahu, vowing retaliation, saying Hamas will

pay the full price. Russia unleashes a fresh aerial assault, launching an overnight barrage of Ukrainian cities, this while Zelenskyy scrambles to

retain U.S. support. And Germany heads four elections under a cloud of political division and outsider interference.

Well, let's check in on the stock market in New York. It will open in around 30 minutes from now. A little bit of a bumpy ride this week,

particularly yesterday, we saw the markets under pressure right now. As you can see, it is a mixed picture right now. All right. I take you to Hagari

speaking right now in Tel Aviv. Let's take a listen the IDF Spokesperson.

DANIEL HAGARI, IDF SPOKESPERSON: This is a further evidence of Hamas barbaric cruelty. On Thursday evening, we confirmed that one of the

deceased hostages returned was 83-years-old, Oded Lifshitz. Oded was taken hostage alive, together with his wife, Yocheved, by the Islamic Jihad

terrorist organization on October 7th, 2023 from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz.

The forensic examination confirmed that Oded was also murdered in captivity in November 2023. The abduction and murder in captivity of Oded, Ariel and

Baby Kfir all innocent civilians are crimes against humanity. The whole world must condemn these barbaric acts of terror.

We demand that Hamas release Shiri in accordance with the agreement. Today, our hearts go out to Bibas, Kfir and Ariel's father and Shiri's husband,

who was abducted separately from his wife and children on October 7th and returned home after 484 days in captivity in Gaza earlier this month.

We will do everything we can to bring Shiri home and all of the 69 other hostages still being held in horrific and brutal conditions by Hamas in

Gaza, our mission is not over until every single hostage comes home.

GIOKOS: All right, as you can see there, Daniel Hagari IDF Spokesperson, and of course, giving an update on the IDF stance here, saying that the IDF

will not rest until they bring all the remaining 69 hostages back that are currently in Gaza, and also condemning the fact that Shiri Bibas was not

returned.

We've got Nic Robertson is in Jerusalem for us to give us an update. Nic, really important here Shiri Bibas, her remains not returned to Israel.

Hamas is currently, for their part, saying that there are investigating what happened. They're saying her body that was found under the rubble was

basically mixed up with someone else. Give us an update here on the significance of what we've just heard from Hagari?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, I think what was significant about Daniel Hagari, because we'd heard all these points from

the IDF over the past 12 hours or so since this discovery was first announced. I think what was significant here was that he was speaking in

English, so he's speaking to an international audience.

He'd previously spoken in Hebrew, speaking to an international audience, and he called for the whole world must condemn this, the murder, he said,

of Oded Lifshitz of Ariel and Kfir Bibas that the whole world must condemn that.

Now you know, this is an absolute point of contention. Hamas said that it was IDF bombardment that killed the Bibas family, including Shiri. Here,

the Israeli authorities, their forensic pathologist team, their experts in this field, have had a chance to examine the bodies, and they are saying,

hold on. Hamas account doesn't stand up.

[09:05:00]

We are saying this is the IDF saying categorically that they were murdered. So, this really establishes a huge point of contention over these remains

that have been returned, and it will again heighten tensions are over and around the return of other remains. There were the remains of four hostages

expected, and Hamas had indicated that they would return those next weeks some time.

The Prime Minister of Israel has called, has called out Hamas on this, and has said, double down, if you will, on what the IDF has been saying that

absolutely Hamas must hand back the body of Shiri Bibas. This is how the prime minister framed it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: In an unimaginable, cynical move they didn't return Shiri by her little children, the little angels,

and put the body of a Gazan woman inside the casket. We will operate determinedly to bring Shiri home along with our hostages, both the living

and the dead, and ensure that Hamas pays the full price for this cruel and vicious violation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Interestingly, what the aunt of Kfir and Ariel Bibas is saying is essentially not revenge, but making sure that all the hostages living

and dead are all returned. There is a big strain between the Bibas family, the community they live in, Nir Oz, and the government, because the Nir Oz

community, the Bibas family, all feel incredibly down by the government on October 7th that no troops arrived there to save them and their Kibbutz.

Hamas and others had left by the time the IDF arrived. So, this is a community that saw more than one quarter of its population murdered or

taken or taken hostage by Hamas, and they are now saying not revenge to the government. We want to make sure you prioritize getting the hostages back.

But absolutely this injects the fact that Shiri Bibas' body hasn't been returned, the fact that there's this accusation now that it's Hamas that

murdered Ariel and Kfir, that this is going to introduce significant tensions into the forward workings of more hostages potentially to be

released.

GIOKOS: Yeah. So, Nic -- you know this has just come across our desk that the Red Cross is saying that it's concerned and unsatisfied with the

release operations in the ceasefire, and basically speaking to what we saw with the release of the remains of the deceased. And tragically, as you've

pointed out, on Sheri Bibas.

And then, importantly, we also, when we see Palestinian prisoners being released, and they're detailing abuse that they experienced under Israeli

detention, this ceasefire is very fragile. What's your sense right now in terms of what you're hearing on the ground, whether this has legs, whether

it has legs to hold?

ROBERTSON: It's going to run into a very difficult scenario on March 2nd. Phase 1 was 42 days. 16 days into that period, phase 2 negotiations were

supposed to be begun. Discussed about what Phase 2 would be. Phase 2 envisaged a complete end to fighting a cease permanent ceasefire and all

the other living hostages released.

Now Israel's Foreign Minister, earlier this week, said that by the end of this week, Israel would enter into phase 2. Officials are telling CNN that

actually, Israel is focusing on continuing and lengthening phase 1 to get all the living hostages back. Hamas and the Israeli government are at a

variance. They are running out of time to get to phase 2 talks.

It seems very difficult, given all the pressures that there are members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government that want the war to

continue in Gaza that don't want to go to phase 2, at least in terms of a ceasefire. Hamas is positioned that they are not going to leave Gaza, and

that's something that the prime minister has said repeatedly and backed by U.S. officials, including President Trump, that Hamas must be defeated

militarily and politically, not part of the new equation going forward in Gaza.

There are so many factors that mitigate against getting deep into phase 2 discussions and therefore getting all the hostage's home. However, perhaps

three or four months ago, it was hard to imagine that Israel and Hamas would get to this point, however, phase 2 was always going to be much

harder, and indeed, the deal was sequenced in these phases.

[09:10:00]

So, at least some hostages could get released and there would be some ceasefire. Hamas officials in Gaza are saying that Israel has put in place

more than 300 ceasefire violations over the past four weeks. That's something that Israel rejects, that also gives you a sense of the tensions.

GIOKOS: Absolutely, Nic. Nic Robertson for us in Jerusalem thank you so much. We're also monitoring a meeting between Arab Leaders happening right

now in Saudi Arabia, and this is on the reconstruction plan. We'll bring you an update on that when we hear more news.

Now I'd like to move to Ukraine, where there was a new barrage of Russian strikes overnight. Ukraine's Air Force says Moscow launched more than 160

drones and missiles across the country at targets including the capital Kyiv.

Donald Trump's Russia, Ukraine Envoy has been in that very city for a third day, he called the talks with Ukraine's President long and intense, and had

words of praise for Volodymyr Zelenskyy after their discussions on Thursday. Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the talks quote restored hope.

That's a departure from the fiery war of words between Mr. Zelenskyy and President Trump. This week, CNN spoke with a Former Russian Deputy Energy

Minister, who said the recent concessions given by the Trump Administration to Moscow were shocking, even by the Kremlin standards.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR MILOV, FORMER RUSSIAN DEPUTY ENERGY MINISTER: I see that everybody in Moscow is totally astonished by now that they were given all the

concessions they wanted, even before the negotiation started. This is a shocking result, even by Vladimir Putin standards, and you see Moscow

demands accelerating in the past few days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: All right, I want to bring in Chief International Security Correspondent, Nick Paton Walsh, who's currently in Kyiv. And of course,

the talks are ongoing between the U.S. Envoy and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, importantly, but just listening to the side the Russian perspective,

talking about concessions, even shocking for the Kremlin, this is pretty fascinating in terms of where the U.S. stands.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, look, I mean, we've seen, as you've seen, over the past two weeks, marked

development in how far the United States is willing to go to appease Russia, to get them to the negotiating table, to rehabilitate their image

in the eyes of the American people.

And that has clearly come at a cost of Ukraine, but also been overshadowed by the intense personal acrimony I think we've seen in the last 48 hours

between President Trump and President Zelenskyy. That tweet you referred to is interesting from the Ukraine Envoy Keith Kellogg. Here, he's had a --

fair to say, look, it's a rocky trip. He came here.

I think it's fair to say I saw him get off the train full of confidence, hope that they could get the relationship back on track, saying he was here

to listen, and then that spat between Zelenskyy and Trump caught the room on fire, basically where the talks are supposed to happen.

His posting actually repeats a word from Zelenskyy about the talks being intense, a long, intense day. And then, as you say, he goes on to be

complimentary towards Zelenskyy, calling him battled and courageous, and referring to his talented national security team, a marked departure from

the litany, frankly of insults, mostly false from President Trump that we've been hearing over the past three days, calling Zelenskyy a dictator.

Now we understand from a Ukrainian official that negotiations are ongoing around the rare earth minerals and resources deal that seems to be at the

heart now of the U.S. Ukraine relationship. That official says that there have been multiple drafts of the deal. There is a sense of urgency. I think

that's clear from hearing National Security Adviser Mike Waltz saying how they need to sign this deal.

It seems to be that a lot, frankly, rests upon whether this deal, which is aimed to reimburse the United States for aid already given, is indeed

signed, and that official saying that, in fact that Ukraine has asked for security elements to be added back in. Zelenskyy has referred to security

guarantees when he's discussed it.

So, there's obviously a lot of discussion and negotiation about what contains is contained in that document. But it does appear to be something

which, if U.S. and Ukraine don't get to a swift agreement on may potentially stall, if not entirely de rail their relationship.

So, a very tense three days here for General Kellogg. He is, I think, expected to leave at some point later, today or tomorrow, but this meeting

was the first time really, the Trump Administration was going to get to sit down through its Envoy, Keith Kellogg, with Ukraine officials and hammer

out notions of a peace plan.

And I think it's bad to say that the talks have certainly outside of that room, revolved around how fast Ukraine will get to signing the rare Earth

deal. We don't know the exact details of what was discussed, and indeed, a thought that maybe they might address the press after their meeting

yesterday was dispelled by apparently the American side asking for no press availability.

[09:15:00]

Kellogg has not really said much since he's been here. He's not really been seen much by the media, apart from while he arrived at the railway station,

probably understandable, given the extraordinary spat between his boss and the man he was here to visit, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but it shows you the

sensitivity of that U.S. Ukraine relationship, which for years, for years, had been the bedrock of how Ukraine was able to resist Russia. Now we hear

the U.S. President often sounding like he's repeating things the Kremlin normally saying.

GIOKOS: Indeed. Nick Paton Walsh, great to have you on thank you so much for your insights. I want to take a closer look at the U.S. perspective on

all of this. We've got CNN's Alayna Treene, who's at the White House for us. Alayna officials are saying the U.S. is not opposed to calling the war

a Russian aggression in an upcoming join G7 statement to mark the war's third anniversary.

How considerable has the golf been between the U.S. and its allies? And how has that changed? I mean, it's really interesting to see. And as Nick Paton

Walsh was talking about, the rhetoric out of the United States, completely different approach to what we saw before.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Oh, absolutely. It's stunning. And just to mention what you're saying about that UN agreement or statement

that they'd be sending, I'd note that last year in 2024 the agreement with the UN did have the words Russian aggression in it. So, this is very

different, and that was on the behalf of the White House, asking that they do not use that.

Look, I mean the gulf right now between where the White House and President Trump's rhetoric is and that of the United States European allies is

massive. It's very huge, and it's notable as well to note that it all comes as we know that French President Emmanuel Macron is coming to the White

House to meet with Donald Trump on Monday, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is going to be at the White House to meet with the President on

Thursday.

So, a lot of questions about, OK, where do these allies go from here? Because the rhetoric that the president is using, like you said, Eleni,

like Nick laid out, is so different. It's really stunning to see the change from where the Biden Administration was on this to where we are hearing the

president on this.

Now it's been very clear as well when you listen to what many of Donald Trump's aides and top advisers, people like National Security Adviser

Michael Waltz, where they are on all this as well. I mean, they have been pushed repeatedly by reporters. We saw Waltz do this yesterday in a White

House briefing about what is the actual position of the president.

Does he believe that Russia, or excuse me, that Ukraine actually started this war? A lot of what we've heard from Waltz and others has been side

stepping that question and not trying to say what the United States has said for many years now, ever since this war began, which is that Russia

illegally invaded Ukraine.

Now, of course, I think a key part of this is again, how these negotiations in Ukraine are going right now, between General Keith Kellogg, on behalf of

the United States, and President Zelenskyy? We have heard that those have been encouraging talks that they want to get back, as Nick said, kind of on

a better track, after what we've seen this week with the President calling Zelenskyy a dictator and using other rhetoric really falsely and

misleading, arguing that, you know, again, Ukraine perhaps started the war.

I mean, the question, of course, is, where does all this come into play? And how they're trying to move forward with these negotiations and really

finding an off ramp to the war? Because, as has been clear, and this was stated by Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, as well, all parties in this

need to have a seat at the table.

There's going to have to be concessions on all sides, but this cannot be a negotiation that is only happening with Russia. That has been made clear,

particularly by, again, European allies who are meeting with Donald Trump next week, Eleni.

GIOKOS: All right. Alayna Treene, thank you so much. All right. Still to come, German voters are set to elect a new parliament in Sunday's high

stakes snap election. Will Chancellor Olaf Scholz be able to hold on to power? Will bring you that story right after this. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:20:00]

GIOKOS: The world is watching as Germans head to the polls on Sunday to choose a new Parliament in what's being called a very high stakes election,

the results will likely shape a new direction for their country, possibly Europe, in the years to come. Germany's snap election was triggered by the

collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-way ruling coalition government. CNN's Sebastian Shukla is following the election from Berlin for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN FIELD PRODUCER (voice-over): One of the final stops for Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democrats, as he zeros in on the German

chancellorship. The predicted winner of Sunday's election will follow the historic trend of German politics coming from one of the major parties.

FRIEDRICH MERZ, CDU OF CHANCELLOR CANDIDATE: We are witnessing an almost tectonic shift in the world's political and economic centers of power.

SHUKLA (voice-over): But the projected success of the far-right Alternative for Germany, the AFD, coming in second behind Merz is new, as have been

their super power endorsements. Elon Musk, the world's richest man, appeared as a floating head to address the AFD in January with some

grandiose words.

ELON MUSK, OWNER OF X AND TESLA: This election is so important, it's extremely important. I do not say it lightly when I think the future of

civilization could hang on this election.

SHUKLA (voice-over): And last week, U.S. Vice President JD Vance rebuked Germany in its own backyard at the Munich Security Conference.

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: What no democracy, American, German or European will survive is telling millions of

voters that their thoughts and concerns, their aspirations, their pleas for relief, are invalid.

SHUKLA (voice-over): Hours later, he met with AFD Co-Leader, Alice Weidel. Olaf Scholz, the chancellor had previously criticized Musk and also had

some choice words for Vance.

OLAF SCHOLZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR: We will not accept it as outsiders intervene in our democracy, in our elections and in the Democratic

formation of opinion in favor of this party. That is just not done, certainly not amongst friends and allies.

SHUKLA (voice-over): A faltering economy and security concerns have been among the campaign's major issues. Three deadly attacks in as many months,

all carried out by migrants have poured fuel on the migration debates. The AFD seized on the issue. And as a result, have forced the larger parties to

make it a top priority.

But an unwritten political agreement called the Firewall, where parties work together to pass legislation without the AFD means they will likely be

frozen out of coalition talks.

SHUKLA (on camera): Merz has already categorically ruled out working with the AFD, should he win? So, the question becomes for German with who and

how will he form this country's next government? Sebastian Shukla, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GIOKOS: CNN will be hosting a two-hour special on the German election on Sunday. That is at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time and 09:00 p.m. in Abu Dhabi,

06:00 p.m. in Germany. You don't want to miss that will be across all angles for you. On Thursday, the U.S. deported more than 170 Venezuelan

migrants from Guantanamo Bay naval base back to their home country with a quick stop over in Honduras.

It was part of the Trump Administration's aggressive campaign to remove undocumented immigrants living in the United States. We've got CNN

Contributor Stefano Pozzebon following the story for us. Stefano, can you please bring us up to date?

[09:25:00]

And what more can you tell us about these migrants removed from Guantanamo? What is the reaction been?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, Eleni, well, as it often comes, when it comes between Washington and crack as there is a contentious point

here, because the White House is calling these deportees as gangsters and members of the infamous Tren de Aragua international cartel, which, by the

way, Eleni, just yesterday, was formally declared a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department.

Well, the Venezuelan President had slightly different word when he welcomed them back to his home country. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT: Our migrants are not criminals. They are not bad people. They were people who emigrated as a result of the

sanctions. They are good people, working people, and in Venezuela, we welcome them as a productive force with a loving embrace. Return to the

homeland, family reunion, welcome everyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POZZEBON: And we need to say that the White House has not presented any proof, saying that the showing unequivocally that these member -- these

people, are actually members of that Tren de Aragua organization. But I think that despite this rhetoric, Eleni, what is really important and

remarkable here is that less than three weeks after the visit from the U.S. Special Envoy to Venezuela, Richard Grenell, who visited Caracas and met

with Maduro on January 30.

Less than three weeks after that, we were saying there has already been two flights of deportees, and there is an increasing feeling that Washington

and Caracas have been able to find a deal, and that all the appetite from the Trump Administration to remove Maduro from power, for example, to try

to restore democracy in Venezuela is gone, frankly, and Maduro is, of course, celebrating this as a political victory for his regime, Eleni.

GIOKOS: All right. Stefano Pozzebon, thank you so much for that update. Ahead, I've been speaking to the Mauritanian Energy Minister about a major

natural gas project, which could mean a lot to his country as well as the wider world. We'll find out why, after this. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:30:00]

GIOKOS: Right. That is the sound of the opening bell in New York, and it's been a bit of a choppy week. A few disappointing earnings reports really

set things back yesterday, particularly Walmart. We are expecting some interesting economic data, like the purchasing managers index that's set to

come out tomorrow.

That's going to drive today, that's going to drive the markets a little later, as you can see, they still sort of settling as the markets started,

S&P 500 as well as DOW in the red right now, NASDAQ looking a little bit better, but it's going to be focused on economic data that we're expecting.

In the meantime, I want to take a look at how oil and gas are fair in WTI crude as well as natural gas. There we go. On the board, natural gas is up

around 6 percent, WTI crude coming under a bit of pressure, down 1.3 percent but it's all about LNG. It's all about natural gas.

It's viewed as a transition fuel. As we look forward to a greener world, we're also looking at an update from the GTA project now, that's the

Greater Tortue Ahmeyim liquefied natural gas project, to give it its full title. Now it's off the coast of Mauritania as well as Senegal, operated by

BP, and that's a partnership with Kosmos Energy.

And it has started delivering natural gas to a floating LNG vessel. For those not familiar with LNG, here's a brief overview. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: LNG is a natural gas that's produced as usual, then cool to negative 160 degrees Celsius in a process called Liquification,

that changes it from a gas into a liquid, a tiny fraction of its original volume, that relatively small amount of liquid can be shipped across wider

expanses than a pipeline could. When it arrives at its destination, it undergoes the regasification process before it's piped out to the end user.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Right, a short time ago, I spoke to the Mauritanian Energy Minister, Mohamed Ould Khaled, about the GTA project. Take a look at the

interview.

MOHAMED OULD KHALED, MAURITANIAN ENERGY MINISTER: We will be loading our first cargo tomorrow. So, the GTA project represents a big achievement for

Mauritania-Senegal and our partners, BP and Kosmos Energy. It was a challenging project offshore ultra deep in the Atlantic, started back in

December 2018 and delivered in -- 2024.

So, it took us six years from -- We are proud to be deliver developing an important LNG hub in West Africa. The close cooperation between Mauritania,

Senegal, BP and Kosmos, made it possible to achieve this milestone --

GIOKOS: So, let me ask you this, where are you exporting to right now, Minister? Tell me where this LNG is going to be exported to?

KHALED: The first cargo, I think it's going to Europe, but I'm not sure about that, but I think it's going there. So, regarding the economic in

terms of the economic impact, this project will generate revenues for the state, of course, which will increase as the subsequent phase are

developed.

As you may know, we just delivered the first phase of 2.5m PTA. There will be a second phase that will double the production to 5m PTA, and the third

and last phase, which the last one, which will take us to 10m PTA. So, this will also provide a cleaner, cheap and reliable power to our domestic

market through gas to power.

And the involvement of our local companies in the project is increasing, and this is helping them enhancing their capabilities and skills. So, our

GTA has a lot of positive impact on our economy.

GIOKOS: So, I want to talk about the contract structure with BP and Kosmos. Kosmos being an American company, I know you've conducted audits. Are the

companies willing to continue with phase two? Are you happy with the transparency of the cost of the projects and the profits down the line.

I guess this speaks to investor certainty, but at the end of the day, you also want to be signing good deals that make sense for you.

KHALED: Yes, of course. So, we have -- so the project was hit by some delays, and you know, the COVID-19 happened during the project

construction.

[09:35:00]

And there were cost overruns, and it is definitely over budget. And we are talking to our partners about that, and we are learning as well from it for

the second and third phases.

GIOKOS: Let's talk about the huge transformation that we're expecting in the LNG sector, so much more capacity is expected to come online by the end

of 2026 and Africa is going to play a huge role. Frankly, it only accounts for around 6 percent of global gas supply. That is going to be increasing.

But with the prospect of potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, what are you guys looking at in terms of supply demand, and who are going

to be your big buyers? Is it Europe that's still dealing with an energy crunch? Is it the United States, with President Trump saying they're

looking to drill more so they want a lot more exploration. How are you weighing this up?

KHALED: So, I think that the strategic, our strategic position near the European market. We are just couple days of sailing to Spain. And our

quality -- the quality of our gas, which has very low carbon content, will allow us to play a role in the market. We have some interest as well from

Asia -- from the Asian market for GTA guys.

So, I think that the volume will not be a problem in giving our strategic position. But in addition to this, to gas, Mauritania has abundant,

unmatched renewable energy resources, solar and wind power, and we are working on hydrogen projects as well that can be supplied to the market.

So, we think that we are well positioned for the energy transition.

GIOKOS: Just very quickly. You know, you've got around 50 percent electrification in Mauritania. You've got a lot of projects in terms of

electrifying your country. Are you going to be using any of this for local consumption to close that gap?

KHALED: Of course, and that what is why I mentioned gas to power. So, we are committed to maximizing the value of our gas resources, not only GTA,

which is the focus today, but as well as the BirAllah field, which has up to 80 tcfg of natural gas reserve, where we are looking for partnership

opportunities.

Furthermore, we are signed agreement for couple hydrogen project with a potential of 85 gigawatt of clean energy for the global market. We have

developed the gas master plan with clean road map to revamp our infrastructure. We are working right now with the investor on a couple of

projects, mainly in the power generation, gas to power and renewable.

At the same time, we are looking to attract more investments, so the scale and the quality of our energy resources, wind speed of up to 10 meter per

second, solar radiation of up to 2200 kilowatts per square meter per year and abundant gas resources. With the combination with our new code, new

investment code, new electricity code, represent a real opportunity for investor. So actually, in Mauritania, there is energy. Everywhere you look,

there is energy.

GIOKOS: All right, fantastic. Minister, I wish you all the best. Thank you so much for taking the time. Well, coming up, we go to the ice as the U.S.

and Canada squared off in one of the biggest ice hockey games this century, will bring you that story, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:40:00]

GIOKOS: And a warm welcome from U.S. talent to Canadians forget the recent tensions over the threaten tariffs. Hundreds of Americans living near

British Columbia's borders showed their affection for Canadian travelers arriving at the ferry terminal in Port Angeles, Washington State. CTV's

Andrew Johnson brings us the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREW JOHNSON, BC BUREAU CHIEF FOR CTV NATIONAL NEWS (voice-over): A cheering crowd of upwards of a couple of 100 greeted people departing the

ferry after the 90-minute sailing. Port Angeles town officials say they've been quote, freaking out about the tariff tip between the countries and the

calls for a Canadian boy caught on American travel.

And it appears those calls are being put into action. New numbers from Washington State show traffic at border crossings between BC and Washington

State is down 20 to 40 percent in February, including a big dip over the recent long weekend, and that's why people thought it was so important to

be out here today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, Canada is our neighbor, and you don't treat neighbors that way, and all of us are really upset about that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Real Americans love you guys.

JOHNSON (voice-over): Some Canadians greeted with an unexpected surge of love, became emotional.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's so heartwarming, and I just appreciate all these people taking the time. It's very emotional.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GIOKOS: Well, CTV's Andrew Johnson reporting there for us. And speaking of Canada, the National Hockey Team is celebrating victory in hockey's first

ever 4-Nations face off defeating the United States in an overtime thriller. We've got Andy Scholes joining us now.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah.

GIOKOS: Who would have thought the terrors would have brought people together, bringing showing love at a border.

SCHOLES: Yeah.

GIOKOS: And of course, lots happening on the sporting front as well.

SCHOLES: And Eleni, this is an all-star event. In terms of all-star events, this is as good as it gets. There was so much patriotism behind this 4-

Nations face off. You know, everyone in Canada and the U.S. all wanted to win this game, and in the end, it was Canada that was victorious, 3-2 in

overtime.

It was a great game. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, then tweeting afterwards, you can't take our country and you can't take our game. So,

there's even some politics involved in that as well. But it was a great event. We'll have more for you here from the winning team coming up here on

"World Sport".

GIOKOS: Yeah, sports and politics sometimes tend to spill over into each other. So, it's interesting times.

SCHOLES: Yeah.

GIOKOS: Andy Scholes will see you after the break. I'll be back at the top of the hours. Stick with CNN.

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[09:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

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