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Your World Today
U.N. Demanding Iran Freeze Uranium Enrichment; Wrong Body Compounds Australian Grief; Bombings in Dahab; Interview with Egyptian Prime Minister; Francois Pinault Opens Museum In Venice
Aired April 27, 2006 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Defiance under pressure. Iran's president vowing his country will not bend a day before a key United Nations report on its nuclear activity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am a mother and my boy isn't here. And have you got his body?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: A mother's anguish. Her son becomes Australia's first soldier killed in Iraq, but there's a big mistake when they bring home the body.
CLANCY: Egypt's war on terror. The country vowing to crack down after a recent string of attacks. We will talk to the prime minister.
MCEDWARDS: And art for art's sake. A publicity-shy, fabulously- rich Frenchman finds a palatial home to show off his collection, but guess what? It is not in Paris.
CLANCY: It is 7:00 p.m. right now in Tehran -- 7:30, I should say -- 2:00 in the morning on Friday in Melbourne, Australia.
I'm Jim Clancy.
MCEDWARDS: And I'm Colleen McEdwards.
Welcome to our viewers throughout the world and the United States.
This is YOUR WORLD TODAY.
CLANCY: We're going to begin our report with this dispute over Iran's nuclear program on the eve of a key United Nations report.
MCEDWARDS: That's right. It seems pretty certain about what the report will say. That's not up for a lot of debate here, but it's still not certain what the world will do in the face of any continued defiance.
Now, Iran's president vowed again Thursday that no one could make his country give up nuclear technology. He says Iran will not bend to U.N. demands that it stop enriching uranium. CLANCY: United Nations Security Council member Russia and China, meantime, calling for restraint and patience. China says all sides should avoid making the situation any worse.
MCEDWARDS: Well, now, amid of all this, Israel's military intelligence chief says Iran now has its first batch of a kind of surface-to-surface missile that is capable of reaching Europe.
CLANCY: As the U.N. Security Council deadline is approaching, let's get some perspective now on Iran's position from Aneesh Raman. He is in Tehran and joins us now by videophone.
Aneesh, is there a sign that Iran is backing down even an iota?
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: None whatsoever, Jim. From Iran's point of view, any suspension of the country's civilian nuclear program is off the table. "Irreversible" is the word most used, and the reason why came again today from the country's president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The Iranian nation, by relying on its young scientists, has acquired nuclear fuel production technology. It did not borrow it from anyone. It didn't get assistance from anybody. And nobody can take it back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAMAN: Jim, the national pride associated with this program has become a unifying source. Rich and poor, liberal and conservative, all backing this civilian nuclear program here in Iran, and it is now tough to see what compromise will be had. The U.S. says Iran must suspend uranium enrichment, Iran says it will not stop its civilian nuclear program -- Jim.
CLANCY: Aneesh, we have looked, watched over the last two weeks, and seen how increasingly, from Iran's side, it appears this is being painted as solely a conflict, a dispute between the United States on one hand and Iranians. Is there any reading at all of what the Iranian people are thinking?
RAMAN: Well, we went out today throughout the capital, from the liberal north to the conservative south, and asked what Iranians think about Americans. And by and large, they all separate their views between the American government and the American people.
They all had great things to say about the American society, it's advancements, its progressiveness, but it is the American government that still brings out the lashing words. "Down with America," from one shopkeeper we spoke to.
There are murals here that still say "Down with America." American flags with bombs coming down, and that is really anger directed at the American government that we heard repeatedly out on the streets of Tehran. The people here are backing their government on this issue. It has unified them -- Jim. CLANCY: Do they speak out freely?
RAMAN: They do. We move about freely. They speak out perhaps as freely as they are willing to with a Western crew that is there.
We have no minders with us. There is no one from the government taping our interviews.
But, of course, when we hit certain subjects, people become more reluctant. They say certain things off camera, different things on camera. But in terms of the national support, that is genuine. The other issues here that are, of course, many about human rights and other issues, it is tougher to get people to talk openly -- Jim.
CLANCY: All right.
Aneesh Raman reporting live there from Tehran -- Colleen.
MCEDWARDS: We want to take you to Iraq now, where it seems no one is spared the wrath of insurgents. Anyone from coalition troops to the relatives of top political leaders can certainly be a target.
Mourners attended the funeral for the sister of Iraq's new vice president, Tareq al-Hashemi. Meysoun al-Hashemi and her driver were killed in a drive-by shooting. Al-Hashemi's brother was gunned down two weeks ago. And four coalition soldiers, three Italian and one Romanian, were killed in a roadside bomb explosion in Nasiriyah.
The attack comes as Italy is in the process of withdrawing its troops.
Well, Australians are now feeling the pain of losing their first soldier in Iraq. It's said to have been an accidental death, but now, as Clare Brady reports, it is only being made worse by a terrible blunder.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE BRADY, REPORTER (voice over): There's no escaping this mother's pain. The Kovco family is living a nightmare that just won't stop.
JUDY KOVCO, MOTHER: I am a mother and my boy isn't here. And have you got his body?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, ma'am.
KOVCO: I have to look in a coffin -- I have to look in a coffin now at something that no mother wants to see.
BRADY: A grief-stricken Judy Kovco had prayed for her son's body to come home. Then, early this morning, the unthinkable. The Australian government flew the wrong coffin back from Kuwait. Inside, an unidentified body. Not her son's.
KOVCO: I want my baby. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, ma'am.
KOVCO: You can't give me that. You told me last night it wasn't my son in that coffin. I just sat there waiting for him to finish his schpiel, thinking that it's some big mistake, my son was going to walk in once he got us past that shock. And it didn't happen.
BRADY: And back home, Private Jake Kovco's (ph) shattered wife cradled her tiny boy, desolate in the kind of pain few could imagine.
(on camera): Told of the body mix-up, Shirley she telephoned the prime minister in the middle of the night, hysterical and pleading with John Howard to explain how such a dreadful mistake could occur.
MARTIN KOVCO, FATHER: She got him out of bed. He was in bed. He could sleep. It's not his son.
JOHN HOWARD, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: She was very upset, and all of that is totally understandable. I mean, she's been through the anguish of losing her husband. And then, on top of that, you have this situation, and I felt desperately sorry for her.
BRADY: Earlier, Defense Minister Brendan Nelson flew to Sale (ph), east of Melbourne, to try and placate this family so deep in shock.
BRENDAN NELSON, AUSTRALIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: And to express, of course, not only our sorrow, but our distressed anguish that such a thing could occur.
BRADY: Private Kovco's mom had begged her son not to go to Iraq. On Anzac Day, his tiny hometown in Gibslan (ph) tried to shoulder their family's loss. Now a nation, especially mates from his battalion, are shouldering the load.
It's expected Private Kovco's body will finally come home to his family early Saturday morning.
M. KOVCO: A double nightmare. Second time around.
BRADY: Clare Brady, 7 News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CLANCY: Egypt's president, Hosni Mubarak, vowing now to win his country's war on terror after a string of attacks in the Sinai Peninsula this week. His comments came a day after two suicide attackers targeted international peacekeepers and police in the northern Sinai. The bombers missed their targets, killing only themselves.
But, on Monday, three bombs shattered a peaceful holiday weekend at the Red Sea resort of Dahab. Eighteen people were killed, scores more wounded. Authorities have rounded up dozens of suspects.
A short time ago, we spoke to Egypt's prime minister. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AHMED NAZIF, EGYPTIAN PRIME MINISTER: What we've seen in Dahab in this incident is a very primitive process in which somebody walks in with a belt of explosives around their waist, or maybe carrying a small bag, and they go into an area that's been very crowded, and cause a lot of damage because of that. So, it's a different process, and, of course, we are looking into ways to make sure that this does not happen again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CLANCY: CNN's Ben Wedeman was there in the prime minister's office today.
Ben, any more insights from the prime minister about who may have been behind this?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly, Jim, the suspicions at the moment are focusing on Bedouin from the Sinai, specifically from the northern part of the peninsula. We saw yesterday these dual suicide bombings which, fortunately, did not lead to any injuries among -- or rather deaths among the international peacekeeping force that is up there. But they're looking at the possibility that Bedouins were involved in these attacks.
Another significant change, of course, is the emergence of suicide bombers in Egypt, something that has never happened before -- Jim.
CLANCY: Ben, as you look at the situation, there have to be a lot of questions that are asked, because, does it seem likely that Bedouins could have done this on their own?
WEDEMAN: Well, certainly that's what we are hearing from Egyptian officials. But independent analysts believe that it would be very difficult for Bedouin to pull off these operations, which are very sophisticated, multiple blasts coming almost simultaneously, which, of course, according to many of these analysts, is a hallmark of the al Qaeda network -- Jim.
CLANCY: Ben, what has been the reaction of the people? And primarily, there in the resort that was so hard-hit?
WEDEMAN: These people are devastated, because this is their livelihood, Jim. These people depend almost completely on tourists. And the fact that tourists may be scared away really threatens the livelihood of all of these people. And we've seen this time and time again in Egypt, when there have been these kinds of attacks, focusing, targeting tourists, that the reaction of most Egyptians is shock and indignation.
One man, in fact, in Dahab told me he would like to eat the attackers or those who are behind these bombs for what they are doing to their lives -- Jim.
CLANCY: Ben Wedeman reporting to us there live from Cairo.
Ben, as always, thank you.
And stay with us. We are going to have more of our interview with Egypt's prime minister coming up in about 20 minutes' time -- Colleen.
MCEDWARDS: Well, mine attacks have killed five Sri Lankan troops north of the capital, Colombo. The latest in a barrage of violence there.
The government blames the attacks on Tamil Tiger rebels. This week's bloodshed threatens a shaky cease-fire between the government and rebels seeking a separate state in the north.
But the government has reopened crossing points to Tamil Tiger territory. These points were the ones that were closed in the aftermath of that suicide attack in Colombo on Tuesday.
Ten people were killed then, and a top army commander was seriously wounded. The government responded with air strikes in the northeast. The Tamil Tigers say 12 civilians were killed, 40,000 were forced to flee their homes.
Well, to money matters now. The world's largest oil and gas company is once again reporting some pretty staggering-looking profits. Take a look at this.
ExxonMobil saying that it raked in $8.5 billion -- that's "billion" with a "B" -- in first quarter earnings. Record-high prices are keeping oil companies in the black. But the U.S. Federal Reserve chief says that they are also threatening U.S. economic growth.
For more, let's check in on this with Andrea Koppel in Washington.
Andrea, tell us more about what the Federal Reserve chairman said.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he came here, Colleen, as you might imagine, with -- with a rather broad array of subjects that he wanted to cover. But what congressmen and senators really wanted to find out, beyond, sort of, the implications for the long-term U.S. economy, they wanted to know specifically what Mr. Bernanke, who's making his first appearance today before the Joint Economic Committee, what he thinks is going to happen now that the oil prices have reached new highs, and what the impact will be in the short term, as well, on the U.S. economy.
The chairman of the committee, Jim Saxton, asked that question directly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN BERNANKE, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: Higher oil prices do create problems for monetary policy. On the one hand, they directly affect the cost of living, inflation. On the other hand, by taking purchasing power away from consumers, they tend to slow economic activity. And so, it does produce a difficult problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOPPEL: Problems that the Senate Finance Committee is addressing directly. The ranking Democrat, as well as the top Republican, Charles Grassley, writing a letter to the chairman of the IRS, saying, we want you to open the books on the big oil companies, 15 of them over the last five years, we want to see their tax records.
Now, as you might imagine, how this is all playing here in Capitol Hill, we're seven months out from midterm elections. The entire House of Representatives is up, a third of the Senate.
This has been political fodder for the Democrats, who have been beating this issue day after day this week. In fact, just yesterday, they made a trip to a local gas station, using that backdrop as a way to underscore the Democrats believe Republicans and the White House are just too close to big oil, saying that over and over again.
And today, in fact, the Republicans speaker, Dennis Hastert, is going to be going to yet another gas station here in town to try to lay out some of their idea, the Republicans' ideas. Some in the Senate, in particular, they're offering an amendment that would specifically deal with a $100 excise tax, giving that back to the consumer -- Colleen.
MCEDWARDS: All right, Andrea. Thanks very much for bringing us up to date on that.
Andrea Koppel there.
CLANCY: Colleen, we've got to take a short break. But when we come back, an American rap superstar, you won't believe this, in a heap of trouble.
MCEDWARDS: Yes, a whole bunch of trouble. We will tell you about that. British police sent Snoop Dogg to the police doghouse. We'll explain what happened.
Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MCEDWARDS: Welcome back. You're watching YOUR WORLD TODAY on CNN International.
I'm Colleen McEdwards, alongside Jim Clancy.
U.S. rap artist Snoop Dogg has been arrested in London after a confrontation between his entourage and police. All of this happening at Heathrow Airport. A half-dozen arrests were made, and as least as many police officers suffered cuts and bruises.
For more on this, Paula Newton joins us in London with all of the details.
Paula, this sounded like quite a melee. What's going on now?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You can imagine what it looked like. What happened was, Snoop Dogg and his entourage -- and, Colleen, let me tell you, that includes some big, beefy bodyguards -- were trying to get into the first class lounge in the airport. They were denied entry.
They moved on to a duty-free shop, where, apparently, according to police, they started yelling at staff and throwing whiskey bottles. After that, police were called in, and they tried to tell them that, look, you're not going to be allowed to board your flight to South Africa.
That is where Snoop Dogg is supposed to be right at this moment, continuing on with a concert that he was scheduled to be doing in South Africa. Instead, they were told that they would have to spend the night in London, and they were trying to take their baggage off the airplane.
That's when the trouble really started, Colleen. And, apparently, according to police, at that point in time, the police officers themselves were assaulted, and some of them have minor injuries. One, even a broken hand.
At this moment right now, six people -- and I'll tell you, Scotland Yard will not confirm that one of them is -- Calvin Broadus, and that is Snoop Dogg's real name -- is in custody, although there is a man matching his description.
But they -- these people remain in custody. We just got off the phone with Scotland Yard, and they are not confirming that they will be charged. Right now the investigation continues -- Colleen.
MCEDWARDS: OK. I mean, I was going to ask you about charges. In this case, I mean, how long can they hold them if no charges are pending? Do you know?
NEWTON: It's the prerogative, really, of police at this point in time. And they were already arrested on suspicion of what they call violent disarray -- sorry, violent disarray or a fray. The terminology is quite different here in Britain, but that is what they were arrested on suspicion of.
That means the police can continue for even as long as 48 hours to investigate, to interview them. At this point in time, police say that there are three options. They could charge them, they could let them go on some type of bail and ask them to just appear in a few weeks, or they can just release them with a warning -- Colleen.
MCEDWARDS: Paula, thanks very much for brining us up to date on that.
Well, for more on Snoop Dogg, we invite you to watch our program, "Quest" this Saturday. Richard Quest, you see him right there with Snoop Dogg himself. He's got an interview that he did with the rapper a few weeks ago actually in Australia. This, of course, happening before this ruckus at Heathrow Airport.
And that is going to be Saturday at 06:00 GMT.
YOUR WORLD TODAY continues right after this break. 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, though, let's check on stories making headlines here in the U.S.
President Bush zips down to the Gulf Coast today. The White House says the president will highlight the roll of volunteers in the hurricane recovery effort as we look at live pictures now. Back in Washington, Congress is working on an emergency spending bill that includes more money to rebuild the Gulf Coast.
It's a disaster agency that many people have said is a disaster itself. Today, a call to do away with FEMA.
The recommendation is a Senate committee's report. It calls for replacing FEMA with a new emergency management agency. That agency would remain within the Department of Homeland Security, but the head of the agency would have a direct line to the president during disasters.
Senator Susan Collins says it's time for change. She says FEMA is discredited, demoralized and dysfunctional.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), MAINE: Officials in Washington fail to grasp the extent of the crisis due to inexcusably poor communications. The 86 recommendations that Senator Lieberman and I are proposing will help to ensure that government at all levels responds more effectively. Our first and most important recommendation is to abolish FEMA.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: The committee held 22 hearings on FEMA's response to Hurricane Katrina. Members reviewed more than 830,000 documents.
A shooting at Cleveland's Hopkins Airport. Not a lot of details known at this point, but it is reported that an officer confronted a man at a ticket counter, there was a struggle and shots were fired. There's word both the police officer and the man were hit and taken to the hospital. More on the story as it comes into CNN.
Politicians are watching nervously at pump prices climb. With many of you planning to go to the polls this November, you better believe Congress is paying attention.
Live pictures from Capitol Hill right now.
Some lawmakers want to look at tax records from oil companies. There's also talk of a windfall profits tax. And if that's not enough, Senate Republicans are pushing a plan to give taxpayers $100 gas rebate.
One Democrat even wants to give us all a 60-day gasoline tax holiday. We'll keep you posted on those proposals.
The numbers are in. Gasoline prices are eating up more of your take-home pay. But ExxonMobil Corporation reports a first quarter profit of $8.4 billion.
It sounds like a lot of money, but the oil company actually didn't make as much as Wall Street expected. Analysts had predicted profits of more than $9.25 billion. And remember, these numbers reflect just the first three months of the year. They don't cover the most recent run-up at the pumps.
A warning about energy prices. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke tells Congress spiraling gas costs could put a strong economy at risk. Also, Bernanke is leaving the door open for another interest rate hike.
Now a look at today's weather.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: Actor and activist George Clooney is talking to the National Press Club right now. His topic? The long-running violence in Sudan's Darfur region. Clooney and his father are just back from Sudan and neighboring Chad. They witnessed the refugee crisis firsthand.
A symbol of resolve at a site of so much devastation. Construction got under way today at the Freedom Tower. It will go up at Ground Zero in New York.
An agreement cleared the way for work to begin after months of delays. The 1,776 structure is expected to be completed by 2010. A memorial to 9/11 victims is scheduled to be finished a year earlier.
Movies and spelling don't often mix. But "Akeelah and the Bee" opens in theaters tomorrow. It already is inspiring audiences everywhere.
Coming up on "LIVE FROM," two stars from the movie, actor- producer Lawrence Fishburne and Angela Bassett.
Meanwhile, YOUR WORLD TODAY continues after a quick break.
I'm Daryn Kagan.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MCEDWARDS: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Colleen McEdwards.
CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy. Here are some of the top stories that we're following right now.
One Romanian and three Italian troops killed by a roadside bomb in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah. One Italian soldier remains in life threatening condition.
Two weeks after his brother was gunned down in Baghdad, Iraq's new vice president Tareq al-Hashemi lost his sister to the same kind of violence. Meysoun al-Hashemi was killed in a drive-by shooting.
MCEDWARDS: Sri Lanka is still struggling to keep a shaky ceasefire between the government and Tamil rebels to keep it from collapsing, that is. The government halted bombing rebel positions on Thursday and then reopened one of the major supply roads, but mine attacks have killed five Sri Lankan troops north of the capital, Colombo. Thousands of people have fled their homes in recent days as the violence escalated between these two sides.
CLANCY: Iran's president says no one can make his country give up nuclear technology, remaining defiant on the very eve of the United Nations deadline. The U.N. Security Council is demanding Iran suspend the enrichment of uranium, something Tehran has repeatedly refused to do. Security Council members Russia and China are calling for restraint and patience.
Well, for more now on Egypt as it investigates a string of attacks. In the Sinai Peninsula this week, 18 people were killed, scores more wounded, according to official government figures. Monday, three bombs went off at the resort of Dahab. And then on Wednesday, two suicide bombers killed themselves in the northern Sinai.
Earlier, we talked with Egypt's Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. AHMED NAZIF, EGYPTIAN PRIME MINISTER: The preliminary results show that they are local people, that they're young, the Bedouins from Sinai. Typical of what happened in the previous explosions in Taba and Sharm El Sheikh.
CLANCY: Do you believe that they had outside help?
NAZIF: It doesn't look like that. There's no evidence of outside help. But at the end of the day, it's a terrorist act. It's an M.O. that we're seeing all across the world today. And you can only wonder if this is -- there is some kind of link in this process, if it's just sharing of the cause or sharing of the way itself. But there is no definite reason to believe that there is typical financing from abroad or instructions coming from abroad.
CLANCY: Tourism is an overwhelmingly important sector in the Egyptian economy. Your nation is a nation of history. People look at this attack, they see the attack, the other attack that was very similar in Sharm El Sheikh, the casualties there, and they wonder, is the government doing enough?
NAZIF: Well, we're doing a lot. If you look at the Sharm El Sheikh incident, it was trucks full of explosives, and capable of doing a lot of damage. And we've taken a lot of security measures to make sure that this doesn't happen again. And it didn't happen again. What we've seen in Dahab in this incident is a very primitive process in which somebody walks in with a belt of explosives around their waist or maybe carrying a small bag, and they go into an area that's been very crowded and cause a lot of damage because of that. So it's a different process. And, of course, we're looking into ways to make sure that this does not happen again.
CLANCY: What we have also seen is an uncommon defiance by the people of that resort town, that area, standing up, saying, we're not caving in.
NAZIF: I think all of Egypt is saying that, and I think I'm not exaggerating if I say the whole world is saying that. The kinds of messages that came out of Washington; President Bush, for example; the statement that we got from the Security Council; other world leaders.
And I think people at large are not standing back for terrorism anymore. And we Egyptians appreciate that very much. And we ask the world to stand with us. We haven't seen the travel advisories that we usually see in this case, because, if we start caving in, then, we're telling those terrorists that they're succeeding, and we don't intend to do that.
CLANCY: This is rather disturbing that the young men may not have had outside links, may have done this all on their own. What does that say to you?
NAZIF: It says that it is much more difficult to deal with them, that there is some brainwashing taking place. You know, somebody who is willing to go in and destroy their own bodies, their own souls, with no particular purpose, with no particular logic in it. You know, these people are not even claiming responsibility. Nobody is saying what the cause is for this. Tells he that this is something that is disturbing, that it is not just a security issue. It's more than that. And we're willing to deal with it. We need to analyze and see why somebody would do that.
CLANCY: Your government has pushed through some very important democratic reforms, but this day, demonstrations on the streets, clashes with police. Two judges who say they were improprieties in the recent voting, that some other members of the judiciary may have helped to fix some of the vote, are before a disciplinary hearing. And people are asking the question is your government backing up on the very open multi-party politics, backing up even on the right for people to dissent?
NAZIF: Well, Jim, it's the exact opposite of that. The fact that these things are happening is a testimony that there is more freedom taking place, that people are out there, that there's dynamics in the process. In that process, you will find some problems that will take place. But at the end of the day, we're seeing more freedom, we're seeing activity taking place on the political scene.
Egypt has seen in the last year a lot of things that were not there before. We've seen a multi-candidate presidential elections. We've seen parliamentary elections in which moral position has been represented in parliament today. But, of course, there are certain things that still need to be tuned in. And it's not the end of the process for us. It's the beginning of the process.
And President Mubarak's presidential promises in his campaign, where that we will have more of this in the next years, and there is a plan, and the government is going in with that plan. And we have changed some of the rules. We intend to change the constitution, for example, in the next year. And I think that process will go on. And as it goes on, we will see some of those side effects taking place.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CLANCY: That was Egypt's Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif speaking with us a little bit earlier today.
MCEDWARDS: Some interesting points made there today on the issue of the attacks. I mean, the lack of purpose, as he says. No cause claimed, no one really even bothering to claim responsibility.
CLANCY: Still being investigated. I think that's the key. There's a lot of people that have been taken into custody. But we'll continue to watch it.
MCEDWARDS: All right, well, the Saudi government is also facing a homegrown terrorist threat.
CLANCY: When we come back, a look at Saudi Arabia's fight against extremists, and the lengths that they are willing to go.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MCEDWARDS: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY here on CNN International.
A high-profile plea for help for Sudan's troubled Darfur region taking place on Capitol Hill. Academy Award-winning actor George Clooney appearing before U.S. lawmakers. He recently visited the region, and now he's pushing for money for peacekeeping operations there. He and some key senators also want governments to do more to stop the atrocities in Darfur.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE CLOONEY, ACTOR: The president wants to put a stop to it. Congress wants to put a stop to it. The U.N. wants to put a stop to it.
What they need now is the American people and the world's population to help them, to tell them it matters that much to us, that it's that important to us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCEDWARDS: Well, also part of the effort, an opinion article in "The Washington Post," and a rally this weekend on the Washington Mall. All of this starting to get a fair bit of attention. Khartoum has been locked in a fight with rebel groups in Darfur for years. Peace talks have dragged on. And there is a push now to try to wrap things up. And the deadline they've set, at least for now, is this Sunday.
All right. Well, now to Saudi Arabia and the fight against terrorism that's been going on there.
CLANCY: That battle taking place really on many fronts, from using the latest high tech gear to some very touch special forces, and also to the clerics.
MCEDWARDS: Yes, clerics with a message, actually.
Lindsay Hilsum is there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LINDSAY HILSUM, CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The control room, monitoring the Saudi capital, Riyadh. They have CCTV at intersections and outside key buildings. Police units moving around the city are in permanent contact.
Since a series of terror attacks three years ago, the Saudi interior ministry has invested in state of the art technology to prevent further incidents.
Special forces, in a display for the camera.
Last month, the Saudis arrested 40 people, eight of them believed to be connected to an attempt to blow up the largest oil terminal in the kingdom in February. They say they're now foiling 90 percent of attacks.
But there's a deeper problem.
(on camera): The Saudi authorities are keen to show off the prowess of their forces. But in the long-term, more subtle approaches are likely to have more impact. They've drafted in clerics and psychiatrists to work with youths who've been arrested. The idea is to re-educate them, re-indoctrinate them, turn them away from the violent jihadi ideology that they espouse.
GEN. MANSUR AL-TURKI, SAUDI INTERIOR MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: When you get these people, when you arrest them, when you sit with them, again, isolating them from the terrorist who affected them from the very beginning. Then, now, they have their own choice to think. So now, they are granted their choice back. So they could listen to you, and think inside themselves and review what they have been believing. And compared to what you are trying to raise or put on their faces, most of them find out that they were actually chosen the wrong direction. HILSUM Friday prayers in Jeddah. Critics say the form of Islam practiced in the kingdom provides a theological justification for terrorism, by teaching that all non-Muslims must be renounced. In the last few months, up to 1,000 clerics have been barred from preaching, because their radical ideology, seen as mainstream until recently, could foment violence.
The government it's also amending school textbooks. It's not enough for everyone, of course. Reformist protest that there's still only one form of Islam tolerated in the kingdom.
SAMI ANGAWI, SAUDI REFORMIST: What is happening is, in my opinion, more like smoothing, sanding, polishing. At the core, it is the same. We, unfortunately, found that we have to move with the slowest common denominator. No, we cannot do that. Otherwise, we wait forever.
HILSUM: MBA students in Jeddah. Women are at the back, but no longer in a separate classroom. The Saudi government says it dare not move faster on reforms like this, for fear of provoking a backlash from clerics who say they reject violence, but are still deeply conservative.
Men like Dr. Ali Badhadah, who told us that if Saudi women are allowed to drive cars, kidnap, adultery and premarital sex will surely follow.
DR. ALI BADHADAH, IMAM SAYID BIN JUBAIR MOSQUE (through translator): In the first place, we have to protect women. Islamic law tells us many things about women, including the fact that she must wear the scarf and not mix with men who are not family members. Her main role is to take care of her house and children. An open society will get in the way of women fulfilling their role. There's pressure from the outside, which goes against the tenets of Islam and what we believe.
HILSUM: The Saudi authorities have the radicals in their sites. They say terrorism is now under control, but they still fear conservative clerics, who could yet destabilize the House of Saud.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCEDWARDS: Lindsay Hilsum reporting there. Well, the training that those special forces receive is intense. You know that, and Saudi Arabia is sparing no expense here as well.
CLANCY: The desert kingdom has spent almost $2 billion making sure that its forces have all the latest gear, that they have extensive training, body armor, and everything else they need, according to their commander.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CLANCY: Still ahead, the lifestyle of the rich and -- well, Colleen, the very rich. MCEDWARDS: The very, very, very rich. a wealthy, self-made French billionaire unveils his fabulous art collection. He's found a palatial home to display the art. But guess what, it's not in Paris, and that is ruffling some French feathers.
CLANCY: I would imagine.
MCEDWARDS: We have details ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CLANCY: Welcome back, everyone. I guess it's no surprise. Prices for contemporary art, skyrocketing in recent years.
MCEDWARDS: Worse than gas prices. Good heavens. That makes acquiring an expensive art collection very difficult for the likes of Jim and I, unless, of course, you are fabulously rich.
CLANCY: Well, one wealthy Frenchman is amassing a notable collection, and he's found a palatial home to show it all off.
MCEDWARDS: But much to the dismay of his countrymen, it is not in France. Nicholas Glass has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICHOLAS GLASS, ITN REPORTER (voice-over): The boat ride in from the airport alone is enough to remind anyone of the attractions of Venice, La Serenissima looming in the spring mist on the horizon. Francois Pinault was given added incentives. The Venetians wanted him here, the mayor wanted him here.
As luck would have it, they had a nice little place available to show his art collection, a palace on the Grand Canal. Venice's gain is Paris' loss. Pinault had wanted to build a museum on an island in the Seine, but gave up because of French bureaucracy.
So, instead, here we were, arriving in a media convoy for the first public display of Mr. Pinault's art collection at a new home, the Palazzo Grassi.
(on camera): When the Grassi family from Bologna came to Venice in the mid-18th century, they built their monumental marble palace on the Grand Canal, and they did so to impress. Francois Pinault in bringing his art collection here wants to impress, too.
(voice-over): Mr. Pinault bought the palace with what for him must have been loose change. It was obvious from the outside there was a new tenant with a bright magenta guard dog in stainless steel, courtesy of the artist Jeff Koons. They didn't have those in the 18th century. It was Venice and its water traffic reflected.
(on camera): Mr. Pinault would have us believe he's a man of wealth and taste. He's certainly wealthy, a self-made billionaire. He's worth $6 billion, making him the 68th richest man in the world. As for taste, well, that's for others to judge. He's been fairly secretive about his art collection and this is the first time he's shown it, or at least a large portion of it, to the public.
(voice-over): He's been collecting art for over 30 years. He owns Christie's Auction House, sometimes buys and sells through them. He collects modern and contemporary and when he likes an artist like Damien Hirst, Dan Flavin, Bruce Naman or Jeff Koons, he collects a lot of their work. The diminutive statue kneeling towards the wall in shorts had a familiar face. The work is called "Him" by Maurizio Cattelan.
ALISON GINGERAS, COLLECTION CURATOR: He has at least 2,500 art works in the collection and growing almost on a daily basis, because his principle activity now is really devoting himself to his collection activities.
GLASS (on camera): Really? So almost every day that he buys something?
GINGERAS: Well, it's not every day that he buys something, but it's every day that he is actively thinking about what direction the collection should go.
GLASS (voice-over): No one expected to see Mr. Pinault at this opening, and we didn't. He's reticent about appearing in front of camera, although we have managed to snatch a few shots of him over the years at the Frieze Art Fair in London. He has almost certainly spent more on contemporary art than anyone else in the world, even Charles Saatchi or the Miami collectors, Don and Mira Rubell.
(on camera): We don't know exactly how much money Francois Pinault has spent on art, but we know the price of some individual pieces. This, for example, "The Fragile Truth," a cabinet piece which was sold at Sotheby's a couple of years ago as part of the Pharmacy restaurant sale. It went for 1.2 million pounds.
The Andy Warhol of Chairman Mao was relatively cheap, 670,000 pounds. And although not everyone will notice it immediately, this is a Carl Andre floor piece made of various metals: copper, zinc, aluminum. It cost Mr. Pinault some seven to $8 million.
(voice-over): As he approaches 70 in a few months, art is what increasingly absorbs Francois Pinault. That's more so than his luxury goods empire of Gucci and other brands. But being a businessman is not showing his collection for free. The entrance charge is 10 euros.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCEDWARDS: And that again was ITV's Nicholas Glass reporting there. Nice problem to have, how to spend your money.
CLANCY: Nice problem. I'm Jim Clancy. LIVE FROM is next in the U.S.
MCEDWARDS: And for viewers elsewhere, another half hour of YOUR WORLD TODAY is next. I'm Colleen McEdwards. Thanks for watching.
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