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Your World Today

Violent Protests in Pakistan; U.S. Urges Musharraf to End Emergency Rule; European Flood Alert; Storm Surge Lower Than Feared

Aired November 09, 2007 - 12:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENAZIR BHUTTO, FMR. PRIME MINISTER: How long can they keep these barbed wires/ How long can they keep these blockades? Tomorrow these barbed wires will be removed, and tomorrow we will come forward again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto says nothing will silence her dreams for Pakistan.

COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: The smallest victims -- Iraq's Red Crescent struggles to cope with a rising tide of people displaced by the violence.

HOLMES: An international tale of crime and intrigue. An American student, her Italian boyfriend and a Congolese bar owner all suspects in the death of a British student in Italy.

MCEDWARDS: And a poisonous claim. The latest scandal in the world of tennis reads like a spy thriller.

HOLMES: It is 10:00 p.m. in Islamabad, 8:00 p.m. in Baghdad.

Welcome to our report seen right around the globe.

I'm Michael Holmes.

MCEDWARDS: And I'm Colleen McEdwards.

From Moscow, to Madrid, wherever you're watching, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

HOLMES: And we do begin in Pakistan, where protests against that state of emergency have triggered violent clashes, arrests and an explosion as well.

MCEDWARDS: Yes, that's right. Security forces are preventing a top opposition leader, Benazir Bhutto, from leaving her home to lead an anti-government rally.

HOLMES: Yes, that's right. And that sparked even more anger.

Paul Davis has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL DAVIS, REPORTER, ITV NEWS (voice over): This was the scene confronting Benazir Bhutto this morning, all roads to and from her home blockaded by police and army. She had been planning to travel to an anti-government demonstration in Rawalpindi, but the Pakistani security forces have been given orders not to let her through.

There were chaotic scenes when senior members of her party tried to get through the barriers to see their leader who is now effectively under house arrest. Some were allowed in, but dozens more were arrested.

The Bhutto camp say this government clampdown on their Pakistan Peoples Party is being replicated in Islamabad and other major centers of population with 5,000 of their supporters rounded up to prevent them taking part in mass protests against President Musharraf and the imposition of emergency law. PPP leaders say the government's action placing Benazir Bhutto under house arrest is illegal.

With the barbed wire fence now in place around her home, Benazir Bhutto appeared. She approached the wire. And when she was not allowed through, sent this message to the outside world...

BHUTTO: I'm calling upon my countrymen to join me. This is not a battle for Benazir Bhutto. This is not a battle for Pakistan Peoples Party. This is a battle to save Pakistan, to save Pakistan from the forces of extremism.

DAVIS: To those who had imprisoned her, she had this to say...

BHUTTO: How long can they keep these barbed wires? How long can they keep these blockades? Tomorrow these barbed wires will be removed, and tomorrow we will come forward again, and we will come forward again until our demands are met.

DAVIS: Meanwhile, in Rawalpindi, at the anti-government demonstration Benazir Bhutto had been planning to attend, police were again rounding up her supporters. Downing Street, watching these scenes playing out, says it's very concerned at the latest events in Pakistan.

Paul Davis, ITV News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCEDWARDS: My goodness. You see it right there in Paul Davis' report and in those images, the clashes in Rawalpindi were fierce. Police used tear gas and batons, chasing away those protesters. More than 100 were arrested, by the way.

Dan Rivers is in Rawalpindi and joins us now live on the broadband with the latest -- Dan.

DAN RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Colleen, today was billed as the showdown against General Musharraf, but that showdown failed to materialize. The police had a stranglehold on the city of Rawalpindi today, preventing the PPP from massing in the thousands to protest against General Musharraf.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RIVERS: They vowed to confront the authorities, and confront them they did. Stones held at police lines, tear gas fired back.

Although these clashes in Rawalpindi look fierce, it appeared there were far fewer supporters of Benazir Bhutto than expected. A few hundred at most, not the tens of thousands hoped for by the former prime minister.

Much of the center of the city was in lockdown. Lines of riot police ready for action. It's unclear if her supporters were intimidated or she couldn't muster the support she wished for.

We watched as one Pakistan People Party supporter approached the police. They talked for a while. The crowd kept well back behind police barricades.

Then this. The man chants Benazir Bhutto's name and is suddenly set upon. Officers showing little restraint as they march him away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have arrested about 65 people today.

RIVERS (on camera): Sixty-five?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Approximately.

RIVERS: And how many police deployed?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About 8,500 policemen, but all over the district.

RIVERS: The security forces are very well prepared here. This is the line of riot police stopping people getting into the center of Rawalpindi. You see down there barricades have been put up and beyond there are a crowd.

There have been clashes here earlier on. At the moment things are calm, but authorities have a very tight grip on the city.

(voice over): In many places the normally bustling streets of Rawalpindi were deserted. These scenes will be a bitter blow to Benazir Bhutto and her supporters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will come back tomorrow, and we will come almost 50 to 60 people. But unfortunately, we are not able to come collectively.

RIVERS: This was supposed to be the day Benazir's supporters brought General Musharraf to his knees. In the end, it is the army and the general who remain firmly in control of this country.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIVERS: Well, there were eerie scenes through the city today. Murray (ph) Road, which is one of the main streets through Rawalpindi, the kind of Oxford Street or Broadway of Rawalpindi, was almost completely deserted, save for those lines of security forces. So they've managed to completely close down this city that is infamous normally for its traffic jams, for its hustle and bustle, for the tens of thousands of people, shoppers who are normally out on the streets.

MCEDWARDS: Dan Rivers in Rawalpindi.

Dan, thank you -- Michael.

HOLMES: Meanwhile, in the western city of Peshawar, a bomb blast killed four people and wounded several others. Police say the explosion happened at the home of a federal minister. The minister himself unhurt. Now, these deaths are the first reported since President Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency last weekend.

Well, with its war on terror at stake, Washington is keeping a very close eye on the instability in Pakistan.

Ed Henry joins us now with the latest White House reaction.

Ed, the Bush administration a great proponent of spreading democracy, but they're walking a fine line here. Do they need President Musharraf more than he needs them?

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly they are walking that fine line, Michael. And White House officials say today they're very concerned about the continued state of emergency in Pakistan.

They also want to make sure that former prime minister Bhutto is no longer under house arrest. As you know, and as you noted, President Bush has already faced criticism for allegedly not pushing President Musharraf hard enough. You'll remember at the beginning of the week, it took President Bush a few days before he decided to personally call Musharraf and press him.

At that point, he did urge the general to finally give up his military uniform, take it off and also hold elections. The fact that one day after finally pledging to do just that, take off his military uniform and hold elections in February, one month late, the fact that there's now been this house arrest is a bad sign, and that's why the White House realizes it needs to speak out.

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe releasing a written statement earlier today saying, "Former prime minister Bhutto and other political party members must be permitted freedom of movement and all protesters released. It is crucial for Pakistan's future that moderate political forces work together to bring Pakistan back on the path to democracy."

Now, this statement was released in Crawford, Texas. That's where President Bush will be hosting the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, this weekend for informal talks. Of course, they'll be talking about such big subjects as Iran and Afghanistan, but you can bet Pakistan will also come up -- Michael. HOLMES: You know, saying things to President Musharraf and actually really pushing him are two different things. The U.S. has a huge financial rein on Pakistan in terms of assistance, and also the administration, I suppose, is facing the reality that the political alternatives in Pakistan aren't what you'd call clean skins -- corruption allegations, charges even.

HENRY: Absolutely. And as you noted, this White House is heavily invested in the government of Pervez Musharraf. They have spent over $10 billion in direct aid to his military and other bits within his government, economic aid and others, as you know.

And also, President Bush is mindful, though, of the fact that if President Musharraf's government does fall, there's great fear within the Bush administration about what would be next. Who would get their hands on Pakistan's nuclear weapons?

So you're right, this is a very delicate balancing act for this Bush administration -- Michael.

HOLMES: Ed Henry in Washington.

As always, thanks, Ed.

HENRY: Thank you.

MCEDWARDS: Well, for the first time in over three years, Myanmar's pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has had contact with members of her political party. The Nobel laureate held a one-hour meeting with three senior leaders of her National League for Democracy party.

Suu Kyi was taken to the government guest house from her home nearby. She has been kept under house arrest there four years.

Now, the meeting comes a day after the Nobel Prize winner said that she was ready to cooperate with the military junta. That was after talks with Ibrahim Gambari. He's the U.N. special envoy to Myanmar.

HOLMES: Still very windy in eastern England, if you happen to be there right now. But people are being allowed to return to their homes along what has become a very storm-battered coast.

The dangerous North Sea storm also posed a major threat to other countries -- the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany. But in the end, the worst fears did not come to pass.

Alphonso Van Marsh is in Yarmouth, England.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): North Sea waters crashing against the shore. British officials warned the worst of flooding this country has seen in decades could be on the way, with extreme danger to life and property. As the curious looked on...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's pretty mad, to be honest. And they say it will get worse by sort of 8:00.

VAN MARSH: Strong winds, high tide and low pressure churned up a water surge, Britain's environment minister warned, of up to three meters, about nine feet high. More than 7,000 homes evacuated. This school-turned-emergency-center filled to capacity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two lady police officers came around and said that you could possibly be in danger. We're likely to evacuate to the high school, and that's what we did.

STEVE HAYMAN, ENVIRONMENT AGENCY: We can't be sort of precise in our predictions in terms of sea levels and the effect on the defenses, so we just have to get the balance right in terms of preparedness, awareness, but not overreaction.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're all just sitting here, basically. All we want to do is get home and try to live our lives again.

VAN MARSH: Some people here remember a similar water surge in 1953 that killed more than 300 people in this country and more than 1,800 across the sea in Holland. The potential for disaster prompted a major government operation.

GORDON BROWN, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Our first priority, of course, is to ensure people are safe.

VAN MARSH: Britain's prime minister, stung by accusations his cabinet did not respond fast enough to flooding earlier this year, flooding that left tens of thousands without power or water for days, took command of the emergency efforts, temporarily activating the Thames River barriers to keep London from possibly flooding. In Rotterdam, for the first time, Dutch authorities switched on their anti-flood defense system, shutting down one of Europe's largest ports.

(on camera): But in the end, the barriers did not break. Soon after the surge peaked, the roads were opened, people were allowed to return to their homes, as fears of the flooding subsided.

Alphonso Van Marsh, CNN, Great Yarmouth, England.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: All right. Don't go away. A lot more on YOUR WORLD TODAY still to come.

MCEDWARDS: That's right. The one-time top cop and the front- running Republican presidential candidate, what do the legal troubles of one mean for the other? We'll take a look at that.

HOLMES: Curiouser and curiouser.

Also, many people are connected, and many questions are surfacing in a bizarre murder case in Italy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Welcome back, everyone, to YOUR WORLD TODAY.

Well, New York's top cop at the time of the 9/11 terrorist attacks is having his own trouble with the law. Former New York city police chief Bernie Kerik has given himself up to authorities to face corruption charges.

Mary Snow is following the case in New York.

Especially for our international viewers, give us a sense of who this guy is and what sort of trouble he's in.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Michael, Bernard Kerik really rose to become a national figure after 9/11, and because he was such a close ally of Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani -- and this is seen as a big embarrassment for the Giuliani campaign. Bernard Kerik is scheduled to appear as we speak before a judge to face these federal corruption charges, charges that just a few minutes ago prosecutors detailed inside the court.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL GARCIA, U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTH DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: Today we announce the unsealing of an indictment charging former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik with conspiring to receive over $250,000 in free renovations from a contractor doing business with the city of New York, with tax crimes, and with lying to the federal government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: Now, what it all boils down to, these charges are conspiracy, tax fraud and false statements. And among those false statements, prosecutors allege that Kerik made false statements to federal officials when he was being considered for the job as homeland security secretary back in 2004.

That is a position that Rudy Giuliani had endorsed and supported him on. Giuliani has now said that he considers that support a mistake.

Bernard Kerik's attorney was unavailable for comment, but he has said that if these charges were brought, that he would fight them -- Michael.

HOLMES: So briefly, Mary, where to now? What are we going to expect from this going forward in terms of the procedure and also the fallout, I suppose?

SNOW: Yes. Well, going forward now, the big question will be a trial. And you know, lawyers expect this to happen within coming months, which coincides, of course, with the campaign cycle. As I mentioned, Bernard Kerik has said -- his lawyers say they'll fight these charges. He did turn down a plea agreement back in the spring. And some of the lawyers I talked to said if there is a trial, it could last -- it could happen between three and six months.

HOLMES: Yes, interesting, the timing, as you say. Rudy Giuliani not too happy, I'm sure, about that.

Good to see you, Mary. Thanks for that.

MCEDWARDS: Yes, Michael, you're absolutely right, this cannot be good news for the Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani. He's been trying to distance himself from Kerik for a while now, but to what end?

With more on the possible political impact to the Giuliani campaign, let's turn to Jonathan Martin. He blogs about the 2008 presidential race for politico.com.

Got myself tongue-tied there, but thanks a lot for being with us.

So, you know, is this sort of a small embarrassment for Giuliani that he can brush off, or more to it than that?

JONATHAN MARTIN, POLITICO.COM: Well, Colleen, I think that remains to be seen, and we're going to know in the days ahead just exactly what the fallout is going to be. I think initially most folks who are involved in politics are taking a wait-and-see approach.

This has been talked about, anticipated for quite a long time. What is going to partially determine this is what the other campaigns do. Will they seize upon this and try and use it as an issue?

Now, Senator McCain was asked about it today on his campaign bus. And you know, he did make some fairly tough comments, saying that he would not have recommended Bernie Kerik to be DHS secretary. And Romney's campaign has also issued a statement about his record of ethics in government.

So they're starting to take some shots, although it's not yet direct. And I think it still remains to be seen whether or not the campaigns will actively seize on this and try and use it against Giuliani.

MCEDWARDS: You know, it really depends on what Giuliani says, too, doesn't it? I mean, I know he's trying to distance himself, but I pulled this quote from -- this is from a few days ago, but there's a quote here saying that Giuliani said something like, "Sure, there were issues, but if I had the same success and failure as president, the country will be in good shape."

Is it true that he said that? I mean, because it sounds sort of like an end justifies the means kind of statement. It doesn't sound very presidential.

MARTIN: Well, it's a very smart point that you make. He has not totally distanced himself from Kerik because essentially Giuliani is running on his term as mayor of New York and not just 9/11.

In fact, he focuses a lot more about what he did to clean up the city. And, of course, Kerik, his police commissioner, was central to that effort to lessen crime in New York.

So Giuliani is in a bit of a tough spot because he doesn't want to, you know, totally separate himself from the achievements that Kerik helped in New York City, but at the same time, given the charges that have been handed down today, he's got to at least create some separation. So he's in a bit of a tough spot here, but I think it's still early, and we're not totally certain how this is going to shake out here politically.

MCEDWARDS: Yes. We'll see in the next few months.

Jonathan Martin, thanks a lot for your analysis on this. Appreciate it.

MARTIN: Thank you.

HOLMES: Lousy timing if you're a presidential candidate.

MCEDWARDS: Yes. It is going to be really interesting. He does have a few problems.

HOLMES: He does going forward.

Well, when we come back, we're going to check the U.S. headlines. That's for our viewers in the United States.

MCEDWARDS: That's coming up. And for everyone else, it's going to be a financial update for you.

HOLMES: Yes. And then later, that murder in Italy is capturing headlines around the world. The latest on the gruesome killing of a British exchange student.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN, ANCHOR: All right. Welcome back to our viewers joining us from around the globe including the United States this hour. This is YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Michael Holmes.

COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN, ANCHOR: And I'm Colleen McEdwards.

Here are some of the top stories that we are following for you right now. Pakistan's Interior Ministry says former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is allowed to leave her home now. Earlier she was planning to stage an opposition rally, but police surrounded her home. They prevented her from leaving. More than 100 protesters have been arrested in Rawalpindi after repeated clashes.

HOLMES: Myanmar's pro-democracy leader, Ang San Suu Kyi met members of her political party. The first time she's done so in more than three years. Suu Kyi says she is in, in her words, very optimistic about the United Nations-promoted effort to start talks between the military government and pro-democracy forces.