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Your World Today

Gaza Deal Reached; U.S. Senate Defeats Proposal to Set Timetable for Withdrawing U.S. Troops From Iraq

Aired November 15, 2005 - 12:00   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: Live from the CNN Center, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: A promise of freer movement for Palestinians after round-the-clock diplomacy by the U.S. secretary of state.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: The U.S. president kicks off an Asia tour with a stop in Japan, his strongest ally in the region.

VERJEE: Thousands of South Korean farmers clash with police overly government plans to increase rice imports.

HOLMES: And she could become Africa's first democratically- elected female president. A conversation with Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

Hello, everyone. It is 7:00 p.m. in Jerusalem, 2:00 p.m. in Kyoto, Japan.

I'm Michael Holmes.

VERJEE: And I'm Zain Verjee.

Welcome to our viewers throughout the world and in the United States. This is CNN International, and this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has brokered a major agreement between Israelis and Palestinians.

HOLMES: That's right. That deal involves the freedom of movement for Palestinians living in Gaza.

VERJEE: A previously closed border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will now open, allowing Palestinians access to the outside world.

Guy Raz reports on this breakthrough on the road to Palestinian statehood.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUY RAZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): With less than two hours of sleep, Condoleezza Rice should have been dead tired. Instead, she was beaming.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I am pleased to be able to announce today that Israel and the Palestinian Authority have concluded an agreement on movement and access.

RAZ: Overnight, the secretary twisted arms on both sides.

RICE: I'm also tempted to say, as a football fan, that sometimes the last yard is the hardest. And I think we experienced that a bit today.

RAZ: For two months Palestinian and Israeli officials have been at loggerheads over the issue of border crossings in Gaza.

RICE: This agreement is intended to give the Palestinian people freedom to move, to trade, to live ordinary lives.

RAZ: This terminal, the Rafa crossing, will open in 10 days. It connects Gaza to Egypt, and by default, to the outside world. It's been shut since Israel pulled its soldiers and settlers out of Gaza. Israeli fears that armed militants and weapons would flow through that border have apparently been allayed.

RICE: Our commitment to security is strong, as always. Progress like today's agreement can continue -- cannot continue unless there is also progress in fighting terror.

RAZ: Video cameras will be installed at the terminal to allow Israeli security officials to monitor the crossing, though Israel will have no veto power over who could enter and exit that border.

At the same time, Palestinian goods will be allowed to transit out of Gaza without restriction. Israel will continue to monitor goods coming into Gaza.

Meanwhile, work on a Palestinian seaport will also begin in earnest.

(on camera): Palestinians have never had control over an international border crossing. The Bush administration believes this is an important step. Gaza is widely seen as the proving ground for Palestinian statehood. Good governance there, say U.S. officials, will hasten the process of establishing an independent state.

Guy Raz, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE: The Rafa crossing between Gaza and Egypt is scheduled to open November 25.

Now, here are some other key elements of the agreement. Israel agrees to let 150 export trucks drive through a cargo crossing from Gaza into Israel each day by the end of the year. Starting on the 15th of December, Palestinians will be able to move from Gaza to the West Bank in bus convoys through Israel. And the deal allows Palestinians to begin building a seaport in Gaza. Talks on the opening of the Gaza airport will continue.

HOLMES: The Palestinian Authority welcomed the deal, saying freedom of movement is, of course, crucial for improving the lives of Palestinians living in Gaza. Joining us now with the Palestinian perspective from Ramallah in the West Bank, Palestinian legislator Hanan Ashwari.

Hanan, thanks for your time. The significance of this, is this as good a deal as you could have expected?

HANAN ASHWARI, PALESTINIAN LEGISLATOR: I think it's clearly a compromise. It's not something to be euphoric about, but at the same time, it prevented the breakdown or perhaps a blowup in Gaza, because for the last few months Gaza has been transformed into a prison, and the economy was devastated even further, if that's possible, since the disengagement.

But now there is the ability at least to have access to the rest of the world -- albeit limited, and albeit with some Israeli control. And there is intervention, so to speak, which would help the Palestinians in many ways dislodge the Israeli stranglehold. And I think this was possible because, finally, Secretary Rice decided to play a hands-on role and to really twist arms.

HOLMES: It is a start. I think perhaps one of the -- one of the equally significant things is access between Gaza and the West Bank for many Palestinians who have really been stranded in the West Bank since they weren't allowed to return.

ASHWARI: But this is absolutely controlled access, Michael. It's not free access. Gaza and the Palestinians do not have sovereign control over the crossing points, boundaries, and so on. There will always be Israeli control.

The access is limited to convoys as of next month, and the movement of goods or so will be limited. This is going to be subject, of course, to Israeli security oversight, and again, with third party participation.So we cannot see it as totally free or un-curtailed movement, and it's not really the corridor or the linkage that we were talking about. I think if there's one way, as I said, of relieving the pressure, getting rid of the pressure cooker effect, and it is a first step. I don't want to say that it is a tremendous breakthrough, but at the same time, it's a step in the right direction.

HOLMES: For Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, he -- one of the problems he was facing was growing electoral support, as well as ideological support, for Hamas in Gaza because of the dissatisfaction on the street. Is this going to help Mahmoud Abbas?

ASHWARI: Well, you are absolutely right. The more anger, the more hostility, the more victimization, the more pain there is among Palestinian public opinion, particularly in Gaza, the more they will go to more extremist elements, particularly Hamas.

But if there is some relief, if there's freedom of movement, if there is some kind of prosperity, or at least alleviation of suffering, economic and otherwise, then it means that the voices of moderation would gain more support and Mahmoud Abbas's agenda would have more credibility, because all along they were telling him you advocated nonviolence, you advocated a peaceful political resolution, and you got nowhere. And they seemed to think that violence will get them somewhere.

This time it's time to prove that the rational, moderate political course of action will produce results. These results are limited. Hamas has totally condemned them, but, at the same time, they're better than the pressure cooker effect that they were living under.

HOLMES: One final thing, Hanan. You say that this is a first step. Clearly it is.

What is the second step? Is it -- is it -- I would imagine it's two-sided. One is a clamping down on militant groups to ensure that they don't shoot their own people in the foot, as it were. And the other one being something that Condoleezza Rice raised, which is expecting Israel to fulfill its obligations to halt settlement expansion.

ASHWARI: Yes. We were hoping that there would be a whole package -- that we wouldn't be subject to prolongation and to Israel drawing us into procrastinated sort of long, drawn-out talks on technical issues, like crossing points.

We wanted to have a political course of action, which means that you have to have a package deal. You have to have a political scope with negotiations possible to end the occupation. You have to have intervention to stop the settlement activities, to stop building the wall, to stop the siege in the West Bank, to lift the siege, and to stop the incursions and assassinations. And at the same time, the Palestinians have promised internal reform, security reform, and to produce further -- a further period of quiet and to carry out elections in January.

The Palestinian plans are on track. We certainly aren't headed towards civil war. I hope not. We are headed toward the exercise of our democratic rights if Israel would lift the siege and would allow Palestinians from Jerusalem to participate, which means that we would be towards nation-building and at the same time producing a stable democratic environment and political system.

We need, of course, Israeli cooperation and cessation of all its provocative actions, including settlement expansion, and including, of course, the siege of Jerusalem and the building of the wall.

HOLMES: All right, Hanan. Thanks very much. Hanan Ashwari, Palestinian legislator, joining us from the West Bank.

ASHWARI: My pleasure.

VERJEE: Now, the deal of the Gaza border is essentially the subject of our question today. We want you to weigh in on it.

HOLMES: Yes. We've been asking you this: Will the Gaza border deal make a difference in the big picture? Email us your thoughts at YWT@CNN.com. Tell us what you think. VERJEE: Keep your comments brief, and don't forget to tell us your name and where you are writing us from.

We have this now just coming into CNN. The U.S. Senate has defeated a proposal to set a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. It's passed an alternative less strict Republican proposal.

Ed Henry joins us now from Capitol Hill. Ed?

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Zain. That's right. ,The key here is that the Republican-led Senate just passed on a wide bipartisan basis 79 to 19 a basic framework demanding that the Bush administration come up with a plan to figure out how to win the war in Iraq and how to end the war in Iraq. This is a significant development.

It also -- it comes obviously on the heels of some new polls here in the United States suggesting support for the war. Support for the president, as well, fading a bit.

Democrats have been pouncing on the administration with various attacks on Iraq policy, focusing of course on the indictment of former vice presidential aide Scooter Libby, and really stepping up those attacks in recent weeks. Republicans have said, well, where's the Democratic alternative, where's the plan?

As you mentioned, Democrats put forth a plan which had a lot of the Republican provisions but added something else, which is basically a flexible timetable to start bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq. That failed 40-58. But the Republicans ended up adopting about 90 percent of the whole rest of the Democratic plan.

What it basically says is that the Bush administration now has to come up to Capitol Hill more regularly, give quarterly updates on progress in Iraq, and also come up with a way to start pushing the Iraqis to take over more of the burden of security in Iraq so that there is a framework to end the war in Iraq.

This is a significant development coming while the president is overseas right now. A Republican-led Senate on a bipartisan basis, 79 to 19, basically saying the Bush administration now needs to come up with a plan to try to end the war in Iraq.

This is far from completion, of course. The U.S. House of Representatives still will have to consider this in a conference committee. It's far from being complete. But the point is, Republicans here on the Hill joining with Democrats in sending a pretty strong message to the Bush administration.

Zain.

VERJEE: CNN's Ed Henry reporting to us from Capitol Hill. Thanks, Ed.

Michael.

HOLMES: All right, Zain.

Dogged by plummeting approval ratings at home. U.S. President George W. Bush has just begun a four-day tour of Asia. His first stop, a cultural visit to his strongest ally in the region.

Atika Shubert has more now from Kyoto, Japan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It had been two years since Prime Minister Koizumi last welcomed President Bush to Japan. Since then, the relationship has only grown stronger, to the chagrin of some critics.

REI SHIRATORI, JAPAN INST. FOR POL. STUDIES: Many Japanese consider that Koizumi is subordinate to President Bush.

SHUBERT: Top of the agenda in Kyoto, the realignment of U.S. forces in Japan. Japan is one of the U.S.' strongest allies, with more than 37,000 U.S. troops based in Japan anchoring the security of the region. But local resentment against the heavy U.S. military presence has persisted, particularly in the islands of Okinawa, prompting in part an October agreement to move roughly 7,000 troops to Guam.

Iraq will also be a key issue. There is domestic concern over the safety of more than 500 Japanese troops stationed in Samawa, southern Iraq. The deadline for their withdrawal is December 14, but Koizumi is expected to extend that deadline through next year.

Last but not least, beef is on the menu. President Bush is expected to push for a faster lifting of Japan's current ban on U.S. beef over fears of BSE, or mad cow disease.

All three issues are slated for smooth resolution thanks to Koizumi's warm relationship with President Bush. In sharp contrast, Japan's relationship with China has rapidly deteriorated, exacerbated by Koizumi's continuing visits to Yasukuni, the controversial shrine that honors Japan's ward dead, including convicted war criminals.

SHIRATORI: Japan, in a sense, should be the breach between Asian countries and the United States. But Koizumi is too much lean from the U.S. side.

SHUBERT: Critics say neglecting its neighbors will not help Japan in the long run.

(on camera): The large protests that dogged President Bush's visit to South America are unlikely to happen here, as Prime Minister Koizumi wants to make clear Japan is America's best friend in the region.

Atika Shubert, CNN, Kyoto, Japan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Well, Mr. Bush next heads to South Korea for the APEC summit. He and other leaders will arrive to find an agreement to revive stalled trade talks forged between Pacific Rim trade ministers and the World Trade Organization.

Meanwhile, look at these pictures. A protest in South Korea's capital turning violent with thousands of farmers hurling stones and bashing riot police with sticks. Farmers are angry about a government bill linked to world trade talks that opens the country's rice market to cheaper imports. We'll have more on that a little later in the program.

VERJEE: The U.S. president's trip abroad comes as he faces sinking public support at home. According to the latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, Mr. Bush's approval rating is at an all-time low. Thirty-seven percent of Americans approve of the job he has been doing, and 60 percent do not.

And his trustworthiness is now considered at an all-time low as well compared with previous presidents. Thirty percent of Americans say they trust Mr. Bush more. Sixteen percent say the same, and 53 percent say they trust him less than his predecessors.

Liberians await the official outcome of a heated presidential runoff election.

HOLMES: Yes. You're going to be having a chat I think with Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf next.

A little later in the program, signs of physical abuse in a building administrated by Iraqis.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: A warm welcome back, everyone, to YOUR WORLD TODAY, right here on CNN International.

VERJEE: Liberia's election commission says Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf won almost 60 percent of the vote in last week's presidential runoff election.

HOLMES: But opposition candidate and former football star George Weah is alleging fraud. The commission says an official winner cannot be announced until Weah's allegations of ballot box stuffing are fully investigated. International observers and African Union monitors praised the election, however, as free and fair.

VERJEE: Liberia was founded by freed American slaves more than 150 years ago. Now, after a 14-year civil war, the country is poised to elect Africa's first democratically-elected female leader.

Joining me now on the line from Monrovia is presidential candidate Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. Ms. Johnson-Sirleaf, thank you for joining us.

Election officials saying, look, it's too early to celebrate. Your victory still hinges on the results of a fraud investigation. Are you getting impatient? ELLEN JOHNSON-SIRLEAF, LIBERIAN PRESIDENT ELECT: No, I'm not impatient. We are committed to observing the requirements of the national elections commission. And they've asked us to hold off any victory celebration until we have completed the investigation of the -- of the complaint.

But we are very confident that this will be resolved and that there will -- we will be confirmed as the people's choice because we know that our party and all of those who voted (ph) did so under conditions that were totally free, fair and transparent. We don't think that some of these claims which may bogus will make any significant change.

And so, no, we're patient. We're waiting. After all, it's not a victory. It's not a victory for me. It's a victory for the Liberian people, and we want them to claim the victory.

VERJEE: Now, Weah's supporters have been demonstrating peacefully, but they're out in the streets saying no Weah, no peace. How are you going to reach out to them and to George Weah himself, both to govern and to heal the wounds in Liberia?

JOHNSON-SIRLEAF: We've already started to do that by giving assurances to all the young people out there, even those on the streets, that our government is going to respond to their needs. It's going to be a government of inclusion that reflects the rest of our country having representation from all political parties, ethnic groups, and religion.

We also hope that we can agree with Mr. Weah on his participation in the government in an enforcement role which has yet to be determined. But I think when we respond positively and when we start to show that we are going to introduce the changes that gave people opportunity to everyone and that leads to proper management of our country, resources to respond to their needs, we think everybody is going to come on board and work for the national interest.

VERJEE: Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, a woman who stands poised to become Africa's first elected female president. Thank you so much for joining us on CNN.

HOLMES: All right. A look at what is topping the news in the United States is up for our viewers in the U.S.

VERJEE: For the rest of us, we'll get a report on what's moving financial markets.

Also, why there is so little holiday cheer at a renowned fashion house.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen at the CNN Center in Atlanta. More of YOUR WORLD TODAY in just a few minutes. But first, a check on stories making headlines in the United States.

People who live in the lower Ohio Valley in the mid South need to be on alert for dangerous weather conditions today. There is a high risk for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.

CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider has been giving us tornado watches throughout the morning, and she joins us now from the Weather Center with an update.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Well, the Senate sends a message on Iraq. Just moments ago, as you may have seen right here on CNN, the chamber approved a bill calling on the Bush administration to provide quarterly updates on its progress in Iraq. It also urges that 2006 be "a period of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty."

Earlier, senators voted down a Democratic proposal seeking a time frame for U.S. withdrawal.

If Samuel Alito is to help chart the future of the Supreme Court, he must first confront his past. The nominee is meeting today with senators on Capitol Hill to face questions about a newly surfaced memo from 1985. In it he boasted of his anti-abortion efforts during the Reagan administration.

And on Capitol Hill, a hearing for President Bush's nominee as the next Federal Reserve chief. Ben Bernanke vowed to keep up Alan Greenspan's policy of fighting inflation, but he also says he'll stay committed to keeping employment and economic growth strong. Greenspan is set to retire as Federal Reserve chairman at the end of January.

Starting today, senior citizens and the disabled can sign up for the new prescription drug benefit, but officials say there's no need to rush. The new benefit kicks in January 1, and enrollment continues through May 15. Some members of Congress, though, are calling for an extension of that, noting the plan's complexity.

Well, a wave of negative publicity keeps rolling on for the world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart. Senator Edward Kennedy stood with a documentary film producer this morning to blast the company. Critics blame Wal-Mart for everything from traffic gridlock to shabby health benefits to the extinction of mom-and-pop stores.

And look at this. A woman suspected of holding up a Washington- area bank -- several of them, in fact -- while chatting on her cell phone is under arrest. Nineteen-year-old Candice Martinez was arrested early this morning in Fairfax County, Virginia. Surveillance video shows a woman talking on a phone while giving tellers a hold-up note. Her boyfriend was also arrested, and another man is being sought.

Indiana authorities say the Pennsylvania teenager charged with killing his girlfriend's parents and taking her on a 600-mile trip has waived extradition -- an extradition hearing. David Ludwig will be transported back to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, as early as today, and police say they are still uncertain of Kara Beth Borden's role in the shootings and subsequent flight that prompted the Amber Alert.

A manhunt is under way for two convicted murderers. We're going to be telling you about that a little bit later on today, so you'll want to stay tuned to CNN.

So that's what's happening right now in the new in the U.S.

CNN's LIVE FROM with Kyra Phillips is at the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VERJEE: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY on CNN International. I'm Zain Verjee.

HOLMES: And I'm Michael Holmes.

Here now, the top stories that we're following today.

The U.S. secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, announcing a crucial deal between Israelis and Palestinians. It calls for the opening of border crossings between Gaza and Egypt later this month. The deal also allowing for Palestinians to travel at set times between the West Bank and Gaza in bus convoys going through Israel. Palestinians say they need the freedom of movement in order to build a viable economy.

U.S. President George W. Bush is in Japan on the first leg of an eight-day Asian tour. First stop, Kyoto, for what's termed a cultural visit and meetings with the prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi. Mr. Bush is scheduled to visit China and Mongolia, as well, after a stop in South Korea for the APEC summit.

The U.S. Senate has defeated an opposition proposal to set a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, but it passed an alternative Republican proposal that is less strict. The Republican plan is similar, but instead of a timeline, it calls for regular progress reports from the Bush administration on how the war is faring. Both measures reflect growing American voter concern about the war and fears that the Iraqis are taking too long over security themselves.

Meanwhile, an investigation under way in Iraq after more than 160 detainees were found packed inside a building controlled by the nation's interior ministry. Now, the U.S. military called in medical units after it appeared that some of the detainees were in need of treatment.

Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is in the Iraqi capital, joins us now live. What an extraordinary sight they must have found, Nic. What have we been able to learn about these detainees?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we do know that they were being detained by the ministry of interior. The deputy minister of interior has admitted that. He's admitted that there were cases of abuse going on. Now, that facility is now under the control of the U.S. military. They are investigating exactly what took place. As far as the deputy minister of the interior was concerned, he said what he had discovered there was the most shocking cases of torture that he had seen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUSSEIN KAMAL, IRAQI DEPUTY INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): I have never seen such a situation like this during the past two years in Baghdad. This is the worst and cannot be denied. I saw signs of physical abuse by brutal beating. One or two detainees were paralyzed and some had their skin peeled off various parts of their body.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Well, according to the deputy minister, there were interrogations going on at that detention facility, interrogations by a special investigation unit associated with the ministry of interior. But the deputy minister of interior said that he felt the reason for the abuses was because of a lack of facilities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMAL (through translator): In my opinion, if we had enough standard detention facilities, nothing of what we saw would have happened. A major problem we face is that there are not enough places to contain these detainees after the preliminary investigation is through with them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Now, he did admit that there have been cases of abuse in the past, that there have been investigations. He called them transparent investigations. He said that would be the case again.

Indeed, Iraq's prime minister has called for a committee to be formed to begin immediately investigating the abuses at this detention facility. And it is quite possible -- the expectation here, at least -- that there may be more such facilities yet to be discovered.

Michael.

HOLMES: Worrying, indeed. Nic, thanks very much. Nic Robertson there.

Zain.

VERJEE: Jordan has introduced strict anti-terror measures days after the worst terrorist attacks on its soil. Wednesday's suicide attacks on three hotels left 57 people dead. The new measures include demanding all foreigners renting properties to report to authorities within 48 hours. A top interior minister official says the government is also drafting the country's first-ever anti-terror law. It would give the authorities the power to hold any suspect indefinitely. HOLMES: Nearly six weeks after the killer earthquake, people with untreated injuries are still being brought down from remote mountain settlements in Pakistan. About 80,000 people were killed in the earthquake, another 100,000 injured. Some four million people have been left homeless.

President Pervez Musharraf is to unveil a reconstruction plan at an international donors conference to be held in Islamabad on Saturday. The World Bank says Pakistan will require more than $5 billion to rebuild. The country so far has received only some $9.5 million in cash. That's far below the total pledges of $2 billion made by the international community.

(WEATHER REPORT)

VERJEE: The harsh winter is compounding the misery of those already coping with the aftermath of the earthquake.

For more on the critical relief efforts, we go now to James Morris. He is the executive director of the United Nations World Food Program. Thank you so much for joining us. How many people are getting aid they need and how many are not?

JAMES MORRIS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, U.N. WORLD FOOD PROGRAM: Well, our sense is that about 2.5 million people need help. The World Food Program has been able to provide food for about 850,000 people. The government of Pakistan probably another million. The Red Cross, another 100,000. So it would be our sense that there are still several hundred thousand people, mostly in the higher elevations, unreachable, that still need help.

VERJEE: What's your assessment of the relief operation, though, thus far in terms of what's working, what's not? And as the winter is looming, what's making it more difficult?

MORRIS: This is actually the most difficult physical humanitarian crisis we've ever faced.

VERJEE: Why?

MORRIS: Because of the very tough terrain. It's mountainous. As your weather reporter just suggested, the snow is forthcoming. It's a serious problem. Landslides have made it almost impossible to penetrate, and we've been relying heavily both on helicopters and mules and horses to get our food to people who need it. And I suspect there's still a couple of hundred thousand people that need help.

VERJEE: What can you tell us about the outbreaks of disease?

MORRIS: Well, so far, there's been no outbreak of cholera. That's a blessing. What we're most concerned is the huge problem of diarrhea. You have cold weather, you have very serious health complications, you have a tremendous loss of fresh, clean, reliable, safe water, and you probably need to have a couple of hundred thousand latrines built. So people who are living in the camps are living in very filthy, unsanitary conditions, and this leads to a very chronic condition of diarrhea, which becomes a very serious health problem.

VERJEE: What about children that have been orphaned? How are you helping them?

MORRIS: Well, you know, that would be our greatest priority, children who are orphaned either here in Pakistan or anywhere in the world. We are trying to be sure that the children have shelter, that they have warm clothing, that -- we're working with UNICEF and WHO to see that they're vaccinated, immunized; 800,000 children, I'm told, need to be immunized during this particular crisis, and we're also trying to -- our normal food basket would be 2,000 to 2,200 calories per day, and because of the weather and because of the children, we're trying to increase that by 10 percent or 15 percent.

VERJEE: What about money? How much has been promised in terms of donations to the disaster? And how much is still needed?

MORRIS: Well, the United Nations, for all of is work with health and shelter, medical issues, food has asked for $545 million. The World Food Program, including well over half of what we asked for, for transport, for helicopters, for logistics, we've asked for $180 million, and we've received about $60 million of support.

We're in a very serious negotiation now with the government of Pakistan -- which by the way, has done a very good job in responding to this. But we've asked the government of Pakistan to provide the commodities, the wheat that we need to feed people.

VERJEE: What about blankets and tents? Do you still need that, briefly?

MORRIS: Blankets and tents very important. But back to the food requirement of wheat. If the government of Pakistan makes this commitment, then the rest of the world will provide the money for transport and helicopters.

VERJEE: James Morris, the executive director of the United Nations World Food Program, giving us some perspective on what the situation and the challenges are on the ground in Pakistan. Thank you.

MORRIS: Thank you.

VERJEE: For more on the crisis in Pakistan, make sure you log on to our Web site at CNN.com. Take a look at an in-depth reporting that we have there on what the situation is, much of which James Morris has pointed out.

HOLMES: The Bush administration's nominee to succeed Alan Greenspan as the Federal Reserve chief has pledged to run the U.S. central bank independent of political influence. Ben Bernanke made the comments at a hearing before the Senate Banking Committee.

For more, Maggie Lake standing by in New York to make sense of it all for you. We weren't expecting much of a grilling. Did he get one?

MAGGIE LAKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not really. He is very well- respected. It's expected he's going to widely pass this. But it was a chance for us to get some insight on his thinking. And you know, Michael, Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan, his predecessor, set the standard for independence in the U.S. central bank, and one of the first things Ben Bernanke did in his opening statement is assure the senators there will be continuity with Greenspan's policy. That is very important to both Washington and Wall Street.

After all, this is the first time in 18 years we are getting a new chairman. Ben Bernanke today did give us a peek at the principles that will guide the Fed in this new era. Bernanke took pains to emphasize the central bank will remain independent and nonpartisan. Some Democrats had worried his role as the top economic adviser to the White House would color his thinking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN BERNANKE, U.S. FED CHIEF NOMINEE: I assure this committee that if I am confirmed, I will be strictly independent of all political influences and will be guided solely by the Federal Reserve's mandate from Congress and by the public interest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAKE: The nominee also indicated he will be tough on inflation, saying price stability was the best way to grow the economy and reach full employment. That could mean more interest rate hikes ahead. Bernanke also said he prefers specific inflation targets. He thinks that would make the Fed more transparent, but he said he would not rush such a step, preferring, instead, to move slowly and seek to build a consensus. Inflation targeting sets out a specific level where the Fed thinks inflation should be. It is something the European Central Bank already does, but it is a point of departure from Greenspan, who has long opposed stated inflation target. He thinks it makes monetary policy too rigid.

But, Michael, the tone today more friendly than confrontational. Bernanke, as I said, is expected to pass this confirmation easily. He is well-respected by both Democrats and Republicans. The Banking Committee chairman, Republican Senator Shelby, says Bernanke may well be the finest monetary economist of his generation. Certainly a very different atmosphere than the one that is surrounding the judicial nominations -- Michael.

HOLMES: Yes, indeed. Very true. All right, Maggie, thanks so much. Maggie Lake there.

VERJEE: We have our eye on a new breed of dissident.

HOLMES: Yes, still ahead on YOUR WORLD TODAY.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MR. LEE, UNDERCOVER CAMERAMAN (through translator): If my work was discovered, they would have put me out of existence.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: North Korea from the lens of a secret cameraman. His story, more of his footage also, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Welcome back, everyone to YOUR WORLD TODAY right here on CNN International.

VERJEE: We want to take a look now, a rare one, inside of the world's most isolated country.

HOLMES: Yes, secret footage shot secretly in North Korea. We ran some of this yesterday. It sheds light on life under the leader, Kim Jong Il.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK SESNO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Across from this hill in China is one of the border towns in North Korea. Loudspeakers pump propaganda through the streets. Somewhere over there, Mr. Lee, the undercover cameraman, has new pictures to smuggle out. When he finally arrives, Mr. Lee brings his new footage to a secret location.

LEE (through translator): It's been an incredibly tense time. How can I say this? There would have been no way if my work was discovered. They would have put me out of existence.

SESNO: This is uncensored North Korea in its bleak, unadulterated form.

LEE (through translator): The video camera is the most serious form of treason in North Korea. My wife came with me on the journey, and she kept telling me not to do it, that we should just get on with our lives.

SESNO: He's captured people outside the station, huddled in the streets, waiting for a train to arrive. Fuel shortages mean the trains don't often run.

LEE (through translator): I was petrified, but (INAUDIBLE) were coming. The punishment they inflict on political offenders in North Korea is extremely severe. The system is such that they don't just punish the offender himself. His family and relatives are also punished.

I placed my camera inside the bag and made a hole in the side to secretly film. But the thing is, light was being reflected on the camera lens, so I had to be very, very careful.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE: And on this programming note for our international audience, later this week, you can see the full report in "CNN PRESENTS: Undercover in the Secret State," a dramatic look inside North Korea. That's Thursday at the times you're seeing on your screen. And YOUR WORLD TODAY will continue on CNN International after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: In the United States it is the beginning of the end of an era for the coastal city of Charleston with an ear-splitting explosion. Another section of the old Cylus Pellman (ph) Bridge was literally blasted into the water. One thousand tons of rusting steel fractured and fell in a cloud of dust and debris, as can you see. This 39-year-old structure and its parallel with Grace Memorial Bridge have long dominated the Charleston skyline, but old age and the opening of the new bridge made them obsolete. Demolition is expected to be complete by 2010.

VERJEE: Now, a Japanese princess has traded her royal title for life as the wife of a commoner.

HOLMES: That's right. The former Princess Sayako has married a 40-year-old urban planner for the city of Tokyo.

VERJEE: She wore a simple white dress for her wedding in contrast to the traditional kimono worn in royal weddings.

HOLMES: Her parents, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, attended the ceremony as well as the banquet after. Now, under Japanese law this marriage to a commoner means she no longer enjoys royal status.

VERJEE: Time for the inbox. We've been asking you about the Gaza border deal.

HOLMES: Zain's been reading every one. Let's start. The question was, will the Gaza border deal make a difference? Let's read a few of those replies.

Pacharo in Sweden says: "It will give Israel the right to monitor who crosses the border, but it won't affect the broader peace process because some don't acknowledge Israel's existence."

VERJEE: Pablo from Ecuador says: "Political concessions like today's won't affect anything, unless the homicidal mentality changes."

HOLMES: Jon in Texas is watching. "This action by Israel has some minor significance. But it also underscores how much yet has to be done for people who have suffered so much for so long."

VERJEE: YOUR WORLD TODAY will continue. So stay with CNN.

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