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Your World Today

Is Iran Unstoppable?; Israel Responds to Bombing; Marking the Centennial of San Francisco Earthquake; Polar Bears May Fall Victim To Global Warming

Aired April 18, 2006 - 12:00   ET

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

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: On the march toward nuclear technology. Is Iran unstoppable? Top diplomats meet to consider what to do about it.
JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And what is next for Israel? The Jewish state points an angry finger at Hamas after Monday's bombing in Tel Aviv that left nine Israelis dead.

And...

GORANI: The earth shook, then the terrible fires raged, and thousands died as a result. Now a century later, San Franciscans remember and prepare.

It is 7:30 in the evening Tehran, Iran; 9:00 in the morning in San Francisco, California.

I'm Hala Gorani.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy.

Welcome to our viewers throughout the world and the United States.

This is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

Record-high oil prices, inflammatory rhetoric and talk that war may be in the air in the Middle East once again.

CLANCY: All of it part of the escalating row over Iran's nuclear program and a bitter back and forth between Israelis and Palestinians following Monday's suicide bombing in Tel Aviv.

GORANI: In a moment, we're going to hear directly from Hamas, the new government in charge of the Palestinian Authority.

But we begin with Iran. The country's president says any aggressor that might attack his nation would regret it.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad issued the strong warning as Tehran showed off its military might on Army Day. Iran insists it will pursue its right to develop nuclear technology, and President Ahmadinejad said, "The land of Iran has created a powerful army that can powerfully defend the political borders and cut the hand of any aggressor." CLANCY: What, if anything, can or should be done about Iran? That is the focus of a meeting in Moscow among senior officials from the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, as well as Germany.

The United States is pressing for stronger steps against Iran. But both Russia and China oppose any sanctions or punitive measures, at least right now.

CNN's Elise Labott joins us now from Washington.

What is hoped to come from this meeting? And why are they holding it in Moscow?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, this is on the sidelines of a meeting of political directors of the G8. The meeting -- the G8 meeting will be in St. Petersburg later this June, and so, senior officials getting together and they're talking about Iran.

What the U.S. is hoping for, Nick Burns, who is the under secretary of state for political affairs here at the State Department, making the case that the credibility of the U.N. is at stake here. And the U.N. Security Council really needs to act to send a strong message to Iran that it needs to comply with the IAEA and international demands and it curb its nuclear ambitions.

What the U.S. is looking for is a very strong Chapter 7 resolution at the U.N. Security Council. That has the weight of international law. And we're hearing that it will probably call -- reiterate some of the principals that were in a presidential statement earlier in the month, calling on Iran to suspend enrichment, get back to negotiations with the EU and with Russia on ending its nuclear program, and cooperating with the IAEA. And if that doesn't work, then they will go for something stronger, also under Chapter 7, perhaps sanctions against the regime -- Jim.

CLANCY: All right. Now, is that assured, that it will be a Chapter 7 resolution? Or is everything still up in the air?

LABOTT: Well, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, other U.S. officials have said this can't be another presidential statement. What they want is something very strong under the U.N. system that will have the weight of international law if Iran doesn't comply.

And so, the U.S. is pushing for a Chapter 7 resolution. And they know they probably won't get everything that they want in this resolution, but they really are firm on the whole idea of Chapter 7, which means that the Iranian issue is a threat to international peace and security.

CLANCY: Elise Labott reporting to us there live from Washington.

Elise, as always, thank you.

Now, tensions over Iran's pursuit of nuclear programs are affecting the price of oil. Iran, of course, the world's fourth largest producer of crude oil. Analysts fear the dispute over Iran's nuclear ambitions could lead to circumstances that would disrupt oil supplies from the Persian Gulf.

Oil hit a record of $70.88 a barrel in the U.S. on Tuesday. OPEC is warning that higher energy prices could curb global growth.

GORANI: Tough words from Israel this day about the Hamas-led government of the Palestinian Authority. But it's still considering its response, it says, one day after a suicide bomber killed at least nine people in Tel Aviv and wounded 35 others. One measure by Israel would revoke the Israeli residency status enjoyed by Hamas ministers and Palestinian parliament members.

Paula Hancocks has more on other options on the table.

Paula, what are they saying this day in the government as to what other -- what other responses they might be considering?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hala, Israeli diplomatic sources have been saying this Tuesday that the military option is not an option at the moment. The Israeli government has decided not to go for the possibility of targeting a Hamas-led government.

It's very tricky for Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, at the moment. He's trying to sort out a coalition.

His other options are he could put travel restrictions in the West Bank to stop a future suicide bomber. He could continue incursions into northern Gaza to stop homemade rockets being sent into Israel from Palestinian militants. And then, finally, he could actually keep targeting Islamic Jihad militants, those that actually carried out the suicide bombing on Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS (voice over): Israelis start to bury their dead. Sixty-year-old Victor Erez (ph) laid to rest in a Tel Aviv cemetery, just one of nine killed in Monday's suicide bombing. People came to the site of Monday's attack to light candles and lay flowers.

Hamas, which dominates the new Palestinian Authority, continues to condone the attack Tuesday. Interior Minister Saed Sayam (ph) saying Palestinians have the right to defend themselves against Israel in any way possible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We are not a great power who can confront the planes and the missiles of the occupation, but our people have the will and the right to defend themselves and to confront as much as they can the arrogances of the occupation.

HANCOCKS: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with his top advisers, officially blaming the Palestinian Authority for Monday's attack, the deadliest in 20 months, but deciding against a proposed military response against the Hamas-led government for the time being. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It happens to be a terrorist government, a government that supports terrorist activity, a government that refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist, a government that continues to incite and instigate the euphemism they call as armed resistance against occupation. But the end result is killing innocent men, women and children, like they killed in the central bus station.

HANCOCKS: Less than 50 miles south of Tel Aviv, in Gaza City, hundreds of Palestinians mourn the death of a man who they say was killed when the residential building he was in was hit by Israeli forces. Israeli forces have been shelling the area in recent weeks, they say to stop Palestinian militants from launching rockets into Israel.

Israel continues to be on a heightened state of alert as it has been during the whole of the Passover holiday. Israeli forces stepped up their presence in the West Bank town of Jenin, where the suicide bomber was from, arresting the bomber's father, brother and about 30 others.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS: Critics of Hamas say it is walking a very fine line. It wants to be seen as a legitimate, democratically-elected government so that it can actually secure financial aid that the United States and the European Union have taken away from them. But at the same time, it won't condemn attacks. It's condoning attacks on Israeli citizens, and that's something that critics just cannot come to terms with -- Hala.

GORANI: So, Paula, a quick question on a possible military response by the Israeli government. It's off the table now, but it's still something that it might consider in the future?

HANCOCKS: Well, the Israeli government has always said that it will target terrorism, it will not be soft on terrorism, and it will not allow terrorism to continue. It is -- does have military operations at the moment.

It is targeting Palestinian militants or areas where it thinks that Kassam homemade rockets are coming from, in northern Gaza. Those rockets have been sent into Israel, the homemade rockets, over numerous, numerous years. They are trying to target those militants themselves. But at the moment, they say that they won't actually target the Hamas-led government itself -- Hala.

GORANI: All right. Paula Hancocks live in Jerusalem -- Jim.

CLANCY: Well, as Israel mulls over how it will respond to the suicide attack, the Israeli ambassador to the United States is spreading some of the blame, casting the current situation as a regional crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN GILLERMAN, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: An axis comprised of member States in this organization, namely Iran and Syria, and of terrorist organizations they have been harboring, nurturing, financing and supporting, namely Hamas and Hezbollah.

Mr. President, this act of terrorism did not happen in a vacuum. It is the swift implementation of the extreme, mad and dangerous statements voiced only last week by Palestinian officials and their sponsors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: Well, the militant group Hamas says Monday's suicide attack was an act of self-defense by Palestinians under Israeli occupation.

Joining us now from Gaza is Hamas government spokesman Ghazi Hamad.

Thank you for being with us.

Many editorialists and journalists this morning said this was a test for Hamas, this suicide bombing conducted by Islamic Jihad, and Hamas has failed this test by coming out and saying they encourage and celebrate this attack against Israeli civilians.

Your response?

GHAZI HAMAD, HAMAS GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: You know, first of all, we -- many times, many times we call Israel to avoid the civilians and to stop targeting our people. And many times also we said we are committed to the truth and cease-fire, and all the Palestinian factions to sign agreements in Gaza and Cairo (ph) to stop all kind of attacks. But really, the occupation forces, they never listen to us. And they're continuing their aggression and their attacks and their incursions, and they're arresting people and demolishing homes in the West Bank and Gaza.

So, I think the problem is not that of the Palestinian people. It is in the occupation side, who wants all the time that the Palestinians should be polite and keep silent for all the crimes of Israel. And I am shocked that -- I am shocked that the international community -- yes, they condemned the operation. And before one or two weeks, about 20 Palestinians were killed and burned by Israel missiles and no one released a statement and condemns Israeli operations.

GORANI: Ghazi Hamad -- Ghazi Hamad, let's get a -- let's get a policy question in here. Is it the position now of the Hamas-led government that you encourage suicide attacks against Israeli civilians? You basically said that you were OK with it this time. Is it the position now of the Hamas-led government that you encourage these?

HAMAD: We did not -- we did not mention this. But we said that if we want to put end for this blood cycle (ph), that the occupation should be ended. This is very important.

GORANI: No, but that's not the question, though. That is not the question. The question is, is it the policy of the Hamas-led government now to encourage suicide attacks by other groups?

This was not carried out by Hamas, but by Islamic Jihad. Is it the position of the Hamas-led government?

HAMAD: We are interested -- we are interested as a government now that there be calm and a quiet situation here. But the Israel side, they never help us.

We started to talk to the Palestinian factions, all the Palestinian factions. But we are -- daily we are surprised that Israel continue their aggressions. They never give us a chance now to talk with people.

I think that the international community should ask Israel if there is possibility also to stop their aggression against people or not. Today and yesterday, all the day killing our people. So, I think it is unfair that the Palestinians should do everything and you keep silent for all the crime of Israel.

GORANI: OK. Now, you have been observing, Hamas, a cease-fire since February of last year. Will you impose that cease-fire on other groups, such as Islamic Jihad? In other words, will the Hamas-led government actively stop other groups from conducting terrorist attacks against Israelis within Israel?

HAMAD: There is no problem to talk with the Palestinian factions and to convince them. But the question, who can convince Israel? This is a question. The problem is...

(CROSSTALK)

GORANI: No, no. I'm -- let me just -- let me just ask that question again. Will you impose -- will you stop other militant factions from conducting attacks as a Hamas-led government?

HAMAD: Let me -- if I -- if I do so, and I risk all people and put them in the jail, who can give guarantees that Israel also will stop their aggression against our people? Who can do it?

The problem is that international community and the United States look to Israel all the time. It is above the law. They can do everything without punishment.

This is the questions. But as (INAUDIBLE) we are interested that this should be done with paralyzed (ph) from both sides. If Israeli is ready now to stop all kind of attacks and aggression against our people, we can keep the situation calm there also.

GORANI: All right. So, one last question.

If you were to send a message, then, to the Israeli government, when you say, if they would just listen, if they would just talk, are you basically saying that the Hamas-led government would like discussions right now with the Israeli government? And then you can provide assurances that you will make an effort to stop attacks and operations such as the one we saw in Tel Aviv? HAMAD: You know, from the first moment of this government, we said we are not against political compromise. We are not against peaceful means. But from the first moment of this government, Israel said that this is a terrorist government, it is enemy. We will not recognize it.

So, every day they say that Hamas is not partner and Fatah is not partner. And Abu Mazen, the president, Mazen, is not a partner. Who is the partner? The partner will come from the heavens, from other worlds?

So, I think Israel should understand now Hamas tried to be a government. (INAUDIBLE) all the Palestinian people, it is elected government. And we are not against political compromise.

We want to live like any people in the world, an independent state. If our problems can be solved by peaceful means, we are not against this.

But the question is that. Arafat spent 12 years in negotiations with Israel and he signed all the agreements, but what happened in the end? They ignored Arafat and said that he's a terrorist. And now they said that Abu Mazen also is not responsible, and he is also a terrorist.

So I think the question is on Israel's side. They do not want to be convinced that there is a Palestinian partner who can talk.

GORANI: OK. Ghazi Hamad, the spokesperson for Hamas, thank you for joining us live from Gaza.

CLANCY: We're going to take a short break. When we come back, more on Iran's nuclear ambitions.

GORANI: A U.S.-based nuclear watchdog group says Iran is expanding its nuclear plans. We'll speak to the head of that group, a former U.N. nuclear weapons inspector, when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: As to what might happen next, there is no doubt that Iran continues to defy the will of the international community.

Now, when the Security Council reconvenes, there will have to be some consequence for that action and that defiance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice there, speaking about Iran's recent announcement it had resumed uranium enrichment.

Senior diplomats from the five permanent Security Council members in Germany are meeting right now. They're in Russia. They're going to try to map out what should be the next move with Iran.

Earlier this week, a nuclear-based watchdog group reported Iran has already started to expand its nuclear fuel plants. The Institute for Science and International Security used commercial satellite photos to back up its points.

Former U.N. nuclear inspector David Albright heads up the institute. He joins us now from Washington.

Thank you so much for being with us.

DAVID ALBRIGHT, FMR. U.N. WEAPONS INSPECTOR: Oh, good to be here.

CLANCY: Now, you look at some of the photos you have of, say, Natanz, and you're showing some tunnel entrances that would indicate there are new underground facilities in place?

ALBRIGHT: Well, the tunnel entrance that we -- the new one we detected was at the Isfahan site, where they would make the feed material or the uranium hexafluoride, for the Natanz site. And what -- we don't know fully what if means, obviously, from a satellite image, but Iran could be expanding its underground facilities, it could be creating alternative entrances. But the bottom line is that it appears to be preparing to be struck militarily, and it's -- and it's trying to find ways to protect its nuclear assets.

CLANCY: There's a lot of people are very, very concerned about Iran's intentions here. What do you think its intentions are? Can they be analyzed by looking at these satellite photos?

ALBRIGHT: Well, one thing is, is that they've been planning to withstand a military strike for years. I mean, they built Natanz thinking that it could hold up under a U.S. strike.

I don't believe that's true. And some of the images we showed show that it's not a deeply-buried site. It's not under rock. It's not in the middle of a mountain. And it's basically a box or set of boxes and a hole. And the roof of that underground site is about eight meters below the surface of the ground, and yet, you know, there are, we believe, slabs of concrete in between the ground level and the facility itself.

Still, the U.S. is quite capable through multiple bombing runs of penetrating that layer of protection and destroying the site. So, I -- but I also think that Iran is responding now, and it's thinking through how it can withstand a military strike.

And I fully expect that Iran could be preparing alternative facilities. I mean, it's probably reading the news, too, and listening to CNN, and realizing that the Natanz site is not as well protected as they thought it would be.

Unfortunately, the reality with the centrifuge is it can be hidden in small facilities, light industrial buildings. I mean, it could be put underground in some of the many tunnels that are in Iran. And so, as this crisis builds, Iran would be expected to take steps to protect its key nuclear assets. And I mean the assets they would use to store (ph) nuclear weapons in a crisis, or if attacked.

And they can start to hide those. And I think probably the time is too late for the United States or its allies to be able to militarily destroy Iran's nuclear weapons program.

CLANCY: So, you think that the military option really isn't going to work, that it's going to have to be diplomatic or nothing in terms of really trying to address the problem?

ALBRIGHT: I think so. I think it's -- again, I mean, the United States could easily destroy what I would call Iran's civil nuclear industry. Isfahan, if you look at the picture, there's a lot of above-ground facilities.

Those buildings are sized to provide the material for a civil nuclear energy program. A nuclear weapons program is much smaller, and Isfahan has already produced enough of this vital feed material, the uranium hexafluoride, for 20 nuclear weapons. And that material can easily be hidden in many locations in Iran, and you'd never get it with bombs.

And so, I think we should set aside these military options and not think of, you know, if you destroy a bunch of buildings or tunnel entrances you've wiped out the program and focus on the diplomatic. Because I think Iran is vulnerable to international pressure, and I think it can be convinced to change its ways.

CLANCY: All right.

David Albright, head of the Institute of Science and International Security.

I want to thank you very much for being with us and bringing us some perspective on what's happening today...

ALBRIGHT: OK. Thank you.

CLANCY: ... on Iran's nuclear program.

Well, he's under fire, but he says he's not going to step down, and his boss says he's doing fine.

GORANI: Coming up on YOUR WORLD TODAY, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld may be embattled, but President Bush has his back.

Stay with us.

(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, though, stories making headlines here in the U.S. Two arrests in the Duke rape investigation, and a third may be coming. Just about two hours ago, one of the two suspects appeared in court.

Collin Finnerty is charged with rape, sexual offense and kidnapping. So is his teammate, Reade Seligmann. He bonded out and avoided the court appearance. Both are accused of attacking a woman who was hired to strip at the team's off-campus party.

Earlier, we heard from the cousin of the alleged victim. Jackie, she calls herself -- she wants to shield her relative's identity -- is only using her first name. She spoke to CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACKIE, COUSIN OF ALLEGED VICTIM: I just want to let her know that I'm there for her and we all support her, as far as my family goes. So, we just want to let her know we're there for her, because she's been afraid to talk to so many people for so long. So, we just want to let her know that we're there for her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: One defense attorney says the two men were identified by photograph. Prosecutors have said there is no DNA evidence in this case.

A missing girl found alive. Now her former preacher is facing charges.

Police say 15-year-old Elizabeth Thompson was found in a Maryland motel with her family's former pastor. The girl arrived back home in upstate New York this morning. Fifty-four-year-old Louis Lee (ph) resigned as the pastor of the family's church in January. That was shortly after he was charged with stalking the girl.

The commander in chief backs his defense secretary again. President Bush says that he has heard the criticism and the calls for Donald Rumsfeld to resign, but he says the buck stops with him. Listen to this exchange between the president and our White House Correspondent Ed Henry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Mr. President, you've made it a practice of not commenting on potential personnel moves.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Of course I do.

HENRY: And calling it speculation...

BUSH: You can understand why, because we've got people's reputations at stake. And on Friday I stood up and said, "I don't appreciate the speculation about Don Rumsfeld." He's doing a fine job. I strongly support him. HENRY: But what do you say to critics who believe that you're ignoring advice of retired generals, military commanders who say that there needs to be a change?

BUSH: I say I listen to all voices, but mine is the final decision. And Don Rumsfeld is doing a fine job. He's not only transforming the military, he's fighting a war on terror, he's helping us to fight a war on terror. I have strong confidence in Don Rumsfeld.

I hear the voices and I read the front page. And I know the speculation. But I'm the decider. And I decide what is best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense.

I want to thank you all very much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: President Bush also picked a new money man. He is Rob Portman, current U.S. trade representative. If confirmed, he will lead the Office of Management Budget. Portman would succeed Josh Bolten. Bolten gave up that job last month to become the new White House chief of staff.

Immigration crackdown. Talk becomes action in Georgia.

Governor Sonny Perdue has signed a sweeping bill into law. It targets illegal immigrants and the people who hire them. It's described as one of the toughest in the nation.

Among other things, the law denies some taxpayer-funded services to illegal immigrants. It also sanctions employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. And it requires police to check the immigration status of people they arrest.

Many provisions won't take effect until some time next year. Legal challenges to this law are expected.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Well, we love to watch implosions around here. This one coming to us today from Rhode Island. It's the old Jamestown -- or we should say it was the Old Jamestown Bridge. It's now gone. Engineers used 75 pounds of explosives to blast the bridge in the bay below. The bridge closed to traffic back in 1992. That's when the newer bridge next to it opened up.

LIVE FROM with Kyra Phillips comes your way at the top of the hour, and YOUR WORLD TODAY continues after a quick break. I'm Daryn Kagan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Hala Gorani.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy. These are some of the stories that are making headlines around the world.

Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, issued strong warnings against would-be aggressors as Tehran showed off its military might. It was, after all, army day. Iran also insists it's going to be pursuing its right to develop nuclear technology. Senior diplomats from the five permanent Security Council members and Germany are meeting right now in Russia. They're discussing the next move in the Iranian nuclear case.

GORANI: The Israeli government is considering a response to Monday's suicide bombing in Tel Aviv that killed at least nine people. Israel says it holds the Palestinian Authority, under the militant group Hamas, responsible. In turn, Hamas says the attack was self defense. One measure by Israel would revoke the Israeli residency status enjoyed by Hamas ministers and Palestinian parliament members.

CLANCY: In Europe, emergency crews scrambling right now to repair ruptured dams and dykes along the Danube River. Thousands of residents in Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania are evacuating. Swollen by heavy rain and melting snow, the river has already hit its highest levels in a century, and is expected to crest later this week.

GORANI: One of the most famous cities in the U.S. is marking a solemn anniversary. San Francisco, in the state of California, is remembering the great quake. In this day on 1906, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake demolished the city by the bay. It flattened buildings, and that sparked raging fires and killed some 3,000 people. A study released this week indicates that if a similar size earthquake strikes in the same place today, it would also cause thousands of deaths and up to $150 billion in damages.

CLANCY: Like the mythical phoenix rising up from the ashes, the city of San Francisco has fully recovered from that earthquake that destroyed it 100 years ago. And while there's no stopping another earthquake, can technology prevent another major tremor from inflicting similar damage?

Peter Viles examines that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Looking at San Francisco, it is hard to believe that nearly 90 percent of it burned to the ground a hundred years ago. Hard to believe that neighborhoods like Telegraph Hill were blackened and bare, that the domed city hall collapsed in just seconds, that the city that called itself "the Paris of the Pacific" looked like it had been bombed and burned.

JAMES DALESSANDRO, AUTHOR, "1906": It was just massive, massive devastation. It looked like Dresden or Tokyo during the second world war. The United States had never seen anything like that destruction.

VILES: Seven point eight in magnitude, the quake along the San Andreas fault lasted nearly a full minute. Within twenty minutes, fires broke out and with water supplies cut off, the city burned for three days. In the chaos, Mayor Eugene Schmitz made two catastrophic decisions.

DALESSANDRO: Number one, that anyone suspected of looting or any crime could be shot on site. The army, National Guard and special police forces shot dozens of people, many of them innocent people. Eugene Schmitz also authorized the use of dynamite.

VILES: Dynamite was intended to create fire breaks to stop the fire. It was a spectacular failure.

PHILIP FRADKIN, AUTHOR, "THE GREAT EARTHQUAKE": The natural reaction of people without ability to fight fire is to fight it with whatever they have. The explosives just spread the flames.

VILES; And then in a cover-up to protect the city's ability to raise money for rebuilding, city leaders said only 478 had died. Historians now believe several thousand were lost.

ANNEMARIE CONROY, S.F. EMERGENCY SERVICES: I don't think you can get any accurate count from 1906. Mayor Schmitz did not want big numbers going out to the public and to the world of what had happened in San Francisco.

VILES: October 17, 1989, the city was rocked again. Freeways buckled, houses collapsed, 63 died. Again, was there fire. But this was not the big one. Six point nine in magnitude, it was centered 60 miles south.

Earthquakes still cannot be predicted, but heeding the lessons of Katrina, the city is urging residents to be prepared, to stockpile food and water.

CONROY: We learned that we really do need to be self-sufficient for a minimum of 72 hours.

VILES: In recent decades, office towers and large buildings like city hall have been built or renovated to survive a major earthquake. But the city expects thousands of old homes would collapse.

Historian Philip Fradkin has written that an 8.0 during school hours could kill 70,000 people.

FRADKIN: There's no way the city's not going burn again. You may have structures with metal on the outside and masonry, but you have very flammable interiors.

VILES: Preparation, he says, is no match for an 8.0.

FRADKIN: Maybe you'll survive, maybe you won't. They're random, chaotic events and whether you live or survive is a random choice, too.

VILES: Ultimately, the legacy of 1906 is one of survival of the city that appeared dead and, miraculously, came back to life.

Peter Viles for CNN, San Francisco.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Now to other threats facing the world today, aside from earthquakes and floods. We're joined by former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn. He was an important figure in the Senate on military matters, of course, a long-time chairman of the Armed Forces Committee, and now he co-chairs the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a charitable organization working to reduce the global threat from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. He was involved in some special preparedness exercises just held in his native state of Georgia.

Thank you for being with us. So you issued -- or your group issued a preparedness study. Threats such as avian flu, biological terrorism, how prepared are we?

SAM NUNN, NUCLEAR THREAT INITIATIVE: This was done by the Georgia Department of Public Health and the by Rand Corporation, who actually got out and did the field exercises, and by Emory University, who had participated, as well as the CDC. So we had a lot of players here.

But the main thing is that it was done at the local level up, not the top level down, which is the normal case. So, I'd say that in terms of the results, they learned an awful lot. A lot of improvements are being made. In no area have we made more progress, but in no area do we have further to go than the preparedness on the biological threat, and that's the threat not just from Mother Nature, but also the deliberate use of pathogens.

GORANI: Where are the weak links?

NUNN: Communication, your field, is one of them. The public will be all important. The governments cannot really take care of something like the avian flu alone. It's going to take the private sector, the business community and individuals. And individuals have to react by basis of what they hear from communication, and that means the news media. So advanced planning, getting credible spokespeople who know what they're talking about, having them practice and having them coordinate from federal, state and local, that's one of the essential lessons, and getting the news media involved at this stage before there's a crisis so that we don't get bad information out there. It's going to be difficult enough if we do have an avian flu outbreak, let alone if we get a lot of misinformation.

GORANI: We can't speak to you, Senator Nunn, without asking you about Iran and what's been happening with Iran. You're an expert in the field of non-proliferation. What are your thoughts on what's happening now with Iran and its statements it has enriched uranium recently?

NUNN: I'm not an expert on Iran. But I'll say that we're faced with two terrible choices. One is the Iranians get a nuclear weapon, which I think is unacceptable. The other choice, though, is also unacceptable, the use of American military force, which could inflame the whole Muslim world at a moment where we're still very much bogged down in Iraq. So it's very bad timing to be talking about military options. Now when you're confronted with two alternatives, which are very terrible alternatives, as we are, then the third alternative is diplomacy, and perhaps sanctions. But that third alternative, which the administration has now embarked on, has to have a consistent kind of message, and you have to get your allies involved. You have to get China, Russia, the Europeans. All of us have to work together on this, because the world has a stake.

But the administration is torn between conversation about regime change in Iran and diplomacy. And that means that the allies and the people you need to help you don't get a clear message about where we are on Iran. If we're really for regime change and if that's being actively pursued, then it's very hard to sit down with someone and talk with them if you're actually trying to kick them out of office. So we've to make up our mind, have a consistent view, and then we've got to get our allies on board to put the kind of pressure on Iran that's essential.

GORANI: You say you're not an expert on Iran, but you've said things about, for instance, about the deal George W. Bush signed with India, saying that that might spark the types of arms race in that part of the world that isn't necessarily a good thing for the region.

NUNN: Well, here I wish there had been more coordination with Pakistan and China in advance. I don't think what we do with India is going to change the behavior one way or the other of the Iranians. They embarked on their own quest. I do think it has an effect, what we do with India has an effect on the other countries we need to help put pressure on not only Iran, but also North Korea, which is now, as we speak, according to all the information, producing nuclear weapons. So some of the things we said we would never allow to happen are already happening in North Korea. And of course right now technology is already there in Iran, not the weapons themselves.

GORANI: All right Senator Sam Nunn and co-chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative currently, thank you very much for being with us on YOUR WORLD TODAY.

NUNN: Thank you.

CLANCY: It hard for them to hunt when it means they might drown.

GORANI: Coming up on YOUR WORLD TODAY, polar bears facing new and life-threatening problem for them. We'll explain.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: ... sandstorms more than 300 tons of sand swept into China's capital Monday as residents scrambled for cover.

Beijing bureau chief Jaime Florcruz gives us a look at how the city is cleaning up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JAIME FLORCRUZ, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): It looks more like a setting for a Hollywood disaster film than the picture- perfect venue of the 2008 Olympics. The sandstorm blanketed Beijing on Monday, forcing street cleaners to work overtime and residents to scramble for cover.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): People who come for the Olympic Games will want to see the sights of the city. It will be shameful if we still have sandstorms like this.

FLORCRUZ: It's the eighth sandstorm to hit Beijing this year, and by far, the worst.

(on camera): Residents yesterday woke up to find everything covered with sand. And one day later, more sand is still suspended in the air, blocking visibility and threatening people's health.

(voice-over): Some residents rushed to hospitals, complaining of breathing problems, eye inflation and skin irritation.

YU SEN, CHINESE DOCTOR (through translator): Those who need to go out must wear protective eye glasses and gas masks.

FLORCRUZ: Sandstorms sweep through northern China every year in spring, fed by the Gobi Desert in Shinjuan (ph) and Ermongolia (ph) in northwestern China.

Unrestrained farming, combined with prolong drought, have turned large tracts of China's farmland and pasture land into desert. Dust storms sometimes sweep across the pacific, even drifting as far as the U.S. West Coast.

To keep these sand storms in check, China has been replanting trees in and around desert regions. So far with very little success.

By some estimates, nearly 300,000 tons of sand fell on Beijing Monday. It has most people here praying for rain.

Jaime Florcruz, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: Coming up, we're going to open our inbox and see what you had to say about what the future might be look.

GORANI: Yes, that and much more. What gadgets do you think we'll be using in 30 years time?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Hala, it's time to open up our "Inbox" today.

GORANI: And we've been asking you for your thoughts about future technologies.

CLANCY: That's right. We asked you to put your inventor's hats on and tell us what technical gadgets you can imagine in your lives 30 years from now. And here's how some people replied.

GORANI: Now, Colin Prague says, "I think we'll spend most of our time sedated in nutrient-filled pods with electrodes continuously stimulating" -- is this serious? "Continuously stimulating neurons in our pleasure centers."

CLANCY: All right. That's a little far out but, you know, OK.

GORANI: Sounds good, though.

CLANCY: We have an anonymous viewer who writes this: "In 30 years, all technology in a computer us going to be able to fit in a little earplug and voice recognition will be perfected."

GORANI: Desiree writes from Guyana, "We'll have talking computers with no need for keyboards and we'll have cell phones with mini compact disk players. Wait, don't we kind of already kind of have that?"

CLANCY: We absolutely already have that, Desiree, and it's coming soon to Guyana, I'm sure.

GORANI: You're the tech buff.

All right, the future may not be so bright though, for one of the Arctic's most visible animals.

CLANCY: Femi Oke joins us with more -- Femi.

FEMI OKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there. Let me take you up to Alaska and then further up into the Arctic Ocean, also known as the frozen north, but it seems to be not quite so frozen over the last couple of years. And some scientists who believe the earth is warming also think the polar bear might become the very first victim. Correspondent Joe Johns went to Alaska to find out why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the top of the world, the top of the food chain, a strange and troubling new phenomenon: Polar bears are drowning, and some scientists say these kings of the Arctic ice may vanish from the wild.

BOB CORELL, AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY: They're getting thinner, and thinner, and thinner. And so, instead of having two or three cubs a year, they're now having one and zero. And our report says, by the end of this century, the polar bear is headed towards extinction.

JOHNS: What's going on? To understand that, start with a simple fact: Polar bears depend on sea ice, and the sea ice is melting and growing thinner. And that means their primary prey, seals, are harder to find with the new expanses of water, and harder to kill.

The disappearance of the sea ice off the north coast of Alaska was reported at the end of last year by the U.S. Minerals Management Service, which matched it up with a sharp rise in sightings of swimming and drowned bears.

They're drowning because they're apparently trying to swim to shore, as much as 80 miles, in a desperate attempt to find the food that was once readily available on the ice. Harry Reynolds has been studying bears his whole life, and he had never heard of a polar bear drowning until recently.

HARRY REYNOLDS, INTL. SOCIETY FOR BEAR RESEARCH: That's in the last two or three years. And prior to that, I don't recall of hearing any in the 32 years that I've been in Alaska.

JOHNS: Flying over Barrow, the northernmost town in the United States, it's easy to see the problem. The pack ice is breaking up earlier than in years ...

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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