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Connect the World
UN Worker Dies Of Ebola In Germany; The Fight Against ISIS in Kobani; One Square Meter: Solving the Housing Shortage in Brazil; Probation Officer Recommends House Arrest for Oscar Pistorius; Iranian President Confident As Nuclear Talks Resume; Dallas Nurse with Ebola "Clinically Stable"; Liberian Health Care Workers Demand Help; Turkey Weighs ISIS Options; Coalition Attacks ISIS Refineries; UK Lawmakers Vote to Recognize Palestine; Support for Palestine; Parting Shots: Abu Dhabi Falcon Contest
Aired October 14, 2014 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: What began as West Africa's problem is quickly becoming a global concern. A death in Germany, scores being monitored in
Spain and big questions being asked about an infection on U.S. soil. We're going to bring you the very latest on the Ebola outbreak.
Also ahead this hour, Turkey is considered crucial in the fight against ISIS. We're going to get you live to Istanbul to examine whether
President Erdogan is more concerned with fighting other battles.
And as Iran goes back to the nuclear negotiation table with several world powers, we'll explore whether they'll be able to agree to something
more substantial than more talking time.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.
ANDERSON: Well, a very good evening. It is 7:00 p.m. in the UAE.
The Ebola virus is ravaging West Africa, killing nearly 4,500 people at the WHO's last count. But the epidemic also continues to spread, of
course, around the world. The latest developments for you as we know them.
Health officials in Spain are monitoring 81 people for signs of Ebola after nurse Teresa Romero Ramos fell ill. She's currently in critical
condition in Madrid.
Meanwhile, a U.S. nurse fighting Ebola has received a blood transfusion from American Ebola survivor (inaudible) of that victim.
You with us, Fred? And if you are, what do we know about the patient and the circumstances of their death?
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Becky.
Yeah, well what we know is that this patient came to that hospital in critical condition all last Thursday on a special flight from Sierra Leone,
what happened then is that he got medical treatment at this hospital in Leipzig.
Now the hospital said that he was in an isolation unit the entire time. And what they did was they tried to treat the symptoms of the Ebola
virus so they kept trying to basically keep him alive, keep him hydrated, but they were also using experimental drugs, as well, that's one of the
things that the hospital there in Leipzig has said that these drugs were not cleared for use yet by the German version of the Food and Drug
Administration, however they said that in this case it was important for them to at least to try these drugs out on this person and see whether or
not they could achieve some sort of improvement in his condition.
They said in spite of all of those efforts, he died in the night from Monday into Tuesday. And they did extend their condolences, of course, to
the friends and the family of this patient, Becky.
ANDERSON: Fred, what do we know about protocol, about procedures followed? This is a case which seems to have just got onto the radar, as
it were, and clearly the German authorities have known about this for some time.
PLEITGEN: Yeah, you're absolutely right, it hasn't really been on the public's radar very much as well. And one of the things that the Germans
keep saying is that they don't believe that there is a danger of Ebola breaking out in Germany or in some way shape or form spreading here in
Germany. And one of the things that they've actually done is they've given a lot of details as to how this patient was treated by the hospital staff.
Of course, also trying to calm down the public here and show that they actually have state of the art procedures in place.
Now one of the things that they've said is that the staff there -- there were six people on duty 24 hours a day monitoring and aiding this
patient. They said they used between 20 and 30 pairs of single-use drugs per hour to treat this person. They also said that they used up to 100
protective suits every day.
They also added that every person who came into contact with the victim was at all times wearing a liquid proof protective suit and a
respirator and was not allowed to take that protective suit of himself, had to be aided by someone else to make sure that all the procedures were
followed at all times and that all the procedures were cross checked as well.
And that's one of the reasons why the Germans say they believe they have all of this under control. They believe that there's no danger of
anybody else in the hospital being contaminated with Ebola, however, of course we have seen, for instance with the case in Spain and Dallas as well
that this disease is one that is very dangerous and spreads very, very quickly, Becky.
ANDERSON: Sure. Fred Pleitgen is in Berlin for you. Fred, thank you.
We've got a lot more on the Ebola epidemic ahead on Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson. We're going to get you up to date on the American
nurse fighting the virus in Texas coming up in a live report.
Plus, we'll take an in depth look at Liberia's health care system is struggling to deal with the outbreak.
Some developing news that I've got to bring you now, an American citizen has been shot and killed in Saudi Arabia. State media reporting an
inidentified attacker in Riyadh opened fired on the victim's car injuring a second American as well.
Police arrived and exchanged fire with the gunmen who was wounded and taken into custody. As we get more on this story, of course, we will get
it directly to you.
Well, Kurdish fighters in the Syrian city of Kobani say they are holding ISIS militants back for now. The city was bombarded once against
by U.S.-led coalition warplanes, while Kurdish fighters try to prevent ISIS on the ground from taking over the city border crossing into Turkey. They
say if that happens, then the battle for Kobani is over.
Now complicating matters are media reports that Turkey's air force bombed Kurdistan Workers Party targets inside Turkey.
Well, clearly those reports add a layer of complexity to Ankara's current strategy, a developing story that we are working to get more
information on as we speak.
Meantime, Arwa Damon is on the border of Turkey and Syria and we continue to monitor the fight for Kobani. Arwa, a strategic Syrian town,
which if it falls to ISIS could provide a significant plank of strength for the group.
Just how close is it to falling to militants at this point?
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORREPSONDENT: Well, it's difficult to get an actual grasp on exactly how much longer that Kurdish fighting force
can hold out. One Kurdish fighter that we have been speaking to was saying that ISIS really seems to be concentrating all of its efforts, the main
battle happening around key border crossing between Kobani, Syria and Turkey.
We saw a series of airstrikes both yesterday and today seeming to be targeting those ISIS positions that are closest to that vital border
crossing.
If that border crossing were to fall to ISIS, according to this fighter one could consider that all of Kobani has fallen to ISIS.
We also saw a number a number of coalition airstrikes, or what seemed to be coalition airstrikes to the south and southeast of the city.
Now SIS managing, though, despite all of this to put its flag on yet another building in the southern part of the city, this was a location
where we have not seen the ISIS flag in the past. However, it does seem that the Kurdish fighting force, the YPG, had been able to take advantage
of at least some of the coalition airstrikes, especially those that took place on a strategic hilltop to the west of the city, this is a hilltop
where we had been seeing for the last few days ISIS fighters moving around with impunity, according to one Kurdish fighter. There was a coalition
airstrike there in the morning, and then the YPG fighters able to move in.
But again, Becky, and we keep repeating this every single day, those Kurdish fighters need weapons resupply. They need heavy weapons resupply,
because they said they're up against tanks. One fighter describing how ISIS effectively, he was saying, are absolutely fearless, describing how a
row of them stood in front of a tank to try to protect it so that the RPG that he was firing would kill them and not damage the tank, that's the kind
of force that these Kurdish fighters are up against.
So, they're willing to die. They have no qualms about dying. They're absolutely fearless. And they have plenty of logistical routes to get
those weapons and additional fighters in, Becky.
ANDERSON: And remarkably, a well oiled machine as we know. And more from Arwa as we move through the hour.
How about just where this financing comes from and where the strategic oil assets are that ISIS has been after and ofttimes now controls, which
provides the grift, as it were, the financial grift of what is, as I say, a well organized and well armed group.
All right, Arwa, thank you.
A prison sentence would break Oscar Pistorius and leave him vulnerable, that is what a probation officer told the judge at the South
African athlete's sentencing here in its second day.
He's been found guilty of culpable homicide, you'll remember, for the shooting of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp and should find out by the end
of this week if he is headed to prison.
Robyn Curnow following the story for us in Pretoria. And Robyn, a sentencing process closely watched by the world and one that will be hotly
debated in South Africa whatever the judge's decision, correct?
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. I mean, this is the first time, as you know, a criminal trial has been broadcast on
South African television. Most of South Africa has been gripped by this story. And everybody, of course, had an opinion on the judgment, and now
people throwing their opinions around in terms of how Oscar Pistorius should be punished.
And of course when you speak to the legal experts, to Kelly Phelps, you know there's a balance between public opinion and in the public
interest. And that is what judge Masipa is going to have to balance when she weighs up how he should be punished.
But it's very interesting, because the prison system here in South Africa was essentially on trial today. A probation officer coming out
saying Oscar Pistorius would probably be too vulnerable because of his disability in the harsh South African prisons. But, you know, she was very
heavily criticized under cross-examination by Gerrie Nel. Take a listen to their exchange.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GERRIE NEL, PROSECUTOR: Disabled people should not be in prison.
ANNETTE VERGEER, PROBATION OFFICER: That is not what I said, my lady. I know of disabled people in wheelchairs that are in prison. What I'm
trying to say is it is more difficult, my lady, it cannot be disputed.
NEL: Now, prison is difficult for anybody.
VERGEER: It is difficult, but then it is some more difficult for a disabled person. If it's going to be difficult for an able person, how
much more difficult must it be for a disabled person?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: OK, so lots of questions on what the judge is thinking. You know, you've heard in the last day or two, two witnesses, including that
probation officer, suggesting Oscar Pistorius should be under house arrest for a few years, do community service. Others of course here in South
Africa, particularly on the street, firmly believe in a harsher prison term. Where she strikes a balance between those competing issues, you
know, is going to be very interesting.
But, you know, I think this is still a case that could drag on, Becky. We've talked about it for months and months and months. There's the issue
of appeal. So, you know, there is a sense that he might know his -- you know, whether he's going to go to jail or not by the end of the week, but
maybe not. So, still a lot of unanswered questions.
ANDERSON: Fascinating.
Robyn, thank you.
Still to come tonight on Connect the World with me Becky Anderson, Turkey denies U.S. claims that it will let coalition planes use its air
bases against ISIS. We're going to try and sort out the confusion in a live report from Istanbul.
And Iran and world powers back at the nuclear negotiating table. Up next, how the fight against ISIS has changed the dynamic of a possible deal
between Tehran and the west.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: You're with CNN. This is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. Welcome back.
Now negotiations for a final deal on Iran's nuclear program are underway in Vienna in Austria. A deadline for an agreement between the
Iranians and the six world powers has been set for the 24 of November, but the changing dynamics in the region may push Washington and Tehran to
finally achieve a breakthrough.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Six short weeks remain before the deadline for a final deal on Iran's nuclear program. Iranian, U.S. and EU negotiators are in Vienna
kickstarting another round of efforts to clinch a long elusive pact.
An interim agreement was made late last year, giving Tehran some relief from tough economic sanctions in return for curbs on its nuclear
activity.
Since then, then momentum has slowed.
On the one hand, there's disagreement over the size and output of Iran's uranium enrichment program. And on the other, over a timetable for
the lifting of more sanctions.
But there's still hope for an agreement. On Monday, Iran's president Hassan Rouhani sounded confident saying, "I think a final settlement can be
achieved in these remaining 40 days. We will not return to the situation a year ago."
That sort of optimism comes against the backdrop of this: a recent tweet by Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, clearly outlining the
red lines for negotiators.
And there are domestic constraints on the U.S. side as well with the Obama administration under pressure by some members of congress to not
concede much to Iran.
World powers suspect Iran of trying to make a nuclear bomb, a claim it denies. But there's one inescapable truth, the rise of ISIS has created a
new reality. Here, Iran has become part of the solution rather than part of the problem. It, too, is opposed to the terror group, giving Tehran and
Washington a common enemy.
So while Iran remains at loggerheads with the U.S. and its allies on the nuclear front, there are immediate reasons for both sides to keep
talking and working towards a near era in their relationship.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: All right. Well, let's bring in our regular contributor Reza Marashi from the National Iranian-American Council. He's at those
talks in Vienna and joins us to give us his perspective.
What's the difference, do you think, about these talks as opposed to others in the past?
REZA MARASHI, NATIONAL IRANIAN-AMERICAN COUNCIL: Well, I think in the bigger scheme of things -- and if I'm hearing correctly, I'm sorry the
sound is a little jumbled with the traffic in the background, but I think in the bigger scheme of things all parties have their eye on the prize and
they're trying to focus on the process that lies ahead of them instead of what's happened in the past. And the most important aspect of that is
making sure that they agree on the size and contours of Iran's nuclear program, they agree on a phased lifting of sanctions, and they agree on the
duration that any deal will last. Those are the three points that stand out above all else.
ANDERSON: Has the regional dynamic changed since ISIS has become a threat to the region, do you think?
MARASHI: I think the regional dynamic is entirely in flux. And the United States and Iran are a perfect example of countries that are
oftentimes considered to be enemies that quite frankly are on the same page, try as some might, to deny it.
And the nuclear issue is the 8,000 pound gorilla in the room. If and when a final deal can be signed, that opens up the possibility for the U.S.
and Iran to consider more serious collaboration to address these shared interests and shared threats.
But if the nuclear deal doesn't get done, it makes it infinitely more difficult, if not impossible, to have the kind of collaboration that's
necessary to stabilize security in the Middle East.
ANDERSON: Well, I wonder whether you would go so far, then, to suggest that the U.S. and Iran are now uneasy bedfellows, but bedfellows
nonetheless, when it comes to ISIS? And how does that reflect, or affect Iraq -- sorry, the U.S.'s relationship, for example, with Saudi?
MARASHI: Well, I think the Saudis have a fear of abandonment. They don't want their relationship with the United States to be sacrificed for
America's relationship with Iran. And while that makes sense from a psychological perspective, it doesn't make sense from a political
perspective, because Iran is not seeking to replace Saudi Arabia in terms of becoming an American ally. Iran would like to shift its relationship
with the United States from one of enemies to one of rivals where the conflict is managed and you have ensured mechanisms in place to make
positively sure you don't stumble into war.
ANDERSON: So, what ought Tehran to do, then, to counter critics who accuse it of an expansionist policy? I mean, this has been going on for
years now. And there are times that Tehran does nothing to dissuade people of that?
MARASHI: Well, I think that the Iranian government has taken a lot of steps over the past year to try to allay the concerns of not just the
United States, but the world at-large. But clearly not enough has been done. More needs to be done. But our expectations, the world's
expectations also need to be realistic, because one calendar year is not nearly enough time for any country, whether it be Iran, America or anyone
in between to resolve all of the outstanding differences.
The best thing that Iran can do is to take concrete actions that can demonstrate that it is willing to solve problems instead of create them.
That holds true on the nuclear front, that holds true in Iraq. We've seen progress in those areas. We need to see more in Syria and the region at
large. I think that can happen if and when a nuclear deal gets done.
ANDERSON: Reza Marashi, it's always a pleasure having you on, regular guest on this show out of Vienna for you this evening. What are crucial
talks kicking off there between Iran and other powers.
Let's go straight to some developing news out of Hong Kong for you now. Tensions it seems boiling over on the streets once again. Clashes
breaking out between police and pro-democracy demonstrators. These pictures coming to us not live, but in -- just coming into CNN Center in
the past few hours.
This is what the picture has been like on the streets after the protesters tried to retake a key road outside government headquarters.
Police have been trying to dismantle the protesters' roadblocks for the past two days. We're now hearing the road is reoccupied and filled
with crowds who are setting up new barricades. More on that as we get it, of course.
Live from Abu Dhabi, it is 22 minutes past 7:00 here in the UAE. This is Connect the World. Still to come your global headlines. Up next,
though, first and before that, after having spent billions on the World Cup Brazil is in the grips of a housing shortage. But now a new initiative is
looking to change that. We're going to reveal the blueprints on One Square Meter after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sao Paulo, Latin America's most populous city, 11 million inhabitants -- the super rich and extremely poor
are clustered in the center. In the past several years, Sao Paulo's property prices have risen 200 percent. The middle class is growing, so,
too, their demand for good affordable homes.
But as the underlying housing deficit that continues to drive prices upward.
ANDREA MOLINARI, PROPERTY DEVELOPER: There's a high, brutal demand in the country, but the supply it's not enough.
DEFTERIOS: Former banker and entrepreneur Andrea Molinari has seen a business opportunity in the affordable housing sector. His company called
Crinale (ph) is part of Mina Casa Mina Vida (ph), "My House, My Life," the Brazilian government's social housing initiative for low and middle income
families. It has helped people like David Rodriguez (ph) own heir own homes.
DAVID RODRIGUEZ (PH), HOMEOWNER (through translator): I am a driver. I deliver construction materials.
DEFTERIOS: To qualify, the applicants must earn below $1,500 per month. With the average monthly wage in Brazil at $860, the potential for
growth in this market is huge.
For developers like Molinari, building on the city outskirts also proves more cost effective.
MOLINARI: The population is very concentrated in the urban areas. And you think about the five or six big cities, they probably have like
more than half the population. So it's very highly concentrated, so land is very expensive.
DEFTERIOS: Molinari is building infrastructure alongside houses here. In Sao Jawa da Boa Vista (ph), over two hours away from Sao Paulo.
A typical 46 square meter modest house is valued between $40,000 and $60,000, half the price than if it were built in Sao Paulo.
RODRIGUEZ (PH) (through translator): This is the kitchen. It's an American style house.
DEFTERIOS: Priced out of buying in most major cities, Rodriguez says he enjoying his new home.
RODRIGUEZ (PH) (through translator): I have already lived in Sao Paulo, Curtiba, Goiania (ph), even Brasilia for some time, but the interior
is better, it is more peaceful and quiet.
DEFTERIOS: More affordable housing could equal more votes. In the leadup to the next election, incumbent President Dilma Rousseff has
announced the expansion of the Mina Casa, Mina Vita (ph) program adding to the 1.7 million subsidized homes already built and further tax breaks for
developers.
Government critics say they will be watching closely to see if more people like Rodriguez (ph) and his family take advantage of this
initiative.
John Defterios, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: This is CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. The top stories this hour.
The World Health Organization says the Ebola death toll in West Africa has reached nearly 4500 people. Meanwhile, another patient has died
outside the main outbreak zone, a 56-year-old man who was working for the UN in Liberia died overnight in a German hospital.
An American citizen has been killed and another wounded in a shooting in Saudi Arabia. According to state media reports, they were shot by an
unidentified attacker at a gas station in Riyadh. Police have detained the gunman.
Kurdish fighters in the Syrian city of Kobani say if they lose control of the border crossing into Turkey, then the battle for the city is over.
Coalition warplanes launched another round of airstrikes, but the Kurdish fighters told CNN's Arwa Damon at this point, what they really need is
heavy weaponry.
New pictures have surfaced showing the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un smiling and using a cane. State media said he was giving field guidance.
The North Korean leader has not been seen in public since early September.
In the US, the nurse who contracted Ebola while treating a patient in Dallas in Texas is said to be, and I quote, "clinically stable." We know
now Nina Pham has already received a blood transfusion from Dr. Kent Brantly, an Ebola survivor.
Let's get to our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen for the very latest. She's live outside the hospital where the nurse is being
treated. And what's the latest on the condition of Nina Pham?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know what, Becky? You said it all. We know that she's in stable condition and we
know that she's received a blood transfusion. This hospital has been very tight-lipped about the condition of this patient and the patient who passed
away last week, telling us really almost nothing.
ANDERSON: Frustrating for many people, one assumes, then, given that they're -- even though the hospital has said don't panic, there is, to a
certain extent, a sense of panic. Am I right in saying that?
COHEN: I think that among health care workers, there is a sense of great concern. A doctor said to me last night, this is a very scary time
to be a health care provider because you don't know who's walking in.
It's a very scary time because if you wear -- even if you wear protective gear, even if you are meticulous, as we're told that this nurse
was, things can still go wrong. It is very difficult to use this protective gear.
I'm told by safety experts to use it right requires constant practice and drilling. And really, at the vast majority of hospitals in the United
States, they don't do that kind of drilling on a regular basis.
ANDERSON: Sure. How many people are still -- briefly -- are being watched at this point?
COHEN: So right now, they're watching 48 contacts who had contact with Mr. Duncan, the gentleman who passed away, before he went into the
hospital. Now in addition, they're monitoring dozens of health care workers who took care of him when he was in the hospital from September
28th until October 8th.
Now, what's interesting, Becky, is that they're -- until recently, they weren't following these contacts actively. Health care authorities
were not going to these workers and taking their temperature or talking to them. It was all passive. The workers were supposed to do it on their
own.
But now that this worker has gotten sick, now they are doing it actively. Now they are going out to them and taking their temperatures and
interviewing them, asking them how they're feeling.
ANDERSON: Elizabeth Cohen on the story Stateside for you. Well, there is no relief from Ebola in West Africa. The virus has killed more
than 4400 people so far, and the vast majority were poorly -- infected in poorly-resourced nations.
Fighting the virus in that part of the world is a huge challenge. Many West Africans simply don't trust international aid workers, and local
health care professionals are growing frustrated with the lack of resources on the ground. CNN's Nima Elbagir with more from Liberia, where doctors
and nurses are threatening to strike.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Racing through the streets of Monrovia, and ambulance transporting a suspected
Ebola case. Inside, a scared and helpless patient. He waits and waits, and no one comes.
This is the reality of a system on the brink of collapse. Over the weekend, angry health care workers clashed with the Liberian president over
wages.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we try to reach in and get it, OK?
ELBAGIR: They've had enough, hazard pay and improved equipment among the demands. A work slowdown in is in effect at two of the city's four
treatment centers, and they're threatening to strike if the demands aren't met. Ambulances have already been turned away here.
SOKO MOSES, DOCTOR, JFK EBOLA CARE UNIT: Currently, you have 3,000 deaths. Multiply that by 5. So, you have 15,000 deaths in the next four
weeks if it is not handled very soon.
ELBAGIR (on camera): So, given those consequences, why do you still want to strike?
MOSES: I don't want to strike, but the president has to listen to the mass of health workers out there.
(CROWD CHEERS)
MOSES: There are angry people. We don't want to have angry people knocking at your doors during this kind of emergency situation, so the
president has to listen and act very fast.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): An overstretched health care system beginning to crack when it can least afford to. The president personally, now,
asking health care workers to stay on the job.
Doctors Without Borders, MSF, run the city's fourth treatment center, the largest in the world. But they are nowhere near full. Not because
people aren't getting sick. The worry is, it's because they may no longer be coming forward.
Laurence Sally, Head of Mission, MSF: So now we have enough beds, but the system is not good enough and it's taking time to rebuild the trust in
the system.
ELBAGIR: Trust that they won't be turned away like so many have in the past, and that they'll get the treatment they need. Rebuilding that
trust is another layer of complication, and one that could undo what gains have been achieved here.
ELBAGIR (on camera): A lot has been said about the international community's response, but these are the men and women who have been risking
their lives and staunching the wounds since the beginning of this crisis, and now they're asking that the world does not forget about them.
ELBAGIR (voice-over): Night falls, and the ambulance remains, waiting.
Nima Elbagir, CNN, Monrovia, Liberia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Turkey has been slow to come to the aid of the US-led coalition in its fight against ISIS, a story that we've been on for a
number of days, now. The problem is that Ankara has other ambitions.
On Sunday, the US said Turkey had agreed to allow coalition fighter planes to use its military bases. Later, though, Turkey denied a deal had
been reached. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says pounding away at ISIS won't solve the problem.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, PRESIDENT OF TURKEY (through translator): The regime in Syria should be the target. You cannot solve this with Kobani.
What are going to do with other places, because there are so many Kobanis there. Today Kobani, tomorrow it would be Aleppo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: This comes amid reports that Turkish warplanes struck targets at the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK inside Turkey. CNN's
emerging markets editor John Defterios is in Istanbul this evening and joins us there, live.
There is a reluctance, not only to put boots on the ground in the fight against ISIS across the border, but also, it's a position on the use
of its airbase on Ankara's part. How is this playing into the general unease, John?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, you can feel it on the ground, indeed, Becky. In fact, their position on Incirlik, the air
base, plays into the uncertainty that we're finding on the street, as does the rising tensions that you're talking about between the PKK and the
Turkish military.
Now, as negotiations for that base continue, we heard from President Erdogan, but also Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu again today suggesting the
preconditions are a no-fly zone, a safe zone for Syrian civilians, and not getting into what they like to call "an adventure" across the border in
Kobani.
Now meanwhile, what we're seeing is that the Turkish people are getting very uneasy about what's happening in Kobani, number one because of
the general concerns for the Kurds across the border, but number two because we had the outbreak of violence here on the streets of Istanbul and
other major cities in Turkey last week. This is causing a rise of that anxiety, Becky. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I'm from Hatay in Turkey, and my family is there. Hatay is very near Syria, and all the unrest in
this hot region, in Syria, in Kobani, affects me deeply, because I can hear everything, including the bombs, and the discomfort of all the Syrian
refugees. All of this echoes in me and my family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It's impossible for it not to make us anxious. As we live comfortably in Istanbul, we cannot deny what's
happening there. Citizens live there, and the fact that they are anxious makes us anxious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEFTERIOS: In fact, that anxiety stepped up a notch today, Becky, because of the accusations from the PKK about the Turkish military strikes.
We reached out to the Turkish military, and they were suggesting they had no official comment.
Prime Minister Davutoglu during a press conference with the Singaporean prime minister said, "Harassment fire against our guard posts
have taken place and it's not possible to tolerate these."
Now, if this did take place, it would breach a two-year cease-fire that we've seen in the southeastern corner of the country, but we're told
that the peace talks will continue, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, an added layer of complexity to what is already a very complex and slightly confusing situation when it comes to Turkey's
relations at present and its strategy so far as the allied coalition is concerned. All right, John, thank you for that, out of Istanbul this
evening.
Well, as John and I have discussed at length here on set in Abu Dhabi, oil is emerging as an important target in the campaign against ISIS. The
militants raise revenue by producing fuel using a string of small refineries in Syria and in Iraq. If not that, well, they are stealing raw
crude from refineries.
And the US and its coalition partners are trying to knock them out from the air. But as Arwa Damon reports, local people have mixed feelings
about that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The intent was to take out one of ISIS's cash resources -- oil. Bombing the
refineries ISIS controls. For Saad, it was liking watching his child being killed. "When I left, I could have blown them up, but I couldn't bring
myself to do it. I built them," he says.
The petroleum engineer had built them from scratch. He fled when ISIS took over. Syria, he says, used to produce around 400,000 to 600,000
barrels of crude a day. When Free Syrian Army rebels took over the fields, a combination of damage to the wells and lack of expertise saw production
plummet 90 percent, and the refineries, far away, were in regime-controlled areas, so Saad built his own.
"When the refineries were under the control of non-ISIS groups, they helped the population. We delivered refined products for free to the
medical clinics, the water stations," he tells us.
Crude was also sold locally, refined and cobbled together so-called civilian refineries, like these. "Three quarters of a barrel is filled
with crude to here," Saad explains. The crude is heated, the vapor rises through pipes running underground, cooling and condensing the vapor into
various crude oil byproducts. And so the population in rebel-controlled areas got by.
Interestingly, he says, when it came to the gas field, a deal was done with their enemy, the Assad regime. "The Conoco gas field sends the gas to
the regime's Jandar Station," he tells us, "and the station in return sends electricity back to the areas under rebel control. That arrangement," he
says, "still holds, even with ISIS taking over."
(EXPLOSION)
DAMON: Abdul Rahman's (ph) tribe controlled one of the smaller fields, and Deir ez-Zor lost to ISIS after pitched battles some four months
ago. "Abu Omar al-Shishani was in charge of the battle," he recalls. Al- Shishani, the notorious feared ISIS emir.
"He came to see how the field was operating. He put guards and closed off the whole field, leaving only one entrance," Abdul Rahman says. "He
also put an accountant in. They even have a minister of oil. He came as well. He's Egyptian."
ISIS, he says, doubled the price of crude, selling to traitors from Iraq and traitors who smuggle to the Syrian regime and neighboring Turkey.
Abdul Rahman arrived in Turkey a week before we met, shortly after the refinery at his field was hit by coalition airstrikes.
But bombing natural resources themselves would have devastating consequences in Syria for the environment and the population, which leaves
ISIS with the crude and plenty of it.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Urfa, Turkey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: We've got multiplatform coverage on this tricky situation facing Turkey as ISIS gains momentum across its southern border. The
latest news and expert opinion, including this editorial, weighing Ankara's new threat with its traditional tensions with the Kurds,
cnn.com/international is where you can find it.
Live from Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, 46 minutes past 7:00 in the UAE. British MPs vote in favor of
recognizing Palestine as a state, but does that gesture have any real impact? That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The ayes to the right, 274. The nays to the left, 12.
(CROWD MURMURS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: UK lawmakers voting to recognize Palestine as a state alongside Israel, the vote taken after five hours of debate in the House of
Commons. Members of Parliament backed the motion, quote, "as a contribution to securing a negotiated two-state solution." But after all
of that, the government is not actually bound by it.
The vote is being seen as a gesture of support adding to the momentum created by Sweden, you'll remember, ten days ago when it said it would
recognize Palestine. Ian Lee has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Homes in ruins, hundreds dead. The cost of 50 days of war, too much to bear. But
rebuild they must.
BORGE BRENDE, NORWEGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: This event's pledged approximately US $5.4 billion.
LEE: Dozens of countries took out their checkbooks in Cairo this week, promising more than the $4 billion the Palestinian Authority asked
for. Similar pledges of billions came after previous wars between Israel and Hamas, but little ever materialized on the ground. UN secretary-
general Ban Ki-moon promised in Ramallah this time would be different.
BAN KI-MOON, SECRETARY-GENERAL, UNITED NATIONS: This has much more broader, comprehensive mandate and authorization. Therefore, I'm sure that
this will be very actively implemented.
LEE: US secretary of state John Kerry traveled to Cairo to show support, urging Israel and the Palestinians to negotiate a final peace
settlement. The patience of donors is wearing thin, with many saying they worry about rebuilding only to see it destroyed again.
But with peace talks stalled, the Palestinians have taken their case to the international community. The United Kingdom's House of Commons, in
a non-binding vote of 274 to 12, urged the government to recognize a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
LEE (on camera): It's a symbolic vote, but part of a major international debate. UK government officials say a Palestinian state
would be recognized when the time is right. For Sweden, the time is right now. They pledged to recognize a Palestinian state.
LEE (voice-over): Sweden is the first major European country to do so. In all, the Palestinian Authority says 134 countries recognize a
Palestinian state. Israel maintains such moves are premature.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: I believe that unilateral steps by the Palestinians at the United Nations will not advance
peace. I think they'll do the very opposite. They'll bring about a further deterioration in the situation, something none of us want.
LEE: Ultimately, rebuilding Gaza demands cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians, but with peace talks on ice, raising billions of
dollars may be the easy part.
Ian Lee, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Live from Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with me Becky Anderson. Apologies for the sound behind me. The symbol of a nation
and a bird of prey coming up in your Parting Shots today. The beauty and heritage of falconry.
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ANDERSON: All right, your Parting Shots this evening. Many bird enthusiasts consider the falcon one of the most majestic birds of prey.
Some of the finest specimens in the world were here in Abu Dhabi for annual Falcon Beauty Contest. I'm going to take you inside the competition now
for your Parting Shots this evening.
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RIMA MAKTABI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): While for some, dogs are a man's best friend, here in the UAE, falcons rule the
roost. It's a passion that's part of Arabian culture, passed down from generation to generation. The beauty, the elegance, the lethal power of
hunting birds.
Every year in Abu Dhabi, men dressed in traditional white kanduras come to show off the beauty of their feathered hunters. They come from all
around the Gulf to participate in this falcon beauty contest.
While waiting for their turn to get into the competition, the falcons stand on their colored stools, ready for a day of pampering. The owners,
too, have their own ways of passing time. Food and coffee is served, and the main topic of conversation -- you guessed it -- birds.
They get tips from the experts who know about these birds and tell them what tools they should use to take care of them. Later, the competing
falcons are collected in a room, ready for the judges to start to the examination. The winners are then chosen based on the proportions of their
measurements, on how sharp, clean, and healthy the beak and claws are, and the softness and edges of the feathers.
The owner of the winning falcon goes home with a prize of 10,000 UAE dirhams, nearly $3,000, a nice amount of money to spend on his winning
bird.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson, that was CONNECT THE WORLD from the UAE. It is a very good evening.
END
