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Your World Today
Up Close With Al Qaeda in Iraq; Coup in Thailand; Woman Sentenced to Death for Role in Hotel Bombings
Aired September 21, 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: The face of the enemy. A look inside the most violent of Iraq's insurgent groups: Al Qaeda in Iraq. Why killing the group's leader just may have made it more dangerous.
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: In Thailand, after a military crackdown, they are in control and slap a ban on all political activity.
CLANCY: And back on terra firma. NASA and the space shuttle Atlantis crew celebrate a safe return to Earth.
Hello and welcome to our report broadcast all around the globe.
I'm Jim Clancy.
GORANI: And I'm Hala Gorani.
From Baghdad to Bangkok, Kennedy Space Center to London, wherever you are watching, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.
Well, the daily reports of violence out of Iraq suggest just how dangerous the streets have become. Even walking to the market or going to work could cost you your life.
CLANCY: Take, for example, a new United Nations report that says the number of civilians killed recently is far greater than the initial estimates. Equally troubling, how many victims show signs of torture.
All right. Let's get details of that report for July and August in a moment.
But first, that was, of course, a period when the United Nations said it was the deadliest yet. But we want to go inside the insurgency, take you there to learn why at least one group seems to be getting even stronger.
CNN has exclusive footage of Al Qaeda in Iraq and some rare interviews with some of the insurgent leaders, the commanders themselves.
Here's our Michael Ware.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Until now, most communications from Al Qaeda in Iraq have been carefully crafted videos like this one, showing the shooting down of a U.S. Apache helicopter. What's unprecedented about this video is we hear about from al Qaeda in English.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just to let you know that our lives are nothing beside our religion. We will bomb everything.
WARE: Insurgent groups in the U.S. military now say al Qaeda has become the darkest core of Iraq's insurgency.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just to let you know that we have to die as you have to live.
WARE: An organization so secretive that despite seized documents, intelligence, and interrogations, the U.S. military still struggles to know how it works.
COL. SEAN MACFARLAND, U.S. ARMY: We don't have a 100 percent understanding of that. And the enemy tries very hard to keep us from understanding.
WARE: There have been successes, cells disrupted, leaders captured, and most stunning of all, the founder of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, executed in a U.S. airstrike. But reality on the ground suggests the U.S. military is far from crippling the deadly network.
Abu Khaled al-Iraqi is a top commander from a powerful alliance of local Islamic insurgent groups. In his first television interview, he tells CNN Zarqawi's death brought change, but not what the U.S. had in mind. Instead, younger even more radical al Qaeda leaders.
ABU KHALED AL-IRAQI, SR. IRAQI ISLAMIST COMMANDER (through translator): Al-Zarqawi is one person, and al Qaeda is thousands of people.
WARE: Local Sunni insurgent groups more moderate than al Qaeda, and Iraqi nationalists, mostly from Saddam's former military, agree. Al Qaeda is becoming stronger.
Listen to this nationalist insurgent commander. He says al Qaeda's decentralized structure, seemingly endless money, and growing support in and out of Iraq is overpowering local guerrilla groups.
ABU MOHAMMED, INSURGENT COMMANDER (through translator): Al Qaeda's leadership is different, but as an idea it has expanded, because most other groups' pressure between U.S. forces and al Qaeda and have had leaders killed or captured and al Qaeda took over their fighters.
WARE: That's an assessment shared by many in the U.S. military. American commanders like Sean MacFarland confront the al Qaeda-led insurgency every day. MACFARLAND: What we're trying to do here is counteract a strong presence of al Qaeda that's intermixed with some lingering Ba'athist influence.
WARE: Four months ago, Abu Khaled's insurgent group was distancing itself from al Qaeda. Now he says there's no difference at all.
KHALED (through translator): Al Qaeda works within the resistance and is part of the resistance.
WARE: The Sunni groups say fear of civil war with Shiites in control of the Iraqi government and unchecked Iranian interference is driving them to al Qaeda.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): America came to Iraq saying it would free us of from tyranny and dictatorship. But that hasn't happened. Because the U.S. increased the power of Shia religious organizations, gave them the government, and we regard this as giving power to Iran (ph).
WARE: If so, it is Zarqawi's most enduring legacy, his plan all along to spark sectarian conflict and draw Sunni insurgents to al Qaeda's cause. The insurgents say al Qaeda's hard line is gaining traction where there was little before.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (through translator): When the nationalist forces become weak, that leaves al Qaeda as a strong force in the area.
WARE: Yet, the U.S. military is still hoping disillusioned moderate Sunnis reject al Qaeda.
MACFARLAND: Al Qaeda is herding them back toward us. So, to an extent, the Sunnis may be trapped between the devil and deep blue sea.
WARE: But Sunni insurgents know one day the United States will leave Iraq. And they believe al Qaeda will not.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CLANCY: Well, Michael Ware joins uses now live from Baghdad.
Michael, the epicenter of a lot of this is in Anbar province. Its capital is Ramadi. President Bush, I guess quoting his own military intelligence sources, is saying there's evidence there that al Qaeda is influencing events on the ground.
What's your read?
WARE: Well, as President Bush and Osama bin Laden himself agree, Jim, Al Anbar province is the centerpiece of the global war on terror for both of them. In fact, President Bush has been highlighting this in recent weeks.
He talked about seized al Qaeda documents revealing their plans to essentially set up a government in Ramadi. Well, what we found is that U.S. Marines' intelligence has discovered that, for example, al Qaeda's infiltration of the oil ministry out there is so extensive, that it has a finger in all aspects of it, from its delivery from refineries in the north, to its distribution through the government office, right down to the gas stations.
U.S. commanders say al Qaeda in Ramadi has been making between $400,000 and $600,000 every month to fund their operations against U.S. forces -- Jim.
CLANCY: On another front, statistics that tell a tragic story of what's happening in Baghdad and elsewhere across the country, and that is the appalling numbers of those people who have been killed in sectarian violence.
WARE: That's right. And, I mean, this is precisely what Al Qaeda in Iraq's founder, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, wanted.
He spelled it out way in the beginning. And we first saw it in an intercepted letter between him and Osama bin Laden.
He says, "We must provoke the Shia, keep taunting them until they rise up. Only then will we awake the sleeping giant, the Sunni world. And then the great conflict can begin."
He believes this was the way forward. This is a result of his handy work.
On the other extreme, you see Iranian-backed Shia extremists and death squads playing their part. So this is both ends of the extreme pulling the middle apart and polarizing this country -- Jim.
CLANCY: Michael Ware. A look at the facts as they appear tonight from the streets of Baghdad.
Michael, thank you.
GORANI: Two days after staging a bloodless coup in Thailand, military leaders are cementing their grip on power. They detained members of the ousted prime minister's administration, banned all political meetings, and barred the establishment of new parties.
CNN's Dan Rivers has more on the general behind the surprise takeover.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): General Sonthi Boonyaratkalin has walked onto the international stage as the leader of Thailand's new military junta pledging he will restore democracy quickly. But the stern-faced army officer has no experience in politics, having been a career soldier all his life.
He was appointed commander in chief of the army a year ago after working his way up the ranks, earning a dozen medals for fighting various communist insurgencies. He's also served alongside U.S. forces in Vietnam.
DOMINIC FAUDER, THAILAND MEDIA ANALYST: He's highly respected. Probably the most interesting thing about him is that he's the first Muslim to hold that position, and that he's been active in the south in recent months trying to sort out the problems there.
RIVERS: Southern Thailand has been engulfed in a violent Islamist insurgency for two years. It's reported General Sonthi has favored holding talks with the separatists and has been at odds with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's hard-line stance.
But Thaksin's political career appears to be over now. He arrived in London, trying to put a brave face on his situation, but he's been sacked by the coup's leaders who have accused him of corruption and dividing the country.
Thailand's revered King Bhumibol hasn't reacted publicly to the turmoil. But the military junta has issued a statement from the palace which says the king's endorsed General Sonthi as leader of the coup and is urging public officials to cooperate. General Sonthi says his intervention is temporary and a new prime minister will be appointed within two weeks.
(on camera): Are you worried that he won't keep his word?
GILES UNGPAKORN, CHULALONGKORN UNIVERSITY: Yes, I'm extremely worried about that. Previous militia juntas have not kept their word. But, of course, you know, there's always a first time.
RIVERS (on camera): This coup may have been bloodless, but it's been very damaging to Thailand's democracy. The United States is putting huge pressure on General Sonthi to keep his word and hand power back to the people. They wield a lot of influence here. The very tanks occupying the streets were made in America.
(voice over): And as long as they remain on the streets with the army in charge, Thailand's reputation as a beacon of democracy will continue to be eroded.
Dan Rivers, CNN, Bangkok.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, the man ousted as a result of this coup is lying low in London, watching the developments play out. Thaksin Shinawatra says he is taking a well-deserved "rest."
Paula Newton is in the British capital with more on that.
So, we've heard that he, as we said there, wants to rest. Some are saying he might start working in a charitable capacity in some organizations.
What is Thaksin Shinawatra going to do now?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He's been on the ground here, Hala, for exactly 24 hours, and all we got was a very brief statement, as you indicated, saying that he wanted national reconciliation, he wanted quick elections, and that he in fact would be on the sidelines and that he was content to remain there.
This may be a strategic note at this point in time. I'm sure with many supporters of his being arrested or detained in Bangkok, he does feel that it would be better for him to stay put here. If you look at it at face value, you think this is a man resigned to what happened to him in less than 24 hours, just thrown out of a job that he was elected to with still, we have to say, huge support in Thailand.
Today we've seen him come out of what is a very wealthy (ph) London neighborhood here. He is a billionaire. He can lead a very nice life here if he wants to.
We have seen the makings of what maybe -- or what people are calling the Thaksin secretariats. We see computers, printers being brought in.
Does that mean he's any closer to a government in exile? I don't think anyone here believes so. This is a man who says that he deeply respects the king and the country and he wants what's best for it.
Having said that, there have been rumors certainly out of Thailand that his supporters are just lying in wait, waiting to see an opportunity of when they can actually again protest and say, look, this was a democratically elected leader that was kicked out of office -- Hala.
GORANI: Very briefly, is he going to ask for the political support of Great Britain or other countries?
NEWTON: You know, that's unclear right now. The foreign office here in Britain is in contact with him. We know he's also in contact with American officials.
He left for about four hours this afternoon and told us that it was a personal visit. We have to take that at face value.
But all of these countries understand that what's happened here is that Thailand's democracy has been undermined. What is unclear, Hala, is exactly the man himself, what role, if any, he's going to play in rebuilding that democracy in Thailand.
GORANI: All right.
Paula Newton live in London -- Jim.
CLANCY: The fifth day of anti-government protests in Hungary. Small demonstrations. The opposition party says it canceled a major anti-government rally that was scheduled for Saturday amid concerns about security. After all, hundreds of people, including some of the police, have been injured after three days of clashes and three nights of violence on the streets. Hungarian prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsany is calling for a parliamentary meeting today. He says he wants to discuss the riots. Fidez (ph) is rejecting those talks. Some 15,000 protesters turned out to demand that the prime minister resign for a third night in a row in Budapest.
You can see some of the violence that was on the streets as tear gas and rocks were thrown.
Mr. Gyurcsany refuses to step down after all leaked tapes caught him admitting that he lied repeatedly about the nation's economy in an effort to win reelection in April.
Still ahead, it's anything but dull at the United Nations these days.
GORANI: Well, certainly not. One of the leaders -- one of the leaders everyone is watching is on a media blitz. A candid conversation with Iran's president just ahead.
CLANCY: And work on the world's largest passenger plane? Well, it's not done yet. When will Airbus deliver its A-380 super jumbo jet?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Welcome back. You're with YOUR WORLD TODAY.
She was the unlikely face of terror following last year's deadly hotel bombings in Jordan, but was she a willing participant or a victimized wife? That was the question before a court in Amman. And now the woman who modeled her suicide belt on television knows her fate.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI (voice over): It was the deadliest terror strike in the country's recent history. Sixty people died when suicide bombers attacked three hotels in Jordan's capital last November. Shortly afterwards, Sajida al-Rishawi made a televised confession of her role in the attacks and showed the suicide belt she was to have used. On Thursday, the Iraqi woman was sentenced to death by hanging.
Despite her confession, Rishawi pled not guilty in court. Defense attorneys argued that she confessed on television only after she was tortured by authorities.
They said Rishawi was forced to participate in the attack by her husband but that she had no intention of detonating the explosives. However, explosives experts testified that the triggering mechanism on her belt had had jammed. Her lawyers say Rishawi accepted the verdict stoically.
"She asked what the verdict was, I told her 'capital punishment.' She asked whether it could be altered. I said that the verdict could be appealed. Then she said, 'Either kill me or send me to my parents.'"
Jordanian officials say Rishawi is related to a former aide of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the former leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq. Zarqawi claimed responsibility for ordering the bombings. He was killed in June by a U.S. airstrike in Iraq.
Rishawi was among seven people sentenced to death in connection with the case on Thursday. The other six condemned were tried in absentia. They remain at large and are believed to be hiding in Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: The verdict comes a month after the passage of a tough anti-terrorism law by Jordan's parliament. The law was introduced as a response to those hotel bombings -- Jim.
CLANCY: British entrepreneur Richard Branson no stranger to top- dollar journeys. After all, he made several attempts at flying a hot air balloon all around the world. Well, now the billionaire behind the Virgin group trying to protect, rather than circumnavigate the globe.
Branson committing $3 billion -- that's 3,000 million -- over the next 10 years to combat global warming. He broke the news at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City.
After his controversial speech before the United Nations General Assembly, Iran's president has been making the rounds, repeatedly defending the nuclear program of his country and criticizing the Bush administration at the same time.
CNN's Anderson Cooper discussed the subject with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in an interview. The Iranian leader's polemical stance on the Holocaust came up as well.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "ANDERSON COOPER 360": You said at the U.N. that your nuclear program is "transparent, peaceful and under the watchful eyes of IAEA inspectors." That's not what IAEA inspectors have said. In a recent report they have said that they, frankly, cannot verify the peaceful nature of your program and that it is not transparent.
Why not just open up the program and fulfill all the requirements that the IAEA would like?
PRES. MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, IRAN (through translator): They said that they did not find any evidence or sign, although they must continue inspections. And they're welcome to continue inspections at all times.
COOPER: The report that...
AHMADINEJAD (through translator): The IAEA has declared that on numerous occasions, in fact. And we know that that is not the first time they've stated that.
COOPER: The report that I read in August said Iran has not address the long outstanding verification issues or provided the necessary transparency to remove uncertainties associate with some of its activities. Mohamed ElBaradei was quoted as saying that he can't give you a clean bill of health yet.
AHMADINEJAD (through translator): Perhaps the report that you had and saw is incomplete. The IAEA has indicated that it has found no evidence that would show that Iran is developing a nuclear energy for other purposes that are other than peaceful.
So I like to ask -- I want to take the opportunity -- are you positive that the United States of America, in fact, has not diverted from its own nuclear programs to develop perhaps nuclear devices that are not for peaceful purposes? The United States, are you telling me, is not building a nuclear bomb? Are you not concerned about that?
We have -- there has been no evidence saying that we are doing any such activities. Then why should there be a furor of concern among people, among groups? But please, go on.
COOPER: But well, you say that, without a doubt, your program is for peaceful purposes. I mean, if that is true, why not -- with the IAEA report I read said that they've not had all the interviews they would like to have. They've not had all the documentation they would like to have.
Are you willing to provide them everything that they say they would like? Or do you feel it's inappropriate that they are pushing too much?
AHMADINEJAD (through translator): We're working within the framework of international laws. They might, for example, choose to interview me personally. But that would be stepping beyond the framework of international law.
So, they have to tell us exactly what provisions of the NPT they're speaking of which they believe we have not abided by. There's no such case. They are interested in getting more information. And we're ready to cooperate with them and provide them with all information within the framework of international law.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CLANCY: Anderson Cooper there trying to interview president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran. Very tough interview. He answers questions with questions, changes the subject. And we saw a lot more of it at the U.N. today.
GORANI: We certainly did. In the briefing room at the United Nations, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad answering reporters' questions. We'll tell you what he said and we'll get analysis from our Richard Roth.
Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Heidi Collins at the CNN Center in Atlanta.
More of YOUR WORLD TODAY in just a few minutes. But first, a check on stories making headlines in the United States.
New developments today of that Missouri baby snatching case. Shannon Torrez pleads not guilty. This is a first look at her arraignment less than about an hour ago.
Police say Torrez asked to use the telephone at a rural Missouri home last week, but once inside they say she slashed the mother's throat and stole week-old Abigale Woods. Baby Abby was returned unharmed a few days later after Torrez's relatives recognized her.
Right now, a recommendation just out by the Centers for Disease Control that could affect millions of Americans. The CDC says everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 should be routinely tested for the AIDS virus whether they are in a high-risk group or not.
The CDC says AIDS testing should be as common as cholesterol checks. Doctors say early detection would let people begin treatments that could extend their lives and could help stop the spread of the virus.
The world's largest retailer slashing prices on generic drugs. Wal-Mart says it will sell nearly 300 prescriptions for as low as $4 for a 30-day supply. The prices will be good for both employees and customers, whether they have insurance or not. The program will be tested first in Tampa and then other parts of Florida in the coming months.
Wal-Mart says if all goes well, it will implement the program in other states next year. Stores in the Tampa area will begin selling soon.
Meanwhile, one health official is calling it the smoking gun in the E. coli outbreak, an opened bag of baby spinach left in a refrigerator. The person who ate it got sick from the bacteria.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMANTHA CABALUNA, NATURAL SELECTION FOODS: The New Mexico Department of Health has announced a link to E. coli 0157 in an opened leftover bag of spinach from a case patient. The product was conventional spinach that they've been testing, and the strain matched the outbreak strain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Experts have narrowed their search for the source of the contamination to growers in three California counties. At last check, 146 cases of E. coli, including one death, have been reported across 23 states. Indictment in Louisiana. The owners of a flooded nursing home facing charges of negligent homicide and cruelty.
Thirty-five patients died at St. Rita's when Hurricane Katrina hit. The owners did not evacuate them. The home was located in St. Bernard Parish, an area virtually washed out by Katrina.
An attorney for Salvador and Mable Mangano blames the deaths on the city's failed levees. The case is the first major criminal prosecution arising from Hurricane Katrina.
And now a check of the weather. Reynolds Wolf standing by in the weather center to tell us more.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: It has been a pretty tough few days, and space shuttle commander Brent Jett says it is good to be home. Touching down there. Atlantis cruised to a smooth landing at the Kennedy Space Center just before sun-up this morning. Homecoming from the International Space Station delayed a day by space trash. The floating debris could have damaged the shuttle's sensitive heat tiles. The six astronauts grinned as they stepped out of the shuttle about an hour and a half after landing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEROY CAIN, FLIGHT DIRECTOR: It's pretty hard to come close to having a day as good or better than the day where you have a successful -- a safe and successful launch of a space shuttle. But, of course, a day like today where we have a safe and successful landing is right up there next to it. And of course that's what we did today. And we're very happy to say that Atlantis is back home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Always appreciative of that good weather for the landings.
Meanwhile, it's the end of an era for the F-14 Tomcat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kyra Phillips at the Naval Aviation Oceania. It's the end of an era here. The F-14 is being retired. But you'll come inside the cockpit with me for the final flight of the Tomcat. That's straight ahead on "CNN NEWSROOM."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: That's only here on CNN. YOUR WORLD TODAY continues after a quick break. I'm Heidi Collins. Have a great day, everybody.
(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 right now.
Seven people reported killed and police say they found 15 more dead bodies across the capital city of Baghdad. All of this coming in as the United Nations report says July and August saw a record number of civilian deaths in Iraq. More than 6,600 killed in those two savage summer months.
GORANI: Two days after a bloodless coup in Thailand, military leaders behind the takeover are tightening their grip on power. They banned political meetings and barred the establishments of new parties in Thailand. They've also detained four members of the government of the ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is currently in London.
CLANCY: An Iraqi woman will hang for her role in November's hotel bombings in Jordan. That's the verdict that was handed down Thursday. The woman made a televised confession shortly after the attacks that killed some 60 people. She later said that confession was a result of torture.
GORANI: Well, as Iran joins in the world spotlight at the United Nations this week, U.S. Presidential George W. Bush says the international community cannot ignore controversial remarks by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, especially where Israel is concerned. Mr. Bush had this to say to our Wolf Blitzer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Do you think they would drop a bomb or launch a missile on Israel?
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Wolf, my judgment is you got to take everybody's word seriously in this world. You can't just hope for the best. You got to assume that the leader, when he says that he would like to destroy Israel, means what he says. If you say, well, gosh, maybe he doesn't mean it, and you turn out to be wrong, you have not done your duty as a world leader.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CLANCY: All right, there have been a lot of back and forth this week. Some analysts say if the U.S. wants more international support for its policies against Tehran's nuclear program, then it should help broker a peace agreement in the Middle East.
But as Ben Wedeman reports, some in the region think this idea is a big mistake.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In New York, meetings and handshakes, words of praise and admiration.
BUSH: Yesterday in my speech to the United Nations, I said that you are a man of peace.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would like to thank you greatly for the wonderful speech that you have delivered.
WEDEMAN: Of late, American officials have indicated a desire to break the impasse between Israel and the Palestinians. There might appear to be a glimmer of hope, but appearances in this case may be deceiving, Because another problem is looming even larger.
TZIPI LIVNI, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER: The moment of truth, Mr. President, is here. The international community is faced with no greater responsibility than to stand against this dark and growing danger.
WEDEMAN: The danger described by Israel's foreign minister is not Hamas or Hezbollah, it's Iran. Some analysts believe talk of diplomatic progress between Israel and the Palestinians may be Washington's way of winning European and Arab backing for intensified pressure against Iran.
In which case, the U.S. should save it's breath, this Israeli observer believes.
DAVID HOROVITZ, EDITOR, "JERUSALEM POST": If there's a sense there needs to be a breakthrough on the Palestinian front as a condition for progress against Iran, again, that's a mistake. There's not going to be, with the best (INAUDIBLE) in the world, a drastic breakthrough, a real breakthrough that changes people's lives on the Israeli/Palestinian front.
WEDEMAN: Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas has so far failed to form a unity government with Hamas, which still fails to recognize Israel,, renounce violence and abide by previous Israeli/Palestinian agreements. Expectations of real progress are also low among Palestinians.
MAHDI ABDUL HADI, PALESTINIAN ANALYST: On the diplomatic front, this is another classical traditional show, meetings for people different agendas. Americans talking about Iran, Europeans are talking about oil and how to balance it with a dialogue. Arab world are talking of survival of Arab regimes.
WEDEMAN (on camera): At times like these, the impasse between Palestinians and Israelis seems almost as immovable as the barrier that separates the two. At this point, few seriously expect the United States to become actively reengaged, and talk of a resumption of progress may be exactly that -- just talk.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, on the West Bank.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: All right. Well, switching gears and taking to the skies; well perhaps not as soon as anticipated. The last time Airbus announced delays in delivering the A-380, it cost the CEO his job. Well, it has happened again. The aeronautic giant has fallen behind with its next generation jumbo jet.
Jim Boulden reports on the likely impact on buyers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM BOULDEN (voice-over): After weeks of rumors, Airbus's parent EADS admitted Thursday there will be further delays in the delivery of its newest generation of airplanes, the A-380 super jumbo. With this third delay, the project will be at least a year behind schedule. The problem, all AEDS will say, is that challenges continue with wiring the entertainment systems for a plane that can carry up to 800 passengers.
HOWARD WHEELDON, DOW JONES NEWSWIRES: That's no excuse. They really have no excuse to have got this wrong. They've had a lot of time to sort it out. And the development aircrafts are fine, but getting it in production shouldn't have been so much of a problem.
BOULDEN: The question now, can Airbus pull out all the stops to deliver the first double-decker A380 to launch customer Singapore Airlines in December as planned. That could settle customer nerves, even if Airbus can't deliver the seven or eight promise by 2007.
Airlines like Qantas have demanded and received compensation for the cost to them from the first two delays. Further rebates are likely now. Virgin Atlantic, which has ordered six A380s, said Thursday, it's waiting for a new delivery schedule from Airbus before commenting on any compensation claims.
(on camera): That schedule should become a lot clearer within the next four weeks, when Airbus delivers an in-depth review of the whole A380 debacle. That 100-day review was announced back in the summer by the new management put in place after the second delay.
(voice-over): Airbus has 159 confirmed orders for the A380. Analysts predict that number will have to double for Airbus to break even on the $15 billion project. This delay could cause customers to think twice about new orders.
Jim Boulden, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CLANCY: Well walking in Fidel's footsteps. Boss Hugo goes to Harlem.
GORANI: Just ahead we'll you more on this, and the follow-up from his fiery speech yesterday at the U.N.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CLANCY: Hello, everyone. And welcome back.
GORANI: Well, we're seen live in more than 200 countries across the globe. Bringing you up to date, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY on CNN International.
Now one day after his memorable anti-American diatribe before the United Nations, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is putting his money where his mouth is.
CLANCY: That's right. As a self-proclaimed champion for the poor and the disadvantaged, he delivered on a promise that he made a year ago. Mr. Chavez really following the footsteps here of Fidel Castro, who a decade ago came to Harlem. Remember the two are good pals. Fidel Castro got a warm welcome there. It was a trip that was sponsored by a long-time Harlem congressional representative Charlie Rangel. Although when Hugo Chavez came this day, Charlie Rangel was there, and he was welcoming of course the decision to make Venezuelan heating oil more affordable, more available for some people, some 40 million gallons of it, some 5,000 different people, low-income families taking part in all of this. He was supportive of all of that.
But you know, he was saying, Charlie Rangel, this congressman was saying, he didn't appreciate some of what Hugo Chavez had to say about his political opponent, Republican President George W. Bush.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLES RANGEL, U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRAT: But you don't come into my country, you don't come into my congressional district, and you don't condemn my president. If there's any criticism of President Bush, it should be restricted to Americans, whether they voted for him or not.
And I just want to make it abundantly clear to Hugo Chavez, or any other president, don't come to the United States and think because we have problems with our president, that any foreigner can come to our country and not think that Americans do not feel offended when you offend our chief of state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: All right. As we continue there to bring you live pictures of a speech that Hugo Chavez is giving in Harlem, we're going to reflect a little bit more on yesterday, Wednesday's fiery and sometimes humorous anti-American message. It was a crowd pleaser in some circles.
But, as Brian Todd reports now, Hugo Chavez may have underestimated the possible consequences of his words.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (voice-over): An extraordinary show of belligerence on the General Assembly floor. Venezuela's president one ups his Iranian counterpart, personally tearing into George W. Bush, who had spoken at the same spot less than 24 hours earlier.
HUGO CHAVEZ, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Yesterday the devil came here. Right here. Right here. And it smells of sulfur still today.
TODD: Hugo Chavez was just getting started.
CHAVEZ: The gentleman to whom I refer as the devil came here. Talking as if he owned the world.
TODD: Then came this ominous warning to President Bush.
CHAVEZ: I have the feeling, dear world dictator, that you are going to live the rest of your days as a nightmare. Because the rest of us are standing up.
TODD: A White House spokeswoman says this is not worthy of a comment. The U.S. ambassador chimes in.
JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: We are not going to address that sort of comic strip approach to international affairs.
TODD: But Chavez does get serious. Repeating claims about an attempt to overthrow him in April 2002.
CHAVEZ: The U.S. has already planned, financed, and set in motion a coup in Venezuela. And it continues to support coup attempts in Venezuela and elsewhere.
TODD: We spoke with Roger Noriega, former assistant secretary of state for western hemispheric affairs for President Bush who was involved in a State Department investigation into those charges requested by Congress.
ROGER NORIEGA, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE: That the U.S. had nothing to do with that. As a matter of fact, we warned Chavez about previous coup plotting and his reaction was generally, yeah, we know all about that. So there is no credibility behind his statements.
TODD: What's more, Chavez's verbal onslaughts could boomerang.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Obviously I think he made a mistake to do it. I wish he hadn't done it. He's not hurting us, he's just hurting himself and his country.
TODD: Hurting himself, analysts say, but undermining efforts to win Venezuela a temporary seat on the U.N. Security Council. Jeopardizing oil sales to the U.S. On the assembly floor, Chavez seems undaunted. Leveling these accusations about his delegation's treatment in the U.S.
CHAVEZ: My personal doctor had to stay in the plane. The chief of security had to be left in the locked plane. Neither of these gentlemen was allowed to arrive and attend the U.N. meetings.
NORIEGA: He relies on Cuban doctors and Cuban bodyguards, as I understand it. Perhaps because he doesn't trust his Venezuelan security forces to provide for his own security. The Cuban intelligence runs the intelligence apparatus of Venezuela today. They provide them presidential security. They run the Venezuelan situation room.
TODD: And Noriega says Cuba sends operatives to train Venezuelan street thugs to harass Chavez's opponents. He says this is part of a strong grip that Fidel Castro has over Hugo Chavez. We pressed officials at the Venezuelan embassy and at the Cuban interest section for reaction to those comments. They did not respond.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
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CLANCY: And still to come here on your world today, we are going to stay in Latin America where the battle between tradition and progress being fought in places.
GORANI: Well, we'll take you to Columbia this time. Go where indigenous tribes are trying to save their holy land and ancient rights from the almighty dollar.
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GORANI: Well it's tradition versus the developer. It happens everywhere, including in Columbia. Two ancient Indian tribes are on a collision course with those modern day developers.
CLANCY: That's right. We have a secret site, it's a breeding ground for traditional species, or is it going to be used as an area that could help spawn jobs and exports?
GORANI: Karl Penhaul reports. This is very much a battle between big business and traditional Indian rights.
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KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The sound of the waves mingles with the strange language. These are Kogis (ph), an ancient Colombian tribe who believe they're guardians of Mother Earth. They say this Caribbean beach is sacred, home to Hokuwa (ph), a spirit that protects the world from illness.
But it's under threat. Developers with building a multimillion dollar port here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
PENHAUL: "This place is very special because it's home to the spirits of animals and humans which control the balance of the world," he says.
The path to holy ground is blocked. Developers have dug a trench to drain the swamps, a nesting ground for endangered species of crocodiles and turtles.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
PENHAUL: "We feel the pain, it's like they've cut one of our veins. Our Mother Earth is suffering," he tells me.
Residents from the nearby town of Mingueo do not share that pain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
PENHAUL: "I don't know what they have in their heads, but they can't be allowed to stand in the way of progress and jobs," he says.
The port construction company says the government-approved projects will create 5,000 new jobs and facilitate export of iron ore and other minerals.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
PENHAUL: "This is a patriotic act, this is development, we are creating jobs for the community and income for the nation," he explains. He says he wants peaceful dialogue with the Kogis, but has called for riot police just in case things turn ugly.
The Kogis are so dedicated to preserving their heritage that they walk two day's barefoot from their home on Colombia's highest mountain to reach the coast. The Spanish conquest and more recent land grabs by peasant farmers, drug traffickers and armed gangs have driven them off much of their ancestral territory.
Unable to gain access to sacred ground, Kogi priests, who rarely speak in public, offer a silent prayer to the swamp.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
PENHAUL: We are already seeing an increase in illness and natural disasters, Younger Brother, the white man is to blame for this. And we insist they stop destroying sacred sites, this priest tells me.
(on camera): Kogi leaders are vowing not to give up their fight. They are threatening next time around to bring up to 25,000 community members down the mountain to block this construction project.
(voice-over): For now, there's little else they can do, except to begin the long walk home.
Karl Penhaul, CNN, Mingueo, Colombia.
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GORANI: Now to some very old news.
CLANCY: Yes, I would guess it's kind of old. But it's still news. It's more than three million years old, as a matter of fact.
GORANI: Well, that's when a 3-year-old girl died in a flood in what is northeastern Ethiopia. Now not quite human, she was somewhere between an ape and a modern human being. CLANCY: But it's really an important find. Scientists call her species, and I hope I get this right, Australopithecus afarensis. That's the same as Lucy, if you remember her, the famous ape to human link that was discovered in Ethiopia back in the 1970s.
GORANI: All right. But the fossil of this girl named Selum (ph) or Seelum (ph) is much more complete and scientists are ecstatic about what they can learn from her.
CLANCY: All right, well have to wait and see. We've already waited 3 million years.
GORANI: Yes. We can wait another two days or weeks. That's it for this hour. I'm Hala Gorani.
CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy. This is CNN.
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