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Prism

One Quake Victim, His Family Now In A Sprawling Tent City, Feels Confused And Hopeless About Their Future

Aired January 26, 2010 - 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): Tent city nation, two weeks after an earthquake devastated Haiti there are signs of progress, but overwhelming challenges remain.

Banning the burqa: France moves towards partial ban on any veils that cover the face. A

And they were voted into power four years ago. In our "Prism Segment" tonight, what role should Hamas play in the Middle East peace process?

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.

It's been two weeks now since utter disaster struck the people of Haiti.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SCREAMING, SHOUTING)

GRANT: These are exclusive images of those first awful moments of the January 12 earthquake. Fear and panic prevailed as the ground shook and buildings toppled. And the suffering only continues. Haiti says at least 150,000 people have been killed. And nearly 200,000 are injured. But hundreds of thousands, perhaps even a million are homeless, forced to live in tents and stand in long lines for food, despite a huge supply of international aid awaiting distribution. Haiti's president is calling for 200,000 more tents and says he'll sleep in one himself.

Let's get a look now at the situation in Haitian capital. Hala Gorani is anchoring our coverage from Port-au-Prince - Hala.

HALA GORANI, CNN INT'L. ANCNOR: Hi there, Stan.

You mentioned the request for 200,000 tents by Rene Preval. The government here has also requested millions of ready-to-eat meals, because that is also one of the biggest challenges going forward. As for the tents, the fear is that when the raining season, and therefore the hurricane season, hits the Caribbean that it will cause major problems, a secondary wave of disaster for this country.

Right now, as we have seen in the images from Haiti in the aftermath of the disaster, ordinary Haitians have put up tents themselves. In many cases these are bed sheets, these are table cloths. This is not the kind of tent that you want to sleep in if there is rain. We're talking about also terrain that will become muddy and the fear of disease as well.

The latest development here in Port-au-Prince is that we are starting to see disinfectant trucks drive through the streets and spraying some sort of disinfectant because there is also fear that even now, two weeks after the earthquake, that there might be issues with infection and disease.

And we are also starting to see heavy machinery move some of the rubble. Not too far from our position here there is an utterly devastated building where we have seen trucks and heavy machinery sort of gather up the rubble, put it in trucks, and then haul it away. And on a grim note, as well, when they do discover bodies under the rubble, those bodies that have been trapped for so long. They usually end up either sort of burying away from the road or hauling them as well.

So this is a country and a city, Stan, two weeks after this natural disaster still very much in the opening stage of dealing with the aftermath.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Armed with a single hammer, Michele Clarveal (ph) takes apart what is left of his house. He and his family are lucky to be alive.

(On camera): This is amazing. There were six people in this building and they all made it out alive without any injuries.

(Voice over): Nearly two weeks after the quake the question hundreds of thousands of people like Michelle are asking is: Now what? So far he has salvaged a speaker and a couple of plastic buckets.

(On camera): He says he doesn't know what he's going to do tomorrow, or the next week. Everything he owned was in this house and he doesn't see a future for Haiti right now.

(Voice over): Michele (ph) is a 53-year-old realtor who rented out rooms in the house he built 20 years ago to help pay for his kids college education. Now, he has no choice but to live here in this sprawling camp, located on what used to be a golf course. He gets lost in this maze of shelters trying to find his family. Then, he stumbles across his daughter, 17-year-old Saldomia (ph). They take us to their new home, a makeshift tent which houses two families.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very hot, you know.

WATSON (on camera): Yeah, whew.

(voice over): The air here is hot, feted and flush with mosquitoes. The only place to cook is in the corner.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is very difficult, you see, to live in here.

WATSON (On camera): Do you get sad here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Que?

WATSON: Sad, priest (ph)?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very, very sad. Very. Very. I die. Whew.

WATSON (voice over): It is a blow to the pride of a father accustomed to being able to feed his family; hopeless and confused, in a place with no future. Ivan Watson, CNN, Port-au-Prince.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Ivan Watson, there, bringing us one of the many stories that we see replicated throughout the city. And as far as aide is concerned, we were yesterday at the presidential palace for the first delivery of food at the presidential palace. Four U.N. trucks actually made it there, but many of the people were standing in what looked like a kilometer-long line, left empty handed, Stan.

GRANT: Hala, thank you. Hala Gorani joining us there from Port-au- Prince.

Well, turning now to other news around the world. A suicide bombing near a U.S. military base in Kabul has injured at least six Afghanistan civilians and two U.S. service members. The Taliban are claiming responsibility for the attack which comes as authorities announce the arrest of a suspect whom authorities say planned the deadly coordinated attack on Kabul earlier this month.

Another suicide bombing, this one in Baghdad, claimed at least 18 lives today. The bomb went off near a government building. Dozens of people were wounded. It comes one day after a series of coordinated car bombs rocked Baghdad's hotel district. The leader of U.S. troops in Iraq says such bombings indicate a change in tactics by the insurgents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. RAYMOND ODIERNO, COMMANDER, U.S. FORCES-IRAQ: What they are trying to do is they have to become more creative. They are trying to become more creative in how they conduct attacks because as time goes on their ability to impact becomes less and less. So they are trying to get the biggest outcome for their attacks. They do a lot less attacks, but they are trying to get the biggest outcome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRANT: Search and rescue efforts continue off the coast of Lebanon where an Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed early Monday. There were 90 people aboard Flight 409; 14 bodies have now been recovered.

Lebanon's transportation minister says the pilot disregarded directions by air traffic controllers shortly before the plane disappeared over the Mediterranean. Searchers are also trying to locate the plane's flight recorders.

A panel of lawmakers in France is recommending a partial ban on any veils that cover the race, including the burqa. The recommendation says such veils would be prohibited in hospitals, schools, and public transport. But women could still wear them on the streets. Jim Bittermann joins us live, from CNN Paris, with the reaction - Jim.

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: Stan, in fact, there wasn't a whole lot of reaction after that commission report today, simply because the commission has been working for about six months now. They have had more than 200 witnesses called to various hearings and so there has been a fair amount of news coverage all the way along here.

Nevertheless, this commission report is just one more step in what many people believe is going to eventually be a law against any kind of facial covering, any kind of full veils, as they are called here in France.

Here is the report. It was about, almost, 300 pages long, and the results of six months of study. The commission was made up of lawmakers on both sides of the political spectrum. In fact, the head of it was a Communist in the National Assembly. Basically it says that they would like to try to make it very difficult for women to wear full facial covering here in France. Any contact that they have in public facilities and that could be on a bus, it could be in a subway, hospitals, schools, anything like that. The people - that they do indeed pass this resolution the commission is recommending, people that are dealing with veiled women would be able to refuse them service. And essentially making it very difficult for women to continue wearing the veil.

One of the lawmakers says, though, that just a resolution is not enough. They should go for a law. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACQUES MYARD, MEMBER, FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: Do you really believe that there is something comparable with the identity of a person, equality of sex, and public order, there is for thousand years in our society no way to, let's say, to hide your face from other people watching you. So, I think this is absolutely something which is compatible with our tradition, with our public order, taken not as a police (ph) argument but has social, public order.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BITERMANN: And, Stan, I would say that according to public opinion polls, in fact, about two out of three French agree with that lawmaker. That there should be a law which bans any kind of dress which would cover, fully cover, the face, Stan.

GRANT: Jim, thank you very much. Jim Bittermann joining us there from Paris.

The Obama administration says it is not giving up on the Middle East peace process, but some say any real progress between parties would mean including the militant group, Hamas. In tonight's "Prism Segment" we ask what role, if any, should Hamas play in that process?

And from Israeli settlements to security in Yemen, hear what former British prime minister and current Middle East envoy, Tony Blair has to say. That is all coming up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRANT: Welcome back.

The Obama administration is not giving up on its efforts to jump start stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. A new initiative has reportedly been floated with both sides, by U.S. envoy George Mitchell. A Palestinian official tells Agence France Presse that the plan is three-fold. It calls for Israel to loosen its grip on some Palestinian controlled areas; free some prisoners; and ease the blockade on Hamas controlled Gaza.

Well, the mandate for Hama dominated Palestinian parliament expired today. New elections are on hold and the legitimacy of the Palestinian government is in question. Through the PRISM this evening, we are asking what role should Hamas play in the Middle East peace process? We begin our coverage with Correspondent Paula Hancocks, in Jerusalem. She reports Hamas is a political force that cannot be ignored.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Jubilant scenes on the streets of Gaza as Hamas wins democratic Palestinian elections.

This was four years ago, there has been little to celebrate since. Israel, the United States, and the European Union, boycotted the Hamas government, saying it is a terrorist organization. Aziz Dweik (ph) is speaker of the Palestinian parliament, and he was one of around 40 of Hamas members arrested after the group claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of the Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit in 2006. Dweik spent three years in jail but believes it is time for Hamas and the rest of the world to connect.

AZIZ DWEIK, SPEAKER, PALESTINIAN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL: We cannot live in isolation in this world. We have to talk to the people. But our problem comes out from the fact that since we won the elections, nobody listen to us. Nobody opened a door for dialogue.

HANCOCKS: Israeli's door remains closed, even as Fatah and Hama try, so far in vain, to create a unity government.

SHIMON PERES, PRESIDENT OF ISRAEL: If you have two glasses full of water, you can make a collection of water, but if you have one glass with water and one glass with fire, I don't see how you are going to have a unity government.

HANCOCKS: Hamas still has almost total control in Gaza. It controls the Raffa (ph) border crossing with Egypt and has its own check point just inside the border with Israel. Israel's two and a half year blockade on Gaza has not unseated Hamas. It has merely made life harder for ordinary people. Even Israel's three week war on Hamas, in response to rocket attacks launched from Gaza, did not manage to eliminate the group. After the violence it was Hamas who gave out checks to Gazans, whose homes Israel destroyed. For some this is the only money they received.

But Hamas' standing has been damaged by the underground wall Egypt is building to stop the smuggling of goods through tunnels, through Egypt to Gaza. These tunnels are a life line for Hamas to bringing good, money, and Israel says, weapons.

(On camera): Hamas' popularity has slipped over the past four years. A recent survey by the International Peace Initiative found that only 24 percent of Gazans would now vote for Hamas, compared to 45 percent, who would vote for Fatah. This is what Israel has hoped for when it first boycotted Hamas and then blockaded Gaza. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRANT: Appearing on CNN's "AMANPOUR" last week, former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni discounted Hamas' role in the peace process. But asked if Israel should negotiate a full ceasefire with Hamas in exchange for lifting the blockade (AUDIO GAP) her position was clear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TZIPI LIVNI, FMR. ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER: No, I don't think so. Basically, Hamas doesn't represent the national restoration (ph) of the Palestinians. I believe that Israel needs to re-launch negotiations with Fatah, with the legitimate Palestinian government, with those who represent the legitimate restoration of the Palestinians for a state of their own.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRANT: Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is among the most knowledgeable people on Middle East peace efforts. Long after his turn in office he remains engaged in the region and its issues. He is on record as saying Hamas must be a part of the peace process.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY CARTER, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States government will find a way to have direct discussions with Hamas' leadership. I don't believe there is any possibility to have peace between Palestinians and Israel unless Hamas is involved, directly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRANT: Undaunted by a lack of movement, U.S. Middle East Envoy George Mitchell says President Barack Obama is fully committed to a comprehensive peace and the two state solution. Listen to how the president qualified any possible role for Hamas during his speech last year, in Cairo. What he said marked a shift in U.S. policy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hamas does have support among some Palestinians. But they also have to recognize they have responsibilities to play a role in fulfilling Palestinian aspirations. To unify the Palestinian people Hamas must put an end to violence, recognize past agreements, recognize Israel's right to exist.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRANT: Egypt is playing a role, as well, with the border along Gaza becoming a critical factor. Egypt's decision to build a fortified wall to seal off the smuggling tunnels used by Palestinians has become a game changer. In a commentary published in Lebanese newspaper, "The Daily Star" author Gemal Soltan says Egypt is sending Hamas a message.

He writes that, "The tight new controls on the Egypt-Gaza border should redirect Hamas toward paying more attention to the Gaza Strip's border with Israel. Driving Hamas into a corner could force the radical Islamist organization into either moderation or new adventures."

Hamas response to Egypt is both public and sharp. In a statement to reporters Monday Hamas spokesman Mushir Al-Masri said, "Egypt's steel wall does not serve the interests of any Arab party. The Israeli occupation benefits from it because it has killed the last lifeline keeping the Gaza Strip alive after two and a half years of siege."

Just some different views on Hamas and what role the group should play in the Middle East peace process.

On "MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST" this week we'll talk about the Global Competitiveness Forum in Saudi Arabia. First, on the sidelines, host John Defterios spoke with Middle East Quartet Envoy Tony Blair. They touched on both hopes and fears for peace in the region. The first question put to Britain's former prime minister was, whether the peace process is perhaps fallen lower on the U.S. president's priority list?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH MIDDLE EAST QUARTET ENVOY: It is still very much a priority for President Obama and he's made that clear recently. Senator Mitchell is doing sterling work trying to bring the parties together and trying to get a negotiation going again. Because we know we want a two- state solution. We have an end result that we want. The question is how do we do it? And how do we negotiate that state, in terms of territory, issues like Jerusalem. And then how do you build, from the bottom up, the capacity, the economy of the Palestinian state? Although people may perceive it as having dropped down the agenda, my view is for the American administration, and I base this on conversations with them, they are determined to keep up the pressure on.

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN ANCHOR, "MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST": There is the one issue that is right at the heart of this, though, the Palestinians are looking for a freeze on settlements. And the offer on the other side is a moratorium and a position in East Jerusalem. That doesn't seem easily solved.

BLAIR: No, it is not easily solved. That is absolutely true. However, the single best way of resolving it is to decide the territory of the state. And then we know what settlements say and what settlements go. We know what, roughly, we want. People have in their minds the '67 borders, and land swaps, and so on. It is not hard to devise a solution to this if we want to do it. But the simplest way of dealing with these issues and why I feel a sense of urgency about getting into the negotiation, is the sooner we are in it, provided it is the genuine, credible negotiation, the sooner we are able to resolve these fundamental questions.

DEFTERIOS: I just want to draw your attention to Yemen, which is another security issue, of course, for the region itself. You met with King Abdullah, of Saudi Arabia, is there an agreement how to tackle the Al Qaeda cell here and to ratify what is underway in Yemen? Even with the support of the Yemeni president?

BLAIR: There is a real understanding that we must ensure that Yemen doesn't become now another front with Al Qaeda, possibly groups backed by Iran, because these are the problems, frankly, that we have faced everywhere in this region. Obviously, there is a concern from Saudi Arabia, because it is happening right on their border. But I also think they do have a very clear sense, here, in Saudi Arabia, of what needs to be done and how we can do it. And the single most important thing in the short term is to stabilize the country. And then we can begin to make some of those changes that are necessary.

DEFTERIOS: What is their plan? Because I understand there are differences between the Saudi approach to that, and the U.S./Western approach to how to get clearance in Yemen, and stabilize it.

BLAIR: Well, I think everybody wants to get to the same end. Which is, they understand there are changes that need to be made in Yemen, and reforms, and so on and so forth. And that is absolutely true. But I think the single biggest priority, right now, right at this moment, is to stabilize the situation and to make sure that whether it is the Al Qaeda counter group on the one hand, or the hole (ph) group on the other hand, that they cannot get a foothold, or a bigger foothold in destabilizing the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRANT: Tony Blair speaking there to John Defterios. And be sure to join John Friday for a special edition of "MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST" as he takes you, "From Sand To Snow", the Global Competitiveness Forum in Saudi Arabia and World Economic Forum in Switzerland. That is Friday night, 23:35 in Abu Dhabi, 20:45 in Central Europe. Which is immediately following "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" right here on CNN.

They came to see a lot civilization, now they are trying to avoid becoming lost themselves. The Peruvian government is evacuating nearly 2,000 tourists after heavy rains, mudslides and flash flood cut off the ancient Incan site of Machu Picchu from the outside world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRANT: Heavy rain and mudslides have forced the evacuation of hundreds of tourists near Peru's famous Machu Picchu ruins. They were stranded after the only train service to the tourist attraction was suspended when mud covered the tracts. Tourists are being rescued by helicopter. Another 300 people were forced to abandon their hike along the Inca trail.

On that note, we'll check in on the global weather picture with Mari Ramos at the CNN World Weather Center, Mari.

MARI RAMOS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, yes, I want to start you off right there, in South America and Peru. This area, of course, known around the world because of Machu Picchu, that ancient historic site.

I want to come and take you there, and show you a little bit of the topography. You know it is in the Andes Mountains, so it is of course going to be very high in elevation. This is Aguas Calientes, the area where most of those tourists have been trapped for the last few hours. This right here is the ancient city of Machu Picchu.

This is where people have to -Aguas Calientes is actually the last stop before you can actually climb up through the basin. This is the road that you have to take to get to the top. So, this road has been affected. People are not able to walk down, or ride down through the basin, and then from Aguas Calientes to the other outpost, the one that is used by the train. That one goes right along the river. And it is that river the Lubambo, the one that has overflowed and caused mudslides and in some cases completely covered the train tracks. So it may be a while.

Now, helicopters had been flying out in to Cusco and into Aguas Calientes to try to rescue some of the people that have been stranded. But as long as the rain keeps falling and the visibility is poor, that is going to take a while, unfortunately.

We're still looking at more rain. And the weather service in Peru has actually issue a warning across the central portion of Peru, through tomorrow afternoon. So, we still have at least another 24, maybe 36 hours of heavy rain across some of those areas. Cusco is in its fourth day of very heavy rain.

Let's go ahead and head to Europe. This is a picture from Istanbul, Turkey, much of the Mediterranean, particularly the eastern half, very unstable over the last few days. Very heavy snowfall, here in Peru -- excuse me, in Turkey. This is the same weather system that actually had affected the weather across the eastern Med and that could have been a factor in that plane crash that we were talking about earlier, Stan.

You can still see a bit of moisture here across here across the region. It had been quieter earlier today, but our next round of bad weather will move through here as we head through the over night and into tomorrow morning. Quieter weather through Greece and Turkey but colder air starting to move in now across Europe. Strong winds, and more snow on the way. Back to you.

GRANT: Mari, thank you very much for that.

And talk a bit of home sickness for me, right now. It is a carnival atmosphere across Australia today where they are celebrating the national day. In true Aussie style, ships and boats of all sizes filled Sydney Harbor to commemorate the first fleet's arrival back in 1788. There were barbeques and fireworks and in the capital a large citizenship ceremony. Some 17,000 people sworn in as new Australians. Great sight.

And that's it for me, Stan Grant, in Abu Dhabi. "WORLD'S UNTOLD STORIES" up next, after we update the headlines.

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