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Olympics Security Firm G4S Announces Personnel Shortfall; Fabio Capello Hired As New Russian National Team Manager
Aired July 16, 2012 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Tonight on Connect the World, touchdown in London. Olympians from across the globe arrive for the greatest sporting event on Earth. But not all of them get off to the greatest start.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN London, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.
ANDERSON: Well, tonight as arguments rage over the games' security, some athletes just finding the venues have proven to be an Olympian task on its own.
Also this hour, we head to the Canadian city of Montreal, a former host of the Olympics to ask what it all was it?
And...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAWAF AL-FARES, FORMER SYRIAN AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ (through translator): My former colleagues, I ask them to join the people and leave this corrupt regime. There is still time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: A call for quits from a man who was once one of the Syrian president's most trusted lieutenants.
All right. First up tonight, after years of planning the time has finally come with 11 days almost to the minute until the opening ceremony. Athletes and officials arriving for the London 2012 Olympics. Heathrow expects this will be its busiest day on record so we dispatched Jim Boulden to find out just how the airport is coping.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here they come, officials and athletes from around the world from 50 countries arrived in Heathrow airport Monday: Russians, Cubans, Italians, the Dutch. These ladies from the beach volleyball team have never been to London before, but they say Heathrow was a breeze.
MADELEIN MEPPELINK, DUTCH ATHLETE: Oh, really quickly. It's really special. They are so helpful. And there are so many people to help you. So we never had so quick our luggage and perfect.
BOULDEN: That meant the team could concentrate on why they are here.
MARLEEN VAN IERSEL, DUTCH ATHLETE: Yes, very special. It's something we've always dreamed about. And in a couple of days it's going to happen.
BOULDEN: One big worry leading up to the games has been the use of one of the world's most congested airports. The man in charge of terminal four saying so far all has gone to plan on day one. There are special lines for the Olympic family.
TOM WILLIS, OPERATIONS DIRECTOR, HEATHROW TERMINAL FOUR: The commitment to man every desk throughout the Olympics period, that commitment started yesterday. So at 0600 yesterday morning, every desk was open. And as a result the immigration queues have moved...
BOULDEN: So no complaints from any of the officials or athletes about getting through Heathrow, at least not from the ones we spoke to. But this is just the beginning of the journey. They have to go on the Olympic lanes through west London, central London, and through to east London to get to the Olympic Village.
There was talk on Twitter of at least one bus getting very lost going from Heathrow on the designated Olympic traffic lanes to the Olympic Village. Games organizers would only say some buses took longer than others.
This French canoeist isn't worried. This is his fourth games.
TONY ESTANGUET, FRENCH ATHLETE: I know a lot of -- all the time there is maybe some problems before, but finally all the Olympics is perfect so I'm sure it's going to be OK.
BOULDEN: Most of those arriving Monday were team officials, not athletes, many with a lot of luggage. Logistics firm UPS is taking athletes' luggage from the airports to their base camps.
MARTIN PAVIS, UPS DRIVER: We've got a kayak. Also we have -- for those obviously super long, but we've got the vehicles to cope with that.
BOULDEN: UPS says using the special traffic lanes should get them and these athletes from Heathrow to the village in around 76 minutes. On day one at least, despite the rain, it was a big welcome for the summer games of 2012.
Jim Boulden, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, the Dutch women's beach volleyball may have sailed through the airport, but not every athlete, as Jim suggested, had a smooth arrival when it came to actually getting to the venues. More on that in a moment.
First, though, British lawmakers fighting back against serious accusations they have taken their eye off the Olympics security ball. Dan Rivers on that story for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Just a day after the jubilation of winning the Olympics in 2005, Britain was reminded of the ever present terrorist threat. The 7/7 bombings underline security at the games would be a paramount concern. Britain's military on the sea, air, and land were always going to play a major part in securing the games, but it was decided early on that a private firm would also be employed to guard the many Olympic sites.
Security form G4S won the contract to initially supply 2,000 guards in December 2010. In the following September, a confidential report to the home office flagged potential problems with Olympic security and the need for more guards. Three months later, G4S was asked to ramp up the number of guards it was providing from 2,000 to 10,000.
Last Wednesday, British Home Secretary Theresa May was told G4S wouldn't be able to supply the extra guards due to a problem with its computer system. 3,500 extra soldiers were then mobilized to bridge that gap.
THERESA MAY, BRITISH HOME SECRETARY: It is not in shambles. What (inaudible) situation where the government has done what is absolutely right for the government to do.
RIVERS: Some of the soldiers are already arriving at the Olympics Stadium in east London, a reassuring image. And police will also help to bridge the gap. But it's not enough to stop the share price of G4S being hammered, down more than 10 percent since the story broke last week.
NICK BUCKLES, G4S CEO: Clearly in this instance, the company hasn't done a great job. I feel very embarrassed about it. I'm very sorry about it. And we've got to put it right. And we are going to get a safe and secure games.
RIVERS: British Home Secretary Theresa May was called to parliament to answer urgent questions about Olympic security, reassuring politicians everything was in hand.
MAY: G4S have failed to deliver their contractual obligations, but we have the finest military personnel in the world.
RIVERS: The original estimate of 2,000 guards was based on the plan used at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.
But that figure has been described as a finger in the air estimate by a senior civil servant at the home office. In hindsight it seems woefully naive. It's left soldiers with ruined summer holidays. It's left the government red-faced. And it's left G4S with a potential $77 million loss on a contract that should have been one of their most prestigious.
Dan Rivers, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Here today in parliament the home secretary said she didn't know about the shortfall in security staff, but could still not confirm how many guards the security company G4S will provide.
Well, on Friday I was at the Olympic site and spoke to games chief Sebastian Coe about what is this fiasco that is security. And I asked him how it could have been allowed to happen. This is what he said to me.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEBASTIAN COE, LONDON 2012 ORGANISING COMMITTEE CHAIR: I don't think it would be right at the moment to be entering the blame game. I have a responsibility, as does G4S, as does the home office, as does the military, to make this work. So between now and the games, we will figure it out. We've got right people all pointing in the right direction all asking the right questions. We will deliver a safe and secure games.
As I make the point, don't run away with the idea that we've got a massive imbalance here. We have -- we've got on this site at this moment are 4,000 G4S workers. And they've extraordinary work over the last few years.
ANDERSON: Can you confirm that (inaudible) agreed to raise the company's fee 10-fold.
COE: No. While I'm not playing the blame game, nor am I now going through the details of that contract. Rest assured, like all our contracts, they are robust. But at the moment, I am entirely focused, as are the other partners with the government in the lead role in delivering security, we're entirely focused on getting this right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: All right. Sebastian Coe talking to me Friday.
Now I'm getting you bang up to date of course on the security story as the build-up to the Olympics continues.
I want to get you, though, back to the arriving athletes today. Some of them got more than they bargained for on the way. And this is one of those you couldn't make it up moments. Two buses carrying U.S. and Australian athletes got lost en route to the Olympic park. And a journey which should have been about an hour or less, the report suggests it took those teams about four hours.
The American hurdler Kerron Clemens was one unhappy athlete. The world record holder tweeted this, "athletes are sleepy. They are hungry. And need to have a pee. Could we get to the Olympics Village please" he tweeted. Now a good first impression of London.
Well, London 2012 spokesman said, whilst there may have been one or two journeys taking longer than planned, the vast majority were completed successfully.
Now this is the route between Heathrow airport and the Olympic Park. Drivers should be taking bringing the athletes in. Boris Johnson made a joke about today's earlier incident at a press conference. Have a listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, LONDON MAYOR: Clearly they would have the opportunity to see even more of the city than they might otherwise have done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: A more eclectic route perhaps these drivers took these athletes on. We don't know where those buses ended up, nobody is telling us. But there are reports one of them drove through the back streets of a place called West Ham in east London. Now in West Ham, it's really a case of being close, but not close enough, to the Olympic Park. Let me show you.
This may have been the road that those Olympic athletes went down on their sort of circuitous route. This is actually the Olympic Park eventually, but they could have been on this road for an awfully, awfully long time. Take a wrong turn, well you're in a bit of (inaudible) in a place called West Ham which is where we think these athletes might have been. This is Store Road (ph) just east of the village near a fishmonger, let me tell you to the right, and a tour shop just here.
But if you look really closely here you can actually see the stadium again. So they were close, but not quite close enough.
And this is a road called Autumn Street near a hardware store and a gas station. But look, recognize that? That -- that's actually the orbit sculpture. So they could see it exactly if they took this route, they just couldn't get there. They were lost.
When athletes do arrive at the Olympic Park, there are a number of key admin issues to sort out. I was lucky enough to get a tour of the village with the British sprinter and bronze medallist Catherine Murray and discovered nothing, nothing is more important to an athlete than making sure they get a good night kit. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CATHERINE MURRAY, BRITISH SPRINTER: Comfort is the big key. And it's interesting, because this -- this bed, Becky, is the kind an athlete not sanctuary, but is so, so, so important. And they have to bring in bigger beds for bigger athletes, of course. We have big throwing events. And we have basketball players. And they do have to ship in bigger beds for them. But this -- the first thing you do as an athlete when you come into the room is do a bouncer. OK, this works. It's a little bit soft for me -- yeah, if you like a hard bed you'd like that, no, I want a hard bed.
But no, this is your sanctuary. This is where you prepare yourself with your mind and this where hopefully you've got to have a room with a friend or somebody you get on with, because it's quite close. These are -- it's quite a pressure cooker environment, but this is where you come back to at the end of every competition day or before the competition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Let me tell you, those beds are big. They come in five foot eight. And my feet even would be hanging off and I'm only a smidgen taller, no surprise that (inaudible) many athletes need to make sure they order a bed extension. Just one of the thousands of items that logistics UPS have to make sure arrive on time.
So more behind the scenes at the Olympics site. And what my colleagues discover about their athletic prowess when they take on the daunting discus on CNN's Aiming for Gold, Saturday 1:30 pm London, 2:30 Berlin, 4:30 if you're watching in Abu Dhabi.
You're watching Connect the World this hour live from London. Our top story tonight is the first wave of Olympians touch down in London, officials are still dogged by questions about whether the city is truly prepared for the world's biggest sporting event with just 11 days and counting. Be sure that we'll be keeping you bang up to date on the build up.
And kicking off tonight, a look at Olympic legacies with an in-depth look back at the mark the games have left on former host cities. So Olympic coverage continues.
Also coming up on this show, 50 killed across the country in the fiercest clashes in the capital so far. I'm going to bring you the very latest from Syria.
And here she is again, speculation continues over the mystery woman that Kim Jong un is beside. In the most secretive nation on Earth won't give anything away.
Stay with us, you're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. Welcome back.
Syrian opposition activists say fierce clashes in Damascus could be a turning point. They say the government appears to be losing control of some neighborhoods in the capital. It's said to be the worst fighting there since the uprising began.
Also today, a new push by the special envoy Kofi Annan. He is in Moscow for talks on the Syrian crisis. The foreign minister there Sergey Lavrov says Russia won't be, and I quote, "blackmailed" by the west into taking action at the UN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): Unfortunately, there are some blackmailing elements. They say if you don't agree to our draft inline with Chapter 7 of the UN charter they will not extend the mandate of the mission. I consider it counterproductive and quite dangerous approach.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, the International Red Cross, meantime, has now declared the conflict in Syria a civil war. More on that story in about 15 minutes here on CNN.
Before that, a look at some of the other stories connecting our world tonight. And the International Monetary Fund, the IMF, says it expects the global economy to grow by 3.5 percent this year, that's always lower than it originally forecast in April. The IMF says politics remain the top risk to economic recovery. It says U.S. officials must keep the nation from falling off, and I quote, "a fiscal cliff." And that without bold, new polities in Europe things will get much worse. The IMF chief economist shared his concerns over Europe here earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLIVIER BLANCHARD, CHIEF ECONOMIST, IMF: They still have a very tough act to put together. Some of the countries really have to, you know, embark on fiscal consolidation, on structural reforms. The other EU members have to help. All this has to come together. And we see the main risk as not happening, in which case, yes, the recovery would be in trouble.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Egypt's public prosecutor has confirmed that the former president Hosni Mubarak has returned to prison. Mubarak was moved to a military hospital last month after reportedly suffering a stroke. But doctors say that his health is now stable. The former president was sentenced to life in prison over his role in the deaths of protesters last year.
Two U.S. tourists and their guide have been released from captivity after being kidnapped by Bedouin tribesmen in Egypt. The three had been abducted in the country's Sinai region on Friday. The lead kidnapper was demanding the release of his uncle who was being held on drug charges ahead of North Sinai Security said, quote, "the negotiations succeeded, but we did not give in to the kidnappers demands."
Meanwhile, an Indian fisherman was killed and three more injured when a U.S. Navy ship fired at their boat off the coast of Dubai. U.S. officials say the boat ignored repeated warnings not to approach a military refueling ship. The incident took place near the port of Jebel Ali in Dubai. United Arab Emirates officials say the incident is being investigated.
Well, former COO of Barclays bank was in the hot seat today at the hearings in London over the LIBOR scandal. Jerry del Dissier is the man who reportedly gave the order for the bank to start misreporting borrowing costs. But he says he got his instructions from the former CEO Bob Diamond. And Diamond said that his instructions were misunderstood.
Now as the blame game continues, del Missier insists he doesn't think that he is a scapegoat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERRY DEL DISSIER, FORMER BARCLAYS COO: I don't think I'm acting as a fall guy. I resigned my position from the bank for the good of the bank. And I'm not the fall guy for anything. I've -- this happened to the bank and I've resigned as a result of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: North Korea's military chief has been stripped of all his duties. State media are citing illness as the reason behind Ri Yong Ho's sudden removal, but many think this is proof of a power struggle going on behind the scenes. He was thought to be one of Kim Jong un's closest aides and was so regularly seen at his side at official functions.
Meanwhile, someone who has been spotted at the young leader's side is this woman. She's made several public appearances with him recently, but the secretive nation is keeping all the rest of us guessing on just who exactly she is. And when we find out, you'll hear it first here on CNN.
We're going to take a very short break here on Connect the World. When we come back, the former manager of England's national football team has a new job. What is it? We'll tell you after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: This just coming in to CNN, one of the women profiled in our Leading Women series really is taking charge. We've just received word that Marisa Meyer will be the next CEO of Yahoo. She is one of the top executives at rival Google, or certainly has been until now. And our Leading Women series, we told you how Meyer joined that internet giant as a 24-year-old when back when in 1999, one of the company's first 20 hired and its first female engineer.
Well, in 2010 she became vice president of what they call localization services identified as the company's next key growth area. That made her one of the most prominent women in America's tech industry. Again, just coming in to CNN.
It sounds as if she's off from Google and on to Yahoo where Marisa Meyer will be the next CEO of Yahoo.
News just coming in to CNN this hour.
Now in other news, Fabio Capello had an abrupt end of his end as England's football manager. You may remember back in February. Now, though, he has got himself a new start in what is a new nation. My esteemed colleague Pedro Pinto is in the house with me tonight and...
PEDRO PINTO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I like that.
ANDERSON: You like that?
PINTO: Yeah, thank you.
ANDERSON: I haven't seen you since...
PINTO: Warsaw.
ANDERSON: The roof in Warsaw at Euro 2012. You're back in the house. And you've got a story for us. Capello, where has he gone?
PINTO: I'm back in the house with some major news. Fabio Capello has agreed in principle to take over the national team manager's job of Russia. He takes over from Dick Advocaat who left following the disappointing campaign from the Russia's at Europe 2012.
Now a lot of people are asking why at 66 years of age Fabio Capello would take this new challenge? And a lot of the critics are saying that it's down to money. He had a huge contract with the English FA, something like $10 million a year, and he's rumored to be getting a huge package as well from the Russian football union. It's a nation that, of course, has the World Cup in 2018. They're hosting that. And there are still no details confirmed about the contract. It's either two or six years so he could stay on until then.
And it's a new challenge for him at this stage in his career.
ANDERSON: They've got the 2018 World Cup. Before that, they've got to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. And that's one of the reasons why they want to change their coach at this point and get somebody new. And you may or may not get them through.
What's Capello (inaudible) as a national manager. He's a brilliant local...
PINTO: You can't question his resume -- 13 trophies. And he's managed teams like AC Milan, Juventus, Roma, Real Madrid. Won the Champions League in 1994. An impeccable career.
He's known as being a disciplinarian. And maybe that's what the Russian football union wanted. A lot of the players have had a large ego compared to what they used to in the former Soviet Union since the country became independent as well. And they wanted a big name to inspire them.
Capello is a winner, there's no doubt about it. And even with England, you know, he left the post with the highest winning percentage ever of any manager, 66.7 percent.
ANDERSON: I'm going to move on, because I want to get some Open golf with you, but I'm just wondering, and you may not know this, but you can find out for World Sport in an hours time whether he speaks Russian or not, because his English was a problem here...
PINTO: Yeah, he never really lived here full-time. And he won't live in Moscow full-time either.
ANDERSON: It's an important point isn't it?
PINTO: Yeah, it is.
ANDERSON: The Open Championship, we call it The Open, other people call it the British Open, let's just call it The Open, kicking off later this week.
PINTO: And two stories out of there just quickly to tell you about. The first is the weather. We know it's been dismal. I fortunately haven't been around during June and July so far to taste what you call the English summer, nonexistent. So that's one of the stories. The other is the rough. Players are complaining that it's just too tough. Darren Clarke, the defending champ, said it's simply -- I think you either hit the fairway or you might as well go home. Tiger Woods said it was unplayable. And that's been the story in the lead up to the Open that tees off on Thursday in the north of England.
So we're going to keep following the countdown to tee off on Thursday. But the players not happen with the course out there at all.
ANDERSON: It's a tough one. All right, thank you for that. Pedro, for you in warmer climes than here in the UK where the weather continues to be miserable, let me tell you.
Still to come on Connect the World.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FARES (through translator): All of the killings, the massacres, the refugees, I don't see how anyone can remain silent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: CNN talks to the former Syrian ambassador to Iraq who defected to escape the horrors in his country. That interview is coming up here in the next 10 or so minutes.
And a look at the legacy of Olympic Parks. 11 days and counting to London, tonight we're going to go to Montreal for you. Why more than three decades later, residents there are still paying a high price for the event.
All that coming up and your headlines following this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: A very warm welcome to our viewers across Europe and around the world. I'm Becky Anderson, these are the latest world news headlines from CNN.
Marissa Mayer will be the next CEO of the internet giant Yahoo! She joined the rival Google in 1999, one of the company's first 20 hires and its first female engineer. In our Leading Women series, by 2010, we told that she had become one of the most prominent women in America's tech industry. Marissa Mayer, the next CEO of Yahoo!
Syrian opposition activists say at least 50 people were killed across the country today, four of them in Damascus. Activists describe fierce clashes in the capital, saying it was the worst fighting there since the uprising began.
A rainy welcome for Olympic athletes, coaches, and media arriving for the London Games. Heathrow expecting its busiest day on record. The British government, meanwhile, is facing a last-minute Olympic security glitch. Officials calling in an extra 3500 troops after a security contractor said it couldn't deliver all the staff for the Games that it had promised.
An Egyptian prosecutor has ordered former president Hosni Mubarak back to a prison hospital. A spokesman for the general prosecutor says doctors report Mubarak is well enough to return. Mubarak was moved to a military hospital last month when his health worsened.
One army colonel who defected from Syria says, quote, "the battle for Damascus is coming." Opposition activists are posting videos like this one we're going to show you to show how the uprising is getting ever closer to the doorstep of the Assad regime. So far, the capital has been spared the worst of the violence.
Well, the Syrian government downplaying the clashes around Damascus. State TV aired footage of a reporter speaking to a woman an empty street about what he called false reports about fighting, but listen, you can hear what sounds like gunfire in the background.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The military, thank God, came this morning, and nothing is going on right now.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT (through translator): But the media channels are saying that there is shelling Midan?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): No, nothing happening, thank God!
(GUNFIRE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, make of that what you will. Coming up, we're going to get a live report from Elise Labott, my colleague, who has just discussed the Syrian crisis with the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. That coming up.
First, though, I want to get you an update on the top diplomat who has broken ranks with the Assad regime. The country's former ambassador to Iraq had some very interesting revelations when he talked with CNN's Ivan Watson. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nawaf al Fares was Syria's man in Baghdad for nearly four years. That is, until a few days ago, when the Syrian ambassador to Iraq suddenly announced his defection.
WATSON (on camera): What prompted you to say, "I've had it. I don't want to work with this government anymore?"
NAWAF AL FARES, FORMER SYRIAN AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ (through translator): I served the Syrian regime for 34 years in many different positions, but after what happened in the last year during the holy revolution, all of the killing, the massacres, the refuges, I don't see how anyone can remain silent. So, I decided to end my relationship with this regime.
WATSON (voice-over): Fares has long been one of Bashar al-Assad's trusted lieutenants, an insider who knows how the Syrian government works.
WATSON (on camera): Who is making the decisions in Damascus right now?
FARES (through translator): The regime in Syria is a totalitarian regime and a dictatorship. There is only one person who gives the orders. That person is the president.
WATSON (voice-over): In his first interview with a US news organization since his defection, Fares rejected Syrian government claims that the Syrian rebel are al Qaeda terrorists. Instead, he accuses the Assad regime of cooperating with al Qaeda ever since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, by paving the way for al Qaeda militants to transit Syria to attack targets in neighboring Iraq.
FARES (through translator): Bashar al-Assad and his security forces are directly responsible for the killings of thousands and thousands of Iraqis and coalition forces, because he gave al Qaeda everything it needed. He trained them and gave them shelter.
WATSON: Fares points to a controversial cross-border US military raid in 2008 against the Syrian town of al Sukkariyeh. Fares claims the American target was an al Qaeda camp run by Asaf Shawkat, the brother-in- law of the Syrian president.
WATSON (on camera): You saw with your own eyes that Asaf Shawkat was leading this al Qaeda in Iraq operation?
FARES (through translator): One hour after the raid, Asaf Shawkat was there at the location. A conversation took place between me and him, and he was angry about the attack made against al Sukkariyeh, and he was kind of scared.
WATSON (voice-over): Fares is now in Doha, under the protection of the Qatari government. Syrian opposition members applaud the ambassador's defection, but tell CNN they don't trust a man who waited 16 months before joining the uprising.
WATSON (on camera): What message would you like to send to Bashar al- Assad and to your former colleagues in the Syrian government right now?
FARES (through translator): My former colleagues, I ask them to join the people and leave this corrupt regime. There is still time. To Bashar al-Assad, I say, you don't know history. To wills cannot be defeated, the will of God and the will of the people. History will curse you for the crimes you committed in Syrian.
WATSON (voice-over): A blunt warning from a man who was once one of the Syrian regime's top enforcers.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Doha.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, the International Committee of the Red Cross, or the ICRC, has termed the Syrian conflict a non-international armed conflict or civil war. Now, this is important, because this means international humanitarian law applies to all fighting.
As guardians of the Geneva Convention, the ICRC used three criteria to decide whether or not to invoke the terms of the treaties: criteria, rules, and accountability.
Let's start with this one, shall we? Criteria. The first is the intensity of the fighting. The second criteria is the duration of the fighting, and the third is how organized the rebels or opposition fighters are.
There are now rules and limits imposed on how fighting can be conducted. These include a duty to protect civilians. Now, the humane treatment of all people in enemy hands, including a duty to care for the sick and wounded.
These are really important, accountability. It also means both parties are entitled to -- sorry -- entitled to attack military targets, but not civilians or civilian property, of course.
Now that international humanitarian law has been invoked, both sides can be held accountable for war crimes if they violate these tenets.
But there seems to be one more step. If the International Criminal Court is to get involved, the UN Security Council must explicitly refer the Syrian crisis to the court before it can investigate alleged war crimes. Well, that step is needed because Syria is not, of course, party to the International Criminal Court's founding statutes.
Well, our World Affairs reporter, Elise Labott, just talked about the Syrian crisis with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She joins us now with details from Jerusalem, where they are traveling. Elise, what does the Secretary of State got to say today about Syria?
ELISE LABOTT, CNN WORLD AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, I asked her pretty plainly, for the last year, she's been saying time is running out for the Assad regime. A year ago, there were a thousand people dead when she said that. Earlier this week, she said the sands of the hourglass are running out.
So, I asked her what is the number? What is the threshold of deaths in Syria when the US and the international community will finally intervene? Let's take a listen to what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, US SECRETARY OF STATE: You have to look at all the consequences of any action that the outside could take. And there are many instances that I could point to where you could make things worse, you could add to the violence through some kind of military intervention, which is why you see the region itself, which is living with this terrible regime and what it's doing to its people, being especially careful.
So, yeas, the time is running out. I can't put a definite hour and minute on it, but the Assad regime is not going to survive. I just wish it would end sooner instead of later.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LABOTT: So, Becky, a lot of rhetoric, a lot of talking about time running out and Assad's going to go, but not a lot of concrete proposals about what the US and the international community are prepared to do to make that happen.
ANDERSON: Elise, thank you for that. That one-on-one interview, of course, with Hillary Clinton will be here on CNN in the hours ahead. Elise Labott reporting for you from Jerusalem this evening. Elise, thank you.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Coming up, as London prepares for its third Olympic Games, we're going to look back at the cities of Olympics past and how they have handled the aftermath of hosting the world's biggest sporting show. Our series on Olympic Legacies, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, it's no easy feat, but the London Games will feature 36 Olympic sporting disciplines in more than 20 -- 20 -- different locations, using a clever combination of new, existing, and temporary venues.
Starting with the centerpiece, the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, costing $760 million to build. It will seat 80,000 fans during the Games. The upper tier of the structure is, though, temporary and will be pared down to a more sustainable 25,000 seats when it is over, we are told.
London had an advantage when planning its tennis events. The world- class facility at Wimbledon will serve as the venue.
Well, the largest temporary venue is for equestrian sports, 23,000 seats will be set up in what's called Greenwich Park, and they will all be removed once the games finish.
It's important, the ambition of the organizers when it came to legacy, and a sobering comedown many a host city has faced once the Games leave town, left with white elephants, the venues they neither need nor can afford.
Tonight, we kick off a series of reports on Olympic Legacies, taking you first to Montreal for a look at the situation there and why its Olympic stadium is still nicknamed "the big O."
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Montreal 2012 on the grounds of Olympic Park. The most common sport here, now, is not exactly a reflection of those oh-so-glorious Games in 76.
DICK POUND, IOC MEMBER: They were pretty magic. I mean, all Olympics are kind of magic. But we had Comaneci with her first 10, and we had the Spinks brothers, we had Sugar Ray Leonard.
NEWTON: Canadian Dick Pound is a former Olympian and has been vice president of the International Olympic Committee.
POUND: We had some magnificent heroes of the modern Olympics.
NEWTON: So many of those memories under this roof. This cursed roof.
NEWTON (on camera): Of course, this is the iconic Olympic Stadium, what everyone has come to know as the location of those very memorable Olympics. Now, here, they nicknamed it the Big O. And some taxpaying Montrealers have come to know it as "the Big Owe."
POUND: It was not very well-managed as a financial project. And we have a fabulous stadium, but I think it cost more than all the covered stadia in North America put together.
NEWTON: Put together?
POUND: Put together.
NEWTON (voice-over): And it still doesn't open or close the way it should and can be a hazard. The roof and the Games nearly bankrupt the city.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It took us 30 years to pay it off, and as a taxpayer, not too happy about that.
NEWTON: And yet, for many here, there is more to the Olympic legacy.
NEWTON (on camera): Do you think the Olympic Games were worth it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anything in sport is worth it. I think so, any type of sport.
NEWTON (voice-over): There are precious sporting moments every day in former Olympic venues like this one. Take a look. Just watch these little girls, already reaching for sporting excellence.
MANON BARBE, SPORTING EXECUTIVE, CITY OF MONTREAL: 1976 Olympics changed Montreal forever.
NEWTON: As the city politician in charge of sport, Manon Barbe says many in the city have put the Olympic debt behind them and are proud of what was built for a new generation.
BARBE: And today, we have more than 1,000 elite athletes and over 100 coaches. And if it is that high, it's not a coincidence. It is because we decided to keep most of our Olympic facilities.
NEWTON: Places like Claude-Robillard Centre, built for the Olympics, now swimmers, promising gymnasts, track athletes, all still under one roof nurturing Olympic dreams.
HANK PALMER, FORMER CANADIAN OLYMPIAN: My mom got me a gold chain, which has a Montreal Olympics symbol, so that really pushed me to be an Olympian.
NEWTON: Former Olympian Hank Palmer was born the decade after the Games, but he says this center and the spirit of 76 still motivated him.
PALMER: Being connected to that gives more of a kind of glory to kids. It's like a twinkle in your eye when you say, "Olympics." Oh, yes! Wow! Olympics!
NEWTON: That twinkle has cost this Olympic city dearly, but Montreal's loss is the world's gain. From this legacy, cities around the world have been warned, when bidding and staging the games, you must avoid "the Big Owe."
Paula Newton, CNN, Montreal.
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ANDERSON: And tomorrow night, we will be in Barcelona at this time, our series on Olympic Legacies.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD here tonight. When we come back --
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(YOUTH ORCHESTRA PLAYING)
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ANDERSON: The sounds of London. How this city's fastest train inspired a tune for the Olympics 2012.
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ANDERSON: Well, it is a country not often in the headlines, but all this week, CNN turning its Eye on Kazakhstan. The 9th largest country in the world, it's roughly the same size as the whole of Western Europe, with an economy, let me tell you, that is booming. CNN's Fred Pleitgen takes a look at the foreign companies rushing to get a piece of the action there.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the Evolution ES44ACi Diesel Locomotive, produced at this plant near Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, using technology mostly from America's General Electric.
Many of the workers received training at GE in the US before starting their jobs here, like Daniyar Kysmagambetov, who is in charge of quality control.
"I was sent to GE's plant in Ellis (sic), Pennsylvania, and they taught me the testing procedures for the locomotives," he says.
Kazakhstan's National Railway Company produces the locomotives under license. About 70 percent of the parts come from GE, management says.
PLEITGEN (on camera): General Electric is looking to expand its role in Kazakhstan. The company recently signed a memorandum of understanding to build a factory for engines that will power locomotives like these.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Kazakhstan has embarked on a national effort to lure more foreign capital and knowledge into the country. Many of the new, flashy buildings in the capital Astana were built and are operated by outside companies, as the government tries to diversify an economy that's almost totally dependent on revenues from mineral exploitation.
In a recent speech, President Nazarbayev said a lot of headway has been made since independence more than 20 years ago. "In those years, we've attracted an estimated $150 billion of foreign investments into the country," he said, "$18 billion last year alone."
Another company that is investing here is Eurocopter, which recently signed a deal to provide search and rescue choppers to the military and civilian emergency management service.
The helicopters will be assembled at this plant near Astana's airport, a joint venture between the European defense giant and Kazak Engineering, a national firm. Training for mechanics and pilots is already underway, the CEO tells me.
ROBERT SOLLINGER, CEO, EUROCOPTER, KAZAKHSTAN: The helicopter that was chosen was the EC145, which is the helicopter we see here. And we have an idea -- we calculate over the next decade with about 100 helicopters we plan to assemble here.
PLEITGEN: A helicopter industry and modern diesel locomotives are just part of Kazakhstan's bid to end its reliance on raw commodities and build an economy based on knowledge and technology through foreign investment.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Astana, Kazakhstan.
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ANDERSON: Our Eye On series this month in Kazakhstan.
Now, tonight's Parting Shots. Who needs a ticket to the Olympics when you can witness remarkable human feats like this, right here in the heart of London. The extreme routine, which included a bungee jump off Millennium Bridge, was courtesy of the American choreographer Elizabeth Streb.
The performance just one of many events that are being staged across the UK as part of the Cultural Olympiad. We're going to leave you with another that took place at one of the gateways to the Games. Have a listen to this.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Close your eyes in London, and this is a sound you will hear.
(LONDON UNDERGROUND TRAIN ENGINE)
ANDERSON: Now, the hum of the city's train system has inspired a tune.
(YOUTH ORCHESTRA PLAYING SOUND LIKE TRAIN)
ANDERSON: Children from the London Chamber Orchestra's Music Junction Project composed "Track to Track" for the Cultural Olympiad.
CHRISTOPHER WARREN GREEN, DIRECTOR, LONDON CHAMBER ORCHESTRA: Our composing resident, Graham Fitkin, came up with the piece. He recorded sounds that the train makes. Now, they don't sound like choo-choo buffers anymore. They sound very different and very electronic.
And he gave that music to the kids and let it inspire him, as well. So, the piece is completely inspired by the sound of the train.
ANDERSON: Specifically, the high-speed Javelin train, which will take passengers from St. Pancras to the Olympic Park in just seven minutes, a journey that normally takes three times as long.
GRAHAM FITKIN, COMPOSER, "TRACK TO TRACK": I suppose the inspiration for the whole thing is that idea of a journey. A journey not just on a train, where you have the anticipation of where you're going to, but also the journey that perhaps an athlete takes from those early steps and 5:00 AM in the morning, where they've been doing it for month after month, running along the roads. And then, finally, finally, they get to the arena in a public domain having been a solitary person.
(TRUMPETS PLAYING)
FITKIN: The Olympics is more than just about sports. So although I'm a massive fan of sports, I think that culture like this should be at the heart of all our lives.
(YOUTH ORCHESTRA PLAYING)
(CROWD CHEERS)
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ANDERSON: Ah, just shy of ten days and counting until that Opening Ceremony. I'm Becky Anderson, that was CONNECT THE WORLD, thank you for watching. The world news headlines up, as ever, after this short break. Don't go away.
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