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CNN Live Today

Ahmadinejad Defends Nuclear Program; A Closer Look at the Iranian People; Silent Witnesses

Aired May 11, 2006 - 10:30   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Drop your bad attitude, Washington, and then we can talk. That's the message today from Iran's president. He's referring to nuclear negotiations. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad again defends his nuclear program. He told a crowd of cheering students in Indonesia every country has the right to use technology to meet energy needs. The hardline leader shrugged off any U.N. sanction over Iran's nuclear activity, and then there's more harsh words. He called Israel a tyrannical regime that will one day be destroyed.
Our Aneesh Raman joins me on the phone from Tehran. And Aneesh, what do you make of these remarks about Israel?

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, good morning.

Nothing really new. We've heard consistently bellicose statements from Iran's president toward Israel, saying it will vanish, it will be wiped off the face of the earth. Really in a political craft sense, it is playing to his base. He is a man who is known to champion the Palestinian cause. It is a large percentage of support within this country, elsewhere within the larger Arab world. So he says it as often as he can, despite the fact that those are the statements, really, that are complicating this entire nuclear debate.

There's no evidence of a nuclear program in Iran. The government has consistently denied it, but the big part -- a big part of the international pressure that has been mounting on Iran has been because of statements like that. So it's part of this back and forth we've heard from Iran's president, at one level saying Iran is interested in peace and wants a peaceful civilian nuclear program, but in another making these statements that are doing much more harm than good in terms of international pressure on the country -- Daryn?

KAGAN: Meanwhile, what is this Iranian president doing in Indonesia? I don't think these are two countries we would necessarily link off the top of our heads.

RAMAN: Well, Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population. They've been a friendly neighbor thus far. Indonesia's president has told the world and Iran specifically that it is open to mediating talks specifically on this nuclear dispute, something Iran's president says he is welcome. It's really not up to them, though. It's up to the Western countries as to whether they will join.

There's also a conference that's going to take place there, so he went a bit early to try and rally support among any country, really, that will have him and that will listen to him. He's really interested in direct dialogue with the U.S., but it's really unclear what, if anything, can be achieved. You have two definitively different camps. The U.S. saying Iran must suspend its uranium enrichment, Iran saying it will never do so, that the process is irreversible. The only solution that might come about down the line is some sort of benefits package for the Iran that the country's president could see to the people as more beneficial to the country than a civilian nuclear program that's he rallied support around -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And you know, this 18-page letter that the president, the Iranian president, wrote to the White House that the White House pretty much has just dismissed. One thing interesting about it, whether you take it seriously or not, it's the first public communication these two governments have had since 1979.

RAMAN: Exactly. It's the first time that they have spoken, in this indirect way through a letter. Now, the issue of the letter really comes down to what was the intent? The West had said they were receiving this letter, hopeful that it would have specific solutions to the nuclear issue. It had none.

But Iranians we spoke to said the letter was really about opening up that dialogue, it was about venting frustration from a third world country and its view on the global situation. And they hope -- even the moderate papers here, the reformist papers, were applauding it as potentially the first step toward dialogue. Now, in the nuclear issue, the question is what that dialogue will achieve.

But in a larger sense, the Iranians we've spoken to, they like the American people, they like the American society. They're able to differentiate between the actions of the government and the people. They hope that the world does that to them, as well.

And there's been a history, of course, of America and Iraq having the relationship during the shah, before the revolution. And there is quiet talk of hope that that could come about again. It's unclear how far down the line that would be. But again, they think this letter was really about opening dialogue, not about a cure-all for this nuclear issue -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Aneesh Raman, live on the phone with us from Tehran, Iran. Thank you.

So let's forget about the government for a moment. Many of our viewers are curious about the people of Iran. They live in a country where religious leaders have the final say in politics and personal issues. What is the average Iranian really like?

Let's turn to a man whose written extensively on the topic, including his latest book, "The Soul of Iran." Author Afshin Molavi joins me now live from Washington.

Afshin, good morning. Good to have you here with us.

AFSHIN MOLAVI, AUTHOR, "THE SOUL OF IRAN": Thank you for having me, Daryn. KAGAN: At the risk of talking in generalities, which in our short time we kind of have to do, what do you think is the biggest misconception that Americans have about Iranians?

MOLAVI: Well, I think the most striking misconception is this idea that because Iranians voted for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Iranians somehow want to return to the radical hardline days of the early years of the revolution. But actually nothing could be further from the truth. Iranian elections can be very deceptive, first of all. I mean, they're never entirely free and fair.

But one thing I found very interesting in watching the Iranian elections that is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, when he was speaking and trying to reach the hearts and minds of the Iranian people, he spoke about bread and butter issues. He spoke about economic deliverance. He presented himself as a populist outsider, a man of the people against the corruption of the ruling elite. He never spoke about these radical ideas of wiping Israel off the map or even he didn't talk about the nuclear issue, as well. So I think, you know, that is the most striking misconception right now.

And the -- you know, Aneesh is absolutely right about the Iranian population. It's probably the most pro-American population in the region. And I travel a lot in the region, and I visit particularly, you know, our allies in Egypt and Jordan and Saudi Arabia and I'm often struck by how anti-American those populations. And I contrast that with the Iranian population. You know, Daryn, after 9/11, the only people in the Middle East that had a spontaneous candlelight vigil to commemorate the victims of 9/11 were Iranians.

And just one last point. There was a poll that was conducted a few years ago asking Iranians if they would like to see their government restore relations with the United States. Three out of four Iranians said yes. An incidentally, the pollster was thrown in jail as a result because the government saw this as an embarrassment.

KAGAN: Well, let's flip the tables a little bit. So you say there is great love and admiration for the American people by the Iranians. But are there any misconceptions about Americans that Iranians have?

MOLAVI: Well, you know, I think Iranians have a pretty good idea of America. Mostly because, you know, when I was traveling in Iran to more than 20 cities and villages, it was amazing how often I would find someone who had a relative who's living somewhere in America.

KAGAN: Do you think that's what it is, that that's what's making the difference? Because I'm wondering why -- as you say, you travel around the region quite a bit. So what is it? Where are the Iranians getting their information from that's changing their minds that's different from the region about America?

MOLAVI: It's partly this contact with their Iranian relatives in the United States. But also, Daryn, it's partly because of the failure of their own revolution. You know, Iranians, when they rose up to overthrow the autocratic shah of Iran, they dreamed of a different society.

Many of them dreamed of a democratic society. But what they got instead is they are poorer now. Iranians today earn about one-fourth of what they did before 1979 in real per capita terms. They are less socially free than they were before. They have marginally more political freedoms, but not nearly as much as they hoped.

And they see this failure of this revolution, and then they see their own leaders constantly trying to deflect the blame and push the blame on the United States. And Iranians are smarter than that. Iranians are an old and sophisticated civilization dating back 2,600 years, and you know when they heard over and over again from their leaders that it's America's fault, they realize that it's not America's fault.

KAGAN: An old civilization, but a young population, is it not?

MOLAVI: Absolutely. You're absolutely right, Daryn. Two-thirds of Iranians are under the age of 30. Half are under the age of 21. This means that of Iran's roughly 70 million people, 50 million of them roughly, have little or no recollection of the revolution of 1979. These young people are increasingly wired. They are urbanized. They are eager for change.

And one of the interesting things I found in my travels is these young people want the same things that young people around the world want. They want decent jobs. They want prosperity. They want hope for their future. I mean, you know, one of the -- there's a lot of talk right now about U.S.-Iran relations and possibility of a breakthrough.

I can tell you, Daryn, if a U.S. embassy were to open in Tehran the biggest problem would be the long lines snaking outside of young Iranians who would like to study in the United States or would like to work in the United States.

KAGAN: A fascinating picture, and you paint it so well. Afshin Molavi, thank you for your time.

MOLAVI: Thank you very much.

KAGAN: And your insight in sharing your experiences in the region.

MOLAVI: Thank you.

KAGAN: Appreciate that very much.

Well, one humanitarian crisis is sparking another . It affects hundreds of thousands of people. A story you really need to know, and only CNN takes you there. LIVE TODAY with this CNN exclusive just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN:: That is First Lady Laura Bush. She's at Vanderbilt University today. She is speaking at senior day, and she's there to accept an award on behalf of American disaster-relief workers, and it's a reward on behalf of the men and women who have volunteered to help after recent natural disasters around the world.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

KAGAN: That buzz of electric saws, the power of silent witnesses. Carpentry students remember victims of domestic violence. We'll have that story when LIVE TODAY returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Forget wobbly lamps and rickety birdhouses. This wood shop class goes against the grain. The students are carving out Silent Witnesses, a memorial for victims of domestic violence.

Reporter Mike Lowe has more. He's with our affiliate WFMZ in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE LOWE, WFMZ REPORTER (voice-over): This wood shop class at the Career Institute of Technology is getting a lesson today in something other than carpentry.

HEIDI MARKOW, VICTIMS ADVOCATE: They're learning and they're being educated on intimate partner violence, dating violence, domestic violence. At the same time, they're making these figures to honor other women that lost their lives.

LOWE: They're making Silent Witnesses, wooden silhouettes of women who have been murdered in acts of domestic violence. Victims advocate Heidi Markow brought the idea to the school. Her sister was killed last June. Seventeen-year-old student Robert Lockman is making a figure that will honor her memory.

MARKOW: I walked in and he was the first one that, like, grabbed the board. And I said I would be honored if you would, you know, learn my sister's personal story and get to know her and complete a Silent Witness figure for me in her honor.

ROBERT LOCKMAN, STUDENT: She told me that after I cut it out, and then I'm like, wow -- I was shocked. I put my utmost effort into all of it.

LOWE: A plaque affixed to the chest of the Silent Witness will tell her story.

LOCKMAN: Her name was Robin D. Schaeffer (ph). It was 11 days away from her 44th birthday when her estranged husband fatally shot her in the neck. Robin bled to death as she laid waiting for help to arrive.

LOWE: Eighteen-year-old John Goffredo is working on a figure of a mother of two who was killed by her husband. He says the Silent Witness project has made real the issue of domestic violence. JOHN GOFFREDO, STUDENT: No other project we really had to work on meant anything. It was just, you know, building. But this is actually pretty cool because it's for someone else, too.

LOWE: When the figures are completed, they'll travel around the state as an exhibit to honor the women who can no longer speak for themselves.

In Forks Township, Mike Lowe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Changing faces. America's big population shift may mean changing leadership. The political impact of immigration, ahead.

And the scoop, the skinny, the lowdown. You all want to know about your favorite celebrities. This woman knows why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How can you not be nosy about people that are fascinating to look at as a Jen, a Brad and an Angelina? How can you not?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: She's got a point. Go behind the scenes with Hollywood's hunters of gossip and scandal, ahead on LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Making something positive out of a tragic event. That's how some are looking at the decade since the ValuJet crashed. More on that in just a moment. First a snapshot of CNN's coverage ten years ago today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Catherine Callaway in Atlanta with the latest on a developing story that we've been following. Flight 592, ValuJet, a DC-9, apparently went down just west of the Miami International Airport. What we do know is that it crashed in a marshy area of Dade County, according to the FAA. Flight 592 was en route from Miami to Atlanta. It was 30 miles just north of the Miami International Airport when it apparently experienced a -- according to the FAA -- problem in the cockpit and turned around to return to the airport. That's according to an FAA spokesman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Well, in that crash, all 110 people onboard were killed. Investigators blame oxygen generators. As a result, the FAA banned generators in commercial flight cargo holds. Fire detection systems are now required in cargo areas. As for ValuJet, the low-cost carrier was grounded for three months after the crash. The following year, ValuJet merged with AirTran. Now, AirTran has been a success story in the airline industry. It's turned a profit in each of the past seven years. AirTran has 600 daily flights in 50 cities and employs 7,000 people.

Smokers may soon have new help to kick the habit. The government approved an anti-smoking bill. Studies show that the Pfizer drug helped one in five smokers quit for more than a year. Users take the tablets twice a day for up to six months. It's only the approved anti-smoking drug without nicotine.

A hero from one hurricane, a second destroys his home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been real frustrating. I give up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Find out why a New Orleans man is camping in, inside his house, living in a tent, coming up on LIVE TODAY.

And phone calls. We ring up family and friends all of the time, but do you really want the government to know who you're calling? Dial with caution. A report today points to more federal snooping. Congress reacts on the second hour of LIVE TODAY, which begins right now.

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