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Your World Today
Middle East Talks; SWAT Team at the Mall
Aired November 27, 2007 - 12:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
EHUD OLMERT, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): And which seek to grant their citizens a more moderate, tolerant and prosperous world. This is an interest that all of us share. There is quite a lot that separates us. There are memories. There is a heritage that do not emanate from the same historical roots. We have different ways of living, different customs. And the spontaneous emotional identification that you feel with our neighboring Arab countries, which have been trapped for a long time in this age-old bloody conflict between us.
Nevertheless, there is a great deal that we share. Like us, you know that religious fanaticism and extremism are a perfect recipe for domestic instability, for violence, for bitterness and ultimately for the disintegration of the very foundation of coexistence, based on tolerance and mutual acceptance.
We are a small country with a small population, but rich in goodwill and with a significant ability to create a partnership that will lead to prosperity, to growth, to economic development and to stability. Stability for the entire region. From here, from Annapolis, we can come forth with a message of a new political horizon, renewed hope. Not only for the Palestinians and the Israelis, but also together with you for the entire region.
Mr. President of the United States, my colleague, Mahmoud Abbas, distinguished guests, almost two years ago, under very sad circumstances, the prime minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, was no longer able to carry the heavy responsibility of leading the state of Israel. And this responsibility was passed on to me, first as a result of formal procedures and subsequently on the basis of an election in Israel's democratic system of government. Prior to my election, I stated that my heart's desire and the desire of my people was to achieve a peace agreement first and foremost with the Palestinian people. This is what I believed then and this is what I continue to believe in now, with all my heart.
The past two years have been difficult for all of us. The hardships have not been alleviated. The terrorist organizations have not been weakened. The enemies of peace have not disappeared and we are still anxiously awaiting the return of our missing and captive sons, who are being held by terrorist organizations. I long for the day when I can see Gilead, and Udi back with their families. And I will continue relentlessly in my efforts to achieve their release.
I believe that there is no path other than the path of peace. I believe that there is no just solution other than the solution of two national states for two peoples. I believe that there is no path that does not involve painful compromise for you, the Palestinians, and for us, the Israelis.
I would like to thank you, president of the united states, George Bush, an ally in the path of peace, for your willingness, for your -- for the preparedness of your government, your administration and the assistance of the secretary of state, miss rice, to assist us in the historical process of peace and reconciliation between us and our neighbors. I believe that the time has come. We are ready. I invite you, my friend, Mahmoud Abbas, and your people to join us in this long and tormenting and complex path for which there is no substitute. Together, we shall start. Together, we shall arrive. Thank you very much.
JIM CLANCY, CNN ANCHOR: Annapolis, Maryland, there. The U.S. president with the Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert of Israel, standing up, all of them saying this is a historic opportunity for peace.
HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: This is the Annapolis summit, dubbed the Annapolis conference. Now the U.S. president, George Bush, said negotiations are to begin within weeks between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The first talks, according to a joint statement, Jim, to begin December 12th and bi-weekly talks after that with the aim of the process ending some time next year.
CLANCY: All right. A lot of people said don't expect too much to come out of this. Perhaps more had come out of this than some people had hoped and that is there is a framework, no guarantees, a framework and a commitment to adhere to that framework, to try to address, as we heard Mr. Olmert talking about right there, saying that they're going to tackle those tough issues they avoided in the past, what's going to happen with Jerusalem. What's going to happen with millions of Palestinian refugees, where can they go? How will all of these things be addressed?
GORANI: Really those issues -- this has been underlined from the beginning. There are skeptics, as you know, Jim, and everyone watching out there. Why would this summit be different? Why would this round of talks be different when it's failed in the past? Settlements in the west bank, the rights of refugees, which settlements will be dismantled, which ones will stay. We saw in live pictures that maybe we could bring up again that Tony Blair is there, leading the quartet effort to bring peace to that region as well. And we are going to go to, in just a moment, our Jill Dougherty who is there on the ground. I'm Hala Gorani.
CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy. This is YOUR WORLD TODAY. Our global broadcast. Let's bring in Jill. Why don't you start us off?
GORANI: Absolutely. Jill, you were there on the ground. What is the mood really in Annapolis today? Is there a sense that this is history in the making or that this is just the beginning of a very long and uncertain process?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN U.S. AFFAIRS EDITOR: I think you would have to say it's the beginning to a very long process. President Bush has made that clear. The Israeli leader has made that clear. The Palestinian leader, that this is the beginning of the beginning. And there was quite, actually, a lot of drama, right up until the very beginning, when President Bush began to speak. Nobody knew whether those two leaders, of Israel and Palestine, would be able to come up with this joint understanding. There are specifics there, especially that deadline -- at least wanting to reach an agreement by the end of 2008. And that desire to talk about the issues that they say really haven't been talked about. We will not run from discussing any issues, the way President Bush put it. Borders, Jerusalem, refugees, things like that, that are very, very specific. That is always a problem here. You heard very emotionally from Prime Minister Olmert of their understanding, the Israelis' understanding of the emotional hurt that has come to the Palestinians. It was very touching. When it gets down to the actual issues, that is what has been bedeviling this for years and years. So, not a lot of hope, up until the very end. A statement that President Bush said off to a strong start, but it's really the proof is going to be down the road, after Annapolis, what happens?
CLANCY: Jill, it's Jim here. We were listening, as President Bush mentioned illegal outposts on the west bank. He did not talk about illegal settlements. Of course, a big difference between outposts and settlements. Settlements themselves, we've got hundreds of thousands of Israelis living on land that was captured in 1967. And there's a sense here or is there a sense there on the sidelines that more than we have seen in the past, the U.S. is taking Israel's side?
DOUGHERTY: It could be. You know, even the language here. Every single word has significance. So, as you look at the statements that they are all making, something that you could almost argue is a type of other language or code that has very long history to it. So, settlements, outposts, what is going to happen to those is very, very significant. But you would have to say, overall, President Bush was really standing the long themes, big themes in this. The real meat on the bones will come with those two leaders sitting down, as they have been, actually. They've been meeting for several months now, to even get to this stage. And that will continue. But it's a very tough road. As soon as you get specific, it gets even more difficult.
CLANCY: All right. Jill Dougherty there in Annapolis for us. We have a little break here. We have correspondents all over the map.
GORANI: We do. We have correspondents in Iran. We have correspondents in Jerusalem, in the west bank as well. When we come back, we'll be speaking to an Israeli government spokesperson. Stay with YOUR WORLD TODAY.
PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH, UNITED STATES: Now is the time to show Palestinians that their dream of a free and independent state can be achieved at the table of peace. And that the terror and violence preached by Palestinian extremists is the greatest obstacle to a Palestinian state.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY here on CNN and CNN international. The Annapolis conference, the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas and president of Israel, Ehud Olmert with host, George Bush, president of the United States. The Israeli government spokesman is live in Annapolis. So much skepticism out there. I see people rolling their eyes, saying it took all these years to get this conference up and functioning. Why will this one be any different?
MARK REGEV, ISRAELI GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: You're right, there is skepticism. I think there's skepticism among Palestinians and Israelis. But I really do believe there is now a moment of opportunity. And if you looked at all three leaders, President Bush, President Abbas, my Prime Minister, Mr. Olmert, everyone said this meeting today has to be a launching pad. We have to now jump start the peace process. We have to reengage. We have to solve prop problems. The game plan is in the coming year to try to get a historic deal with the Palestinians. That's good for Israel. That's good for our Arab neighbors. It's good for everyone. It's win/win.
GORANI: Here is the question on everyone's mind, Mark Regev. They're saying even if Mahmoud Abbas agrees to things with his Israeli counterpart, fundamentally he is not representative of all the Palestinian people. I'm sure you saw these demonstrations in Gaza with some Palestinians calling Mahmoud Abbas a traitor. Any agreement that comes out of this will not be considered legitimate by most Palestinians.
REGEV: I beg to disagree. Abbas is the elected leader of all Palestinians. He represents Palestinians in the west bank, Gaza. He is internationally recognized as such. The reason the Hamas leadership is not here, it's not because we've got something personal against them. But what Annapolis stands for, peace, compromise, reconciliation, negotiating, solving problems around the conference table, not by throwing bombs. Unfortunately, Hamas opposes all of that. It's not by accident they're not here.
GORANI: Right. Here is the big, big problem as well, concerning these negotiations. The sticky issues that, from Madrid to Oslow, all the way to today have not been resolved, not even seriously discussed. East Jerusalem. Will the Israelis agree that the east will go to the Arabs and the west will remain under Israeli control?
REGEV: They're saying today, unequivocally, we are ready to discuss all those difficult core issues. Not just Jerusalem, the issue of refugees, final borders, recognizing Israel's legitimacy of the Jewish homeland. We're not going to runway of any single one of them. We're hopeful in the coming months we will find solutions. That's the real test of Annapolis. I think we're going to have a good conference. The real challenge is what happens in the weeks and months ahead. We have to have that commitment and that commitment is represented by all the leaders to overcome gaps, to solve problems and build a better middle east.
GORANI: Again, these are such difficult issues with leaders, like your prime minister, Mr. Olmert, who is so unpopular among Israelis, Mahmoud Abbas, so divisive among the Palestinians, and George Bush, who won't be in power in a year's time. How can they come up with a settlement? REGEV: I think my prime minister, when he leads the public toward peace, is going to have a lot of support. You can always find reasons why not to do peace. There's always an excuse. You can always look at the dark side. In the Middle East, we've had too much of that. What are we seeing today? Today, we're seeing the upside. We're seeing the Middle East, the majority of Middle Eastern government saying yes to two states for two peoples, yes to Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace. What's the alternative? More blood, more war, more terror? Peace is really the only option.
GORANI: All right. Mark Regev, Israeli government spokesman. As always, Mr. Regev, pleasure talking to you. Thank you. Jim?
GORANI: All right. Looking at a situation here, and Hala points out, you know one facet of this that many people are looking at, it's not strong leaders lending their strength to a process, but really weakened leaders that are drawing some strength from it as well. Let's find out what the reaction is in the region. Let's go to Ben Wedeman. He joins us now in the city of Ramallah. We've got Aneesh Raman in Tehran. Let's hear what it's like on the Palestinian side right now. Ben?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jim, what we saw today in Ramallah and other Palestinian cities, we saw that there is still quite a lot of opposition to the Annapolis conference. Many believe it's too late for a two-state solution. Settlement activity has reached a point where there really is no longer a viable Palestinian state to be created, regardless of what is decided upon in Annapolis and months following that. In Ramallah, for instance, we saw very violent protests, people who had come out to protest against Annapolis being set upon by soldiers. One journalist got his arm broken by police. There is profound opposition among Palestinians. Not just in Gaza, not just Hamas to the Annapolis conference. Many people say it's just another summit, another conference where, fine, declarations will be made. When it comes to implementation, actions on the ground, that those may be lacking. Jim?
GORANI: At the same time, Ben, so much talk leading up to this. We point out some of the weaknesses that are involved. And everyone is saying, well, this isn't going to go very far. But the reality is, we have three men, the president of the United States, prime minister of Israel and the Palestinian authority president that, if they have the will, can do something about it. Regardless of the street demonstrations, how many Palestinians are really hoping that there is a break through, really hoping that it does work, despite all the skepticism?
WEDEMAN: Well, there have been opinion polls, Jim, that said that the majority of Palestinians actually do support the holding of this Annapolis meeting, that they do hope for some sort of break through, but they're skeptical. We've seen Condoleezza Rice come to the region nine times, this year alone, trying to bring the two sides together. She has finally brought it about in the sense that the Annapolis summit is being held. Most people do want to see life returned to normal, Palestinians are desperate to see their economy revived, to be able to look forward to some sort of future. As I said, for seven years now, there has been fairly intense violence in the Palestinian territories, Israeli settlement activity continues a pace. The reality on the ground is much different from the words we've been hearing from president Mahmoud Abbas, from the Americans, from the Israelis. And then there's the issue of Gaza, which we mustn't forget. 1.5 million Palestinians living under Hamas rule. Hamas said has said that Mahmoud Abbas does not speak for anybody, but for himself. Therefore, prospects from the ground level in the west bank don't look particularly good, despite the high sounding speeches we heard in Annapolis today. Jim?
CLANCY: All right. Ben Wedeman. They're calling us, as it is from the streets of Ramallah. Some skepticism there but at the same time, there's so much to be heard about how this is going to be seen around the world.
GORANI: As you saw, Atika Schubert joins us, and Aneesh Raman is in Tehran. We're covering this story from all angles. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kyra Phillips. More of YOUR WORLD TODAY in a few moments. Here in the U.S., we begin with a developing story out of Houston, Texas. Live pictures, via our affiliate KPRC out of Houston, Texas. It's a tense situation. Apparently now over at greens point shopping mall. Police say there was an overnight burglary at one of the mall's shops and workers may have walked in on one of the bad guys. Some of the workers there reported hearing gunshots. Police quickly surrounded the place. No reports of injuries and no word of any arrests at this time.
Sean Taylor, his legs carried him to stardom with the Washington Redskins and the NFL, but a bullet wound to one of those legs cost him list life. Taylor died this morning one day after being shot in his home yesterday. The bullet struck his femoral artery. He lost a great deal of blood before he reached the hospital. We heard from his friend and former attorney.
RICHARD SHARPSTEIN, SEAN TAYLOR'S FRIEND: The door was burst open. Later, Jackie tried to call 911 and it's unclear whether the phone lines were cut or the phone was broken or off or unplugged or turned off. She had to use her cell phone to eventually call 911.
PHILLIPS: Police are not saying whether they think Taylor's home was targeted at random.
Horrific new details in the Baby Grace death. We caution you, extremely disturbing. Texas investigators are confident that 2-year- old Riley Ann Sawyers is indeed Baby Grace, the girl whose body washed ashore at Galveston Bay packed in a little plastic box. The mother has been talking to authorities. Kimberly Dawn Trenor says that she and the girl's stepfather tortured and beat the girl to death. The child was thrown across the room, held under water, her head slammed on the tile floor three times. They're now in custody. The mother says they hid Riley's body for a month or two and then dumped her in the bay. Bad brain surgeries, doctors operating on the wrong side of a patient's head. A hospital is fined $50,000 after three separate incidents. All the cases happened at Rhode Island hospital, the most recent, an 82-year-old patient on Friday. He's okay, along with the man operated on in February. A third patient died in August. The state then ordered the hospital to review how its surgeries are done.
DR. DAVID GIFFORD, DIR., R.I. DEPT OF HEALTH: They made changes in the operating room. And for the most part, implemented those. This did not seem to translate out for procedures done outside of the operating room.
PHILLIPS: In a statement, the hospital said, "We are committed to continuing to evaluate and implement changes to our policies to help ensure these human errors are caught before they reach the patient."
Back on the job, Vice President Dick Cheney arriving just after 7:00 this morning, doctors treated him for an irregular heartbeat. 66-year-old Cheney has a history of heart problems. He has had four heart attacks since 1978. Spokeswoman says Cheney has resumed his normal schedule.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We've got an update now on that story that we just brought you out of Houston, Texas. CNN has confirmed that two people are now dead after the shooting that happened here at this Houston shopping mall. The Greenspoint shopping mall. Apparently it's a murder/suicide. Live pictures coming to us from our affiliate KPRC. It's come to an end. A tense situation at this mall. Two people dead. Murder/suicide.
It's a sketch that may have solved the mystery for a grieving family. An Ohio grandmother saw this picture and recognized it as her granddaughter. Straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM, we're going to talk with the artist who drew that picture of the dead child that police called Baby Grace. That artist says that she uses her own near-death experience at the hands of a serial killer to inspire her work. That's exactly what she did with that piece.
Meantime, "Your World Today" continues after a quick break. I'm Kyra Phillips. I'll see you in the NEWSROOM at about 1:00 Eastern.
HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everyone, to all of our viewers joining us from around the globe, including, this hour, the United States. This is YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Hala Gorani.
JIM CLANCY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Jim Clancy. And let's take a look now at our top stories.
U.S. President George W. Bush says Israeli and Palestinian leaders are going to be working to reach a peace deal by the end of 2008. The two sides agreed on a framework for creating a Palestinian state. Tackling the tough issues, just as the peace summit began near Washington. Mr. Bush says the summit won't resolve long-standing disputes, but it will kick-start meaningful negotiations.
GORANI: Also, in a related headline, Hamas has no seat at the summit. And in Gaza, the Palestinian territory that it controls, tens of thousands of people rallied against the conference. Many called the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, the traitor for even joining the talks. Hamas says it will reject any concessions that he makes with Israel.
CLANCY: All right. Let's go now to Annapolis and Saeb Erakat, the long-time negotiator on the Palestinian side.
You've heard all the skepticism. Do you have hope today and why?
SAEB ERAKAT, PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATOR: Well, Jim, I think, yes, I have some hope today. Seven years after a total stalemate, after a total dead lock between Palestinians and Israelis. Today I think we have an opportunity in Annapolis.
President Bush brought the world here today, Arabs, Muslims, Africans, Latin Americans, Europeans, Russians. Everyone is here. Chinese, Asians. And I believe the message for the world today, look, Palestinians and Israelis, we're not going to negotiate for you. We're not going to make the decisions required from you. You know what needs to be done. You don't need to reinvent the wheel. You don't need (INAUDIBLE) from the start. You know it's going to be a two state solution. You know that Jews will not convert to Christianity and Islam and become Palestinians and that Christians and Muslims convert to Judaism and become Israelis. You know there will be a true state solution on the Syrian border. Do it. Once we do it, the (INAUDIBLE) is telling us today, we will stand shoulder to shoulder with you and we're not going to let you down.
CLANCY: All right.
ERAKAT: Jim, today . . .
CLANCY: Go ahead.
ERAKAT: We have something -- yes, go ahead, Jim.
CLANCY: Let me just ask you this. Did the U.S. president lean on both sides here? You know, we heard him mention illegal outposts, but not settlements. On the other hand, we heard earlier the Israeli side didn't want to talk about some of these most difficult issue that is have been avoided so long and yet today we heard the prime minister saying the Israeli side was going to do exactly that.
ERAKAT: Well, that's what we -- the reason why did not we reach an agreement the last 40 days. Once the Israeli side, you know, Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security without the caveat (ph) and the nature (ph) and the description (ph). Once they said they'll be committed to their obligations from emitting (ph) from the road map, I think there was a document.
I have to be very frank with you, Jim. If I violate that agreement as a Palestinians, the Israelis have teeth. Meaning they can close my town, they can stop people (ph) movement and so on and so on. If the Israelis say they don't have sacred debt (ph) and they don't (INAUDIBLE) agreements, what do I do? Write letters to their state department and to the Russians and to the Europeans?
And this way, if you look at the document that was reached, there's a new element here. The United States of America will be the judge on both of us. I'm not Israel's judge. They're not my judge. Now we have a tri-lateral committee, Palestinian, Israeli, American, led by the U.S. in this mechanism, and the U.S. will be the judge and who is implementing his obligation and who's not implementing his obligation. And I think this is a good development. This is a new thing, Jim.
CLANCY: There's some people that say the Bush administration has ignored the Middle East, let it fester for the past seven years. Now the last year of his term, President Bush comes in and says, do it. We have one year. Do it. Do you think the deadline will be met?
ERAKAT: Well, you know, we would have loved to have started this process once President Bush became a president. Now, seven years later, President Bush brought the world here. I think today Palestinians and Israelis need decisions. I think the negotiations were done. We were in Camp David. We were here before. We know the issues. We know the outcome of the negotiations. It's up to us now to make the decisions required to make the agreement to produce the two-state solutions. And once you do that, once decisions are made, you don't need more than three to six months to produce a treaty.
CLANCY: You know, would you admit the Palestinians made -- the Palestinian side made serious mistakes? Another in to Fatah that went nowhere, achieved nothing. And the Israeli side made mistakes, too, but not talking. But what will the Palestinians do, from their side, to ensure this process does work?
ERAKAT: Well, this is why -- I think, yes. Yes, you're right. We're not perfect. Ever since Adam negotiated Eve, the man standing to you (ph) could be the Moses (ph) advantage negotiator in history. Have no country, no army, no navy. If it's my word against any Israelis and the Congress and the Senate, I don't stand a chance. I know all of this.
But who said life is about justice and fairness? We're seeing our interest. An agreement at the end of the day that reflect the need of both sides. Today I can tell you today, for the majority of Israelis and the majority of the Palestinians, there is no more significant need than having peace.
A two-state solution. That's what we're going to pursue. I hope we can learn from our mistakes. By the end of the day, what's needed is to produce a two-state solution, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security on the Syrian border.
CLANCY: All right. That is the promise of the Annapolis conference. A lot of people waiting to see when it might come true. Saeb Erakat, chief negotiator for the Palestinians, thank you, as always, for being with us. ERAKAT: Thank you, sir.
CLANCY: Hala.
GORANI: Well, let's take a look at some other stories now. The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, is calling for a calm in the suburbs of Paris after two nights of rioting. The violence centered in the Paris suburb of Villiers-le-Bel and it was triggered by what appears to be a tragic, deadly accident. Still, the anger sparked by the death of two teenagers shows that for many immigrants in France, life, they say, hasn't changed much. Jim Bittermann is in Paris and sent us this report.
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JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): For the 30,000 residents of a suburb near the Paris airport, there was disbelief and shock. Two nights of (INAUDIBLE) violence left stores and businesses looted and burned and people wondering what or who to blame. A car dealer surveyed the damage to his showroom and questioned if he'd ever be able to open again. An insurance company was in need of insurance itself. But in a country that puts a high value on the written word, it was this, the scene of destruction at the local library, that seemed to make the least sense.
All of it came at the hands of young people on a rampage. Bands of hundreds who fought street battles armed with molotov cocktails and what the police unions view as an ominous escalation, hunting rifles. Dozens of police were injured in riots that quickly drew comparisons to those of two years ago which erupted for weeks in cities across the country.
There were differences, however. This time the deadly event that triggered the rampage seems to have been a simple traffic accident. Two, unlicensed teenage drivers killed when their motorbike collided with a police car. And there was a difference in the official reaction. The prime minister and other members of government were on the scene immediately following the rioting. But out on the street, it didn't seem to make a difference.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody is cared about what happened in 2005. But since then, nothing has been done for the children over there.
BITTERMANN: And experts say the outburst of violence, once again, demonstrated how tense the suburbs remain over housing and unemployment among the dissentients of immigrants, the same two issues as two years ago. And a feeling of exclusion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's still the same frustration. And what's missing is also the work that is not being done on the discomunision (ph) from the institution, from the police, from the state.
BITTERMANN: That lack of change on the ground was also the complaint of six mayors from local communities at a news conference later in the day. They called for a return to calm and appealed to parents to urge their children to stay at home.
Nicolas Sarkozy, who two years ago had to deal with riots as interior minister, will now, once again, have to deal with the same problem as president. He'll hold immediate meetings with local officials and with his security cabinet upon his return from a state visit to China.
Jim Bittermann, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CLANCY: Coming up next, a show and tell assignment lands a British school teacher in a Sudanese prison cell.
GORANI: Authorities say allowing her students to name a stuffed bear Muhammad is, according to them, a crime under Sharia law. Could she really face 40 lashes or even prison as punishment?
That story plus . . .
CLANCY: She can put a book at the top of the best seller list, but can Oprah Winfrey put Barack Obama at the top of the polls in his bid to become president of the United States? We'll have a report.
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CLANCY: Forty lashes for naming a teddy bear Muhammad? Well, that is the punishment facing an English school teacher arrested in Sudan. Authorities say she committed blasphemy under Islamic Sharia law. Now the highest levels of the British government are now involved in trying to get her out of jail. Phil Black is following the story for us.
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PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Gillian Gibbons' plight is now a matter of concern of the British prime minister.
GORDON BROWN, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I feel very sorry about what has happened to Gillian Gibbons. She is, as you know, a British citizen. I understand she's not yet been charged with any offense by the authorities.
BLACK: But some British Muslims are even more outspoken in condemning the 54-year-old teacher's arrest.
MASOUD SHADJAREH, ISLAMIC HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION: We call upon the Sudanese government, actually resolve this immediately and stop this stupid circus, which has been created around something which is so innocent and really should have never come this far.
BLACK: Gillian Gibbons went to Sudan less than three months ago to teach seven-year-old children at the Christian run unity school in Khartoum. She now stands accused of blasphemy under Sudan's strict law, because of a classroom project involving a teddy bear. She invited her students for vote on a name for the toy. They chose Muhammad. A common name in Sudan. It is also the name of the Muslim prophet. Islamic law prohibits anything that might be considered an insult to the prophet. Sudan's government says some of the Muslim student's parents were offended. Outside observers say it was likely the result of a new teacher's naivety.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think there is any suggestion that this was supposed to be representing the prophet. You know, it was just a name that was used. And, indeed, it wasn't even an animal. It was a cuddly, you know, teddy bear. And I think, really, it's out of proportion.
BLACK: Sudan's government has indicated Gillian Gibbons could be released if it is determine her intentions were good. But there's no word on how long it will take to decide that.
BROWN: We've been in contact with and will continue to be in contact with the Sudanese police authorities and the Sudanese government to make sure that we are -- can ascertain that she is safe and well and to clarify the position so that she can be released soon.
BLACK: A teddy bear, a classroom exercise in democracy and a teacher who could be jailed or receive 40 lashes as punishment. Human rights activists describe this case as ridiculous. But they say, hopefully, it will raise awareness of Sudan's record of human rights.
Phil Black, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CLANCY: All right. Let's take a look at some of the other stories that are making news around the world this hour.
GORANI: Right. We begin in Pakistan. President Pervez Musharraf is making farewell visits to the army, air force and navy headquarters as he prepares to step down as Pakistani army chief. His spokesman says Musharraf will resign his post Wednesday, tomorrow, a day before he's sworn in for another five-year term as a civilian president.
CLANCY: An apparent victory for moderates in Iran after a court acquitted a former nuclear negotiator of espionage. The court did convict Hossein Mousavian of acting against the government. That's a lesser charge. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had called Mousavian a spy.
GORANI: Defying the Chinese government. Buddhist spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, now says there could be a referendum to decide his successor before his death. The move is an attempt to keep Beijing from choosing the successor. China has ruled the Himalayan region since 1951 and it often faces international criticism for human rights abuses there.
CLANCY: Well, presidential candidates in the United States are starting to take off their gloves, so to speak.
GORANI: After a short break, they're going after each other with a vengeance. And, in some cases, it's getting a bit personal.
CLANCY: More than a bit.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Welcome back, everyone.
The first votes will be cast in the Democratic and Republican presidential race just 37 days from now. Count them, 37 in the Iowa caucuses. Time is running out for candidates to make their marks with the voters. As Candy Crowley reports, that's causing many to pull out the stops and take a few pops.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): A holiday note. The season to be jolly does not apply to politicians.
MIKE HUCKABEE, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hi.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a beautiful day.
HUCKABEE: Mike Huckabee. It's a pleasure to see you.
CROWLEY: As evidence, affable, laid back Mike Huckabee on fellow Republican Mitt Romney.
HUCKABEE: When he was pro-abortion, I was still pro-life and always have been. When he was for gun control, I was against it. When he was against the Bush tax cut, I was for them.
CROWLEY: That is the sound of numbers crunching. Thirty-eight days till the Iowa caucuses and poll numbers in the state showing toss ups in both the Republican and Democratic races. The Iowa caucuses are the beginning of the primary calendar. And for some candidates, it will be the end. Tis the season for body blows.
MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Ronald Reagan would have never raised taxes like Mike Huckabee did. Ronald Reagan would have never said, let's give tuition breaks to illegals like Mike Huckabee did.
CROWLEY: Keeping them honest, they both raised taxes as governors. In Arkansas, Huckabee presided over a 20 percent higher sales tax, 16 percent hike in fuel taxes, and 103 percent higher cigarette taxes. Under Romney, annual state fees in Massachusetts went you up by 500 million. He proposed corporate tax increases of 400 million a year.
As the front-runner in Iowa, Romney takes a lot of incoming, much of it from national front-runner Rudy Giuliani, who skewered Romney for appointing a judge who released a convicted murder, who went on to allegedly kill again.
RUDY GIULIANI, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It was a period of time in which New York City was looking at record crime decreases and he had a situation in which murder went up, violent crime went up.
CROWLEY: Well, while the murder rate was up slightly when Romney left office, the overall violent crime numbers were down slightly. As for the judge, Romney called for her resignation.
Hard to find better fireworks this side of Fourth of July, unless, of course, you take a listen to the Clinton/Obama exchanges, lately on health care.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He said it was universal. He said it was sort of universal. He said it wasn't universal. He said he covered everybody. He said it didn't cover 15 million.
CROWLEY: Obama's plan does not provide health care coverage for everyone. It does seek to lower insurance cost to lure people into coverage. Her plan requires everyone to get insurance.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And, by the way, Senator Clinton still hasn't explained what exactly this mandate is. What's she going to do if somebody doesn't purchase health care? Is she going to fine them? Is she going to garnish their wages?
CROWLEY: The Clinton campaign has not said how it will enforce its mandated coverage. The nastiest to'ing and fro'ing borders on the personal. Clinton has said Obama's overseas life at the age of 10 does not seem like foreign policy experience. Meow.
Now he is suggesting that being wife of the president hardly qualifies Hillary Clinton. "I don't think Michelle would claim that she is the best qualified person to be a United States senator by virtue of me talking to her on occasion about the work I've done. Meow back.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CLANCY: Well, talk show superstar Oprah Winfrey is getting huge ratings to the United States. The question, can she get those viewers to vote her way in the voting booths? The talk show queen says she's going to hit the trail and campaign for Democratic presidential hopeful, Senator Barack Obama. Winfrey already endorsed Obama last spring. His campaign says Winfrey will appear, along with Obama's wife, at rallies for him in Iowa, South Carolina, and New Hampshire.
Now you've seen the Democrats on the CNN/YouTube debates. Coming up next week in our continuing coverage of "America Votes 2008," it's the Republicans turn. Watch the candidates debate your video questions. CNN's Anderson Cooper will be hosting it all Wednesday, November 28th at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. For our international viewers, that comes along early Thursday, 0100 hours Greenwich Mean Time. There will be repeats.
GORANI: Very early.
All right. That's it for this hour, everyone. Thanks for watching. I'm Hala Gorani.
CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy. Don't go away. The news continues right here on CNN.
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