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Is Iraq Just Hours Away From Political Crisis?; Pullout of Jewish Settlers in Gaza in Its Final Stages

Aired August 22, 2005 - 07:00   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Soledad O'Brien. Is Iraq just hours away from a political crisis? Negotiators facing yet another deadline for the country's new constitution. And still, no deal in sight. We're live from Baghdad looking at what is at stake for the people of Iraq and the U.S. troops.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Miles O'Brien. The emotional Israeli evacuation of Gaza. It all comes down to this, the final settlement being cleared out right now, and we are live in Gaza.

S. O'BRIEN: And this morning, the fate of an infamous homegrown terrorist, and finally closure for his victims. Eric Robert Rudolph sentenced for the Olympic bombings and two other attacks in Atlanta, on this AMERICAN MORNING.

And good morning.

M. O'BRIEN: Good to be here. We've closed the window.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, we have.

M. O'BRIEN: And opened a new door.

S. O'BRIEN: Things look a little different. That's because we've moved our studios, moved to Time Warner Center right in the middle of New York City.

M. O'BRIEN: Good to be here. Good to see all the staff here this morning.

And let's get right to it. Time is running out for negotiators working on Iraq's new constitution. They've given themselves a deadline of midnight tonight, Baghdad time. That's 4:00 p.m. Eastern. If a deal cannot be reached, a new extended deadline would be needed, otherwise the legislature would be dissolved.

Aneesh Raman live at the convention center in Baghdad where the assembly members will convenient today.

Aneesh, quite a few stumbling blocks still.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are, Miles. Good morning.

It's a bit of political deja vu. The only thing different today is that last week there were two main issues. Now it seems there is but one. The head of Iraq's national assembly telling me earlier that an agreement has been reached to make Islam, quote, "a main source of legislation." That would be a concession to religious politicians. It will also be blow to women's rights groups who wanted Islam to simply be a source, and will raise significant questions about what role clerics will play in the new Iraq.

But that compromise could essentially be irrelevant if they can't reach a deal on the other issue, federalism. There are those that want powerful regional governments, such as the Kurds. Other want this entire conversation sidelined, such as the Sunnis.

And then there are calls from Shia religious leaders for a unified one Iraq. So with nine hours to go, meetings still under way, Miles.

Here's what they have in terms of options. The first is to do what they did last week, extend this deadline yet again. That is amending the law. It would require at least a three-fourths vote in the national assembly. Last time, you'll recall, they got a unanimous vote. They could extend for any number of days, for another week, perhaps, even beyond that. The other option is that a draft of some sort goes to the national assembly today.

The question then will be, is this a draft that appeases everyone, or is it something that does not bring the concerns, say, of the Sunnis in? And that raises questions about whether this could pass a referendum by mid October.

And the third option remains the worst-case scenario, if nothing happens by midnight, this government is essentially dissolved, a new government is elected, a new national assembly, and they start this entire process all over again -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Aneesh, let's talk about another story, Saddam Hussein with a letter -- Jordanian newspapers publishing it -- a letter which went to family and friends where he's trying to describe himself as a bit of a martyr, and hanging himself, linking himself to the Palestinian cause.

To what extent, if at all, does that influence every day Iraqis?

RAMAN: Well, Iraqis are always keen to be aware of anything related to Saddam, but they really see this as perhaps of an irregularity prisoner. They see Saddam as someone who is out of power. He is now perhaps weeks away from the first of what could be many trials stemming from the massacre in the town of Dujail, north of Baghdad, back in 1982. But this is, as we understand it, the first letter written by Saddam to a non-family member. It has been published in the Jordanian press, but no huge response here in Baghdad. They see this simply as Saddam sort of making his last musings before trial -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Aneesh Raman in Baghdad, thanks -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: President Bush is taking a break from his vacation in Crawford, Texas to rally support for the war in Iraq. Today he is speaking to a veterans group in Salt Lake City, Utah. Suzanne Malveaux is at the White House for us this morning.

Suzanne, good morning.

What's the president's message today?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Soledad, President Bush is going to try to convince Americans that the Iraq war is essentially worth it. He will compare it to World War II, saying he recognizes it's a great deal of sacrifice, but ultimately, it's a noble cause. The president also, as he has done in the past, will invoke the memories of 9/11. He will make the case that the insurgents who attacked Americans in Iraq today share the same ideology of Al Qaeda or those who attacked Americans on 9/11.

Now this is all about a renewed public-relations offensive to counter what many Americans, those polls show, many Americans, a growing concern about the direction of the Iraq war.

Now President Bush has been faced with a growing number of those who have been concerned. He has had anti-war protest outside his Crawford ranch for weeks now, started by the mother who lost her own son, Cindy Sheehan. That protest, Camp Casey, has attracted counter protests, but also some high-profile supporters as well. It was just yesterday folk singer Joan Baez, who was a force, of course, in the anti-war movement in the Vietnam era movement held an outdoor concert to show her support for Cindy Sheehan and her cause -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: So, Suzanne, then he leaves those protests behind in Crawford, but there are demonstrators who are gearing up in Utah, too, right?

MALVEAUX: Well, absolutely. We expect hundreds of people at least. Their plan to rally outside a convention site. His audience will be friendly. It's before a group of veterans. Their convention, the annual convention. Utah, a big pro-Bush state; about 70 percent of the vote the last time around. But there's also expected to be quite a large protest outside, as well as a TV ad that is airing in Salt Lake City and some of the local affiliates.

S. O'BRIEN: Suzanne Malveaux is at the White House for us this morning.

Suzanne, thanks.

U.S. and Afghan forces have killed more than 40 suspected militants in Afghanistan. The announcement coming just this morning. The military says the week-long operation was completed over the weekend. More than 180 U.S. service members have been killed in or around Afghanistan since 2001, and more than a third of those casualties have come in the last six months -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: The pullout of Jewish settlers in Gaza now in its final stages. Evacuations under way in the last Gaza settlement right now. Matthew Chance is in the settlement of Netzarim.

Matthew, give us the scene. MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Netzarim is, indeed, the last Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip that's still occupied. Twenty other Jewish communities across this narrow strip of land have been evacuated by the Israeli security forces over the course of the past week or so. This is the last one. People often spoke of Netzarim because of its position right in the middle of 1.3 million Palestinians. Extremely difficult to defend by the Israeli Defense Forces as being the first settlements that would be abandoned by the Israeli government, if it ever came to a withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. They seem to have done a deal, though, with the Israeli Defense Forces, a symbolic gesture, to leave them until last, and so the 20 other Jewish communities, the settlements across the Gaza Strip have already been evacuated. This is the last one.

Over the course of the next few hours, the process of evacuation will get under way.

At the moment, though, we're seeing emotional scenes. People, Jewish settlers here, along with the soldiers who have been sent to evacuate them, embracing, crying, singing, and praying together as well, very much the kind of scenes that we've been seeing up and down the Gaza Strip with these evacuations.

Let me give you an example, Miles, of the kind of scenes that we're seeing across Netzarim right now. I'm going to ask the cameraman to pan across to this very emotional scene of a group of people who have obviously lived in Netzarim for a great deal of time. It's always been a very hardline Jewish settlement. I think because you have to be hardline to live in such a hostile environment. The people here, the nearly 500 Jewish settlers that have made this their home since 1972, so for 33 years, are very much devout religiously, and this is a bigger turmoil for them, to actually be leaving this place now at the behest of the Israeli government -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Matthew, once thee evacuations are complete, what happens then?

CHANCE: Well, then a process of demolishing these structures that you can see around me. The synagogue will be dismantled. That's the building right behind me. The various villas that are spread across Netzarim, they'll be demolished by the Israeli bulldozers, the Israeli security forces as well. The Palestinians won't be allowed to take control of this area until about October when the various Israeli military structures have been taken down as well. After that, the Palestinian Authority said it's going to use much of the land that it's going to be getting from the Jewish settlements to build housing blocks, because to alleviate its housing shortage. Netzarim, though, will be apparently a warehouse block for use by the Palestinian Authority.

M. O'BRIEN: Matthew Chance, in Netzarim, thank you -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Eric Robert Rudolph, who will be sentenced to life in prison today for three Atlanta bombings, including the deadly 1996 attack in Centennial Olympic Park. Tony Harris is live outside federal court in Atlanta this morning for us. Tony, good morning to you.

A dozen victims, more or less, are also planning to speak today, right?

TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Soledad. And good morning to you.

In all, 120 people injured in Eric Robert Rudolph's bombing spree here in Atlanta, and you're right to mention that 12 people will actually get an opportunity to offer victim's impact statements in court today.

But I have to tell you, Soledad, it's hard to imagine that any of those statements will have the emotional punch or impact of the statement to be offered by the family of Alice Hawthorne. She who was killed when one of Eric Robert Rudolph's bombs went off at Centennial Olympic Park, which is a short distance from where we're standing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS (voice-over): It was a hot Georgia night. Tens of thousands were in Centennial Park, celebrating the 1996 Summer Olympics, then an explosion, and confusion. More than a hundred people were wounded, including Fallon Stubbs. Her mother, Alice Hawthorne, was killed by the bomb.

FALLON STUBBS, VICTIM'S DAUGHTER: She was a great person, a light on our community. And even though he dimmed that light, it's still not out.

HARRIS: Six months later, the bomber would strike again, this time with two bombs at an abortion clinic in suburban Atlanta. A month after that, there was an attack at a gay and lesbian nightclub. It would be another year still before Eric Rudolph was identified. Five years after that, he was captured.

Fallon Stubbs and her stepfather, John Hawthorne, will have a chance to speak at the hearing, along with other victims of Rudolph's Atlanta bombings.

JOHN HAWTHORNE, VICTIM'S HUSBAND: We have two nice 24x36-inch posters with her pictures on them. We want those put right in front of him, and we want him to see the person. I'm not sure that he's really gotten a chance to gaze upon her image a lot, but during that session tomorrow, if he chooses to look up, he will be looking squarely at those posters, and I want him to see who he killed.

HARRIS: Then Rudolph will be sentenced to life in prison as part of a deal he cut with the government for pleading guilty. The next stop for Eric Rudolph, Supermax, the federal government's high- security prison in Colorado, where he's expected to spend the rest of his life.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: And, Soledad, during the hearing today, Eric Robert Rudolph will receive four more life sentence. That brings the total to six life sentences without the possibility of parole. And then he will hear from his victims. The hearing is scheduled to get under way at 10:30 a.m. this morning Eastern Time -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: And many folks watching that, of course.

Tony Harris for us. Tony, thanks.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Still to come, Merck loses a huge one, the first Vioxx trial. We'll look at how the verdict will face thousands of other lawsuits facing the company.

S. O'BRIEN: Also a 23-year-old NFL player collapses suddenly, just moments after leaving the field, and dies. We're going to have the very latest on the investigation into his death this morning.

M. O'BRIEN: And The race against time to finish Iraq's constitution. What happens if the deadline is pushed back again? We'll take a closer look at this, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Negotiators in Baghdad are just hours away from a deadline for an Iraqi constitution. That's yet another deadline. Major obstacles remains as representatives prepare to begin last- minute talks. The deadline extended once. So what could be the impact of yet another delay?

We're talking to Rajiv Chandrasekaran. He is the former Baghdad bureau chief for "The Washington Post," who lived in Iraq for two years before leaving in April to write a book on the insurgency. He joins us now from Washington.

Rajiv, Good to have you back with us.

RAJIV CHANDRASEKARAN, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Good morning, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: The big issue, federalism, which is kind of a euphemistic way of saying there are three kind of tribal entities there that don't get along very well.

Let's take a look at the map just quickly here so people can understand that Iraq essentially, Kurds to the north -- we're speaking in general terms here -- Sunnis in the center, Shiites to the south. It's a big of an arbitrary country, the lines just kind of drawn in the sand after World War I by Great Britain, and the seeds of that are kind of being reaped right now, aren't they?

CHANDRASEKARAN: Most certainly. And you know, what we have, the other component of this, Miles, we have to remember, is oil, and that is the main source of the country's revenue. And the major oil fields are up in the north, in the Kurdish area, and in the far south, the Shiite areas. So underlying this great concern among the Sunnis, who live in the center, about federalism, is what share will they get from the country's oil revenue? And they worry that increased federalism will mean that the Kurds will be able to have a steady source of income into the future, as will the Shiites, and they will be essentially left with not very much in the central deserts of Iraq.

M. O'BRIEN: So that does beg a question. If the Sunnis had an equal amount of oil in their part of Iraq, would there be no federalism issue?

CHANDRASEKARAN: Well, yes, and no. I think it would be a much smaller issue, but they also worry about a loss of status and control. Remember, the Sunnis, who are a minority in the country -- they compromise only about 20 percent of the population -- they used to run the place for years. Saddam Hussein was a Sunni. The governments before him were Sunni-led. So they are pushing this idea of a more unified Iraq, a less federal Iraq, because they worry that a federal system would disadvantage them, would allow the majority Shiites and the Kurds, who compromise about 25 percent of the population, to really hold a greater sway over there.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, let's move on and talk about the role of Islam, a couple of issues to consider. First of all, to what extent would imams have a say, official or perhaps unofficially in the government? And also, the role of Islamic law, sharia. Those are two pretty contentious areas there, aren't they?

CHANDRASEKARAN: Very contentious, and that is the big question. If what Aneesh was hearing just moments ago in Baghdad is true, and Islam is going to be the major source of legislation, that's a huge issue, and that's a potentially a very significant development.

All this centers, Miles, around one little article. Is it a major source or the major source? If it's a major source, then the belief goes that, you know, other sources can be brought in, more secular, civil law sources, in that sharia does not sort of rule the day. It doesn't become the law that people use in family matters, let's say for divorces and inheritances, and in dictating punishments. But if in fact these negotiators have managed to agree that Islam is the major source, that opens up a whole new set of questions about the role of sharia in all types of issues.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, and it opens up a lot of questions about the rights of women, which are not protected under sharia at all.

Let's talk about why this timing is so important, because what this means really is when U.S. troops will be coming home ultimately, doesn't it?

CHANDRASEKARAN: It sure does. You know, the hope is that a constitution that every party in Iraq signs onto, particularly the Sunnis, will be a major step forward toward weakening the insurgency. The belief by the Bush administration is that if the Sunnis could get on board and start to see a political future in Iraq, they will start to withdraw support from the insurgency, and that is the key step toward bringing American troops back to America.

M. O'BRIEN: Rajiv Chandrasekaran -- sorry about that -- from "The Washington Post," thank you for being with us.

CHANDRASEKARAN: Good to talk to you.

S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, the mechanics strike at Northwest Airlines. Will travelers face any problems as the workweek gets under way? We'll take a look, just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(SINGING)

M. O'BRIEN: You know, I got to hand it to Mick Jagger, he still has some guns, doesn't he? He looks pretty good. He's about 83. No. And I think he left the walker off at the side of the stage. But they're still the Rolling Stones, folks.

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and the band kicked off their latest tour at Fenway in Boston last night. They were there for the opening day at Fenway, 93 years ago, I believe. The 37-city, 42-concert tour, called A Bigger Bang, introduces fans to the Stones latest album being released in a few weeks. It's been 43 years since the band was formed, not '93, as I said.

I think they're collective age, guys, is in excess of 300 years.

S. O'BRIEN: I think it's 250.

M. O'BRIEN: Is it 250?

(CROSSTALK)

S. O'BRIEN: It's 250. Can you believe that?

M. O'BRIEN: That's still enough.

(CROSSTALK)

S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, miles.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's get to business news now this morning. Can Northwest Airlines get the job done with thousands of workers on the picket lines? Ali Velshi is in for Andy Serwer, who's off, and Ali's "Minding Your Business" this morning.

Good morning.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

We've been keeping a close eye on the situation. Obviously these workers, 4,400 workers off the job at midnight on Saturday. Northwest said they're going to keep flying with or without them. They have about 1,900 replacement workers. These are mechanics, custodians and cleaners. Now what they've done, is they've been working on this strike for a while, so they've been preparing for this. And they've outsourced some of the maintenance work to a couple of other airlines. So far, they say, Northwest says, they were running at 98 percent capacity over the weekend.

S. O'BRIEN: Over a slow weekend.

VELSHI: Over a slow weekend. And they went to their fall schedule one week early the lighter fall schedule.

This morning Northwest says they'll be at 96 percent this week, through the course of the week. Monday, of course, gets a lot busier, so we will see in an hour or two whether that's the case.

S. O'BRIEN: It's amazing when you think of a British Airways, which was crippled by 600 workers in the food services part of the business, 4,400 workers walk off the job, critical employees...

VELSHI: And they're still fine.

S. O'BRIEN: ... and it seems fine.

VELSHI: Yes, and I don't know how long it can be fine for. The FAA has been involved and said they're going to maintain oversight. There were a couple of incidents over the weekend, one in which four tires blew off a landing gear. It doesn't seem to be related, but the FAA is investigating, a report by tomorrow. But you know, that kind of thing keeps on happening. Whether it's related or not, passengers start to get a little nervous.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, one would definitely think when the mechanics go on strike, right?

VELSHI: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Ali, thanks -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: I'd be nervous if you got on the plane and they handed you a socket wrench set, and said, would you mind helping, you know?

All right, well, still to come on the program, the sudden death of a player leaves one NFL team in shock and doctors puzzled, the latest and some reactions from teammates just ahead.

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