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Ariel Sharon Has Third Surgery After Suffering Major Stroke; Who is Ehud Olmert?; Iraq Protest

Aired January 06, 2006 - 12:00   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: "Critical but stable." Israel's Ariel Sharon clings to life after his third emergency surgery in just two days.

JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: The man in charge, Israelis know him as Mr. Sharon's second in command. But who is Ehud Olmert?

MCEDWARDS: And fed up. Thousands of Iraqis flood the streets in Baghdad after a terrible day of violence claims Iraqis and Americans alike.

It is 7:00 p.m. in Jerusalem, 8:00 p.m. in Baghdad.

I'm Colleen McEdwards.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy.

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

Showing significant improvement, but still critically ill. We begin with an update on Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who has undergone a third round of emergency surgery after his massive stroke. We'll have two reports from Jerusalem.

Wolf Blitzer is covering how Israelis are coming to terms with their new political future. But we want to begin with Fionnuala Sweeney. She's just outside Hadassah hospital -- Fionnuala.

FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, Ariel Sharon is now out of the operating theater. He is back in intensive care after his third operation in less than 48 hours.

He was taken back to intensive care after an operation lasting some four hours to relieve bleeding in his brain and also increase pressure in the same area. Just over an hour ago, the director of the Hadassah Medical Center here in Jerusalem, Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, came out and spoke to reporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SHLOMO MOR-YOSEF, HADASSAH MEDICAL CENTER (through translator): The prime minister has come out of the operating room. In the process of the operation, the pressure, the intracranial pressure, was reduced. Some of the clots were drained from the previous operation.

At the conclusion of the operation there is no active hemorrhaging. And the intracranial hemorrhaging has been eliminated. And the pressure has gone back to normal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SWEENEY: And ironically, Dr. Mor-Yosef then went on to give perhaps the most upbeat assessment of Ariel Sharon's condition in the last 48 hours by saying that when he was taken for a brain scan following that operation, there had been in comparison with the previous two brain scans a significant improvement.

The bleeding has stopped. But he remains in a very serious condition.

However, this is the first kind of positive news we've had at all from the Hadassah Medical Center about Ariel Sharon's health. He surely seems to be living up to his name and the name he has entitled his autobiography, "Warrior" -- Jim.

CLANCY: Fionnuala Sweeney, reporting live for us outside Hadassah hospital.

We're going to continue to watch Ariel Sharon's condition.

We are continuing to watch the politics in Israel. Wolf Blitzer is there. He joins us now.

A short time ago we spoke with Ehud Barak, and he says the real legacy of Ariel Sharon is this pragmatism that he left behind. Pragmatism that is really embodied in the Kadima party.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's no doubt, Jim, that Ariel Sharon, in the words of Ehud Barak, the former Israeli prime minister, made a U-turn over these past few years as he became prime minister, the successor to Ehud Barak, and came to believe in what is called this two-state solution, Israel living alongside a new state of Palestine. And Barak made it clear that he was impressed by Sharon's willingness to make these adjustments.

Listen to what Barak said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EHUD BARAK, FMR. ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: In order to secure our own identity and future, we have to fight terror, but at the same time to disengage from Palestinians. And the other part is the Likud, there are still people who believe that by mingling with the Palestinians we can make it better for either Israelis or Palestinians.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BLITZER: It's interesting that Sharon founded this new centrist party, the Kadima party, sort of positioned between the right of center, Likud party, which is now led by the former prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the left of center Labor party, which is led by a union -- a union leader, Amir Peretz. And the polls coming out today in all of the Israeli newspapers, Jim, suggest that if Ehud Olmert, the acting prime minister, Sharon's deputy for a long time, emerged as the leader of the new Kadima party, it would do better than both Labor and Likud.

This one poll suggesting that Kadima would get 39 out of 120 seats in the Israeli parliament. Labor would get 20. Likud under Netanyahu would get 16.

Now, there's still a long time between now and the elections at the end of March. A lot can change here in the political landscape in Israel. But it's significant that Kadima is doing as well even without Sharon, as at least the polls today would suggest.

CLANCY: Wolf Blitzer, reporting to us there live from Jerusalem.

Wolf, as always, thank you.

Well, he is the acting prime minister of Israel. And he is well known within the country, serving as Jerusalem's mayor for a decade. But only a few know him in the international community.

Paula Hancocks now gives us this profile of Ehud Olmert.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A powerful picture of Israel's acting prime minister sitting next to the empty chair of Ariel Sharon. Ehud Olmert is a long-time ally and confidant of Sharon. And like Sharon, he underwent a political transformation from hawk to moderate.

Sharon's has been Olmert's mentor in recent years. And even though the prime minister has never actually named a favorite successor, it's widely thought if Sharon had to choose, he would choose Olmert.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's been in politics an awfully long time. He's been in the Knesset for a long time. He's a lawyer by training. He's very smart and savvy.

HANCOCKS: Olmert was first elected to parliament in 1973, achieving cabinet rank 15 years later. In 1993, he was elected mayor of Jerusalem, one of Israel's most sensitive jobs.

He became a regular face at the scene of the city's many suicide bombings in the early 2000s. Like Sharon, his first concern is the security of the state of Israel.

EHUD OLMERT, VICE PRIME MINISTER, ISRAEL: Is there any question about the legitimacy of killing someone who is described as a rolling bomb? That is, someone that is on his way to commit a terrorist action? Go out, reach out for him, and kill him.

HANCOCKS: In 1999, he challenged Sharon for leadership of the Likud party.

OLMERT: First of all, I'm running to become chairman of Likud.

HANCOCKS: But he lost badly. It's from this point onwards the two became close.

Olmert has been described as Sharon's trial balloonist. He would be the first to float controversial ideas to allow Sharon to gauge public opinion. For example, last year's pullout of settlements in Gaza.

He appears to agree with Sharon's determination to set Israel's borders with the Palestinians but to keep the main settlement blocs in the West Bank.

OLMERT: Israel kept saying all the time that we will not pull out from some of the major blocs of settlements. And not only did we say that, but I will remind you President Bush said it.

HANCOCKS: He is comfortable on the international stage, having met many of the world's leaders. But he himself is not well known outside the region. He does, however, understand the importance of support from the United States and President George Bush.

OLMERT: We have enormous respect for President Bush. We don't want to let him down. And we will do everything that we can so that the commitments taken by the Israeli government will be accomplished.

HANCOCKS (on camera): It was widely expected that Sharon and his Kadima party would win the upcoming elections on March the 28th. But the centrist party was formed by Sharon and based around Sharon.

A snap (ph) opinion poll this Friday does show that Kadima's support is largely holding up with Olmert at the helm. But three months can be a very long time in Israeli politics.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCEDWARDS: And for the very latest on Mr. Sharon's condition, click onto our Web site any time. The address: cnn.com/international.

There are photo galleries there, the latest reports from our correspondents. All the latest information that you need right there at CNN.com.

CLANCY: And we have a question for you. What do you think Ariel Sharon's legacy will be?

MCEDWARDS: That's our e-mail question of the day. Send us your thoughts at YWT@CNN.com. We are going to read some of them on the air later here on YOUR WORLD TODAY. CLANCY: Well, Saudi Arabia says 53 Muslim pilgrims lost their lives after a four-story hotel collapsed in the city of Mecca. While authorities there are still investigating what actually caused the building to crumble, rescue teams have worked through the night.

They've been searching for more victims. They have been also searching, of course, for possible survivors. The head of Saudi Arabia's civil defense says most of the 60 people injured in the accident have now been released from hospital.

Millions of Muslims are expected in Mecca for the annual Hajj pilgrimage. That begins in just about 48 hours on Sunday.

MCEDWARDS: Still ahead here on YOUR WORLD TODAY, we'll have some new concerns about bird flu to tell you about.

CLANCY: The latest from Turkey is where the health officials delivered some more bad news.

Stay with us. We'll give you details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MCEDWARDS: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY here on CNN International.

I'm Colleen McEdwards, along with Jim Clancy.

Following the deadliest day in Iraq in nearly four months, Iraqi Shiites took to the streets to protest the relentless violence. At least 140 people were killed in attacks across Iraq on Thursday.

CNN's Michael Holmes joins us now with more on this from Baghdad.

Michael, people taking to the streets, clearly losing their patience with this.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Colleen. That's -- that's there to say.

There were some protests not just in Baghdad, elsewhere. But here in the capital we saw Shias on the streets. They were chanting. They had slogans painted on flags as well.

Essentially, what they are saying is that they are losing patience in terms of their own restraint against this onslaught of violence against Shias by insurgents. Many of them Sunnis.

In particular, they've become very, very angry. When you have a city like Karbala, one of the holiest places for Shias in all of Iraq, and that's where one of the suicide bombings took place yesterday on a walkway between the Imam Hussein and Imam Abbas (ph) mosques. Now, these are two of the three holiest shrines in the countries for Shias.

We saw 45 dead there. We saw 82 injured. And, of course, that was one of two attacks. The other one in Ramadi, west of Baghdad, where police recruits were lining up for a screening process. Eighty-two killed there, 70 injured. Among the dead, two U.S. soldiers.

Now, what we saw today was an outpouring of anger in mosques. We saw really what's starting to be a real polarization between Shias and Sunnis, something that those carrying out the violence wish to provoke and those that until now on the Shia side, the religious leaders, people like the Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who have been urging restraint. Well, patience is obviously starting to wear thin, and that's been a great fear all along, that if retaliation starts, if the restraint does end, that very bad things could happen -- Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: Has there been any official response then from the United States, from the coalition, from anybody else?

HOLMES: Well, indeed, from the Iraqi government, from the U.S. embassy statements last night condemning these attacks and calling for restraint and calling on Iraqis to support Iraqi security. The difficulty being that the Iraqi security on the streets around the city, in many cases, unprepared and untrained.

And the other thing, too, is it is so difficult to stop a determined would-be suicide bomber. The most difficult enemy is somebody who is well prepared to die for their cause and drive a car or wear a vest into a crowd of innocent people and detonate that vest.

But the main fear in the broader picture would be is that provisional election results due to be announced sometime on the weekend, is that there may be a continuing of this spike in violence. There was very little today, but as the weekend approaches, there are concerns that there will be more violence.

And above that, that Shias may lose patience now. If we see a resurgence perhaps of the Mehdi Army and those who would take action, armed action, then it's very difficult to tell how far this could go -- Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: All right. CNN's Michael Holmes in Baghdad.

Thanks very much, Michael. Appreciate it -- Jim.

CLANCY: We are just getting word in now -- Al-Jazeera television, in fact, has aired a new video tape from al Qaeda deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. On the tape, Zawahiri says that while he sends his condolences to the Islamic nation on the Pakistan earthquake, he's congratulating Muslims on what he says is the victory in Iraq.

Now, why a victory in Iraq? He says because of President Bush's speech at the end of November that announced that U.S. troops would begin to be pulled out.

Of course, at the same time, the Bush administration has been hailing that as a sign of success there, the Iraqi military able to take over. And it's by no means confirmed. He's -- also in that tape, Zawahiri says Bush has to "admit that you lost in Iraq and Afghanistan."

We are working on a complete verbatim of all of this. But the timing would seem to indicate it was done sometime -- he mentioned the earthquake. That was in October. And then he mentioned the speech by George Bush. That would have been November.

There's getting to be a greater time lag in the release of these tapes, perhaps as a way to prevent people from tracing them back, tracing the trail of all of that back to the al Qaeda leaders that are still in hiding.

Well, let's look at some of the news in Asia that is affecting people. And really, this one comes alongside the Middle East almost.

Avian influence is suspected in the death of a third child from one family in Turkey. A 6-year-old brother of the victims is currently in hospital but is said to be improving.

Health experts fear that this virus could mutate into a form that would be transmitted between humans. And that poses a risk of a global pandemic.

Robyn Curnow reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A scene many Europeans hoped they would not see on their doorstep: a mass kill of sick birds after human deaths from the bird flu virus. To limit the spread of the disease, Turkish authorities are even paying farmers to hand over their poultry.

KEMAL AKUT, TURKISH FARMER (through translator): I delivered four turkeys and four chickens, as they were sick. We don't want anyone to get ill.

CURNOW: Turkish doctors say about 20 people are ill, most of them children. All are being treated for suspected bird flu at the same hospital where three children died this week. All were siblings who, like many others in this part of rural Turkey, living close proximity with poultry.

It's believed the children were infected by sick birds, says health expert Dr. Ron Cutler.

DR. RON CUTLER, UNIVERSITY OF EAST LONDON: There are some stories about them playing with parts of the dead chicken. Whether that was before or after cooking, nobody seems to be quite sure. But obviously they were in close contact with infected poultry.

CURNOW: H5N1 virus was reported in birds in Turkey last year. Authorities raised the alarm, but people in this remote area near the Armenian and Iranian borders didn't get the word, never realizing the dangers of being in contact with sick birds. CUTLER: They seem to be unaware of the dangers of dealing with animals that have just dropped dead in this situation.

CURNOW: Worldwide, 77 people have died from bird flu. All of the deaths have been in China and Southeast Asia, except for the latest Turkish cases which now raise concerns about the movement of the virus westward on to Europe's borders.

Robyn Curnow, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCEDWARDS: And a little bit of news developing on the diplomatic front that we want to bring to you right away.

We have just gotten word that the U.S. secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, has had a conversation in Israel, has spoken to Israel's acting prime minister, Ehud Olmert. And she has told him that she is not going to take a planned trip to Indonesia and Australia because of the situation with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, that Condoleezza Rice will not be going to Indonesia and Australia as planned.

And, of course, we'll keep you up to date on any of the developments on Mr. Sharon's health or anything on the diplomatic and official level right here as well on CNN.

We want to get you a check on what's moving the markets now. And for that, we'll toss it over to Valerie Morris, who's standing by in New York.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

CLANCY: All right. We've got to take a short break here. And we're always saying the same thing when we go to break, stay with us.

But do you think it nags people?

MCEDWARDS: Well, we certainly don't mean to nag when we say stay with us.

Coming up next, we'll give you some tips on how to cope with life's nagging problems. Our Jeanne Moos is going to be along with some creative solutions on how you can fight back.

Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan at CNN Center in Atlanta. More of YOUR WORLD TODAY in just a few minutes.

First, let's check on stories making headlines here in the U.S.

"Now in the News," a fatal collision this morning between a commuter train and an automobile in Burbank, California. Fire officials say one person in the vehicle was killed. The train was being pushed from behind at the time. No one aboard the train was hurt.

And now the latest on Randy McCloy, the sole survivor of the West Virginia mine disaster. He's still is in a medically-induced coma while been treated for carbon monoxide poisoning.

That is the word we got from doctors just two hours ago. McCloy was transferred yesterday from West Virginia to a Pittsburgh hospital for treatment. Doctors say McCloy has received two hyperbaric oxygen treatments as he struggles to recover from brain damage and other injuries. His long-term prognosis at this time is unclear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JAMES VALERIANO, VICE CHAIRMAN, NEUROLOGY: Neurologically, I think there's a very wide gamin of what could happen. Again, given his age, there's a chance that he could make a very good recovery. Given what we've seen on the scans, there's a chance that the recovery will be much more limited.

Again, it helps you -- I mean, as you would expect, it helps you a lot if you can examine someone and try to interact. And we just don't have that available to us right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Doctors say they plan to keep McCloy in that medically- induced coma for as long as possible.

A federal appeals court has upheld Martha Stewart's conviction for lying about a stock sale. Stewart chose to serve her prison sentence while appealing her conviction. She served a total of five months in prison and five months of house arrest.

Jose Padilla is due back in federal court in about four hours. Heavily-armed marshals handed the terror suspect over to the Justice Department yesterday. Padilla has been held as an enemy combatant for the past three years in a military brigade. In November he was indicted by the U.S. government on several terror-related charges.

President Bush is on the road this hour and is diverting the spotlight away from Iraq. He is in the Midwest, speaking before the Chicago Board of Trade. Mr. Bush is turning the public's attention to the economy in a campaign-style sales pitch to tout its strong points.

CNN will carry the president's speech live when it happens around 1:00 p.m. Eastern.

Vice President Dick Cheney also pushing the administration's case on the economy. He just wrapped up a visit to a Harley Davidson motorcycle factory in Kansas City. Up next, he's scheduled to visit the troops in nearby Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Word came just a short time ago that three-time Grammy winner Lou Rawls has died of lung cancer. That unmistakable baritone voice graced hit songs in the '60s and '70s, as well as television commercials and children's cartoons.

Rawls was also a longtime community activist. He helped the United Negro College Fund raise more than $200 million through telethons.

Lou Rawls died this morning at Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 72.

Also in California, a tour bus driver suffers a heart attack, collapses, dies behind the wheel. Police say a passenger grabbed the wheel and managed to steer the bus down an embankment. Fourteen people were taken to area hospitals. Most with minor injuries.

An immigration battle playing out in northern Ohio. A teenager there is fighting to stay in the U.S. after he was unexpectedly declared an illegal immigrant and put in jail.

Officials say Manuel Bartsch's step grandfather did not complete the proper paper work when the two moved from Germany about eight years ago. Bartsch says that he wants to avoid deportation at least until he graduates high school. He remained optimistic after being released from jail yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANUEL BARTSCH, IMMIGRANT STUDENT: It feels great. It's a great feeling, you know, to be able to walk outside and smell the fresh air, and being able to go back home to my community and go back to school.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Bartsch is back at school today. He will have to appear before an immigration judge at a later date.

Motorists in New Orleans are celebrating what they say is a sign of post-Katrina sign of progress, the reopening of the west bound lanes of I-10, a major artery in and out of New Orleans. Katrina's tidal surge has ripped apart the span and the eastbound lanes and had to carry traffic in both directions.

Carnival season getting under way in New Orleans today. The season this year is the 150th celebration of Mardi Gras. It will be distinctively different from years past as the region grapples with the lingering effects of Hurricane Katrina.

So, what are the chances -- actually, we'll get to the dollar bill story in just a minute. What are the chances three babies born to three sisters on three consecutive days? That is exactly what happened last week outside of St. Louis, Missouri. The babies, two girls and a boy, were born, appropriately enough, at the same hospital, delivered, you guess it, by the same doctor.

So who was more exhausted after this bevy of births? The sisters insist it was their mother, who as the proud grandparent, was on round-the-clock hospital watch. The sisters say she went through more labor than they did. Congratulations to them. All right, now the story on the $20 bill. Talk about a return on $20. Now let's take a look at that. Do we have it? $20 bill? OK. Take a look at. That Del Monte thing? You see a red, green and yellow banana sticker on top of the seal. Somehow it ended up there during the printing process. So you could pocket this one-of-a-kind $20 bill, but it will cost you more than $1,300. That's how much it's going for right now on eBay.

Meanwhile, YOUR WORLD TODAY continues after a quick break. I'm Daryn Kagan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MCEDWARDS: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY on CNN International. I'm Colleen McEdwards.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy and these are some of the stories that are making headlines around the world. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in critical but stable condition right now. After a third round of emergency surgery, doctors say they were able to stop new bleeding in his brain and say his brain scan now shows significant improvement. Mr. Sharon remains in an induced coma after he suffered a massive stroke on Wednesday.

MCEDWARDS: A third human death from bird flu is being reported now in Turkey. Officials say the victim is the younger sister of two teenagers who died of the virus this week. Turkey's Health Ministry reports tests done in Britain confirm that the teenagers did have that deadly H5N1 strain. It is unclear at this point what strain the younger sister was infected with.

CLANCY: Thousands of Iraqi Shia Muslims demonstrating in the streets against the wave of insurgent violence that has hit all across Iraq. At least 140 people killed Thursday in attacks in Ramadi, west of the capital, Karbala, south of capital, and in Baghdad itself. Demonstrators said this was a peaceful response to the attacks, but that if the violence increases, there would be a different response.

MCEDWARDS: Well, while this violence continues in Iraq, Shiites, Kurds and Sunnis are still trying to form a government. Joining us to talk about Iraq's political future is Robert Ford, political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

Sir Ford, thank you so much for being here.

ROBERT FORD, U.S. EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD: Well, I think the answer is that there's a very small -- a limited group of people, but a very ruthless group of people. And they have been able to launch a new round of attacks targeting civilians, as you mentioned, around the country, in Karbala and Ramadi.

In Baghdad, I understand that Al-Jazeera tonight is releasing a new communique from al Qaeda, from Ayman Zawahiri, trying to rally their terror groups here in Iraq. And I think, that, to me is a sign of almost desperation. Because in fact, the political process, despite these atrocious attacks, is moving forward on the election in...

MCEDWARDS: Well, maybe small limited...

FORD: ... Western Iraq. The seat of the...

MCEDWARDS: Maybe desperation...

FORD: ... insurgency were very successful.

MCEDWARDS: Excuse me, maybe desperation. But look at the impact here. I mean, does this upsurge in violence require some sort of new and swift action on the part of the United States and the coalition?

FORD: Well, I think what it requires is a firm and steady resolve and purpose. We are working with the Iraqi political leaders to build a unity government, a unity government that will bring Shia and Sunni Arabs and Kurds together. The Shia community, which has suffered so many of these attacks, has demonstrated remarkable patience. The leadership of Ayatollah Sistani down in Najaf has been very helpful that regard.

And I think the Shia leadership itself does not want to slip into broader civil strife. And neither does the Sunni leadership. The political leaders here in Iraq -- these attacks are atrocious, but they understand the risk and they are working to calm people on both sides.

MCEDWARDS: Well, you know, does it strike you then that it's not working? I mean, does the contrast here strike you at all? You've got a time where people on the street are basically saying, we're losing patience with this and we can't tell you what we'll do next we are so upset. Well, at the same time, the political debate, the official debate, is about withdrawing troops, scaling back troops. A timetable for withdrawal.

FORD: No, I think, in fact, the process is working. And it's just -- it's moving slowly. You are going to have in any kind of an insurgency laced with terrorism -- you are going to have peaks and valleys. This is not the first time we've had a peak, a spike in violence in Iraq. And let's be frank. It's not the last time.

But the underlying current, the underlying political currents there, are moving in a good direction. We have better and better participation among Sunni Arabs. We have a Shia political community that says we must bring in Sunni Arabs. That is a unifying way.

And it is a way also of isolating these terror groups. And it's those terror groups who are themselves nervous now. They know that their Sunni Arab community, which in the past had either stood by and watched or supported them, is now shifting away from them.

MCEDWARDS: Mr. Ford...

FORD: That's why we have this wave of attacks now. They are trying to stir it up again. MCEDWARDS: Mr. Ford, we are to start receiving results, a sense of the results of the election this weekend. What is the plan, as you understand it, moving forward, in terms of improving the security situation from this point and beyond?

FORD: In a sense, there are two parallel tracks here. There's a political track that I've already talked about, bringing a unity government together. And on the security track, the Iraqi security forces are steadily building up.

One of the terror atrocities yesterday was in the city of Ramadi. I'm sure many viewers will remember that Ramadi is, in fact, in the heart of the insurgent areas. In the past, no Iraqi would join the security services. No Iraqi living in Ramadi would join the security services.

What you saw yesterday was a line of hundreds of young men waiting to join the security services. We did not have that six months ago. We did not have that one year ago. We have it now. Their attitudes are shifting. They are saying we should join the security services, we should help fight on behalf of the Iraqi government.

And there will be more of that. And as these units become more integrated, they will gain credibility and they will be more effective.

MCEDWARDS: Robert Ford...

FORD: And little by little, the Iraqi security services, police and army, are taking the lead.

MCEDWARDS: Mr. Ford, we've got to leave it there. Robert Ford, thanks very much.

CLANCY: We're going to take a short break here on YOUR WORLD TODAY. When we come back, we'll continue our coverage of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's health crisis.

MCEDWARDS: Up next, we're going to take a look back at his time serving in the Israeli army. Stay with us.

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