Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
Iran Wants In On Syria Peace Negotiations; Interview with Otto von Bismark's great-great Grandson
Aired September 20, 2013 - 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, the birth of a power broker. As Bashar al-Assad takes the first steps in handing over his chemical weapon stockpiles we ask if the crisis in Syria provides an opportunity for this man, the Iranian president to be the new king maker in the Middle East?
Also ahead...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My great-great grandfather wouldn't understand it, because it's a totally different concept.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I sit down with Otto Von Bismark's great-great grandson to talk about the state of affairs in Germany today on the eve of upcoming elections.
And..
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STING: I think I got sick of me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: What rock legend Sting told me about why his new album just makes sense.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN London, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.
ANDERSON: Well, just hours before a key deadline in the crisis over Syria's chemical weapons, the regime takes the first step towards revealing its long hidden arsenal. An international chemical weapons watchdog says Syria has submitted what it calls an initial report about its program. It's now studying the documents said to be quite lengthy. And expects more information in the next day or two.
Now this disclosure is part of Syria's agreement by abide by U.S.- Russian framework for destroying its chemical weapons.
Well, the chemical weapons watchdog says no country has ever disclosed its arsenal on a fast track like this.
A spokesman says the normal 60 day process has been expedited to seven because of, and I quote, "the extraordinary concern over Syria."
Let's step back for a moment. Nic Robertson reminds us just how quickly diplomatic efforts unfolded over what has just been the past week.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In Geneva, differences buried, Kerry and Lavrov jointly agree that Syria's chemical weapons must go, setting off a rollercoaster week. Syria quickly accedes, thanks to Russian diplomacy, they say, not the threat of U.S. strikes.
The reality, Russia's last remaining Mideast (inaudible), is bending to their will.
Monday in New York, UN inspectors release their report on the August 21 attack.
BAN KI-MOON, UN SECRETARY-GENERAL: The report makes for chilling reading.
ROBERTSON: Sarin was used. No blame attached. Meanwhile in Paris, Kerry discusses the Lavrov agreement with his European allies. Differences buried in Geneva are dug up.
WILLIAM HAGUE, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: It is the Assad regime that has stockpiled these weapons and that has used them repeatedly against the Syrian people.
ROBERTSON: Lavrov fires back, restating Russia's original position that Syrian rebels might have been responsible.
ALEXEI LAVROV, RUSSIEAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): I think that there is a certain degree of distortion of reality, even a reluctance to read this document.
ROBERTSON: Back in New York, words under scrutiny as the agreement is ground down into detail, to be hammered into an enforceable UN resolution that all can sign. Mid-week, agreement nowhere in sight.
BASHAR AL-ASSAD, PRESIDENT OF SYRIA: We didn't use any chemical weapons.
ROBERTSON: Meanwhile, in an interview for the U.S. channel Fox News, Assad for the first time publicly and explicitly accepts he has chemical weapons and suggests the U.S. pay an estimated $1 billion for their removal.
ASSAD: We want to fully cooperate with this agreement, not partially.
ROBERTSON: Even as he talks, his forces keep killing. According to rebels, more than 70 civilians killed by conventional weapons that same day.
The potential for misery multiplied as a new report shows 1 in 10 of Syria's estimated 100,000 rebels, are allied to al Qaeda and close to half may be sympathetic to them.
As if to punctuate the point, al Qaeda takes a key town from more moderate rebels.
Thursday not, minds in New York focus. Compromise is in the air.
JOHN KERRY, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Time is short. Let's not spend time debating what we already know.
ROBERTSON: And from left field an offer of help from one of Assad's biggest backers.
HASSAN ROUHANI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We are not the Syrian government. We are one of the countries of the region that seeks peace and stability and the elimination of weapons of mass destruction in the entire region.
ROBERTSON: By weeks end, Syria makes good on its promise to hand over a list of its chemical weapons.
But UN resolution in New York draws closer, the bigger prize a peace deal begins to gain currency. Syria's deputy premier telling a British newspaper that neither side can win through force, suggesting if there are peace talks, Syria may call for a cease-fire.
His boss, President Assad, however, taking a tougher line saying before diplomacy the money and arms flowing to the rebels must stop.
Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, Nic motioned the in-fighting there between rebel groups in Syria. That is essentially opened a new front in the civil war. Al Qaeda linked rebels seized the town of Azaz near the Turkish border from the more mainstream Free Syrian Army on Wednesday.
They've now reportedly agreed to a cease-fire. But there's no resolution to the bigger problem, their differing visions for Syria post- Bashar al-Assad., if indeed that were to happen.
The Free Syrian Army says it wants a democratic civil society while al Qaeda linked rebels are fighting for an Islamist state.
Well, one Free Syrian Army spokesman says the jihadists are trying to, and I quote, hijack the revolution.
I spoke earlier this week with Louay AlMokdad. He explained the situation to me in very stark terms. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOUAY ALMOKDAD, FREE SYRIAN ARMY SPOKESMAN: Most of them -- Bashar al-Assad regime is a terrorist. And al Qaeda they are the other. Now they are fighting us in the liberated area. Can you imagine that? We are fighting the regime from the front line and they are fighting us from behind, al Qaeda. So that's what is our situation now. We are left between two -- by we have two different fronts. And both of them, they are killing us, most of them they are bloody dictators, murdered. One of them, he want to rule it as (inaudible). And he's the prince on these areas.
They want to hijack our revolution, our moderate revolution, our revolution who start because we want democracy country, our moderate country. That's what we want from the start.
Now they are trying to fight back with -- and they're getting all -- fully support from Bashar al-Assad, and I'm very sorry to say that, with (inaudible) from the international community.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, the Guardian Newspaper's Martin Chulov has been traveling around northern Syria reporting on jihadist militia. He calls this, and I quote, "important stage for global jihad."
Martin joins us now live from Amman in Jordan. And Marin, quite an omission when we spoke to time earlier on this week. Quite frankly they are fighting on two fronts. Both Assad on the front and the rear, he says they are fighting these al Qaeda franchises on the ground.
You've been on the ground. Just describe what you've seen and heard.
MARTIN CHULOV, MIDLE EAST CORRESPONDENT, THE GUARDIAN: Well, as you say Becky, I've had a lot of trips into Syria over the last 18 months or so. But this was the first time in the last trip I went on, which was about a week ago, that I had noticed a significant jihadist presence.
There were black flags over many civil buildings in the north of the country. There were black flags painted on on the walls of schoolhouses, courthouses as well. There were command centers set up in many towns and villages.
And it was clear that the al Qaeda groups are attempting to impose their will on the towns and communities that by and large reluctantly are hosting them and are still supporting the more mainstream or moderate Free Syrian Army groups that at this stage in the civil war simply cannot afford to take on al Qaeda at the same time they're trying to defeat the Assad regime.
ANDERSON: Lest we forget, this is about the people of Syria. We do so much on the diplomatic dance that we forget -- I guess sometimes, and our viewers must remember, you know, 100,000 dead, millions on the borders in refugee camps and so many people displaced inside.
You've suggested the communities are hosting reluctantly these jihadist groups. What sort of pressure did you see being put on local communities by these rebels?
CHULOV: Well, there's very obviously an attempt to impose a version of strict Sharia law on some of these communities. And those members of communities that object, whether they be sheikhs or senior civil leaders, they are put in a very uncomfortable situation with these powerful jihadists who do come from many countries from around the region and around the world.
They certainly are trying to impose their will. They certainly are trying to push things a little at this point.
Over the last six or seven months while they've gradually gathered steam in the north of the country, they haven't been as proactive or as belligerent as they had been in recent weeks.
But certainly over the last week in particular there's been a very clear push by the jihadists in and around the Aleppo countryside, east towards Hasica (ph), Raqaa (ph), these eastern deserts near the Iraqi border and in the west, (inaudible) where by their own admission they are launching a push to try and get rid of some of these Free Syria Army units who they believe are too closely linked to western causes.
ANDERSON: Very briefly, when you heard in your own newspaper one of the Assad regime suggesting that a cease-fire may be an option at this point between the Assad regime and the opposition movement, were you surprised by that?
I mean, nobody is quite sure that the Assad -- this guy was talking on behalf of the Assad regime. Given what you have seen on the ground and given what you know to be the situation with the government forces, is a cease-fire in any way at this point realistic?
CHULOV: Well, if we ever are going to get to these Geneva 2 peace conference there will need to be some kind of cease-fire, I would have thought, to actually get both parties to attend.
The more interesting admission I found from the Syrian deputy prime minister was that the battlefield across the country is in a state of stalemate. And from what I can tell from the opposition side, that appears to be true. And I don't think he would be getting too much argument from the opposition groups who simply haven't been able to advance past their quite dramatic gains of the summer of 2012.
Ever since, things have ground to a halt in much of the country.
ANDERSON: Martin Chulov is in Amman, but he's been in and out of Syria over the past couple of weeks, and in the past couple of years, of course. Last trip just in the past week or so. Martin, thank you for that.
Interesting analysis there of the situation on the ground.
It's been a week of heavy diplomatic moves by all the main players in this Syria saga. One of the most sensations moves came from Iran. President Hassan Rouhani is now offering to broker Syrian peace talks. He wrote a column in the Washington Post calling for, and I quote, "constructive engagement." And he'll talk -- get to speak about that in person when he meets with world leaders at the UN general assembly next week.
Let's talk about all of these developments now with Genieve Abdo. She's a fellow at the Stimson Centers Middle East Program.
Given what we've heard this week, are you optimistic that something can be -- well, let's go back -- that we can expedite, or expedite a solution at the UNGA next week on the Syria crisis?
GENIEVE ABDO, FELLOW, STIMSON CENTERS MIDDLE EAST PROGRAM: Well, thanks for having me.
Yes, I think absolutely so, and certainly the Iranians think so.
Let's not forget that what they're doing is a very strategic campaign. And they see, as you mention, Becky, the connection between resolving the Syria issue and they can be a big part of this, and resolving their nuclear problem. And the problem of sanctions, which are really crippling the Iranian economy.
So what -- from the Iranian perspective, they think that they can help the Americans solve the Syrian problem if the Americans can help them solve the sanctions problem. And that's really what is going on here.
ANDERSON: Yeah, I mean, this is -- this can get complicated if you don't follow geopolitics as perhaps you and I do to its minutiae.
So for those who aren't foreign policy wonks, let's just step back for a moment. I want to give our viewers a sense of what the Iranian president wrote in his op-ed in the Washington Post today.
A couple of things. He said, in terms of Iran's position when it comes to Syria, Rouhani favors a diplomatic solution and says, and I quote, "we must create an atmosphere where peoples of the region can decide their own fate. As a part of this, I announce my government's readiness to help facilitate dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition."
He also said, and when it comes to Rouhani's new approach of constructive engagement, an optimistic solution that he said would benefit everybody is attainable and says "win-win outcomes are not just favorable, but also achievable. A zero sum Cold War mentality leads to everyone's losses."
Was that a bit of a pop, do you think, at the U.S. at this point?
ABDO: Yes, of course. I mean, you know, the Iranians believe that -- well, when we were first talking about a strike, of course the Iranians are very much against that. But I think that as much as that -- you know, there are these very nuanced pokes at the west, Iran does not want a radical Sunni government in power in Syria.
So for the Iranians, the ideal solution is to -- is to make Assad dispensable, but to keep some remnants of the regime in place.
And for the west, that's not such a bad outcome either, because we -- know you, the United States in particular does not want, as Nic Robertson reported, radical -- Salafists, radical jihadists, running the Syria government.
So when Obama thinks about a solution to Syria in the back of his mind is the sort of failure of Iraq. And the Iranians know that. And they know that they have a card to play.
So I think that Rouhani is coming to the UN very confident. He has domestic support. He has the support of Supreme Leader Khamenei which is very important. And he also has something -- he has a card to play. And I think that that's why we're seeing this very confident, you know, interview on NBC, on many of the other networks, and his op-ed in the Washington Post.
But I think that what we'll see in the general -- the UN general assembly is he will come with concrete proposals. And he will be very direct in the same way that he's been direct in these interviews. And he will say, give us a seat at the table to negotiate Syria. And in exchange for that, you know, we will give you our role in Syria, we'll give you our power in Syria, we will give you our influence in Syria. We might even withdraw our troops from Syria. Let's not forget Iran has revolutionary guard in Syria.
But in exchange, you have to help us on the sanctions issue.
ANDERSON; It is building up to be a fascinating week in New York next week. You and I will be watching closely, as I'm sure will our viewers. Thank you very much indeed for joining us this evening.
All right, well that's Syria and indeed Iran. And a precursor to what we believe will happen in New York at the UN general assembly next week.
Still to come this evening, militants deal a deadly blow to security forces in Yemen. We're going to bring you the details on that.
And, it's turning into a tight race. Can Angela Merkel win another term in office to become Europe's longest serving female (inaudible) leader? We'll analyze the options, the potential for that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDRESON: This is Connect the world. 20 minutes -- or nearly 20 minutes past 8:00 in London. I'm Becky Anderson. Welcome back.
Now there's been a string of deadly attacks in southern Yemen. At least 18 soldiers and eight police officers were killed in Shabwa province earlier this morning. Car bombs and heavy artillery used to attack the military and police installations there. There's been no claim of responsibility, but al Qaeda is suspected.
One security official said that the attacks were likely in retaliation for recent U.S. drone strikes.
Well, the Netherlands is calling on Russia to release the crew of a Greenpeace ship seized on Thursday. Two Dutch nationals are among 30 activists who say Greenpeace -- or Greenpeace at least says are being held at gunpoint by the Russian coastguard. The ship had been circling an oil platform and the Russian coastguard boarded. Russia says the activists were being aggressive and provocative.
The strongest storm on earth so far this year is now lashing the Philippines and Taiwan. Supertyphoon Usagi is packing winds as strong as 260 kilometers per hour. It's expected to reach the densely populated city of Hong Kong late on Sunday.
Meanwhile, dozens of people are missing after a mudslide hit a town in the south of Mexico. Officials say at least 97 people have been killed across the country in the wake of Tropical Storms Manuel and Ingrid. Officials say government aid is on the way, but conditions have made it difficult to reach remote areas.
Live from London, this is Connect the World. Coming up, she is Germany's Iron Lady, but what would the original iron chancellor make of her politics? We'll ask his great-great grandson.
And he's won 16 Grammies and sold 100 million records. I speak with the superstar Sting about his latest creation, The Ship. That after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, it is less than 48 hours until Germans head to the polls in the country's federal election. Until recently, Sunday's vote was widely speculated to be a resounding win for Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right coalition. But the latest poll from Sunday newspaper (inaudible) reveals that the race is neck and neck.
Although Merkel's Christian Democrat Party is clearly in the lead, she's relying on her political ally, the Free Democrats, to form a ruling coalition. And they are trailing in the polls.
Well, her main opponent is the gaffe prone social democrat leader Peer Steinbrueck, formally Merkel's finance minister. He could be working alongside the chancellor yet again in a grand coalition if neither side gets the votes they need.
Well, she is known as the Iron Chancellor, but in today's political landscape Merkel has to work with her coalition partners. No single party has governed Germany since reunification in the 1990s. This, of course, is in sharp contrast to Germany's original Iron Chancellor Otto von Bismark. And recently I sat down with his great-great grandson. I began by asking Carl-Eduard about his ancestor's political legacy. Have a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARL-EDUARD VON BISMARCK, OTTO VON BISMARCK'S GREAT-GREAT GRANDSON: I believe that the people in Germany have a very short memory of history, let's say the young people they don't even remember the reunification. But my great-great grandfather did influence let's say a new Germany in 1871. So I believe that what he did was an amazing thing, but it lead to the first World War, because there were a lot of let's say differences between Austria and Germany, Denmark and Germany. But those times are not as we see them now.
ANDERSON: What would your great-great grandfather think of Germany today?
BISMARCK: He is already rolling in his grave.
(LAUGHTER)
BISMARCK: Yeah, but those were different times. You know, my great- great grandfather wouldn't understand it, because it's a totally different concept, you know.
I think he would be actually quite proud, because the Germans are one union, especially after reunification. And he would like it.
ANDERSON: He was known as the Iron Chancellor and now Merkel is too. How do they compare, if at all, do you think?
BISMARCK: You cannot compare Ms. Merkel to Bismarck, but I mean, she is let's say as the first elected woman in Germany, she is extremely good.
ANDERSON: How well supported is she by her party?
BISMARCK: I think she's better supported than she used to be. In the beginning it was very critical, because you know, not saying that Germans are (inaudible) or whatever, but you know to have a woman being the leader of the conservative party and being from East Germany on top of it, is -- was not easy for her.
ANDERSON: Talk to me about being a politician in Germany. You were one. I think one of the German newspapers once called you the laziest member of the Bundes (inaudible) is that right?
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: Talk about life as a German politician.
BISMARCK: You know what, the politic time -- I did 15 years. I mean, I did six-and-a-half years in Parliament. I did the local politics, et cetera. What is frustrating is if you are independent and you have let's say a view to change something in the country it becomes frustrating, because the parliament is so big that you really need a team to change something.
But I had kind of a vision to be there as a Bismarck. And obviously it was not easy at all to get in there.
ANDERSON: Do you feel that you failed your great-great grandfather's legacy in not pursuing politics to the end of your career?
BISMARCK: Not at all. You cannot fail a country if you are around you can always be involved. And I'm still very involved. But to compare it to his times is very difficult -- actually impossible to do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Carl von Bismarck talking to me about his great-great grandfather's legacy and Germany's state just 48 hours ahead of the German election.
And join me for special coverage of that. We'll have live reports throughout the day Sunday with news and opinion from Berlin and around the world. You can follow the results with us live after polls close. That's Germany Votes starting on Sunday 4:30 London, 5:30 in Berlin, and 7:30 in Abu Dhabi.
Now the latest world news headlines are just ahead. Plus we look at how hundreds of children have become the victim of sexual abuse via webcam.
And he may be John Lennon's son, but there are many other reasons why the world should know Julian Lennon.
Plus, your pet may hold the key to unlocking your iPhone. All that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back, this is CONNECT THE WORLD, and CNN top stories this hour. An international chemical weapons watchdog says Syria has begun revealing details about its long-secretive arsenal. It says the regime has submitted, and I quote, "an initial report" and is expected to release more information soon. The disclosure is part of a US-Russian deal to eradicate Syria's chemical weapons.
At least 18 soldiers and 8 police officers were killed in southern Yemen earlier this morning. Car bombs and heavy artillery were used to attack military and police installations. There's been no claim of responsibility, but al Qaeda is suspected.
The strongest storm of the season worldwide is now lashing the Philippines and Taiwan. Super typhoon Usagi is packing winds as strong as 260 kilometers an hour. It's expected to reach the densely-populated city of Hong Kong late on Sunday.
Germans head to the polls on Sunday for a vote that could hand Chancellor Angela Merkel a third term. The latest numbers predict a tight race between Merkel's coalition party and that of her main rival, the Social Democrat leader Peer Steinbrueck.
And this just coming into CNN, there is going to be some big changes at BlackBerry. The handset maker announced its restructuring and will cut about 4500 jobs. BlackBerry says it will report a quarterly net operating loss of nearly $1 billion.
Earlier this month, Dow Jones reported the struggling company was trying to auction itself off. Trading in shares of BlackBerry has been halted due to news pending on both the NASDAQ and the Toronto Stock Exchange.
We are getting a disturbing new look at how kids and teenagers are being targeted for sexual abuse online. A UK child protection body says the victims, as young as eight, are being blackmailed into performing sex acts in front of their webcams. Now, in some cases, the results can be tragic. Let's kick this part of the show off with Atika Shubert, who has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It starts off as an innocent online chat between what appears to be two teenagers, an invitation to see the other on camera.
(TYPING ON KEYBOARD)
TEXT: OFFENDER: Have u cam Or u like shy.
VICTIM: I have cam but only do video call-- I look a mess today.
OFFENDER: Haha then sex it up babee ;P Just go on :) x
SHUBERT: Within hours, the victim, a 16-year-old, is lured into posing for sexual pictures, and a day later, the offender, posing as a teenager, is blackmailing for more photos. The victim's response is heartbreaking.
(TYPING ON KEYBOARD)
TEXT: VICTIM: Omg u promised Yeahhh thanks for making me want to cry U've got ur slaves.... u sed that you didn't need me no more Thanks for making me want to kill myself
SHUBERT (on camera): British police gave us this transcript of that chat log, evidence, they say, that children and teenagers are being targeted online for sexual blackmail.
SHUBERT (voice-over): Britain's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre say they have recorded 425 child victims of sexual blackmail online worldwide. But more than a quarter of those, 184 children, are right here in the UK, the youngest victim is eight years old.
STEPHANIE MCCOURT, CHILD EXPLOITATION AND ONLINE PROTECTION CENTRE: Let's be clear. The figures that we've talked about today are the tip of the iceberg. Once the offender's got that image of the child -- and I'm talking about a naked image, or an image in which the child is engaging in some sort of sexual activity, then it begins to spiral and the offenders then have a hold against the child. And that's how things just get so much worse.
SHUBERT: It is an international problem. This map by British police shows just how one offender targeted multiple chat rooms across the world. But the highest concentration of chat logs were here in the UK. Why? British police asked convicted offenders.
MCCOURT: They told us that the first reason was because of the English language, a universal language, and for non-native English speakers, it's the language they're most likely to talk.
And the other reason was because they saw the UK as a free and open and liberal society, and it was their perception that it would be easier to offend against children from the UK because they've been more receptive to it.
SHUBERT: The Child Protection Centre has this advice for kids: don't chat online with people you don't know in the real world. Tell someone if you're being pressured to do something you don't want to do online. And if someone does get hold of a compromising photo of you, it's not the end of the world. Tell someone who can help.
For parents, a reminder: the unrestricted internet can be a dangerous place for children. Know who your kids are talking to online.
Atika Shubert, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: This is a pretty horrific story, isn't it? So we want to provide some sort of advice for those of you out there who as parents may have no idea what your kids are doing when they are on the internet. Joining us now is Ken Corish, who is the e-safety officer at the UK Safer Internet Centre. He's in Plymouth in southern England.
And firstly, I want to point out to parents, it's not their fault if they don't know what their kids are doing. We know that as children and teenagers and as young adults, ofttimes you're keeping stuff from your parents. But this is really scary stuff, so talk to those parents out there who might be concerned about what's going on or may have no idea tonight, Ken, where do you start?
KEN CORISH, E-SAFETY OFFICER, UK SAFER INTERNET CENTRE: Well, the first place where I'd begin to talk about is that you need to remind yourself that actually, this technology isn't all the devil's work. It's a very positive technology, it's a great and empowering technology.
But it does put you into spaces where other people are in a very sort of open and vulnerable way. And so, just like you would if your child was going out for the evening, you'd be interested in where they were, who they were mixing with, and putting your foot into that world is really important.
So, the first one is understanding, A, for yourself as a parent, what sort of devices have this ability to be able to connect and to have a video facility on them, and that they may be devices that you connect to the internet that you might not even have considered --
ANDERSON: All right.
CORISH: -- before. So, you -- so for me, it's about understanding the device, but also have that first conversation. Have an open and honest dialogue with your child about --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Let me be -- OK --
CORISH: -- what they're doing --
ANDERSON: -- and I totally get it, and you're making a really good point. Let me be really frank with you. You and I know -- I'm sure you're in the same position, I certainly was, and kids I talked to -- you don't want to talk to your parents, and you certainly don't want them involved in what you are doing.
Maybe at the age of eight, that's something completely different, and that's an horrific example, but once you get to teenage life, it's really tough for parents to get any sort of inroad or access into what their kids are doing. So, give us some more, Ken.
CORISH: OK. So, one of the things that we know is that it's really important to understand the technology your children are using and that that technology is safe. Like any other aspect of children's behavior, you have to draw a line in the sand for you as a parent about what your expectations are.
ANDERSON: Sure.
CORISH: And you can't just continue and rely on the fact that kids are so much better at technology than us. Well, they might very well know which button to press and which piece of software to use and which app to download, but they have all of that naivete and inexperience that youth brings.
And very often, there are massive gaps in their understand, particularly around social contact, that we -- that's the thing that we as parents do really well. So, this is not about understanding technology, this is about understanding behavior.
So, simple things like, for example, if your child's got a video device, is that device secure? Are their passwords secure? Having that conversation about passwords is a really simple and easy start. If they're using something like a PC or laptop or a Netbook, are all the anti-virus and secure firewalls up to date?
Because we know in this report that actually social network sites have been compromised and hacked because the fact that their security is weak on the computer and also they've installed key loggers onto machines, managed to compromise --
ANDERSON: All right.
CORISH: -- young people's social network passwords and got through that way. But one of the other things, too, I would draw parents' attention to is that across a whole range of devices, it's really difficult to track things like apps.
Now, apps are -- that you download from things like the Android Play Store and the stuff that you can download from the Apple Store, these have a way of sitting in among social networks like Facebook and Twitter and bleeding out information. They're very often used to compromise young people's accounts so that web cams are compromised, and then all of a sudden, covert filming --
ANDERSON: Interesting. All right --
CORISH: -- has happened.
ANDERSON: All right, Ken, all right. You're making some fantastic points, and this is great advice, sir. What if something goes wrong. What if, as a parent, I realize that my kid has been compromised. Where do I start?
CORISH: OK. Well, if you can't mange this yourself. So the first place is you as a parent. The buck first of all stops with you. Something that happened to your child -- let's move this into the sort of physical world -- you would want your child, no matter what they'd done, to come to you first of all.
And our own data suggests that actually, young people, particular in that 11 to 16-year-old bracket, don't enjoy reporting, won't report, for all those reasons you mentioned.
The main reason they won't report is that they're afraid that something that they've done, particularly if it involves something sexual, is their fault, that the parents are going to kick off, that they're going to blame them, they're going to remove the technology, that the response parents are going to give is not going to be supportive. So, that's the first thing.
But you've also got to convince your child that it's not the end of the world to actually go and tell your parents. It might be their worst nightmare, but you need someone behind you. If you can't talk to your parents, go to ChildLine, CyberMentors from our colleagues at Beat Bullying, or go to the CEOPS, Child Exploitation Online Protection Centre, ceop.police.uk, and press the report abuse button.
There's lots of advice out there. Or, indeed, your school very often has a set of procedures and reporting routines that can help not only parents but young people get the right sort of advice. If they can't ameliorate it themselves, they can move you onto the right place to go and get help.
ANDERSON: Ken, it's a pleasure to talk to you this evening, and one wishes one didn't have to, but we do. And until it stops, we will continue to talk and garner your advice. Thank you very much, indeed, for joining us tonight.
The team at CONNECT THE WORLD wants to hear from you, facebook.com/CNNconnect. Have your say on whatever you've heard from us tonight, headline story, Syria, of course, tonight.
We're talking German elections, talking the situation that Ken was just talking to there, we've got Julian Lennon and Sting coming up, anything. Becky -- @BeckyCNN, that's @BeckyCNN. That is the Twitter address for me. You've seen the Facebook address, get in touch.
Live from London, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. The son of a Beatle. His name alone could carry him through life, but Julian Lennon is an artist in his own right. He talks to me about creating his own path, up next.
And then, he was born Gordon Sumner, but around the world, he is known quite simply as Sting. The rock icon tells me what helped him overcome a decade-long writer's block. That still to come this hour her on CNN. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: It's hard to believe the little boy in this photograph is now 50 years old. Julian Lennon was born at the height of his father's fame and lost him to a gunman when he was just 17. But the only child of John Lennon and his first wife, Cynthia Powell, has shared his father's creative gift.
He's not only a musician with six albums under his belt, but has now embarked on what is a new career, photography. I met him at the exhibition -- the first exhibition of his work in London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Images of clouds. They look like watercolor paintings, but actually, they are photographs taken by Julian Lennon.
JULIAN LENNON, MUSICIAN/PHOTOGRAPHER: The reason they look so painterly is more often than not is partly because of the paper and the texture and the quality of the paper and the absorbency of the paper.
ANDERSON: This is the singer/songwriter's first exhibition in London of what has become his new passion.
LENNON: I'm not like most photographers that already frame their image up and set their image up. My shots tend to be a lot more random. And it's a time and a place.
ANDERSON (on camera): So, there's no one specific message across --
LENNON: I don't think so. I think, though, through a lot of the painterly work, there's -- I guess a level of peace and calmness within those photographs. I've always said that many of the shots were taken while I was sitting on the plane while everybody's asleep. And for me, they're a time of either reflection or just -- blanking everything out altogether and just going for a flight.
ANDERSON (voice-over): As the son of one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century, the comparisons with his father have been inevitable. They look alike, they even sound alike. This from Julian's first album in more than a decade, "Everything Changes."
(MUSIC - "EVERYTHING CHANGES" BY JULIAN LENNON)
ANDERSON: The photography, though, is all Julian.
ANDERSON (on camera): Do you feel a real need to identify yourself as an individual as a musician, as Julian Lennon --
LENNON: Of course.
ANDERSON: -- not "son of."
LENNON: Of course, no question about that. It was -- for me, it was becoming the best song smith that I could possibly be. And I've worked on that for years and years and years, and -- but again, photography is number one on the list at the moment because I can breathe with photography.
And with photography, it's always a different and new and exciting project. I just don't know where photography's going to take me, because all the jobs that have come to me so far have been absolutely organic.
ANDERSON: Did you seek advice from your father's colleagues, those in the Beatles? When you were establishing yourself?
LENNON: No. No, no.
ANDERSON: Why not?
LENNON: Well, I felt it was my own journey that I had to follow. And I didn't want to look as though I was leaning on any shoulders. So, I've always pretty much taken that route. The only shoulder that I've leaned on at all has been Mum's. She's been the -- my rock.
ANDERSON: Paul McCartney, George Harrison, do they give you a nod and wink when it comes to the music? Do you get reaction from them?
LENNON: Yes -- no, I have done in the past. George was always a sweetheart to me. Loved him dearly. I miss him dearly. It was at the album launch in Los Angeles where I had a -- also had an exhibition. I had one of those evenings where it was a mixture of both. And I got a note from Paul, which was delightful, just saying how proud he was and how proud he thought Dad would've been.
ANDERSON (voice-over): But that's not what drives this now 50-year- old artist.
ANDERSON (on camera): Best thing your dad taught you?
LENNON: I hate to say this, but how not to be a father.
ANDERSON: You were born John Charles Julian Lennon. At what point did you decide to change your name?
LENNON: I -- well, I didn't decide. It was -- what really happened was Mum shouting, "John! Come in here! Your dinner's ready!" And we'd both coming running, and it would -- so, Mum started calling me Julian.
ANDERSON: Julian Lennon on a Saturday night?
LENNON: Recovering from Friday night.
(LAUGHTER)
LENNON: No, generally -- I tend to maybe pop out one night a week, if I get the chance after a long, good week's work.
ANDERSON: You sound so grown-up these days.
LENNON: Sorry.
ANDERSON: What do you hope your legacy will be?
LENNON: That I was a person that was as good as he could be in every sense of the word.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Julian Lennon, what a joy. Charming man. Coming up after this short break on CONNECT THE WORLD, if you got the new iPhone today, you might want to test it out with your pet. The details on a quirky new feature is just ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STING, MUSICIAN: If you scratch me, I'll sing "Carousal."
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: But first, what makes Sting tick? That's next in our weekly series CNN Preview.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): On this edition of CNN Preview --
(MUSIC - "EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE" BY THE POLICE)
ANDRESON: -- an artist who's won 16 Grammies --
(MUSIC - "ROXANNE" BY THE POLICE)
ANDERSON: -- sold 100 million records worldwide --
(MUSIC - "IF I EVER LOSE MY FAITH IN YOU" BY STING)
ANDERSON: -- and has hits in genres ranging from pop to rock --
(MUSIC - "ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK" BY STING)
ANDERSON: -- jazz to Algerian Rai music --
(MUSIC - "DESERT ROSE" BY STING)
ANDERSON: -- Sting tells me how childhood memories and a love of musicals helped him overcome a ten-year writer's block and provided the material for a new album and a Broadway show based on the shipbuilders of his native northeast England.
ANDERSON (on camera): "The Last Ship," you've said, gave you back your reason to write music. What did you mean by that?
STING: I sort of immersed myself in the work of other composers to learn, I suppose, and I was fascinated by that stuff. But I hadn't really written anything in a decade. I'm trying to figure out why.
So, then I got this idea that if I wrote for the theater, I'd be writing for other people than myself, for other voices than my own, for other points of view than my own. For men, women, old, young. And that really freed me up from this sort of paralysis I was in. I think I got sick of me.
(MUSIC - "THE LAST SHIP" BY STING)
ANDERSON: Well, let's talk about it. It's "The Last Ship."
STING: It's set in my hometown. I come from Wallsend, North Tyneside, and we built the greatest, biggest ships ever constructed on planet Earth at the end of my street. My earliest memory is of a massive ship. And I would watch these things grow, and I'd watch all the thousands of men go to work every morning and wonder if I was going to have to end up there.
And then, they'd launch the ship, which is a -- if you've every seen a launching, it's an apocalyptic event. You'll never see that amount of steel moving ever. And royalty would come down our street in a --
ANDERSON: Queen Mum?
STING: The Queen Mum came, and she waved at me. And I'd be waving my little Union Jack.
ANDERSON: What did you think when you saw the royal family?
STING: What did I think? I thought, I'm not sure I want to be standing here in the street, I want to be actually in a car like that. I want privilege, I want -- money. Wealth. It kind of infected me a little bit.
I took up music, and I realized that was the way to escape. But having escaped, all those years ago, now I have this huge passion and urge to go back and try and figure out what it was I was born into. Because it was quite a surreal landscape I was brought up in. And a very powerful, symbolic one.
And so, as an artist, it's kind of your duty to return, at least in a creative way, to that and give that place honor.
(MUSIC - "THE LAST SHIP" BY STING)
ANDERSON: The album incorporates friends from the northeast and traditional music from the northeast as well. Can you describe that for me?
STING: I had a few friends who came and helped me. Because I didn't want to sing all of the characters. Jimmy Nail is a great friend of mine. People like Brian Johnson came from AC/DC. Some local singers, the Unthank sisters, and some local musicians from the UK as well helped me out.
I wanted the music of the play eventually to reflect the richness of the musical culture of the northeast, which is very rich. Kind of Celtic. In the 19th century, there was a massive Scottish immigration, and then a huge Irish immigration. So, I was brought up in an Irish community, Catholic community. And so that music added to the texture.
And then, of course, rock and roll and -- I was educated by show tunes. My mother was a real show tunes fanatic. She had all the Rogers and Hammerstein records and "My Fair Lady" and "West Side Story." So, I played those records to death. If you scratch me, I'll sing " Carousal."
(LAUGHTER)
STING: But -- so this music reflects all of those influences. There's not much rock and roll in it. It's really -- it's a mixture of folk music and a tip of the hat to musical theater.
(MUSIC - "THE LAST SHIP" BY STING)
ANDERSON: Do you think the Americans will get a play about the northeast?
STING: Well, there are precedents. "Billy Elliot" did extremely well, was written by a friend of mine, Lee Hall. And also, for the people in America, I would imagine that what I'm presenting to them is kind of exotic in a way. There's a musicality to the language and to the speech.
ANDERSON: See a sign in the future, "Welcome to exotic Wallsend."
(LAUGHTER)
STING: Well, it is exotic, in many -- it's exotic to me, now --
ANDERSON: I get it.
STING: -- when I look back.
(MUSIC - "THE LAST SHIP" BY STING)
ANDERSON (voice-over): For a lucky few, Sting will be playing songs from "The Last Ship" live at a series of shows at the public theater in New York, but you'll have to wait until 2014 for the play to launch on Broadway.
(MUSIC - "THE LAST SHIP" BY STING)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Just before we go this hour, I wanted to update you on a story we broke here on CONNECT THE WORLD and the hammering of BlackBerry's stock taking after it's announced its restructuring and will cut about 4500 jobs. It says it will report a quarterly net operating loss of nearly a billion dollars. This is a very big story. Stay tuned right here on CNN as Richard Quest dissects what it all means, coming up next on "Quest Means Business."
I'm Becky Anderson, that was CONNECT THE WORLD on a Friday evening in London. It's a very good evening. Thank you for watching. See you Sunday for the German elections.
END
