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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Daniel Pearl's Widow Speaks Out; Former Enron Executive Stands Up to Congress

Aired February 26, 2002 - 17:00   ET

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

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Now on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS: Her husband was murdered, but the widow of journalist Daniel Pearl says the terrorists did not win.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIANE PEARL, DANIEL PEARL'S WIDOW: His spirit, his faith, his conviction have not been defeated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And what will she tell her unborn son about his father? The answer in a CNN sit-down interview.

From out of nowhere, a stunning proposal to solve the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. I'll get details from an insider.

In the hot seat, a former Enron executive stands up to Congress:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY SKILLING, FORMER ENRON PRESIDENT: Common decency suggests that I be treated as innocent until proven otherwise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And in case you missed it, he's back in the limelight and in the political fight of his life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. GARY CONDIT (D), CALIFORNIA: I had nothing to do with the disappearance of Chandra Levy. Not one, single thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Topping our news alert: Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, the prime suspect in the murder of "Wall Street Journal" reporter Daniel Pearl will remain in Pakistan, at least for now.

Pakistani sources say that agreement was reached today during talks between the U.S. ambassador and Pakistan's president about extraditing Saeed Sheikh. It's hoped that by keeping Saeed Sheikh in Pakistan, he can help efforts to recover Pearl's body and the weapons used to kill him.

As of right now, the Pentagon says none of the almost 500 Afghan war detainees has been chosen to be tried by U.S. military tribunals. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says interrogators are in the early stages of the selection process. And he says officials have about finished writing the rules for how the tribunals eventually will operate.

Only moments ago, a neighbor of Danielle van Dam, the missing San Diego girl, pleaded not guilty to murder and kidnapping charges. David Westerfield has been the prime suspect since the 7-year-old disappeared from her home the night of February 1.

The investigative arm of Congress says the U.S. government is not doing enough to stop mad cow disease from entering the United States. The General Accounting Office says procedures now in place might not even detect the disease, or prevent it from spreading. The Agriculture Department says the GAO report is full of mistakes.

Now to the words of strength, courage and affection from the pregnant widow of murdered "Wall Street Journal" reporter Daniel Pearl. In an interview with our Chris Burns, Mariane Pearl spoke about her husband, his work, the terrorists who killed him and what she will tell her son about his father.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mariane, thank you for joining us. You came to Pakistan in peace. You came here seeking the truth with your husband. You leave Pakistan as a widow after your husband was brutally murdered.

What message would you have to the people of Pakistan?

PEARL: Well, first of all I would tell them that my feelings and my affection for this country have not changed because of what happened here. On the contrary, people -- the people have shown tremendous support to me. They have shared my sorrow. I know they feel bad, ashamed, sad about what happened.

Also, the people who have been actually around me during this ordeal and this terrible time have -- investigators, basically, have been people of heart and of tremendous professionalism, with very, very limited resources; very limited resources. They have shown unlimited amount of courage, of commitment -- indeed (ph), to our commitment as well to try and find Danny.

That has meant a lot to me. And I know that the people of Danny's family and Danny's friends have not shared that. And it's even harder in a way for them because, having been surrounded by such human quality, regardless of whether they are Pakistani or some other nationality, but just human, you know, they were shook as much as I was. Maybe not as much. But, I mean, they really shared my suffering. And it meant a lot. So I really want to tell them that, and thank them for that, all of them, all of the investigators as well as the anonymous people who have shown their support.

And I also want to tell them to find the people who have killed Danny.

BURNS: And how much hope do you have that they will?

PEARL: Well, honestly that depends, I think, a lot on how the world responds to it. I was mentioning the lack of resources. As it happens, Karachi is at the front line of the battle that it's leading, and it is fighting on behalf of the rest of the world. Because this is -- this happens to be at the front line for a lot of reasons.

There are immediate political and historical reasons. Yes, Pakistan has supported the Taliban before. Yes, there's been the war in Afghanistan. All of these people -- you know, Pakistan is also the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the second front, right. So that's a reality.

There's also deeper reasons that we all know, but more or less vaguely, right. Lack of education is a major one -- absolutely major one. Lack of resources, lack of hope, lack of scope for the people.

I don't think that anymore we can consider that that's the problem of Pakistan alone. It's not anymore. Danny was killed. And only this month 10 other people were killed by terrorists, and they were all Pakistani. So they're suffering as much as we are, right.

BURNS: So you see that -- the death of your husband as being a symptom of wider problems, deeper problems in the country?

PEARL: No, no; I see it as being like an alarm for everybody. It means that if people in the world do not realize that they're not immune against this anymore, then nothing will -- we will never fight this war. This is a vast, international, dangerous network of people. So if we consider it as being a problem in Pakistan, I mean, this is completely wrong.

So I think now it is high time that people in the world -- I'm talking about the United States. I'm also talking about Europe and other parts of the world. Governments should take even more responsibility in fighting against terrorism, but also people. At community level, at individual level, ask themselves questions like what do I know about my country's foreign policy? Is my country fighting terrorism? Am I making efforts to promote dialogue? Am I, you know, am I committed?

BURNS: Which is what you've been asking throughout. You've been asking for more dialogue.

PEARL: Exactly.

BURNS: You've addressed the Pakistanis who have been supportive of you. How do you address the Pakistanis who have sympathies for militant groups as those who killed your husband? PEARL: I really don't -- I mean, if you talk in terms of Pakistan itself, it's a very minor group; it's a very small group. It is not a group like -- you know, everyone says that so much. It is not a group of only extremist Pakistani, it is a vast and international network of terrorists.

You know, wherever there's misery, they'll find people. And there's misery, you know, in large parts of the world.

BURNS: There's compassion across the world for the ordeal you went through, for the pain, for the grief. There is also -- there are also people who have sympathies for militant groups and that is, as you've talked about, how there is support in some ways for some of these groups around the world, groups that take advantage of situations, of poverty and so forth.

How do you address both groups of people, those who empathize with you and sympathize with you and those who sympathize with those militants around the world?

PEARL: Well, I'll tell you what. Danny, he's, now we're going to have like, you know, memorial services all over the world for him. There are going to be, you know, cosmopolitan and they're going to celebrate someone, as you say, who seeks the truth, you know, who had courage.

This in itself says a lot, you know? The goal of terrorism is to input terror in people. If we -- I know, and that's like a personal thing I share with you, but it's personal conviction, you know, and that's why I'm sitting here with you is I know Danny has not been defeated by the people who killed him.

His spirit, his faith, his conviction have not been defeated, you know. And I'm extremely proud of him, you know.

The only thing -- I don't even want to address the people who support -- you know, I mean, whatever. What I'm saying is that if people do not let terror, you know, get in their heart and they react and they realize the real nature of the terrorism, then they will be defeated.

I don't have a political message for them, you know. The message I have is -- for the people -- is just, do like Danny. Just don't be defeated by them.

BURNS: And try to address the underlying problems that bring about these kinds of groups?

PEARL: Exactly. Ask yourselves a question.

BURNS: Mariane (SPEAKING FRENCH), you're French, your husband was from California. You're seven months pregnant now. Where do you go from here? What will you do?

PEARL: Well, as I said I will, you know, first thing, hold this memorial. I will carry on this message, because I think Danny and I are very much alike. We have the same kind of conviction. As I say, we are not defeated. And so I will, you know, make sure that his pain and my pain will help, you know, change the world in that sense, you know, at our level.

BURNS: Concretely, what do you mean? Where will you do that? How will you do that?

PEARL: I think, you know, again the key word is "dialogue," you know. So I can share my experience, I do like when, you know, inviting other people to do. What am I doing? What do I know? How can I help? So I do that at my own level. And of course I will also, as you say, I'm seven months pregnant; and I will give life, give birth to Danny's son -- just go on.

BURNS: And what will you tell your son?

PEARL: About?

BURNS: About what happened to your husband?

PEARL: Well, that depends on, you know, how people -- no, it depends on how people react to that. You know, if I can talk to my son, you know, yes, he was brutally and cowardly murdered, but the ultimate objective of these people never reached his goal thanks to him, you know, what he passed on to me and what he passed on to other people, and hopefully other people to other people. Danny's a hero.

BURNS: Thank you Mariane.

PEARL: Thank you very much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Mariane Pearl, the widow of Danny Pearl.

And the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan met with Pakistan's president today in a bid to extradite the prime suspect in the kidnapping and murder of Danny Pearl.

Our national correspondent Susan Candiotti has the latest on that and related developments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the alleged mastermind of Daniel Pearl's kidnapping appeared in court for the second day in a row, authorities are still missing key evidence.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are trying to recover the dead body of Danny Pearl.

CANDIOTTI: Investigators are also looking for the murder weapon. A videotape shows Pearl was stabbed and decapitated, but not where or when or by whom.

Behind closed courtroom doors a witness fingered prime suspect Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh as the man who posed as a go-between to arrange a phony interview that led to Pearl's kidnapping.

The White House wants to prosecute Saeed Sheikh in the U.S. The U.S. ambassador to Pakistan made that request again Tuesday in a meeting with President Perez Musharraf. Following that meeting, President Musharraf called Secretary of State Colin Powell.

RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: The Pakistanis are examining our request, and we'll continue these discussions to make sure the common desire on both sides to see that justice is served is, in fact, brought to fruition.

CANDIOTTI: U.S. government officials confirmed Saeed Sheikh was secretly indicted around November in connection with a 1994 kidnapping of Western tourists, including an American. His extradition was requested after that indictment.

What prompted that indictment six years after the crime, but two months after September 11, the Justice Department won't say.

In Pearl's case some Pakistanis are pushing to bring Saeed Sheikh to justice there first to avoid an appearance Musharraf is caving in to U.S. demands, which could anger Islamic extremists.

KARL INDERFURTH, FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: If Saeed is sent to the U.S. that could make them even more determined in saying Musharraf is the enemy. But I think that Musharraf is prepared to see this thing through.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: Pakistani officials say the U.S. request to hand over Saeed Sheikh is under review, and won't say when they'll make their decision known. Until then, Wolf, it appears that the U.S. has no choice but to wait.

BLITZER: On a totally separate issue, Susan, there was a report today that the law enforcement community here in the United States is looking at some 18 to 20 suspects in the anthrax-tainted letter investigation.

What are your sources telling you?

CANDIOTTI: Actually, my -- contrary to those reports, my sources tell me that the number is far greater. And they're not calling anyone a suspect at this time.

They estimate that there are about 50 people who would have had the means and expertise to carry out the anthrax attacks. And we can tell you as of late, in the last few weeks anyway, the investigation has now moved overseas. U.S. investigators are now interviewing government lab employees in places including Great Britain and Canada. Again, looking at people who had the means and expertise to carry out these attacks.

BLITZER: So I presume a lot more than 18 or 20. Thank you very much, Susan Candiotti. And the Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, citing media criticism, is shutting down the controversial new Office of Strategic Influence in the Pentagon. The move comes after media reports that the office would spread disinformation abroad in the war on terrorism.

Our military affairs correspondent Jamie McIntyre is covering this development. He's over at the Pentagon, and joins us now live -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, this office was roundly criticized both inside and outside the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Rumsfeld making the announcement today that the -- insisting that the short-lived and somewhat controversial Office of Strategic Influence would never have been in the business of lying, not to overseas audiences, and not to the American public.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I guess not withstanding the fact that much of the thrust of the criticism and the cartoons and the editorial comment has been off the mark, the office has clearly been so damaged that it's clear to me -- it's pretty clear to me that it could not function effectively, so it's been closed down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCINTYRE: Despite Rumsfeld's assertion that much of the criticism has been, in his words, "off the mark," Pentagon sources confirm that among the proposals considered, although not approved, was one to coerce foreign journalists and to plant false information overseas.

Now, many Pentagon officials, including Rumsfeld, were appalled that such plans would be seriously considered, even at a low level. One senior officer described the plan, in his words, as one that would, quote, "formalize government deception, dishonesty and misinformation."

Now that the office is closed, the man who headed it, Brigadier General Pete Worden has been reassigned. Officials here doubt that he'll get another high-profile assignment.

Meanwhile, Secretary Rumsfeld today had little appetite to review what the Office of Strategic Influence may or may not have had in mind. He said the office is done, it's over, what do you want, blood? he questioned.

But that said, Wolf, many senior officials here are still a little embarrassed that even as the Pentagon was insisting today that it would never lie, it couldn't quite bring itself to tell the whole truth -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon, thanks for that report.

And we'll have more assessment on the war on terrorism tonight at 7:00 p.m. Eastern in the CNN WAR ROOM. Our focus: Should the United States take the lead in keeping the peace in Afghanistan? Join me, we'll have a debate between the former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Richard Holbrooke and a former Pentagon official, Ken Adelman.

And you can participate. Go to my Web page: CNN.com/wolf. Click on "send questions." I'll try to get a few of those questions to our two guests.

And the former president of Enron swears he's telling the truth.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SKILLING: I have not lied to the Congress or anyone else about my recollection of events while I was at Enron.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Jeffrey Skilling faces a grilling by Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D), CALIFORNIA: I don't believe you when you say you didn't know what was going on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Senator Barbara Boxer will join us live to explain why she's fuming at those Enron executives.

And later, Gary Condit speaks out. What is he saying about his relationship with the missing intern, Chandra Levy? And what isn't he saying?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Enron returned to Capitol Hill today. The Enron Vice President Sherron Watkins and the former CEO Jeffrey Skilling both appeared before the Senate Commerce Committee.

Our congressional correspondent Jonathan Karl was also there. He's following the story. He joins us now live from Capitol Hill -- Jon.

JONATHAN KARL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, Watkins and Skilling have both testified before up here on Capitol Hill, but this was the first time they appeared together.

And it was quite a scene to see them side-by-side getting sworn in. The third person you see in the picture is Jeffrey McMahon, the current president of Enron.

But this turned out not to be so much a question of Skilling versus Watkins, this was really a question of Skilling versus the senators. Basically what happened here was Skilling defiantly insisted that he has told the truth about his knowledge of what happened at Enron; but he accused the Congress of frequently being sloppy with the facts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SKILLING: Common decency suggests that I be treated as innocent until proven otherwise. Common sense suggests that accusations made now, before the facts are in, are likely to be wrong.

Unfortunately, neither common decency nor common sense will carry the day in this politicized process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KARL: Two weeks ago before a House committee, Skilling insisted that he had not dumped his Enron stock,as frequently reported. But here before this committee he acknowledged that he had sold more than $60 million worth of Enron stock during a two year period before he left the company.

Here's what he had to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED SENATOR: Would that be a surprise for you to learn that you did that?

SKILLING: No, that would not be surprising.

UNIDENTIFIED SENATOR: And do you consider $66 million a great deal of money?

SKILLING: Yes it is, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED SENATOR: Do you still have most of that?

SKILLING: Yes, I do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KARL: But Skilling said he didn't know how long he would have that money because he's the subject of more than 30 lawsuits that he said he expects to be battling for the next five to 10 years of his life -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Jonathan Karl, thanks for that report on Capitol Hill.

California, of course, has been no stranger to energy troubles. Last year the Golden State was plagued with a series of brown- and blackouts. During today's hearing, Senator Barbara Boxer saw an opportunity to grill the former Enron executive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOXER: You're also very smart. And that's why I don't believe you when you say you didn't know what was going on, because you had people with lesser education, you had people with less access to the documents, less access to the meetings, to the people making the decisions who knew exactly what was going on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Senator Boxer joins me now live with more.

Senator Boxer, why can't you believe his story? He was willing to come before you and not take the Fifth, as so many of his other colleagues did do.

BOXER: Well, it's very hard to believe a man who has so much education -- he's so bright; he had a master's in business, but yet he knew nothing about what was going on.

It just doesn't pass the test of credulity. It just does not.

And you know, you had Sherron Watkins who knew what was going on, who could explain it in a sentence. You have analysts who were breaking the stories of what was going on. And then you had Mr. Skilling himself selling off $20 million worth of stock before he told those poor employees to just buy more and more stock for those their 401(k)s.

It was really something.

BLITZER: Well how do you explain, Senator Boxer, his willingness to come before your committee and risk perjury? If, in fact, he's lying, he could face enormous, enormous punishment.

BOXER: And he will if he didn't tell the truth.

Look, what I'm trying to do is get to the bottom of what went on at Enron. And you know, Mr. Skilling added very little to the pool of information.

But what we have found out as a result of this investigation is that this man sold off so much of his stock -- insider selling. And he knew -- he must have known there was a problem. And then he tells the employees to buy.

We also know that he said he was the good guy in the energy crisis, and yet look what happened to us in California. And then he made that horrible joke about California that, well, when we go down we won't be like the Titanic because we won't have our lights on -- or the Titanic had its lights on when it went down.

You know, his arrogance really came across. And to me Max Cleland gave him a great opportunity to say what happened. You know what he said the problem was? He said the problem was that the banks bailed out on Enron.

Well thank God the banks bailed out on Enron, or we all would be jumping off bridges, because those banks are insured by the FDIC, and the taxpayers would have had to pick up more money.

BLITZER: So are you suggesting, Senator Boxer, that he did lie in his testimony today and the other day when he testified before the House committee?

BLITZER: That isn't for me to say. I'm not a prosecutor.

But I can say this -- what I said on camera and what Senator Dorgan said -- I don't believe when he says he knew nothing. It doesn't pass the test; it really doesn't.

BLITZER: So was there no useful purpose of today's hearing? Was there nothing that you learned today that you didn't know before the testimony began?

BOXER: We did learn. We learned from Sherron Watkins how hard she pressed to try and get the truth out. We learned that she pointed out conflicts of interest.

And what we got back from the executive who was one of the top people there is, gee, I didn't know about it. Well she knew about it. It seems like lots of other people knew about it.

And I think that we are opening the door to something that the SEC will have to investigate. Was there this insider trading?

You know, Wolf, the poor people who had those 401(k)s lost $1 billion. And that's exactly even to what the insiders made. Something is rotten here. And there are laws against insider trading. And it's not for me to say they were broken; but it is for me to say to the SEC, please look at this.

BLITZER: So where does your committee, Senator Boxer, go from here?

BOXER: Well, Senator Dorgan has been meeting with members, both Republicans and Democrats, to see where we will go. Remember, we have the whole area of consumer protection.

And consumers include those people like the people in California who have to pay those horrific energy prices. They include people who just buy shares of stock, people who have 401(k)s.

So there's a lot of work for us to do to get to the bottom of this and to find out if there are laws that must be enforced better, or if we need new laws. These are the things we're going to be looking at. I proposed a couple of laws, and we'll see where they go.

BLITZER: Senator Barbara Boxer, like several of her colleagues, clearly not satisfied with the testimony of Jeffrey Skilling today.

Thanks for joining us.

BOXER: Thanks.

BLITZER: And let's check some other stories on today's "Newswire."

The Missouri pharmacist accused of endangering lives by diluting cancer drugs pleaded guilty today to all 20 federal counts against him. Robert Courtney's plea was part of a deal with the government that avoids a trial. Courtney could have been sentenced to almost 200 years in prison if he had been convicted in a trial.

A Georgia crematory operator accused of dumping bodies on his property instead of cremating them faces 100 new counts of theft by deception. Authorities filed the charges against Ray Marsh today. He already faced 16 similar counts. A judge today also set bond for Marsh at $100,000. So far, authorities have discovered 339 corpses on the property.

A neuropsychologist returned to the witness stand today in the Andrea Yates trial in Houston. Dr. George Ringholz says on the day she drowned her five children, Yates was having an acute psychotic episode, and she did not know her actions were wrong. Yates confessed to the crimes, but pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

The man accused of kidnapping a San Diego girl is arraigned on murder charges. We'll go live outside the courthouse when we return.

Plus, inside the mind of child predators. We'll talk to an expert on the warning signs parents should look for.

And later: hopes for peace after years of violence. Find out why a Saudi plan is gaining momentum in the Middle East.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: In this "News Alert": Pentagon officials deny that any U.S. ground troops are in Iraq. That report had sent stocks tumbling in early trading.

Meantime, the Pentagon says it needs more money to fund the war on terrorism. It estimates the first year will cost $30 billion.

Saying more needs to be done, President Bush calls for deeper cuts in the number of Americans on welfare. He wants states to increase the number of welfare recipients required to have jobs. Critics say the plan does not take into account the current economic downturn.

While shopping for souvenirs, a Secret Service employee left behind a document that outlined plans for Vice President Cheney's appearances the last day of the Winter Olympics. A Secret Service spokesman tells CNN the information was not classified, that it contained seating charts and agent assignments.

To California now: Arrested initially for kidnapping, he now faces a murder charge in connection with the disappearance of a 7- year-old neighbor. Within the past hour, David Westerfield was in a San Diego courtroom.

CNN's Thelma Gutierrez was there as well. She is outside the courthouse right now to tell us precisely what happened -- Thelma.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, I can tell you it was a very hectic afternoon.

This was David's Westerfield's first appearance since he was arrested on Friday. Westerfield, who turned 50 just yesterday, has spent the past few days in an isolation cell in the San Diego County jail.

Now, just a short time ago, as you had mentioned, 50-year-old David Westerfield entered the courtroom wearing a shirt and tie. He looked tired, but showed no emotion as the charges were read. The charges: one count of murder, with special circumstance allegation of murdering Danielle during the kidnapping -- that makes him eligible for the death penalty; count two, kidnapping; and count three, possession of child pornography.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE PETER DEDDEH: How do you plead on the charges in the complaint, guilty or not guilty?

DAVID WESTERFIELD, DEFENDANT: Not guilty.

DEDDEH: And do you deny the allegations?

WESTERFIELD: Yes, sir.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTIERREZ: Brenda van Dam broke down in the courtroom when she saw Westerfield. She was comforted by her husband, Damon. The van Dams live only two doors down from Westerfield and say that he was only an acquaintance, not someone that they knew well.

Now, Danielle has been missing since February 1. Volunteers say that they will continue to look for her; 2,000 people have joined in that search. And defense attorney Steven Feldman came out today and he expressed concerns about his client's ability to get a fair trial in light of the fact that this case received so much publicity. He requested a gag order in this case, but that request was denied.

As for David Westerfield, he will remain in jail without bail -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thelma Gutierrez in San Diego, thanks for that report.

Meanwhile, San Diego police say the motive is a mystery in this case. The only reported contact between Westerfield and Danielle was when she recently sold him Girl Scout cookies. In other cases, experts say suspects have been driven by abnormal sexual behavior.

For more on all this, we turn to Dr. Fred Berlin. He is founder of the Sexual Disorders Clinic at Johns Hopkins University, one of the leading authorities in the world on this subject.

Dr. Berlin, what makes someone -- irrespective of this particular case -- but what makes an adult kill a little child, a little girl, like this? DR. FRED BERLIN, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: Well, obviously, there is no rational explanation, but many such killings are sexually motivated.

And there are people who experience abnormal sexual cravings. They may be cravings for children. They may be aroused by coercive rather than consenting behaviors. And these abnormalities in sexual makeup, in many instances, are what drive such behaviors.

BLITZER: Aren't there a lot of warning signs, though, indications that this might be in the works? Or is it possible that someone middle-aged could all of a sudden develop those crazy, inexplicable urges?

BERLIN: This doesn't usually develop out of the blue. So the people who have these urges have been aware of them privately. But this is the privacy of someone's sexual makeup. And that doesn't mean that other people around them, day in and day out, are necessarily are going to have any such awareness.

BLITZER: Is this in a -- this particular case that we are watching right now, when you saw the details reported in the press about it, what went through your mind as an authority, as an expert on this subject?

BERLIN: Well, first of all, sadly -- and this is all very sad -- many of these cases involve individuals who have had recurrent patterns of behavior. There is no allegation in this case that this is recurrent. And so that would be somewhat different from the norm. There is an allegation, though, of child pornography. That is often the kind of thing that one sees.

So, at this point, there is very little information. Some of it is on one side of the coin and some on the other. And we will have to reserve judgment until all of the facts are out.

BLITZER: And the crazy urges that create this kind of mental disorder that leads someone to commit this kind of heinous crime, is that something that is developed over a lifetime by behavioral patterns toward that individual? Or is there a genetic flaw there?

BERLIN: Well, we are trying to learn more about that. Why do any of us experience the sexual desires that we do? Why am I attracted to women? Why is some other man attracted to men?

We know it is not a result of voluntary choice. People discover the nature of the partners they are attracted to, the kinds of behaviors that are or are not arousing for them. We need to begin to look at this as an issue that we can study scientifically and medically and not as though it were only a moral issue.

BLITZER: We have some statistics. I want to put up on our screen, Dr. Berlin. If we take a look at juvenile victim-offender relationships, if we see who is committing these kind of crimes: family members, 27 percent; an acquaintance, 60 percent; strangers, only 14 percent. What do those numbers say to you?

BERLIN: Well, most child abuse cases involve people that are known to the child. The cases that get the most attention, however, are often ones such as this, where a child may have known only in a very marginal way the individual. The child is actually abducted out of their home.

These cases are absolutely horrible, but, thankfully, they are the exception rather than the rule. All of the cases, of course, though, are terribly serious.

BLITZER: What, if anything, can we as a society do in dealing with this kind of sexual disorder?

BERLIN: Well, I think what we need to do is not sweep it under the carpet. There are many people who are experiencing abnormal sexual cravings. We need to educate one another about the dangers posed by that.

For those people who are having these difficulties, they need to know there are places they can go to seek help before the fact rather than after, when it is too late. We need to open up our eyes and become more enlightened and deal with these issues in a mature and open fashion.

BLITZER: Dr. Berlin of Johns Hopkins University, thanks so much for joining us.

BERLIN: Thank you.

BLITZER: Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is offering a fig leaf to Israel, but hopes for peace may be shot down by violence -- the latest on negotiations when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

The United States, in the military campaign it leads in Afghanistan, are looked at unfavorably in a new, unprecedented Gallup Poll conducted in nine Muslim countries.

Among the questions: "Did Arab groups carry out the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States?" Look at this: 18 percent of the respondents answered yes; 61 percent said no; 22 percent of the respondents have a favorable opinion of the United States as a whole, but more than half have an unfavorable opinion. And only 9 percent say the military campaign in Afghanistan is morally justified. More than three-quarters of the respondents say it is morally unjustified.

We will have much more on this in a special report from Christiane Amanpour on our program at 7:00 tonight, 4:00 p.m. on the West Coast.

But let's check some other news now making headlines around the world: A bomb exploded today outside the Italian Interior Ministry in Rome, littering the street with debris. No one was hurt. The bomb was planted on a parked motor scooter. Authorities say no one has claimed responsibility.

The plight of Afghan refugees remains a serious concern for international human rights groups. In a new report, Human Rights Watch says many refugees fear returning home because conditions are still unsafe. The group is calling for the expansion of the international security force beyond Kabul as a way to ensure the safety of returning refugees.

Palestinian and Israeli leaders are being pressed to consider a new peace proposal by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah. After meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, the European Union's foreign policy chief today explained the plan to Israeli leaders. Both sides have expressed interest in exploring the Saudi plan further.

Earlier today, I spoke with Adel al-Jubeir -- he is an adviser to the Saudi crown prince -- about the peace proposal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Adel al-Jubeir, thanks for joining us.

Crown Prince Abdullah seems to be making an unprecedented peace initiative between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Is he?

ADEL AL-JUBEIR, ADVISER TO SAUDI CROWN PRINCE: Wolf, it is a statement of a vision for what kind of a peace he envisions.

And the kind of peace he envisions is a total Israeli withdraw from the territories occupied in '67 according to the U.N. resolutions, including in Jerusalem, in exchange for normalization of relations between Israel and the Arab world. It is very simple. It is very straightforward. The idea behind it was to take people away from the abyss and move them towards the negotiating track.

BLITZER: And would Saudi Arabia itself, the kingdom, be prepared to normalize relations across the board, economic, diplomatic relations, with Israel, if it were to accept this proposal?

AL-JUBEIR: If it were to implement the proposal, yes. We were very clear about it.

BLITZER: And is any there room whatsoever for some minor border modifications to those pre-'67 lines?

AL-JUBEIR: Well, there you are getting into details that involve real estate, that involve the parties directly concerned.

Our policy has always been that the actual negotiations or the details of the negotiations are left to the parties themselves: the Israelis and the Palestinians on one hand, the Israelis and the Syrians on the other hand, and the Israelis and the Lebanese on the third hand. BLITZER: You have heard the invitation from the president of Israel, Moshe Katsav, for the crown prince to come visit Jerusalem, visit Israel, and to deliver this initiative personally. What's the response?

AL-JUBEIR: I believe that we are the wrong address. The right address is to talk directly to Arafat, to free him from his imprisonment, to engage him seriously, and to make a commitment to transfer land in exchange for peace. The other correct address would be to make an effort to reach an agreement with the Syrians and with the Lebanese.

Those details are best left in negotiations directly between the parties.

BLITZER: Saudis normally have stayed outside the effort to try to intervene, to mediate some sort of agreements between the Israelis and their Arab neighbors. Why the Saudis now? Why are you interested in doing this right now?

AL-JUBEIR: Because, Wolf, every time we believe that we see the peace process or we see the violence or the tensions in the territories reaching bottom, the bottom drops.

We are very concerned about the loss of innocent lives on both sides. We are very concerned about where the violence can take the region. And we wanted to -- the crown prince wanted to send a signal to the Israeli people that peace is possible, send a signal to the peace camp in Israel and the U.S. not to lose hope, that there can be peace made, and send a powerful message to the rest of the world that, if the world should reengage in trying to promote peace between Israel and Arabs, that they will find willing Arab partners to support this.

BLITZER: Was this a strictly Saudi initiative or did the United States or any other country in the world encourage Crown Prince Abdullah to put forward this plan?

AL-JUBEIR: No, it was -- the crown prince planned to speak about this at the upcoming Arab summit. And the speech had been already written. And he changed his mind about delivering it when the violence escalated in the territories. And he put it on hold. And he conveyed this to Tom Friedman. And Tom Friedman reported it.

So that is the gist behind it. But it is not -- it is an initiative by his royal highness, the crown prince.

BLITZER: And Tom Friedman, of course, being the foreign affairs columnist for "The New York Times."

Adel al-Jubeir, while I have you, I want your reaction to this unprecedented Gallup Poll that has just been released of Muslim opinion throughout the world. One of the questions was if you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the United States. In Saudi Arabia, Gallup discovered that only 16 percent of those who responded had a favorable opinion of the United States, yet 64 percent had an unfavorable opinion. How do you explain that?

AL-JUBEIR: Well, Wolf, I can't -- I don't like to comment about polls that I haven't seen.

I know that, in Saudi Arabia, we don't take polling. I don't know how developed the field is in the kingdom or how accurate the results are. But, having said that, I think that people's views towards other countries are usually affected, to some extent, by what they see. Maybe people see the violence in the territories and maybe they blame the United States for being less -- for not being involved enough to try to calm down the tension.

But whatever it is, historically, the relationship between our two people has been very strong. Historically, Saudis have always looked to America when they come for vacations, when they send their kids to school, when they -- in terms of where they choose to have a second home. And I find that number way below where I think it ought to be.

BLITZER: Adel al-Jubeir, thanks for taking some time. I know you are flying back to Saudi Arabia. Have a safe trip.

AL-JUBEIR: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And this note: CNN reports "LIVE FROM JERUSALEM" tonight with Mike Hanna, our Jerusalem bureau chief. That's at 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 Pacific. Tune in for an in-depth report on the Middle East crisis.

And when we come back: Gary Condit danced around some tough questions last night on "LARRY KING LIVE." Hear what the congressman had to say about his relationship with Chandra Levy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

Like many of his peers in Congress, Gary Condit is fighting for reelection. The Democratic primary for his district in California is set for next Tuesday. And according to the latest polling data, Condit is fighting an uphill battle, but that's not slowing him down.

Last night on "LARRY KING LIVE," Condit spoke about his bid for Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LARRY KING LIVE")

LARRY KING, HOST: Did you have a relationship with Chandra Levy?

REP. GARY CONDIT (D), CALIFORNIA: You know, we're not going to go into that. I mean, you know, I'm not going to talk about Chandra Levy and I'm not going to say anything that would -- do anything to hurt or... KING: Why not say no?

CONDIT: I'm just not going to get into that.

No disrespect to you, but you're not the church. You know, you're not the synagogue. It's not the place to do that, in my opinion.

KING: Why are you running again? I mean, you had a chance to just go quietly into the night.

CONDIT: Well, there was no reason for me not to run. I mean, I have a good 30 years of public service. I've been a strong advocate for my district in the Congress for the last 11 years. So there's just really no reason for me not to run.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And our "Web Question of the Day": Can Gary Condit make a comeback? You can vote at my Web site: CNN.com/Wolf.

Now let's check some other stories on today's "Newswire": A diet heavy in hot dogs increases the risk of type 2 diabetes in men. That's according to researchers at Harvard University. They say too much bacon and other processed meats can do the same thing. The biggest increase in risk is in men who eat the processed meats five or more times a week.

The Washington Wizards will be without Michael Jordan for a while. Jordan has decided to undergo surgery on his injured right knee. He will miss at least five games, starting with tomorrow night's home game against Portland. Jordan's status for the rest of the season is uncertain.

Let' go to New York now and get a quick preview of "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE." That, of course, begins right at the top of the hour -- Lou.

LOU DOBBS, "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE": Wolf, thank you.

A contentious Enron hearing today on Capitol Hill. Tonight we will hear from Senator Byron Dorgan about the testimony of Jeffrey Skilling, Enron's former CEO. We'll also be continuing our report for investors: "Who Can You Trust?" Tonight, we look at the failure of auditors to see Enron's collapse coming and what steps they are taking to restore investor trust.

The chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will also join us with his views on plans to protect the nation's power plants against terrorist attack. And we will be reporting to you about a decline in consumer confidence which sent stock prices lower on Wall Street -- all of that, a lot more, at the top of the hour.

Please join us -- Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Lou. Find out the results to our "Question of the Day": "Can Gary Condit make a comeback?" And look at some of our viewers' e-mail -- we will do all of that. We will also learn why one viewer thinks Rosalynn Carter's defense of death row inmates is indefensible.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Now to our "Web Question of the Day": "Can Gary Condit make a comeback?" You had your chance to weigh in. Look at this: 83 percent, so far, of you say no. A reminder, this poll is unscientific. We will have another one tomorrow, CNN.com/Wolf.

Time now to hear from you.

Sarah writes about the kidnapped Colombian presidential candidate: "Wolf, I am terribly upset over the kidnapping of Ingrid Betancourt. I am an American makeup artist in Miami and was hired to make her up for the cover of her recently released book. I remember asking her why she didn't leave Colombia and seek shelter in another country like so many other highly visible South Americans. She said that felt it was her duty to represent those who deserved to live in freedom and safety."

J.J. has these thoughts on my interview yesterday with Rosalynn Carter: "What makes Rosalynn Carter the self-anointed spokesperson for all the mass murderers and killers on death row? To me, she is just another of the enlightened elite who have had everything handed to them all their lives and have never experienced any violent crimes."

And I'll be back in one hour with the CNN "War Room." We will debate the U.S. role in keeping the peace in Afghanistan. My guests: the former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Richard Holbrooke, and Ken Adelman, the former director of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.

Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" begins right now.

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