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Bhutto Assassination: Tensions High in Pakistan; Pakistan Interior Ministry: Al Qaeda Behind Killing; Tiger Victim May Have Died Trying to Save Friend

Aired December 28, 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)
BRIG. GEN. JAVED IZBAL CHEEMA, PAKISTAN INTERIOR MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: There was no foreign element in her body. So, henceforth, there should be no ambiguity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: An opposition leader is laid to rest, but questions linger. Pakistan's government reveals what it says killed Benazir Bhutto as parts of the country go up in flames.

JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: A final act of heroism. Relatives say a teen mauled to death by a tiger was trying to save his friend.

GORANI: And poised for a rescue mission. Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez outlines a deal to free three hostages held by leftist rebels in Colombia.

CLANCY: It is half past 12:00 noon in Caracas, 10:00 p.m. in Islamabad.

Hello and welcome to our report seen around the globe.

I'm Jim Clancy.

GORANI: I'm Hala Gorani.

From Bogota to Boston, Singapore to San Francisco, wherever you are watching, everyone, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

CLANCY: On the day that Benazir Bhutto is laid to rest, Pakistan's government points the finger of blame at al Qaeda.

GORANI: And it says there's irrefutable evidence that the militant group is trying to destabilize Pakistan itself.

CLANCY: Pakistan's Interior Ministry just releasing this video showing Bhutto's last moments before a suicide bomb exploded. It says the government has intercepted an al Qaeda leader, congratulating his followers for Bhutto's death. This leader is also known to command Taliban forces inside Pakistan. GORANI: And for all of you watching something else, we've just learned the government says opposition leader Bhutto did not die from bomb shrapnel or bullets, but rather, according to them, she hit her head on the car's sunroof and she -- as she tried to duck back in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHEEMA: There was no foreign element in her body. So, henceforth, there should be no ambiguity that, you know, she died because of a bullet hit or she died because of a pellet or because of a splinter. So, our initial investigations so far all indicate that, unfortunately, that this tragedy took place because, you know, that she was struck with that force with the lever on her vehicle which caused her death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: And Hala, this initial investigation, as he was talking about right there, may become in some ways the final investigation. Her husband -- Benazir Bhutto's husband has said that he does not want a further autopsy performed.

GORANI: All right. Well, very interesting developments.

Also, day after day and hour after hour, the cause of death changing. They're almost minute by minute.

Now we are learning from the government that she hit her head as she ducked back into the car. Well, it was a very tense day across Pakistan, of course.

CLANCY: It really was. Violence in many parts of the country, a crush of mourners coming to pay their last respects to the former prime minister, and angry crowds looking to a avenge her death out there on the streets.

GORANI: We have a team of reporters on the ground in Karachi.

Here's John Vause.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A simple coffin draped in the flag of Benazir Bhutto's political party made its way slowly through tens of thousands of mourners. Each trying to catch one last glimpse of the best hope for their nation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This is a tragedy for Pakistan and for Islam. I ask all Pakistanis to share in our grief.

VAUSE: Their grief was palpable, some beating themselves on the head. Men were in tears.

By her coffin's side, Bhutto's husband and three young children coming from Dubai after hearing of the murder of their wife and mother. The coffin slowly approached the Bhutto family's mausoleum in their ancestral home. Also buried there are her father, he, too, a former Pakistani prime minister, and her two brothers, victims all of violent deaths.

Bhutto was laid next to the father she beloved and followed into politics. He was overthrown and hanged by the military, not far from the park where his daughter was killed.

Following Bhutto's murder, there were violent explosions of grief and anger throughout the country. Buildings and buses burned.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We are all very sad about Benazir's death. May God grant her a place in heaven. But her supporters should not burn cars.

VAUSE: The turbulent night gave way to eerily empty streets in the morning. An I-Reporter sent us these pictures of the shells of cars, buses and buildings after the sun rose. Grim and bleak, like the outlook many here now feel about their country's future.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Well, John Vause joins us now live from Karachi with more.

Now, we've heard so many explanations as to how Benazir Bhutto died -- first a bullet, then shrapnel and, finally, according to the government, that she hit her head as she ducked back into the car.

What is the latest on the investigation as to who's behind it?

VAUSE: Well, we heard from Pakistan's interior minister a short time ago, Hala, essentially saying that the government, the intelligence services here, had received an intercept of al Qaeda, sending out congratulatory messages to each other on Benazir Bhutto's death, blaming an al Qaeda linked group up in the northwest frontier province. According to the interior minister, they still don't have an I.D. on the actual suicide bomber, but it was reported here on Pakistani television earlier that -- quoting Interior Ministry sources -- that it's believed that the suicide bomber did come from the northwest frontier area of Pakistan that borders Afghanistan -- Hala.

CLANCY: It's Jim Clancy here, John. And as you survey the situation there, what's happening on the ground? What does it mean for Bhutto's legacy that there is so much violence, burning train stations, police stations, attacks in the streets?

VAUSE: Well, this certainly isn't the legacy that she would have wanted. She wanted democracy, she wanted to try, in her own words, bring Pakistan back from the brink, to save it from what she said were very dangerous times. She was willing to put herself in danger to do that. So, obviously, the events of the last 24 hours, it would not be according to her wishes.

However, right now here in Karachi, it is calm, it is tense. The streets are all but deserted except for the massive security presence. As we drove through the city earlier today, we saw army troops on the backs of pickup trucks with heavy caliber machine guns, police were manning checkpoints. They were stopping and searching cars, and they have orders to shoot to kill, to stop the rioting and the looting -- Jim.

GORANI: What about the political future of Pakistan? Are those January elections going to go ahead, John?

VAUSE: Well, what we're hearing at this stage is that the government does plan to push on with those January 8th elections, but there is an out on this, if you like. There is a get-out-of-jail clause, if you like, in the sense that what they want to do is meet with all the political parties, ensure that this is the in the best interests of all the groups before they move forward.

Now, we have already heard from the former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, who said that his party will be, in fact, boycotting those elections. So that's one very significant political player who said that his party will not take part in those elections. So, obviously, that's not a good sign for democracy in Pakistan.

GORANI: All right.

John Vause live in Karachi.

Thank you, John.

CLANCY: Well, it comes as little surprise that the United States had a direct role helping to broker Benazir Bhutto's return to Pakistan from self-exile. Her assassination was -- has hurt Washington's efforts to heal political divisions in that country and restore democracy to another Muslim ally.

As CNN's Barbara Starr reports, the U.S. is now watching events in Pakistan with even greater concern.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): (AUDIO GAP). For the U.S., it's a high-wire act with this critical ally and nuclear power. The U.S. has been funneling President Pervez Musharraf and his army billions of dollars in aid for years to fight extremists, but the assassination is the clearest indication the strategy isn't working.

Former CIA acting director and CNN analyst John McLaughlin says stability in Pakistan is in jeopardy.

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, FMR. CIA ACTING DIRECTOR: I think the bottom line is al Qaeda probably has a little more running room here because the country will be in such chaos in coming weeks that the capacity of authorities to focus on al Qaeda will be diminished.

STARR: The fundamental Pentagon concern? Musharraf will be so consumed by the struggle to stay in power, his army and security services will not pay enough attention to al Qaeda, which already has found a growing sanctuary in Pakistani cities.

An eerie prediction by Defense Secretary Robert Gates just last week.

ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Al Qaeda right now seems to have turned its face toward Pakistan.

STARR: Within hours of the assassination, Bush administration officials spoke to their counterparts in Pakistan, urging them once again to have the Pakistani army step up its counterinsurgency efforts against al Qaeda. Beyond al Qaeda itself, U.S. officials say former operatives in Pakistan's intelligence services loyal to al Qaeda could be responsible for the attack. If stability isn't quickly restored, analysts warn the breakdown of Pakistan could mean grave new risks.

STEPHEN COHEN, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: At that point, we begin to wonder who's got the nuclear weapons, who controls them, where they are. In fact, we could be worried about that sooner if there's a break in the security barrier around those nuclear weapons and one or two of them get picked off by radicals of some sort or another.

STARR (on camera): Congress had already put restrictions on aid to Pakistan, wanting to see more democratic reforms before sending more money, but U.S. officials tell CNN they now see a much more immediate problem -- restoring basic law and order.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: All right. Well, before we get into Pakistan in some detail, here's a look at some other stories making news around the world.

(NEWSBREAK)

GORANI: Officials are still investigating how a 300-pound Siberian tiger escaped from its enclosure and mauled a 17-year-old zoo patron to death. Now it looks like the youth may have died while trying to save a friend's life. Even more shocking in this story, the height of the wall separating the tiger from zoo visitors was below national standards.

Here's Dan Simon with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Zoo officials making a significant correction. It turns out the wall that protects the public from the tigers is only 12 and a half feet tall.

According to The Associated Press, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums says it should be at least 16 feet tall. The lower wall might make a jump by the Siberian tiger out of the enclosure seem more plausible, but the zoo's director is still stunned that the animal apparently made that leap. MANUEL MOLLINEDO, DIRECTOR, SAN FRANCISCO ZOO: I think the tiger -- why she grabbed onto something, it could have been a ledge. She -- she had to have jumped. How she was able to jump that high is amazing to me, but, you know, it's an exotic animal.

SIMON: The father of Carlos Sousa, Jr., the 17-year-old who died, questioned the zoo's safeguards.

CARLOS SOUSA, FATHER OF ATTACK VICTIM: I think that when -- that lady, from what I heard, that lady got her arm torn off or something, eaten off. I think that even though they did some improvements, they didn't do enough for the public, because I think the zoo should be protected on both sides. Protected for the people and protected for the animals.

SIMON: Meanwhile, police and zoo personnel distanced themselves from a "San Francisco Chronicle" report that the three young men may have taunted the tiger. The newspaper reported that a victim's shoe and some blood were discovered inside the enclosure. If true, it would suggest at least one of the victims hopped a fence to get closer to the tiger and attract her attention. But San Francisco's police chief says no such evidence was found.

HEATHER FONG, SAN FRANCISCO POLICE CHIEF: We have no information as of this time from the investigation that tells us that someone's leg was leaning against -- or leaning over the railing or slung over the rail at this time.

SIMON: Police say they did discover a shoe print on the fence that separates patrons from the tigers, but it's not known at this point if it's from any of the victims.

FONG: We have obtained photographs of that shoe print, and we also have all three pairs of shoes from the victims, and our forensics analysis will allow us to determine if any of those shoes match the print that is on there.

SIMON (on camera): As for why that wall is only 12 and a half feet, the director says the zoo regularly gets visits from the AZA, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and he says the wall has never been cited for being too short.

Dan Simon, CNN, San Francisco.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: Now on to the story that is making headlines in Colombia this day, a mission to release three hostages held for years by rebels in the Colombian jungle.

GORANI: Coming up on YOUR WORLD TODAY, we'll take you live to Colombia for the latest and look at who's behind the release deal, none other than Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.

CLANCY: And what would you do about the crisis in Pakistan? That's the question most U.S. presidential hopefuls have faced in the last 24 hours. We'll have more on how they answered straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: Welcome back, everyone, to CNN International. You're watching YOUR WORLD TODAY.

CLANCY: We'll try to take you around the world, show you the stories that are developing in every corner and why they matter to you.

Now, there's renewed hope for families of several hostages being held by leftist rebels in Colombia. Preparations are under way for a mission which could help bring them to safety. The release was handled by none other than Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez. How he got that role is controversial.

Karl Penhaul is in Villavicencio in Colombia, and he joins us now by broadband.

Karl, how is this shaping up right now? How is it being watched by the people, not only in Colombia but around Latin America?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Certainly there's a great expectation for this release, Jim, around Latin America. A lot of people here think this could be the prelude to a wider prisoner release by the FARC. The FARC, after all, are holding a group of 50 hostages, at the very least, that they want to swap for 500 jailed guerrillas. They want a straight prisoner swap.

But the FARC also holding many more other hostages that they want to swap for ransom, if you like, a number that is as big as -- estimated to be around 750 to 1,000 people. So, of course, a lot of interest here in Latin America and in Colombia on this very issue.

The airport where I am now, it's an airfield in this town of Villavicencio, and here, in just a few hours, Hugo Chavez is expected to send a small fleet of helicopters and airplanes. They will refuel here, and then they will wait for instructions from the guerrillas to give them coordinates. And from here, they will head off deep into the jungle and pick up those three hostages, one of whom has been held for five years and four months. That's the former presidential candidate Clara Rojas, and also a former congresswoman, Consuela Gonzalez (ph). She's been held for six years and four months in the jungle -- Jim.

CLANCY: You know, as we look at this story, people wonder how it is that a group that is holding all of these people has come to be an institution in Latin American politics. And I'm talking about the revolutionary armed forces of Colombia here. And some believe that President Hugo Chavez is reinforcing that.

PENHAUL: Certainly the whole issue of the prisoner release, of the hostage release, the wider prisoner swap, has taken on a very political air. This is what the guerrillas wanted. The guerrillas have been fighting for prisoner swap for about six years now, and this is to give them their vital political oxygen. As you know, Jim, a guerrilla war isn't just fought in military terms. It's fought using all means necessary, including the political means.

That's what the guerrillas are very much after. But, of course, there are political benefits here for President Chavez as well to try and mediate. The United States administration, for example, has portrayed as far as it can President Chavez as a leftist and a leftist radical, whereas with this mission, if he can mediate, if he can win the release of these hostages successfully, he can then portray his own image across Latin America and parts of the developing world as a man of peace, a man who can work some diplomatic magic to get hostages released who have been in captivity for six years and more -- Jim.

CLANCY: Karl Penhaul in Colombia, standing along that airstrip.

Karl, keep us posted the moment that you see any sign of freed hostages. Thank you.

GORANI: When New Yorkers search the skies for a crime fighter, this is the cry they make.

CLANCY: You know, "Up in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane."

GORANI: But this time around they are not seeing Superman soaring. They are seeing something else dropping.

We'll explain. Stay with us.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to everyone, our viewers joining us from around the globe, including, this hour, the United States for this YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Hala Gorani.

JIM CLANCY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Jim Clancy. And these are the stories that are making headlines right now.

Pakistan's government blaming al Qaeda and the Taliban for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. It says it has intercepted communications from militant leader Baitullah Mehsud claiming responsibility. U.S. officials still CNN they also believe he is behind the suicide attack.

In another development, Pakistan's government says Bhutto did not die from bullets or bomb shrapnel, but rather from hitting her head on a lever for the car's sunroof. GORANI: Half a dozen French charity workers have left Chad. They were sentenced to eight years of hard labor on charges they tried to kidnap children. In a telephone call, President Nicolas Sarkozy had asked the Chadian government to allow the six to serve their sentences in France.

CLANCY: A strong signal coming from the Bush ranch in Texas about a defense spending bill that Congress passed this month. The president vows to veto the bill because of a provision that irks the Iraqi government. It would allow victims of Saddam Hussein to sue the Iraqi government for compensation.

GORANI: Let's return now to Pakistan. That country, of course, a crucial ally in the U.S. so-called war on terror. An ally that also has nuclear arms. What happens inside of Pakistan has effects reaching far beyond that country's borders. Joining us now to talk about the impact of Bhutto's assassination is former Pakistani Ambassador to the U.K. Akbar Ahmed. He's in Washington.

Thank you, Ambassador Ahmed, for being with us.

AKBAR AHMED, FORMER PAKISTAN AMBASSADOR TO U.K.: Thank you, Hala.

GORANI: What happens now in Pakistan? Is it complete political chaos there?

AHMED: Not quite, Hala. We haven't reached that point now. We could be reaching that point very soon. What happens now depends entirely on one man. And that's not President Bush in Washington. It is President Musharraf in Islamabad. Everything depends on him. Is he going to postpone the elections? If so, for how long? How is he going to deal with the deteriorating law and order situation? Is he going to impose the emergency laws again? Is he going to, in fact, declare martial law? And if that happens, what is his position? Remember, he no longer wears a military uniform.

GORANI: Sure. And you've asked all these questions. What do you think the answer should be? Should these elections on January 8th go ahead despite the fact that Benazir Bhutto was assassinated yesterday?

AHMED: I think, Hala, that's a very difficult question, but I would say that since we have paid such a great price and Pakistanis are in a state of shock, they have lost a star, a genuine star, very courageous woman, a great woman of charisma, very literate, very articulate woman. A great leader of Pakistan. In spite of that, I think -- or because of that, Pakistan should go ahead with the elections. This is the road to democracy. We must not compromise on that because once we begin to compromise, it's a slippery slope. And where do you stop? There will be some excuses all the time. We'll make mistakes once, twice, third time maybe we get it right, but Pakistan must stay on the road to democracy.

GORANI: But Ambassador Ahmed, even among those who supported Benazir Bhutto, there are these voices rising up saying, if you go ahead with these elections on January 8th and the figurehead, the chairwoman for life of the Pakistan people's party isn't there, then essentially the process itself is flawed. Shouldn't the country wait a bit?

AHMED: Hala, the question is, once you wait, for how long? What guarantees that there will be elections? You see, these are huge questions in Pakistan. And Pakistan's history is very, very flawed in terms of elections. One election has always led to some dramatic consequences. One election in 1970 led to the breakup of the country in 1971. East Pakistan was (INAUDIBLE) into Bangladesh.

So unless we stick to the path of democracy, will the people of Pakistan really feel that they're participating. That they're deciding who their rulers are. You will have the sense of alienation which prevails in Pakistan.

Today, large chunks of Pakistan feel disconnected with Islamabad. A sense of disenchantment. They are very angry with Musharraf. They are very angry with the United States because they see Americans supporting President Musharraf to the point of folly and they really believe that if democracy is good enough for the rest of the world, it is good enough for Pakistan, realizing the grave crisis Pakistan is in now.

GORANI: But Akbar Ahmed, let me ask you this, because many of the people watching us, most of the people watching us today in this hour also are American viewers, want to know why. What happens inside of Pakistan, this nuclear power, should matter to them?

AHMED: For Americans, Pakistan is a critical country, Hala. It is not Iraq. It is not Afghanistan. It is much more important to Americans than either of these countries. Important though those countries are.

This is a country of 165 million people. It's the only nuclear power in the Muslim world. And it is a leader in the Muslim world. If Pakistan collapses as a key ally of the United States, that's what the United States considers Pakistan, it will have an immediate impact on Afghanistan, on the war on terror and the United States could not sustain the war on terror on the eastern front for 24 hours without the support of the Pakistan army, the Pakistan intelligence system, and the government of Pakistan. So what happens in Pakistan is of direct concern to Americans and they should be watching developments in Pakistan, particularly in Islamabad, very carefully.

GORANI: And they are. Absolutely. I'm sorry to jump in. But one quick, last question, because we're running out of time. The biggest fear that I hear oftentimes in sort of just casual conversation is, look, this country has nuclear weapons. What is the risk that these nuclear weapons will end up in the hands of extremists who will use them to, in fact, to create the kind of warfare that would engulf this region in something unthinkable?

AHMED: I can understand that fear, but it's an unfounded fear because the nuclear assets are with the army. The army is the one cohesive, secure institution in Pakistan. And the politics of Pakistan only effect the army at the highest level. That is the level of the generals who are involved in the administration. The nuclear assets are quite safe. What does not help all these wild statements about striking Pakistan and going into Pakistan because that further destabilizes Pakistan and creates more anti-Americanism, which is what we want to bring down.

GORANI: All right. Akbar Ahmed, former Pakistani ambassador to the U.K. Now I know you were telling me before our interview, you knew Benazir Bhutto, as well as your wife, so our condolences.

AHMED: Thank you so much. Thank you, Hala.

GORANI: Thank you very much.

AHMED: Thank you.

GORANI: Well, with Pakistan in turmoil over Benazir Bhutto's death, what is next? CNN's Anderson Cooper is on the ground in Pakistan to find out. Be sure to join him for two special editions of "Anderson Cooper Live" from Pakistan today. For U.S. viewers, that's Friday and Saturday at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. For our international viewers, that's Saturday and Sunday at 03:00 GMT right here on CNN.

CLANCY: Now we've been asking for you to share your thoughts on the Bhutto assassination.

GORANI: Well, from Johannesburg, South Africa, B. Ramster writes, "the murder of Benazir Bhutto is a great tragedy - not just to Pakistan, but to women in the world," according to him. There you have that e-mail up on a graphic. "And a sad reflection of the state of the world."

CLANCY: "As long as there is inequality between women and men, there will be no peace on this earth," is how it concludes.

We also have a note from Karachi, Pakistan. Ammar Tariq had something to tell us.

GORANI: Right. "It is sad that all your channel can do is find what the government did wrong,' according to this viewer, "and give fuel to conspiracy theories."

CLANCY: Now "people in our country," he writes, "have laid their lives for our own and for the future of the U.S. in particular. It is in such times that we need support from the United States." He goes on to say, "the U.S. needs to stand by its so-called partners against the war on terror." He means in the war on terror. "Words alone," he writes, "will not suffice. It's time for some action."

GORANI: All right. There. We have had some passionate views and really e-mails pouring in, in the hundreds. What are your views? The address to send your e-mails, yourviews@ cnn.com.

CLANCY: Don't forget to include your name, at least your first name, and where you're e-mailing us from, because we want to hear all that and we want to tell people a little bit about you. GORANI: All right. We also want to know what you think about Pakistan's political future.

CLANCY: That's right. Our quick vote asks this. Should elections scheduled for the 8th of January be postponed now after the killing of Benazir Bhutto? With more than 50,000 votes cast, a narrow majority of you, 55 percent, say no, don't postpone them.

GORANI: Well, you can take part by logging on to cnn.com/international.

CLANCY: All right. Wait a minute. I'm looking, should the elections be postponed. I have two yes' there, 55 and 45. Think it's 55 is the -- should be -- they should go ahead, is probably the no.

GORANI: Right, go ahead.

All right. Now we have this just in.

Senior U.S. officials are seconding a Pakistani assessment that a Taliban leader from Afghanistan may be the person behind the plot to assassinate former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The official says Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud has been identified as a leading suspect. Pakistani intelligence officials named Mehsud earlier today as the suspect behind the successful assassination attempt against Bhutto. The official told CNN there was "good information that leads us to believe he is the guy responsible." The official said the American intelligence is independent of Pakistan's investigation into the killing. The official said, "he's not a new face. He's a known bad actor," adding that, "Baitullah Mehsud had been trying to get Bhutto for some time." So these are just the latest building blocks in what is forming the overall investigation into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

Jim.

CLANCY: Well, Pakistan's importance as a U.S. ally making Bhutto's death a hot topic out on the campaign trail. And with the first real test of the voters coming up just days from now, the candidates have to weigh in whether they like it or not. For more on Pakistan's possible impact on U.S. politics, we're joined by our senior political analyst Bill Schneider in New York.

And, Bill, this puts foreign policy square back inside this campaign.

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. The crisis in Pakistan could have an impact on the campaign in Iowa, half a world away. It could spotlight international issues and also heighten the importance of experience.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER, (voice over): Outsiders are in. It's the economy, stupid. They were becoming the conventional wisdom about the 2008 campaign. The news of Benazir Bhutto's assassination suddenly adds a new dimension to the campaign. Candidates are touting their foreign policy credentials.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm the one with the experience, the knowledge and the judgment. So perhaps it may serve to enhance those credentials or make people understand that I've been to Waziristan. I know Musharraf.

SCHNEIDER: The crisis gave Rudy Giuliani an opportunity to call attention to his signature issue, 9/11.

RUDY GIULIANI, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: America feels a strong sense of, I think, connection to something like this because of what's happened to us.

SCHNEIDER: Populous candidates and outsiders seem to be gaining momentum in this campaign. Democrat Barack Obama, Republican Mike Huckabee. But the international crisis gives their opponents an opening. Suddenly, experience matters.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Our next president will be sworn in on January 20, 2009, at noon. Waiting on that president's desk in the Oval Office will be problems that are incredibly difficult, that present challenges to our leadership in the world.

SCHNEIDER: Sure, other candidates will challenge their experience, as Obama did recently.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you are saying that this is your relevant experience, we should know what decisions you were involved in, in the White House.

SCHNEIDER: But experience and knowledge of the world may now loom larger in this campaign, as Senator Biden alluded to last month.

SEN. JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe people have a sense of, will increasingly get a sense of who's grownup and responsible that can -- is ready to actually sit behind that desk and make decisions.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SCHNEIDER: In primaries, voters often like to make a statement. But a crisis like this serves to remind them they are also choosing a leader.

Jim.

CLANCY: Bill, tell us something. Is this, in any way, putting Iraq back in as a key issue in this campaign? Sure, it's there, but it has really faded compared to some of the other international policy issues.

SCHNEIDER: Well, yes, because, of course, the spotlight is on that part of the world. The question is being raised, does the war in Iraq have any connection to this instability? Is our presence in Iraq creating a problem? Is it making the forces of Islamic radicalism bolder? Is it tying us down in a region where we should have more flexibility? The Iraq issue is coming back right now because the immediate question for the United States is, what should the U.S. do in Iraq and the instability in Pakistan just makes that question all that more urgent.

CLANCY: Is there a sense here, Bill, that the American public has wanted to run away from some of this, run away from the bad news in foreign affairs?

SCHNEIDER: I think the American public is exasperated with the situation in Iraq. They want out of there. It's gone on for years and years, much longer than anyone expected. So, yes, the answer to your question is, yes. Americans want to get out of that part of the world. They don't want to be tied down there. And now they suddenly see this crisis in Pakistan and they realize how high the stakes are.

CLANCY: Well put. Bill Schneider, our senior political analyst there following the campaigns for us.

And, Bill, you got a little bit further to go. Thanks a lot.

GORANI: Just a little bit further.

Anyone who's ever had a moving sale -- and in our business we've had many moving sales -- knows that you can accumulate a lot of stuff in 10 years.

CLANCY: You have no idea. Coming up on YOUR WORLD TODAY, they're cleaning out what Tony Blair left behind at 10 Downing Street. But first . . .

GORANI: Building a government that actually works in Iraq. There are sections of the Sunni Triangle that are claiming some success doing just that. We'll take you there. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: Until recently, one part of Iraq in particular was synonymous with violence. The so-called Sunni Triangle, a hot bed of militants and al Qaeda. But now there are signs that a new American strategy is returning the area to some sort of normalcy. That new American strategy at least in part responsible for that. Harris Whitbeck visited the Arab Jabour area of southern Baghdad and sent us this report.

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HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): They wave their assault rifles in the air as they dance joyously to a trumpet and drums. These Sunni militia men in Arab Jabour, south of Baghdad, say they have much to celebrate. Today it is the opening of a government center in their neighborhood, just six miles from central Baghdad. It is the first tangible sign of the Iraqi government's presence in the area since the fall of Saddam in 2003 turned this normally placid agricultural hamlet into an al Qaeda stronghold. GEN MUSTAFA, LOCAL LEADER, (through translator): The hardest thing was, we didn't know where our enemy was and al Qaeda came in here and gave weapons to everybody and made people fight each other.

WHITBECK: The government building, refurbished with American money and by American troops, will serve as a link between the community and central authorities.

LT. COL. KEN ADGIE, U.S. ARMY: This building is the next step. Hopefully what they'll be able to do is connect to the government of Iraq and continue to improve services, electricity, water, schools, medical, for the area.

WHITBECK: The center's opening was attended by local sheikhs and their retinues. Music, ribbon cuttings and then a feast. Scenes which have become rare in war-ravaged Iraq.

But while progress has been made on the political side, few forget that just a few weeks ago this area was teeming with al Qaeda fighters. The U.S. effort in the region is as much about driving the insurgency out of here as it is about strengthening local government.

Next door to the government center, U.S. soldiers fire mortar rounds on suspected al Qaeda positions a few miles away. An attempt to drive insurgents out of the area.

ADGIE: We're going to continue the relentless pursuit of al Qaeda until we kill them all.

WHITBECK: The U.S. soldiers will stay here for the foreseeable future, the price, they say, of trying to strengthen the government in Iraq.

Harris Whitbeck, CNN, Arab Jabour.

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CLANCY: If you are a world leader, chances are you have received some pretty memorable gifts over the years.

GORANI: Tony Blair may have moved out of 10 Downing Street, but you may be a little surprised to see what he left behind. Stay with us.

CLANCY: And what you (ph) don't want.

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GORANI: Welcome back.

Have you ever moved into a new home, only to find that the vacating tenants left a few things behind?

CLANCY: Well, if you haven't, our own Robin Oakley says you should be moving in to 10 Downing Street right now.

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ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): It's not quite washing your dirty linen in public, but it's not far off. It's also very public when departing prime ministers leave Downing Street. The removal van right up to the door in full camera view. So, when Tony Blair left in June, we saw the bed go and the exercise machine.

Now, though, the focus is on what Mr. Blair left behind. Successor Gordon Brown is to auction off, for charity, not for the much depleted party funds, the accumulated platter of official presents collected by Mr. Blair during his 10 years at the top.

Item, one segue electric scooter, a present from the king of Jordan before Mr. Blair's political wheels fell off. Item, 20 watches, 16 of them from former Italian prime minister and billionaire Silvio Berlusconi, whom the Blairs joined on a holiday jaunt or two. Item, one G-8 bathrobe courtesy of a recent summit host, used or unused.

Other objects can be more threatening. Once when I was interviewing John Major, Mr. Blair's predecessor, he took down from the cabinet room wall a ceremonial sword he'd acquired in Saudi Arabia and waved it contemplatively above my head. Items in the Blair leaving sale include two Armani daggers. Watch your back, Gordon.

The deal in Britain is that when foreign leaders hand over gifts, the Downing Street occupant can keep any below a worth of $280. Anything above that price, the prime minister has to pay full market value, minus $280. Blair chose to pay for and keep a 12-piece tea set from Vladimir Putin.

BONO: My name is Bono and I am a rock star.

OAKLEY: And a guitar from rock star Bono struck a chord. Blair, the one-time front man for the university pop group The Ugly Rumors, apparently decided to keep it. More intriguingly, considering their often frosty relations, he shelled out for $1,000 fountain pen gifted by ex-French President Jacques Chirac. Chirac did have a soft spot for the Blair's youngest, Leo, so maybe he'll get it one day.

Blair didn't, though, keep the $400 bottles of chato muto roskil (ph) Mr. Chirac gave him. Maybe he didn't think it was a good enough year.

Robin Oakley, CNN, London.

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CLANCY: Yes, he should have taken the pen -- should have taken the guitar instead.

GORANI: Yes, he took the guitar.

CLANCY: So much for ethics.

GORANI: This is it. We're out of time. I'm Hala Gorani. CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy. This is CNN.

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