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Seeking Resolution; Crisis in the Middle East

Aired July 10, 2006 - 13:30   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: United we stand, the U.S. wants the world to speak with one voice about North Korea's nuclear program, but since the world can't agree on that vote, well, that vote for possible sanctions is delayed at the United Nations.
Richard Roth has more on seeking resolution.

Looks like they won't be seeking resolution today, though.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, at least they've agreed to agree on that. There was some talk and deadline that maybe today countries were expected to come in to vote, but after a flurry of meetings early this morning, first with the United States mission on the United Nations -- you see the Chinese ambassador there -- the Chinese said let's wait and see. They have a high-ranking delegation in Pyongyang, first of six days of talks with North Korea, and then there were more talks later at the French mission, and then U.S. Ambassador John Bolton also announced that there would be no vote today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMB. TO U.N.: The cosponsors of the resolution have met this morning, and we've agreed that we will not press for a vote on the resolution today. We think it's important to keep the focus on Pyongyang, which, after all, is the source of this problem, and to provide maximum support for and leverage on the Chinese mission to Pyongyang. So from that perspective, we'll suspend; we won't press for a vote.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: The resolution could be reintroduced for a vote as soon as the United States wants, pending what happens between those talks, between the vice premier of China and the North Korea delegation. So for now, there's a bit of a deadlock still on the text of the resolution, Kyra, because China and Russia oppose what's in this resolution, sanctions in the form of a ban on shipment of goods and materials to North Korea for use in missiles like this. The United States, France, Britain and many other countries on the council are united that North Korea should be brought to task for their actions, brought back to six-party talks, and should be punished. But they're going to still allow a little bit more time for diplomacy -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Obviously China, especially in this deal, an important country to be involved. ROTH: China's is North Korea's lifeline for aid and trade. China thinks the U.S. believes it has too much influence and leverage with North Korea. They say, listen, we try to tell them not to fire those missiles, and on July 4th, they signal maybe they want to have a one-on-one relationship with the United States. The U.S. also saying let's step up to the plate, China. We'll see in a few days if they can pull it off.

PHILLIPS: Richard Roth, thanks so much.

Well, deadlock in Gaza. Neither Israelis nor Palestinians are budging in their violent standoff over a kidnapped Israeli soldier. There were more airstrikes today.

CNN's John Vause reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Amid the death and destruction in Gaza, the blood and rubble. No one looks ready to back down. Not the Israeli prime minister...

EHUD OLMERT, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I want it to be very clear. I don't negotiate with Hamas. I did not negotiate with Hamas. And I will not negotiate with Hamas.

VAUSE: ... nor Khaled Mashaal, the hard-lined Hamas leader living in exile in Damascus.

KHALED MASHAAL, HAMAS LEADER (through translator): We will not allow Israel to dictate to us.

VAUSE: Caught in middle, more than a million Palestinians and one kidnapped Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit. Mashaal says Shalit is a prisoner of war and being treated humanely, but insists he'll only be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

MASHAAL (through translator): Israel says the soldier must be released but refuses to release the prisoners. This is not a starting point for a solution.

OLMERT: Khaled Mashaal is a terrorist with blood in his hands. He's not a legitimate partner for anything.

VAUSE: The Israeli prime minister gave no time limit for the military offensive, now in into its second week, aimed at trying to free the Israeli corporal and to stop Palestinian militants firing these crudely-made rockets at Israeli towns and cities. But that could mean the Israeli military will be in Gaza for months, maybe more. Less than a year after they pulled out, along with 8,000 Jewish settlers, the so-called disengagement meant to bring an end to these violent confrontations.

Ehud Olmert was elected on a promise to evacuate thousands of Jewish settlers from the West Bank. Disengagement (INAUDIBLE) called realignment. That could now be a hard sell to the Israeli public. OLMERT: Well, I haven't changed my basic commitment to the realignment plan. I know that this will be difficult, and it is difficult.

VAUSE (on camera): Ehud Olmert's critics are now yelling, I told you so about last year's Gaza pullout, saying it's nothing less than a total failure. And they warn the same will happen again if he tries it in the West Bank.

John Vause, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, an explosion in New York City. A building in flames, 15 people hurt. I'm going to speak with a woman who witnessed it all from her balcony, right their from her home.

More LIVE FROM straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Summer is here. And for most of us, that means thunderstorms or worse. When the wind starts howling and the rain starts coming down sideways, well, it's too late to figure out whether your home is prepared, or too late to figure out the easy way.

So all this week, CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis will show you how to prepare and protect the roof over your head.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR (voice-over): Storm season means it's prime time to take steps toward protecting your home. And it all starts at the top.

(on camera): So, Rob, let's talk about the roof here. A big vulnerability. How do I know if I might have a problem?

ROB DAVIS, FLASH.ORG: Well, there's several things you can do. If you can safely access the inside of your attic, go up there and look for any broken wood, any cracked wood. If you can get up on the roof, check for missing, broken or loose shingles or tiles. It's the hip and the ridge tiles that you can see and that -- those had the most problems during Hurricane Charlie.

WILLIS (voice-over): One of the best things you can do, remove any projectiles from your yard before a large storm.

(on camera): You've got a lot of stuff sitting out here that you'd want to bring in, in a storm. What would you do here?

DAVIS: Just go out with your family and walk around the house. And anything that you possibly think might fly up in the air, go and pick it up and put it inside.

WILLIS (voice-over): But it's not just the outside you have to worry about.

DAVIS: Well, the inside definitely needs to be inspected, as well. And you want to make sure it's in top shape for hurricane season or any extreme weather coming through.

If you have safe access to the attic, it's good to get up there and just look around. See if you see any broken or cracked pieces of wood up there. Look at the nails. See if you have any nails sticking out, stray nails. And we're talking about the longer nails here, not the shorter roofing nails.

See if you have any roof leaks. If you have any roof leaks, that's definitely something that says your roof isn't as strong as it should be.

WILLIS: And while you're up there, check those outfits. They can provide leverage for high winds and rain, and cause many problems for your home.

Gerri Willis, CNN, Miami Shores, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, coming up on LIVE FROM, two space hardhats, tools in hand, hard at work. Our Miles O'Brien will fill us in on the second big spacewalk of Discovery's mission. Live pictures as we head to break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, when they heard the blast, New Yorkers thought the worst. An explosion ripped through a four-story building on New York City's Upper East Side this morning. Several firefighters and civilians are hurt, and a lot of buildings. Well, neighbors are pretty shooken up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tell us, what did you hear this morning?

GUILLERMO COWLEY, WITNESS: A pop, and then I heard soon afterwards sirens. I smelled smoke, I shut the window and I thought it was a terrorist attack. So I finished off my phone call, waited a bit, and came out and saw a lot of commoton.

CHERNOFF: So you finished up the phone call. You couldn't have been that worried if...

COWLEY: I figured it might be my last phone call, let me finish it off.

(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: We're going to talk more with Guillermo Cowley next hour. Firefighters say that natural gas apparently is to blame right now, but they're also looking into the possibility of a suicide attempt by the building's owner.

Well, Sherry Miller witnessed the explosion. She joins me from the scene in New York. You may wonder why she's still in her robe. We're going to let her explain.

Sherry, can you hear me OK? Can you hear me all right, Sherry?

SHERRY MILLER, WITNESS: Yes, I can. I was having coffee this morning and I heard a -- outside my dining room window a big crash. It was a big piece of debris, probably part of a roof, coming down, right now, and then the rest of the building tumbled in front of my eyes. And flames came up. And I closed the window, got my husband and son and said let's get out of here, and the last I left, the windows were crackling -- cracking.

PHILLIPS: Explain to our viewers, Sherry, why -- how you got that robe and why you're still in your robe?

MILLER: Well, I was in another little robe. And living in the building 30 years, I walked around to the Regency Hotel on Park Avenue, and they were very nice and said, you know, here's a robe. And so I said thanks a lot, I'll return it later.

PHILLIPS: Bless their hearts. Boy, they took care of you. Now, Sherry, explain to our viewers why you ran out. I mean, you were -- there was a lot going through your head with regard to thinking about 9/11 and wondering if your building was fireproof.

MILLER: That's exactly what I did. I thought of 9/11 and the World Trade Center being fireproof. And knowing -- I'm in a co-op that's about 50, 60 years old that's fireproof. I just didn't think except let's get out of here.

PHILLIPS: And you were with your husband and your son and they got out OK with you, right?

MILLER: Yes, everyone is fine.

PHILLIPS: So Sherry, when are you going to be able to go back into your apartment, and is your apartment OK and safe to go into?

MILLER: Well, I'm getting quite an anxiety attack and would like to get into my apartment and see what it's doing. And then I'll take each step as it comes, as long as everyone is alive and no one was hurt.

PHILLIPS: How's the scene right now, Sherry? Is everybody still pretty rattled or are things calming down and people sort of slowly but surely going back home?

MILLER: I don't know when we'll be able to get in. Probably in the next couple of hours. PHILLIPS: All right, Sherry, we're going to keep checking in with you. We appreciate you talking with us.

MILLER: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Well, like working in the garage. That's how one of the two astronauts who are spending the day outside the International Space Station described their spacewalk.

Our Miles O'Brien is in New York to tell us about the repairs that are still under way. Miles, you've been going for a long time today, but, hey, an astronaut's work is never done. Neither is yours.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: That's what they say, in space there's never time off, and so it goes for me here in New York City.

Kyra, they're working pretty hard out there. They'd been struggling with an issue, kind of working on the railroad, so to speak. There's actually on the spine of the International Space Station, the portion of it, the longest portion which holds the solar arrays, there's a little bit of a rail car, you know, kind of like the old gandy dancers used to be, a rail car which actually is right there, OK, and this is the railroad, so to speak. And what has happened is in the past few months, that rail car, which has a reel with some cables on it to attach it to the space station, has a cutter on it there for emergencies in case it gets so fouled up that it gets stuck.

Well, the cutter decided to cut, inexplicably shoot itself in the foot, off itself, whatever the case may be.

By the way, you can see the -- there's the dangling cable right there. That's the source of the difficulty right there.

So the astronauts have been trying to swap out this cable reel, along with a new cutting device, which hopefully won't cause the problems they've had in the past.

Now why is this important? Well, in order for them to continue construction on the space station -- as you look, by the way, at that big device being carried by the astronauts there. As they continue construction of the space station, they need -- there it is, about the size of a piano -- they need that rail car, if you will, to be operative so that they can send big pieces up and down the truss in order to attach them.

Now, that was not the only thing they did. They've the new one in place there. Prior to that, they brought up a new cooling system. If the air-conditioning system ever goes out at the space station, what do you do? You call the HVAC guy? He's not going to come very quickly, is he? So they have a spare there. They brought up a spare. It's an ammonia cooler. They latch it on to, essentially, the luggage rack of the space station.

So things are going well. They're approaching the six-hour-point of the spacewalk. It's getting to the point where they're wrapping it up. Had a few snags trying to get that cable reel in, but by and large, things are going smoothly -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now, Miles when you look at these live pictures, and of course they make it look so easy, right, but when you think about it, these tools -- I mean, anything -- we could probably go to Home Depot and find these little tools, but it's the physical aspect. I mean, you're talking about, what, 15 layers of clothing, and you've got to be in pretty good shape, to be able to get through all these devices and various materials to get into these intricate areas, right?

O'BRIEN: Yes. I mean, imagine trying to do work on your car and you have no leverage, you're just floating around, you're puffed up like the Michelin Man, and every time you close your hands on your gloves, it hurts, because it's filled up so much. It's like you're inside an inflated balloon. And I've talked to some spacewalkers who've comeback from long difficult spacewalks, and they've had blood on their hands, because it takes so much to keep doing that all the time. So it's not easy work. It is dangerous work. The payoff is they get quite a view.

PHILLIPS: Look, I remember you showing me one of those gloves that they actually wear, and it's so thick and so big, and to think that they can manipulate and maneuver, it's pretty amazing.

O'BRIEN: Yes, not good for golfing.

PHILLIPS: Now tell me why has this been the most photographed shuttle mission to date?

O'BRIEN: Well, it is the most-photographed shuttle mission in order to be certain that there isn't problem with the debris on the heat shield.

Take a look at this shot from the solid-rocket booster, you know those two kind of pieces, those long pieces on the side of the eternal tank that gets cast aside like cigarette butts from a car moving down the highway, about two-and-a-half minutes in. You're looking at the wing of the space shuttle, and, boom, there's the separation there, two-and-a-half minutes in. And down comes that solid rocket booster, tumbling, tumbling, tumbling. Eventually what happens is -- there you see the shuttle there briefly. Eventually the parachute opens, and it lands well off to sea, 100 miles out to sea, off the Kennedy Space Center. Get ready for a splashdown of a solid-rocket booster, and then they fish it out of the ocean, and then they -- yes, look at that, boom, boom, and I think they got an 8.5 from the Romanian judge on that one.

PHILLIPS: Looks like a 10 for me.

O'BRIEN: But as spectacular as that is and as much fun as that is for us to watch, there is an engineering purpose for that. That gave them a great view. They had four of those cameras, two on each solid-rocket booster. It gave them a great view of the heat shield, so they can say -- now, as you look there, you can see if there was any piece of debris that came off there, there was any damage, you'd be able to see it. That's just too cool, isn't it? And it's real. It looks like something...

PHILLIPS: Well, the technology is amazing when you think of where it's going, how fast it's going.

Safety aspect, question for you, last week, Fourth of July, you know, the whole scuttlebutt on the Fourth with North Korea deciding to launch a few short-range missiles, including one long-range. How are astronauts informed about things like that? Or is it a type of thing where things are happening back at control and you don't want to, you know, freak out the astronauts? What's the communication in a situation like that?

O'BRIEN: Well, you know, it's interesting. They've really to kind of grapple with this whole issue, particularly for the long- duration spaceflight. You see six-month stints on the space station. You can't surf the Web in real time. So how do you keep the space station astronauts up to speed? How do you say -- you know, who provides the newscasts, the contents. And so yes basically, they get a daily little news digest. And so they know about all these things. Are they thinking about it? No, they're pretty busy. As a matter of fact, the space station crew, when their up there. Their timeline is built down to the five-minute increments.

By the way, these are live pictures. You can take a look there at that robot arm there and them continuing there work up there. So, you know, I think they're worried about issues that are closer to their own survival, and of course the success of the mission as opposed to what Kim Jong-Il is doing.

PHILLIPS: Miles O'Brien, appreciate it.

O'BRIEN: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Watch this, a New Mexico teen is sucked into a canal and dragged five miles in raging currents. For a few scary moments, rescuers feared they lost him, but he bobbed up again and was pulled up to safety. His rescuers told their story on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDDIE GUTIERREZ, ALBUQUERQUE FIRE DEPT.: Upon arrival, we had already heard that the station above us had already missed him three times, so we knew that we had him coming down for sure. So when we were down in the arroyo, right when he came in front of Mike is when he dipped underwater for about 20, 30 feet. I -- you know, he was underwater the whole time so when he popped back up, it was just past me, and that's when I reacted as fast as I could to throw him the bag.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The young man's recovering now from hypothermia and quite a few cuts and bruises. Straight ahead, a shocking crime: the man accused of raping and murdering 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford in court today. Former prosecutor Nancy Grace from CNN Headline News joins me to talk live about the trial. That's in the next hour of LIVE FROM.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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