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Prism

A Suicide Bomber In Somalia Devastates A University Graduation

Aired December 03, 2009 - 12:00   ET

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

STAN GRANT, CNN INT'L. ANCHOR, PRISM (voice over): A suicide bomber in Somalia devastates a university graduation. It happened in a part of Mogadishu that had been considered relatively safe.

Seeking clarity: Pakistan's prime minister says he needs more information before he can endorse U.S. President Obama's new strategy for Afghanistan.

And in our "Prism Segment" tonight, South Africa says it is ready to host the 2010 World Cup, but are the country's security measure enough to protect the players and fans?

From CNN Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates, this is PRISM, where we take a story and look at it from multiple perspectives. I'm Stan Grant.

Begin with a stunning suicide attack in Somalia. Watch this, the deadly moment caught on video. The vantage point is just as amazing as the target. It was at a university graduation and key government officials are among the dead. Our David McKenzie is monitoring developments from CNN Nairobi, in Kenya.

And, David, no doubt suspicion falling on Al Shabaab?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Stan. In fact, right after this deadly attack, at a press conference, the president of the transitional government, squarely blamed Al Shabaab, the militant group with ties to Al Qaeda. It is on the U.S. terror watch list.

And the president brought out gruesome evidence, at that press conference. He showed the body of the suicide bomber. He showed the bit of suicide vest, as well, and the hijab, the Islamic clothing, women's clothing that the male suicide bomber was wearing when he detonated that suicide bomb, at a university graduation, which was being held at the Shamo Hotel, in downtown Mogadishu.

Now that is a relatively peaceful part of the capital. So there are worries, significant worries now, that all parts of Mogadishu are unsafe. And three senior members of the transitional government were killed in this deadly attack, Stan.

GRANT: David, thank you very much for that. David McKenzie joining us there, on the Somalia blast.

Now Syrian officials are ruling out terrorism in a deadly explosion outside Damascus. The interior minister says a blast ripped through a bus at a gas station, killing three people who were inflating a tire. The bus was carrying Iranian pilgrims to a nearby religious shrine, but they were not onboard at the time.

A two-day meeting in Brussels could lead to thousands more boots on the ground in Afghanistan. NATO members will consider an appeal by the United States to send extra troops who would join the 30,000 additional American forces being deployed there. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will make the case for President Obama's new Afghan war strategy. NATO's secretary general has promised 5,000 additional troops, but an alliance spokesman says new pledges already exceed that number.

Italy is wrapping up its participation in the war effort. The defense ministry says 1,000 Italian troops will be shipped out in the second half of 2010. Nearly 2,800 Italians, who are already serving in Herat, in western Afghanistan; 22 Italian troops have been killed in the conflict.

One key player in the war is not endorsing President Obama's troop surge. Pakistan's prime minister says his government still needs more information about Barack Obama's strategy. Yousuf Raza Gilani has been meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in London.

For more on that, and what they talked about and also some insight on Pakistan's reaction, I'm joined from CNN Islamabad, by Reza Sayah.

And Reza, there has always been a concern in Pakistan, hasn't there, that more troops on the ground in Afghanistan means more militants forced across the border, into Pakistan?

REZA SAYAH, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: No question about it. That is a concern expressed by Pakistani leaders. But I have to tell you, Stan, what we have seen in the past 48 hours, the reaction from Pakistani leaders, it has been a reaction that has been all over the board; from skepticism to concern, all the way to cautious optimism.

And that is perhaps symptomatic of the dilemma that this very fragile, young civilian government faces here. There is a lot of anti- Americanism here in Pakistan. So, if Pakistan's leaders come out and emphatically support the U.S. strategy, they risk flaring anti-Americanism. They risk the public saying these are U.S. lackeys and it certainly doesn't bode well for them and the accusations that come from their political opponents.

On the other hand, if they come out against this U.S. strategy they risk losing a very important ally in Washington; an ally that obviously gives them a lot of military and economic aid. So that is perhaps why you have seen some vague reaction that has been all over the board. You saw the prime minister, today, saying I haven't endorsed it yet. But just the other day we spoke to the president's office. They welcomed it with some cautious optimism, Stan.

GRANT: Reza, on the other side, the United States knows that it has to convince Pakistan that, while it may pull out of Afghanistan, in 2011, it is not going to abandon he region. And Pakistan says was the cause of the problems we see now. That the U.S. pulled out too early before.

SAYAH: Yes, no question about it. What the Pakistani government doesn't want is a repeat of what happened in the late 1980s, when they say the U.S. pulled out of the region, after the success that it saw during the Afghan jihad against the Soviets. That did a lot of damage to this region. Obviously, that concern has re-emerged with plans for a possible pull out beginning in 2011.

Another concern from Washington's perspective is the Pakistani army. They are going to need the Pakistani army to go after the leadership of the Afghan Taliban, in Pakistan's tribal region. The army has shown a new willingness for the past year to go after the Pakistani Taliban. We have yet to see evidence they have made an earnest effort to go after the Afghan leadership in that region, Stan.

GRANT: Reza, thank you for that. Reza Sayah joining us there from Islamabad, Pakistan.

Well, how safe is safe? Just ahead in out "Prism Segment" South Africa is gearing up to host the World Cup in 2010. We'll take a look at security from different angles.

Plus, Dubai World meets with its creditors next week, can the company dig itself out of the mess plaguing the markets.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRANT: Welcome back. In our "Prism Segment" this evening, a closer look at security for World Cup 2010. It is a monumental task when you consider how many people will attend. More than 1 million tickets will go on sale on Saturday, in the third phase of ticketing. Organizers say more than 670,000 tickets have been sold so far for the series of matches to be played in South Africa.

South African security forces have been training for some time. The South African government says it plans to have a force of 190,000 police by the end of 2009. That's an increase of more than 55,000 officers. That includes a reaction force of 200 specially trained officers to deal with any terrorists threat. Special intervention units will be set up to deal with crowd trouble. The security force will use nearly 40 specially equipped helicopters and have ordered 10 new water cannons for crowd control. And they say they are ready for anything.

From Johannesburg, Nkepile Mabuse has a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NKEPILE MABUSE, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT (voice over): These are the men who will be called upon in the event South Africa is threatened by terror attacks. Although the country has experienced some domestic terrorism, there has been little recent activity. Still, analysts worry the football World Cup next year will provide extremists, domestic and international, with an invaluable opportunity for global publicity and exposure.

A confident national police commissioner insists the world has nothing to worry about.

BHEKI CELE, SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE COMMISSIONER: When I think of 2010. and its security, I sleep like a baby. It is one thing that definitely doesn't give me (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

MABUSE: But South Africa's porous borders, easily available travel documents, and large Muslim community have proven attractive to Al Qaeda in the past. In 2004 British police found boxes of illegally acquired South African passports at the home of a suspected Al Qaeda member. And it is alleged that calls were made in South Africa, to the London bombers, before their attack in July 2005.

Most recently, U.S. embassies and offices were shut down for two days in September, because of security concerns. There reason for the security shut down was never made public.

So, we asked the police commissioner whether South African police have the intelligence infrastructure required to thwart a serious terror threat?

CELE: September 11 did not happen in Johannesburg. It happened somewhere else. Like any other country we will have weak points. So we will continue to improve. We will listen to other people. We will call the assistance where we need it to make sure that we are always on top.

MABUSE: South Africa is already relying on foreign police agencies to help solve some crimes; 41,000 police are expected to be deployed specifically for World Cup security, making game venues possibly the safest place to be during the one-month long competition.

But safety is a relative thing. South Africa is, after all, a country where 50 people are murdered each day. So, an incident-free World Cup would be considered a major win, no matter final score of the tournament. Nkepile Mabuse, CNN, Johannesburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRANT: World Cup organizers and the South African government are expecting about half a million international visitors for the month long tournament. So, crime is a major consideration. South Africa has the second highest crime rate in the world, behind Colombia. More than 18,000 people were murdered in South Africa in 2008, according to the South African Institute of Race Relations. That number is actually down 30 percent from 1994. But with an average of 50 people killed every day in the country, it remains among the highest rates in the world.

Security will not just focus on the fans, but will also be very tight for the players and other members of their teams. Pedro Pinto is joining us live now from Cape Town to talk with us about this part of the equation.

Pedro, we heard there, from the police commissioner saying he'll sleep like a baby when it comes to security. Do the organizers of the tournament, do they feel the same way?

PEDRO PINTO, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: We have been trying to find out what their take is, Stan. And it is obvious that they wouldn't say anything that would alarm people around the world.

But as you mentioned, there are numbers which are scaring a lot of the football fans and they are making them think twice about making the trip here. I have to tell you that from being here on the ground, in Cape Town, I haven't seen anything that worries me. Even at the convention center, where the draw will take place on Friday, the security is on high alert and the security forces there are in full effect, as they would be in any of the other countries that we normally go to, to cover major events. There are metal detectors. There are constant vigilant people around making sure that no one that is unauthorized actually enters the building.

Now, I actually asked Danny Jordaan, the CEO of the local organizing committee, here in South Africa, for the World Cup, if he was convinced that South Africa was ready and how he was convincing FIFA President Sepp Blatter that everything was ready to welcome the world for the World Cup.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANNY JORDAAN, CHIEF, 2010 WORLD CUP ORGANIZING ORG.: Well, people can look at the draw here in Cape Town, our security arrangements are in place, everything is running very well. And I think if you speak to the FIFA executive, and the media, they will tell you that they feel very comfortable and very safe.

We have hosted 140 major events in our country. Not a single incident. We will take security very, very serious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PINTO: And the latest example of a major tournament that South Africa hosted was, of course, the Confederations Cup, earlier this year, Stan. And fortunately, no problems there. Of course, that was only with eight teams, and four stadiums. There will be 32 teams coming, and 10 stadiums in action at the World Cup.

GRANT: Yes, Pedro, just tell us how this works. FIFA, the organizers for the tournament, responsible for what happens inside the stadium, but not responsible, obviously, what happens outside, amongst the general public.

PINTO: You are absolutely right. Anything outside the general, immediate, circumference of the stadium, is the responsibility of the local government and the local police. I can tell you that there has been a major investment done, here, in South Africa, around $100 million to update all the apparatus, all the vehicles that the police have. Also increasing some numbers on helicopters and other vehicles that will allow the police to do their job during the World Cup. They are also increasing the number of police officers by 55,000 all over this country.

So they are not taking this lightly at all, Stan. I think one of the problems that FIFA had, leading up to the tournament, was with accommodation. Because, as you mentioned, you have about a half a million people coming here. They said there was a shortage of about 50,000 rooms, a few months ago. That problem has now, apparently, been solved. FIFA has taken the accommodation out of their worry list. And that is important. Because when you have fans that are coming here, they have nowhere to stay, they are roaming the streets, that is when trouble can happen.

But so far, on the ground, I can tell you here in Cape Town, there haven't been any problems. In Johannesburg, I'll have a chance to check it out in a few days' time, when we head there after the draw. And that is one of the hotbeds of the violence here, from what I have been gathering. And I'm sure that is the kind of numbers that you have been seeing as well.

Johannesburg, one of the problem areas. However, Danny Jordaan, very confident that they have all the conditions in place to provide safety, not only for fans, but also for officials and players throughout the tournament.

GRANT: Pedro, thank you very much for that. Pedro Pinto joining us there from Cape Town, a beautiful backdrop, as you can see a spectacular city. And promising to be a spectacular World Cup.

Join us tomorrow at this hour, for CNN special coverage of the World Cup draw. Pedro will be live in Cape Town, for all the action. You can see the draw as it happens. Plus, we'll have analysis and reaction from around the world. It all starts at 21:00 in Abu Dhabi, 1800 in Central Europe.

And you can find even more football action online at CNN.com/2010. Terry Badue (ph) and Becky Anderson (ph) will be key players for a CNN team effort that includes a live connect, the World Cup Chat. Go check it out and then join us live, during the draw online, and on TV, here on CNN.

The global travel forecast just minutes away. Plus, battled Middle East markets are desperate to escape the shadow of Dubai's debt. A check of the numbers and a look ahead to next week's crucial meetings between Dubai World and its lender states (ph).

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRANT: It has been a turbulent week for UAE markets. The Dubai debt crisis had stocks tanking on Monday and Tuesday. A national holiday has since kept them in limbo. What are the next moves? Will Abu Dhabi help a neighbor in need?

"MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST" anchor John Defterios joins us from CNN London, with the details.

May have been a holiday, John, but no doubt talks have been going on frantically. Where do you think they are at, at the moment?

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN INT'L. ANCHOR, "MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST": Well, it is quite interesting, Stan, that we move from all that excitement over the span of a week, literally, from saying basically you are not going to pay the debt, to the creditors right now, and then the UAE central bank stepping in.

The hard part is now, next week, when the creditors, they sit down with some of their clients. Some of the international banks, four international banks, four U.K. banks sitting down with two UAE banks, with the Dubai government to say, how do we work through this debt going forward? So this is going to be the hard part. You will hear different fits and starts along that process.

But there is not a lot of time to work it out, Stan, because number one, we have another debt payment due in early January. So, you have this window between, say, mid December to the start of January, to get it done. Or you are going to phase it into another big bond payment. That is the next challenge.

GRANT: Yes, John, let's talk about the way this has been handled. There has been initially shock at the first announcement. There wasn't enough warning. Then there wasn't a statement coming form Dubai. Then the statement seemed to be that they wouldn't necessarily guarantee and support Dubai World, even criticism of the international media. What is your assessment of the way that this has played out?

DEFTERIOS: Well, in fact, I think they were a little bit surprised themselves, Stan. If you go back to Tuesday, a week ago, you had the visit here to the U.K. with Prime Minister Gordon Brown. And all was OK, and then 24 hours later, the news came they weren't going to pay that first initial bond payment. And then you know what transpired. We talked about it. So, it has been a very difficult ride.

Now the question is, how do they service their debt beyond the restructuring with the banks. Let's look at some of the assets that they have. We put them in categories of corporate assets and leisure assets.

Let's look at the corporate assets, number one. They have stakes, for example, on the London stock exchange. They have stakes at London Chartered Banks, EADS, Sony and the department store, Barney's of New York. And then you go into this whole range of leisure assets that come under the Dubai Inc, umbrella. This is the broader Dubai holdings, right across the board. Kerzner International, with the hotel unit, Madame Tussauds, part of Merlin Entertainment, Cirque du Soleil, MGM Mirage, and then QE2 liner.

And the discussion now is what is on the table. And for "MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST" this week we talked to Saeb Eigner, of Lonworld, here, in the U.K., and he basically says nothing is off the board.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAEB EIGNER, CEO, LONWORLD: I have no doubt that Dubai is looking at their options. They are looking at restructuring, as indeed, will be many investment and (UNINTELLIGIBLE). They will look at their assets. They will determine what are strategic investments? What are purely investments from a trading point of view? And they will decide what to do with these.

I think there will be a better understanding , and a better, perhaps, clarity on the purpose of some of these investments.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEFTERIOS: And, Stan, what I think is interesting, out of that, when you have this uncertainty, and then looking through your assets and what needs to be sold, how to work through the restructuring, it does have an impact on growth. At the beginning of November, the IMF was calling for a UAE growth of 3 percent for 2010, that was up from 2.4 the month before. Already they have lowered that to 2 percent. And now they are saying the Dubai economy on its own, may not grow at all in 2010. So, this has been a shock. And going back to this idea, if you don't manage communications, what happens is it is already ratcheting down the growth figures for next year, already.

GRANT: Yes, already seeing those implications. John, always good to have you on the program. Thanks again for that analysis, walking us through that.

You can see John on CNN "MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST" every weekend, including Friday night 23:45 in Abu Dhabi, 24:45 in Central Europe. Immediately following "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS".

We have time to take a look at the global weather picture. Lola Martinez is at the CNN World Weather Center.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

GRANT: And that's it for me, Stan Grant, in Abu Dhabi. "LIVING GOLF" coming up next just after we update the headlines.

END