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Connect the World
Zambian President Dies in London; Canada Mourns Slain Soldier; Canadian Social Experiment; Bahrain Court Suspends Opposition Group; Tunisian Voters Choose Change; Lava Creeps Towards Hawaiian Homes; Parting Shots: Turkey Unveils New Presidential Palace
Aired October 29, 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: The Kurds are coming, but as world leaders hope for a victory in Kobani will solve just a tiny piece of the ISIS problem.
Ahead, we'll examine why the city the world has been watching for weeks has become symbolically as well as strategically important.
Plus, we've already seen the Peshmerga in action, but what are the 60 plus countries supporting the U.S.-led campaign against the militants?
We're going to take a look at the layers of what is a seemingly loose coalition.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.
ANDERSON: A very good evening. It is 7:00 here in the UAE. Reinforcements are coming in to help Kurdish fighters trying to push out
ISIS militants from the northern Syrian city of Kobani.
Plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the city as airstrikes continue to pound the area. There was fighting as Syrian rebels entered
Kobani, loaded with mortars and heavy machine guns. Iraqi Peshmerga fighters are also expected to enter Kobani soon.
We've got this covered from all angles. Nick Paton Walsh on the Turkish-Syrian border for you this evening overlooking Kobani, and Ivan
Watson is in Irbil in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq.
Let's begin with you, Nick. And you spoke, I know, to a colonel in the Free Syrian Army who entered Kobani with his fighters from another
direction. He wouldn't disclose details of the group's mission in the city, but he did say this, I believe, "today, 200 is enough. But we can
send more if needed."
He said, this is the first FSA group to enter. And if there are more needed, they can supply more I think was the deal.
Is the FSA still a viable entity at this point, a viable force in the region?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, not really as you would normally refer to it as the FSA. It's fractured, it's fallen
out with itself, split, reformed different moderate, more radical groups, et cetera. So it's a bit of a mess. People still do call it the FSA,
though, it's a common parlance.
But the commander Abdul Jabar Okaidi who led this group in this morning, much to everybody's frank surprise, isn't really a leading figure.
He's a militant you would have known about 18 months ago around Aleppo, but has fell out, I think, with many other groups within what was then called
the FSA.
So interesting that he is the figure chosen to front this group. He says 200. Those inside say dozens, 50, 35, not entirely clear. They went
in at first light We heard a lot of clashes after that. We've seen airstrikes much today. In fact, as dusk has fallen there's been a B1
bomber that's done about five loops over Kobani right now with Turkish military reinforced the road down here that we think the Peshmerga are
going to drive down.
But it must have been an enormous surprise for those inside Kobani to rather than seeing those Iraqi-Kurdish Peshmerga whose arrival was long
advertised and built and bickered over to suddenly see these Syrian rebels. Frankly, the idea of Turkish President Erdogan, these Syrian rebels enter
in at assistance from Turkey first -- Becky.
ANDERSON: More symbolic than strategic? How would you explain or describe what is going in and around Kobani at present?
WALSH: Well there's great symbolism to it, certainly. This is about Turkey allowing effectively Syrian Kurds and Iraqi Kurds to work together
to hold Kobani. That's a PR move that Turkey has certainly done to dampen international criticism. It's strategic, too, because if Kobani doesn't
fall to ISIS, then if the Peshmerga have a roll in that then Syrian Kurds can claim that victory is entirely their own. They had a great PR boost
from holding off ISIS quite so long.
If the Peshmerga are there, too, who frankly Turkey is more comfortable with and they're involved in holding onto Kobani, that takes
some of the shine off the Syrian-Kurdish victory.
But what's happening today, I think, will change what's happening on the ground. We're going to see this large convoy coming in, in the next
few hours or so, and unclear precisely if they're going to use night or wait until dawn. They could do this in daylight, frankly, if they're
driving into this very volatile official border crossing.
30 plus truck, 100 men and the FSA, that is going to change the balance on the ground. This is not a big city. ISIS are not particularly
well manned. They haven't been able to resupply because of coalition airstrikes.
The question is what ISIS have to throw back? We know this town is important to them. It will mean they control about 100 kilometers of the
border if they control this town as well. The question is what kind of reinforcements do they have to extend this fight -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Nick Paton Walsh for you this evening.
Let's get Ivan up now.
Ivan, just what do we know about the Peshmerga forces, the scope and scale of the forces they're on their way to Kobani? And how closely is the
U.S. working with these men and women? Are forces traditionally been an enemy of its NATO ally Turkey, of course?
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's complicated stuff here. The Iraqi-Kurdish officers we've talked to say that they're sending
161 Peshmerga through. They say the main point is not to bring more manpower to help the Syrian Kurds, the YPG Kurdish rebel faction there, but
to bring in more heavy weapons, saying that is what they're lacking and that's what is being brought in this convoy, rather unprecedented a foreign
military force traveling across Turkish territory like this armed with armed vehicles. That is Turkey really opening its doors very, very
unusual.
Yes, there is very close coordination between the Iraqi Kurds and the U.S. military. They've been working together closely in years past. The
commander of the U.S. military's Central Command, Lloyd Austin, a general, here last night according to the Iraqi-Kurdish meeting with the Iraqi-
Kurdish President Mustafa Barzani.
So there's very close coordination.
The Iraqi Kurds came to show this as a moment of unity between Iraqi Kurds, the Syrian Kurds, Turkey and the U.S. in the face of what they
described as a sophisticated enemy, ISIS, an enemy that is located less than an hour's drive away from where I'm standing right now in Irbil across
from very hot frontlines where the Iraqi-Kurds continue to clash with ISIS near the city of Mosul, which the U.S. airstrikes, air power, continue to
pummel periodically over the course of the last 48 hours -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Complex, complicated on the ground, but there is certainly activity.
Reporting from Nick Paton Walsh and Ivan Watson for you this evening. Chaps, thank you very much indeed.
We'll have more on this ongoing fight against ISIS. Coming up, we're going to take a closer look at a Kurdish fighting force made up of women
and how it has become the newest member of the U.S.-led coalition.
And we are familiar with the roles of a handful of nations actively involved in defeating ISIS, but what about the other members of the
coalition? What are their contributions? Well, that is coming up this hour.
Well, the UK has announced it is opting out of future missions to find and rescue migrants in the Mediterranean Sea. Italy has already saved
thousands of people, as you will be well aware.
We make the dangerous journey crossing to Europe from Africa and the Middle East. But as Isa Soares now reports, that mission is also coming to
an end.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Crammed and desperate, these migrants make the perilous journey to Europe. It's a scene that has played out time
and time again across the Mediterranean.
But for many, their European dream may remain just that, as countries pull out on key search and rescue operations.
The UK is the latest to withdraw its support. In a statement to CNN, the foreign office says, "we do not support planned search and rescue
operations in the Mediterranean. We believe that they create an unintended pull factor, encouraging more migrants to attempt the dangerous sea
crossing and thereby leading to more tragic and unnecessary deaths."
The British refusal comes as the official Italian sea and rescue operation, the Mari Nostrum (ph) draws to a close this week. In the last
year alone, the Mari Nostrum (ph) operation has rescued 150,000 people from the Mediterranean. That's 400 people a day. Almost half of those arriving
this year are Syrian and Eritrean nationals departing from Libya.
Despite their best efforts, some 3,000 migrants have drowned or gone missing. For Italy, it has been a dramatic operation, and at a cost of
more than $11 million a month it has proven unsustainable.
MATTEO RENZI, ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER: 97 percent of these people who come from African to Italy is come from Libya. And Libya is a place is
which after the strikes of the past, nobody solved the problem of democracy and of integrity and of coalition in the country.
SOARES: So Mari Nostrum (ph) will be replaced with Operation Frighten, run by EU border agency Frontex. Their role: exclusively border
patrol, a move that's infuriating human rights groups.
MAURICE WREN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, UK REFUGEE COUNCIL: We're appalled by the UK government's decision and by extension the European Union's decision
not to replace the Italian search and rescue program with something similar order.
It's a retrograde step and it seems that the European Union and the UK government are oblivious to the fact there's a global refugee crisis
unfolding, the scale of which we haven't seen since the end of the Second World War.
SOARES: Isa Soares, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Still to come this evening, an Arab Spring success story. How Tunisia went from the birthplace of the 2011 political unrest to a
smooth Democratic transition.
And, these Kurdish fighters are now getting help from the U.S. to fight ISIS in Syria. Why one U.S. ally has deep reservations.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: You're with CNN. This is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. Welcome back.
For weeks, Kurdish fighters have been holding off ISIS militants trying to take over the town of Kobani. You'll be well aware of that.
We're talking more than 40 days.
But Turkey says some of these fighters are linked to a Kurdish group they consider a terrorist organization. The U.S., however, counts the
Kurdish defenders in Kobani as its newest allies against ISIS.
Ivan Watson now with a closer look at the Kurdish militia that calls itself the YPG.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: Don't be fooled by the pretty song, these women are part of a militia that is ISIS's most deadly enemy in Syria -- Kurdish fighters from
the People's Protection Units, or YPG.
They've fought ISIS on the ground in Syria for more than a year, only recently they started getting help from the U.S. in the form of airstrikes
and weapons drops, a surprising turn of events for this secular Marxist rooted movement, which includes many fighters who have long battled
America's NATO ally Turkey.
An important part of this Kurdish movement's ideology is founded on Gender Equality, that means female fighters fight and bleed on the front
lines and that stands in sharp contrast to ISIS which has been covering women up and hiding them from public life.
Addressing the crowd, a top Kurdish official who urges the fighters to protect their people from becoming slaves of ISIS. She is the co-president
of one of three Kurdish statelets in Northern Syria that have largely governed themselves for the least three years.
HADIYE YUSUF, CO-PERSIDENT OF JARIZA CANTON (through translator): Our dream is to build a democratic society that includes Arabs, Christians and
Kurds living together in unity.
WATSON: The Kurds called their region Rojova (ph), some of them clearly proud of their experiment in self-rule.
Life in the town of Derek (ph) looks relatively peaceful and secular, unlike other parts of Syria taken over by Islamist militias.
But the streets here feel empty, many of the town's Christian residents have fled and more keep leaving.
This is a sad day for your family. Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, because they will go out from our country.
WATSON: Peter Isa's (ph) tearful mother and sister wave goodbye from inside a 1954 Desoto. Their final destination: Germany.
The town's shrinking Christian flock can still walk peacefully through the streets to Sunday school, enjoying the protection of the Kurds.
But the Kurds are paying dearly. At this memorial ceremony, mothers and wives of dead fighters and this widow. She says ISIS killed her
husband last year and mutilated his body.
"If I didn't have these children, I myself would go and fight," she swears.
Her young son already wears the uniform of a future Kurdish fighter.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Rojova (ph) in northern Syria.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Well, by now you'll be aware that the Kurdish fighters are just one part of the larger international coalition against ISIS. Several
nations have signed on, but their commitment varies greatly. Some countries have merely condemned the militants, others have gone so far as
to conduct airstrikes. And some nations, including Albania, for example, have sent military supplies.
Well, joining me now from Tirana is the Albanian minister of foreign affairs Ditmir Bushati. It's a pleasure to have you on, sir, this evening.
When I say some, there are a number of countries that have signed, in upwards of 60. So I just want to get a sense of the nuance, the layers of
the commitment to this coalition. Can you describe the extent of Albania's support at this point?
DITMIR BUSHATI, ALBANIAN MINISTEROF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Well, Albania co-sponsored UN security council resolution on foreign terrorist fighters.
And within the U.S.-led international coalition our government's response has been three-fold as we are certain that this will be early on, we have
supported the Iraqi government by a very substantial package of arms and ammunition.
We have taken measures to discourage the sentiment of foreign fighters.
We have criminalized participation and incitement to participate in conflicts or wars in other countries as well as the promotion, organizing
and financing of foreign fighters.
There are also -- there are also our prevention measures. And in Albania we have a constantly (inaudible) interfaith harmony demonstrated
also during the Pope Francis visit a few weeks ago in Albania. And we have been working a lot with all religious leaders to build an effective
response in order to (inaudible) and deradicalize.
Certainly, we are not alone in all these efforts. We are talking about a global...
ANDERSON: No, you are absolutely right. You are absolutely right.
Sir, yep. And you are absolutely right to say you're not alone. And you're also not alone in being a majority Muslim country, and a majority of
whom are Sunni Muslims as I understand it. How concerned, or how much debate was there about the risk of -- hang on, sir, sorry, with respect.
How much concern or debate was there about the risk of a fight against the Sunni Muslim militant group that you've got involved with, of course? And
how concerned are you about the threat of attack at home? This is clearly something that all countries who have signed up to this coalition have had
to consider.
BUSHATI: Let me be very clear to you, we are a European country. We are secular country. And we have a clear distinction between religious
and state affairs. And we are a society where European Muslims and European Christians are living in harmony.
We are not being felt here in danger. Certainly we must understand that this is not an Albanian phenomena, this is not a Balkan phenomena in
that the Balkans is not a source of new terrorist fighters, but there is a genuine element of risk. And I see Balkans here and all Balkan countries
basically all due to geographical location being part of being part of this risk.
And especially if we are talking about the return of these foreign fighters to the countries of origin, they certainly carries potential risk
particularly where society structures are insufficient, where political stability is fragile, where social cohesion is yet unformed or where is a
complex fabric of religious and ethnic composure, which is the case in the Balkans.
And here there is no exception, I must admit.
ANDERSON: I wonder, can you just answer this question. It's been interesting to see the extent of Albania's involvement. I think just back
in September, you said that you'd provide up to 22 million rifles rounds, 32,000 artillery shells to Kurdish forces, for example. I know that
there's been involvement in the Afghanistan war as well.
Your neighbors have also signed up many of them to the coalition and yet the involvement or the commitment has been to a lesser extent. Has
that surprised you?
BUSHATI: As I mentioned at the very outset, we are a country that have donated to the Iraqi government a substantial package of weapons and
ammunitions. We are working closely with our NATO allies, with U.S. government in this respect. This is now our first international
involvement and international effort as a NATO member country.
We know very well, because we come from a tradition of a Communist regime. And we know very well what it means to fight about the freedom.
We are the only NATO member country in the western Balkans after Croatia joined European Union. So basically we are in aware another also somehow
responsible to extend further democratic stability in the region and also to proudly cooperate with other countries.
And this cooperation has been scattered also at the law enforcement agency bodies and intelligence service. And in this way, we test also our
administrative capacities in order to contribute for a cause which is a global one, which has nothing to do with Islam, which has nothing to do
with a particular country.
And we should not stigmatize a particular country or a particular nation on that.
So this has been from the very outset our philosophy when we engaged ourself with U.S. government and others in this international endeavor.
ANDERSON: Foreign minister, it's been a pleasure having you on. We thank you very much indeed for joining us. The foreign minister of
Albania. Thank you, sir.
Enlightening stuff.
You can go online to find out more about who is doing what in this coalition effort against ISIS. What constitutes a member differs a lot
around the world from those who have got their fighter jets in the air over Syria and Iraq to those who are playing a much, much reduced role across
the board. Interesting stuff. You can learn more about the role that each country is playing. CNN.com/international.
Live from Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World. Coming up, a unique social experiment in Canada, members of the public are put to the test to
see how tolerant they are in the light of last week's terror attack on parliament.
First, though...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, my name is (inaudible) aka the Spinach King...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Meet South Africa's answer to Popeye, the very passionate and enthusiastic owner of an African Start-up. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, my name is : aka the Spinach King. I have started espinaca innovations here in Capetown, South Africa. Welcome to
espinaca bakery. Come.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In Kaialicha (ph), Capetown's largest township, Numjana (ph) runs a bakery with a difference.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Espinaca is a company that promotes health in the township by incorporating spinach in daily consumer products such as bread.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In 2012, Numjana (ph) opened his bakery in an old shipping container where he began baking bread made with spinach.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What I love about spinach is the fact that, you know, I grew up like watching Popeye and spinach. And I wanted to take on
the legacy of Popeye and spinach and just see if I can actually come up with something crazy, something that is fun and making spinach fun and
actually, you know, changing the perception about spinach.
This is the first machine we use when it comes to the bakery. It's a dough mixer.
Inside here, we've got the spinach we use as well like olive oil. We used crushed bay leaves. We also use some secretive ingredients to make
our special spinach bread to make sure that when you taste it you get that amazing experience and it's actually beyond our competition.
So now what we're going to do, we're mixing the dough.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now employing four people, Numjana (ph) sees Espinaca helping the local community.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For us, espinaca, we are actually educating people the importance of eating healthy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Though his sales have risen steadily, Numjana (ph) faces the challenges many new businesses come across.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As a start-up business, capital has been a problem, but it has never actually stopped me from living my dream.
I started this business with only 40 rands, which is 4 U.S. dollars and a neighbor's oven. And that was sufficient enough to start the
business.
So, yeah, this is the finished product as spinach bread. It's coming straight from the oven, fresh, smelling nice.
My vision is to actually make sure that people are actually eating spinach, but having fun and as well as like getting the deliciousness out
of it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Top stories here on CNN this hour.
Iraq's Kurdish Peshmerga forces making their way in convoys across Turkey to the city of Kobani, where Kurds are fighting ISIS militants.
Meanwhile, Free Syrian Army fighters have already arrived. The reinforcements will join Kurdish forces already defending the city.
Emergency crews in Sri Lanka are desperately searching for survivors of a major landslide. Sri Lanka's disaster management center says at least
six bodies have been recovered, but as many as 300 people are missing.
In the US, a NASA-contracted rocket exploded Tuesday evening off the coast of Virginia. Its intended destination was the International Space
station. However, the $200 million rocket and spacecraft exploded six seconds after launch. Thankfully, no death or injuries.
Still no word on the cause of the death of the Zambian president, Michael Sata. He died at a London hospital on Tuesday night at the age of
77. Now, he'd traveled to London, we understand, for unspecified medical treatment last week.
Vice President Guy Scott has been appointed acting president until new elections are held. Scott becomes the first white leader of a nation in
sub-Saharan Africa since Apartheid. Diana Magnay monitoring the story from our bureau in Johannesburg.
And this just a few days, of course, after celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of Zambia's independence. What will the president's
legacy be, before we talk about the president-elect?
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he was only actual president for two years, right at the end of a very long political
career that began fighting for liberation of Zambia from British colonial rule and ended after two unsuccessful attempts to win the presidency and
two decades in opposition -- heading up the opposition. He created the Patriotic Front and essentially was the party.
He came to power in September 2011 and was known by the nickname "King Cobra" because of his very vicious tongue. And that was really what won
him the election, a harsh critique of Chinese investors in the Zambian economy, especially in the copper mining sector, which is very, very
important to the Zambian economy. Zambia is one of the second-largest copper exporter in the African continent.
So, his legacy really is he is one of these elder statesmen that belongs to the area which fought off colonialism. And I think it's
interesting in this context, Becky, to remind you that in the last -- since 2008, 11 African heads of state have died whilst in office.
And that gives you a sense of how so many of these leaders come from that generation who fought off colonial rule and are dying in their office
of old age, really.
And now we have Guy Scott, who has stepped in as acting president, because constitutionally, that is what is required of the vice president,
and he also comes from that era. His father was an MP in Zambia and opposed Colonial rule.
And Guy Scott worked for a long time in opposition with Michael Sata. Although he's probably only going to lead the part and lead the country for
three months until democratic elections, which have to be held within 90 days.
And the reason he probably won't continue after that is because the Zambian constitution requires you to have Zambian-born parents. And Guy
Scott's parents were actually born in Scotland, Becky.
ANDERSON: Guy Scott was expected, he was vice president, so clearly he takes over as acting president until he, you rightly point out, the
elections
It is still unique, though, in Africa's recent history, that you have a white democratically-elected, as it were, man who is now running office.
What's the response in the country and among the wider public?
MAGNAY: Well, Zambia is quite different from Zimbabwe and South Africa, where race really does still govern the political elites. And
therefore, in Zambia, Guy Scott isn't looked at for his color, he is very much a Zambian. He has been running in opposition alongside Michael Sata
for decades, and he's considered just the same as anyone else, really.
And I think that is what is interesting, that we make a great deal, perhaps, of the fact that he's a white leader of sub-Saharan Africa, the
first since Apartheid, since F.W. de Klerk here in South Africa. But in Zambia, that really doesn't play much difference.
And Becky, I just want at this point to play for our viewers the reaction of some people on the Zambian street to the death of their
president, a people who are quite shocked by the fact that there have been three Zambian presidents to die in office in recent years. Let's take a
listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are sending the breaking of the news of the president's death. We are so sad. There must be something wrong in
Zambia. So, what we're supposed to do is commit this country to God and to find out why is it happening, only to us, to Zambia?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just a few to the whole country to remain calm and just allow what has happened, and let's close hands together and be in
prayer and to strengthen one another through Christ Jesus.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just can't believe it. It's very shocking news. Seriously, this is a great loss. I really feel bad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MAGNAY: Now, Guy Scott is also someone who, similar to Michael Sata, doesn't mince his words. But as I was saying, he's probably only going to
be president for three months, now, and there are quite a lot -- there is a lot of jockeying of positions within the opposition and within Patriotic
Front itself as to who may take his place once those elections happen, Becky.
ANDERSON: Sure. Diana Magnay for you in South Africa this evening.
From Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Coming up, after the terror attack on the Canadian parliament last week,
Canadians put to the test in a social experiment to see how suspicious they now are of certain people on the street, as it were. A surprising result,
up next.
And a river of lava creeping closer to one town in Hawaii, and the residents have little choice on what can be done.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Thousands gathered Tuesday to pay respects to a Canadian soldier who was shot and killed outside Parliament last week. Corporal
Nathan Cirillo was attacked while standing guard at the city's National War Memorial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(BAGPIPES PLAYING "AMAZING GRACE")
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The attacker was shot and killed when he entered Parliament. Authorities say he had ties to jihadists in Canada.
Members of the public are, understandably, on guard since the attack, and one filmmaker wanted to test whether religious intolerance has
increased since the shooting. One actor posed as a bigot, harassing a man, also an actor, who is dressed in traditional Islamic dress. Have a listen
and take a look at the reaction of bystanders.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can't judge a book by its cover. We can't punish everybody for one madman.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't feel safe, so I can't take this bus, here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, then take the next one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, I mean -- excuse me? Can you just come with me? I'm saying that this guy looks like a terrorist and it's not safe to
go on the bus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The person behind that social experiment, Omar Albach, joins me now on Skype from Canada. I know you're in our car, I hope you're
not driving. I'm pretty sure you're not. Good. I'm pretty sure you're not. All right.
To a man and woman -- and I listened to the whole clip on Facebook -- there was support of the actor dressed in traditional Islamic dress. Were
you surprised by that reaction?
OMAR ALBACH, FILMMAKER: No, I'm not, because we are Canadians, and I believe this -- of Canadian values. Obviously it was more than I expected,
better than I've expected. I didn't expect people to get involved to the extent that they did. But I knew that this was of Canadian values, and I'm
very proud to be a Canadian more than ever now.
ANDERSON: So you should be. You conducted this experiment in Hamilton, the town the slain Ottawa serviceman was from. Do you believe
your experiment reflects the wider view there and across the country?
ALBACH: Yes, I believe Canada has become a lot more tolerant and educated on this topic and the topic of who really is behind problems and
who really represents (inaudible) madmen like in the video does not represent a whole religion or sect.
ANDERSON: Omar, what are your roots? And what's your experience of bigoted behavior? And is it better or worse since the rise of ISIS, for
example?
ALBACH: Thankfully, living here in Canada, I didn't personally get bigotry or hate from people. Obviously, there are a few people -- trolls,
as people call them nowadays, that just comment things just for the sole purpose to boil your blood, but they don't really carry any value, these
comments, because they don't really represent the wide -- or the majority of the population.
ANDERSON: Sure. Omar, the sound isn't brilliant, but I do want to ask you this one last question. The guy who played the bigot actually got
thumped at the end of that Facebook video. Is he all right?
ALBACH: Yes, he's all right. He took it like a man. He wiped it off, and he was good to go.
ANDERSON: Good stuff. All right, well we appreciate your time. I'm glad you're not driving. And I thought it was a really interesting social
experiment. Well done. And I hope that gets some good viral traction. And I know that we've played a little bit out of it on the show tonight.
Well, a court in Bahrain has suspended the country's main opposition group for three months. The move against the Al Wefaq Association comes
just weeks before the parliamentary election. There is concern the ruling could deepen tensions between the country's Sunni ruling elite and the Shia
majority.
While Bahrain is one of several countries finding its way in the wake of the so-called Arab Spring, Tunisian, on the other hand, looks to be on
the road to reconciliation. It was the first Arab country to oust its president in 2011, and it now faces what has been a peaceful political
transition.
Official results for the new parliament not due until Thursday, but the Islamic Ennahda party has conceded the vote to an alliance of secular
politicians. This is the poll Sunday. So, is Tunisia where the Arab Spring worked?
For more, let's bring in Riccardo Fabiani, senior analyst of Middle East and North African issues with the Eurasia Group think tank. I was
interested to read one commentator today, Riccardo, who wrote, "The Tunisian election result isn't simply a victory for secularism over
Islamism." How do you read the result?
RICCARDO FABIANI, SENIOR ANALYST, MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA: I think it's a great -- an important historical result, especially for the
region, because it shows very well that a situation where the secularists and the Islamists have established a dialogue, they have a shared
understanding of the rules of the game, can work.
It shows that basically these ideals of democracy where the two main parties respect each other and accept defeat or victory by the other side
is a model, probably, for the rest of the region.
ANDERSON: One Tunisian MP, who stands with the Ennahda party and is the vice chair of Tunisia's constituent assembly, has been calling for
national unity. This is what they said last night on CNN.
FABIANI: I think now comes probably the most interesting and complex moment, because the issue will be for the secularists and the Islamists to
work out whether they want to govern and run the country together jointly, or whether they want to form a different kind of coalition with the various
secularist parties forming a center-left government and leaving the Islamists in opposition.
I think, however, that the bottom line here, the most important thing is that the Islamists are likely to accept either outcome without
necessarily protesting against this.
ANDERSON: We're just having a few technical difficulties. So, I was hoping to just hear a little bit of sound from this MP. Let's just listen
to what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEHERZIA LABIDI, TUNISIAN LAWMAKER: We are convinced that we shall work together, Tunisians, whether we belong to such or such party, whether
we are from civil society or political parties, we are still calling for this country to work together to push Tunisia forward on the path of
democracy, of development. And we hope that we'll be listened to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I wonder what sort of pointers or provision the Turkish (sic) election result might provide for other countries going forward?
And I'm thinking specifically at this point about Libya, which is in the midst of a civil war, with fear from certainly this region, the UAE,
Saudi, and Kuwait, for example, that there is a rise of political Islam there, which should be feared, against the likes of Qatar and Turkey, who
are supportive of the movement there. What can be learned from this election?
FABIANI: The main, I would say, takeaway is that either the secularists and the Islamists start speaking to each other and try to work
out a compromise on the contours of a democracy, or at least what democracy means, or the outcome is civil war, strife, coups d'etat, and
authoritarianism.
I think Tunisia is here to show to everyone in the region that the only way forward for democracy is by a peaceful dialogue between these two
big political families, the secularists in the region and the Islamists as well.
ANDERSON: With that, we're going to leave it there. We thank you very much, indeed, for joining us. A very interesting result out of Tunis
even though it hasn't yet quite been called.
From Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Coming up, a river of lava could swallow a dozen homes in the next day or
so, but no mandatory evacuations are in place, not yet at least. A report on that coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: In the Hawaiian town of Pahoa, red-hot lava flowing from the Kilauea volcano could swallow a dozen homes in the next day or two.
Many residents have already packed up, as you would imagine, and moved to safer ground. Martin Savidge is in Hawaii and has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This has been a disaster in slow motion, and officials have had months to actually prepare for it. But they
admit, now that it's here, it's a whole different emotional chapter.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): The day residents have been fearing is finally here. The town of Pahoa is burning. A 2,000-degree river of molten lava
that's been approaching for months is now searing the town. And it's just the beginning. Overnight, the first official evacuation notices went out.
DARRYL OLIVIERA, DIRECTOR, HAWAII COUNTY CIVIL DEFENSE: Face-to-face, knock on the door by a public safety official.
SAVIDGE: The lava is moving at about 30 feet an hour, and at its current speed, it will cut the town's main street in less than two days.
In a helicopter, I could follow the trail of destruction from the slopes of the Kilauea volcano to the edge of town.
SAVIDGE (on camera): There it is, that's the lava field. And most of this lava is moving underground. You can see how it transforms the
landscape. It just wipes out the vegetation.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): On its way, the lava invaded a local cemetery, surrounding the white tombstones.
SAVIDGE (on camera): There's nothing that can be done. In other words, if you're thinking why don't they divert it or why don't they try to
dig a channel to go around the town, Hawaii's tried all that in the past. It's never been effective.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): On the ground, crews race to construct new roads around the lava to keep an evacuation route open and businesses
connected to the nearby city of Hilo.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hopefully, we'll be able to always stay open. Hopefully, Pahoa will still be viable.
SAVIDGE: Even as the danger creeps ever closer, some residents say they will stay, if only to watch their homes burn.
OLIVIERA: When the lava flow comes through their subdivision or through their area, there will be an opportunity for them to remain on
site, provide it's safe to do so.
SAVIDGE (on camera): Later today, members of the Hawaii National Guard are expected to show up, bolstering the security forces that are
already here. They will patrol the streets even as parts of the town burn. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: From one set of incredible images to another. In the headlines, we told you about the ill-fated Antares explosion in the skies
above Virginia. Well, you can watch that footage in full on our Facebook page, facebook.com/CNNconnect. There's an awful lot of stuff there, do
tell us what you think. This is remarkable stuff.
You can also tweet me @BeckyCNN. That's @BeckyCNN. Get in touch, your show, your thoughts. We read everything that you send us and we
appreciate your comments.
On its 91st Republic Day, Turkey has unveiled its new presidential palace. In tonight's Parting Shots, we take a look at President Erdogan's
new home and some other presidential residences around the world, or certainly those of leaders, not all of which are quite as palatial.
President Erdogan greeted diplomats today in his newly-built Ak Saray residence, the "White Palace," estimated to have cost at least $350
million. Critics say, well, it's just too big. With 1,000 rooms and taking up about 200,000 square-meters of land, including the gardens.
Let's do the math, or some comparisons, shall we? That's nearly six times the size of the White House. About seven times the size of the
Elysee Palace and its gardens. Slightly smaller than the Kremlin compound in Moscow, and about half the size of the Vatican in Rome.
And at the other end of the spectrum, the president who has shunned luxury furnishings and numerous bathrooms, Jose Mujica decided not to live
in Uruguay's presidential palace, instead opting to stay on his family farm on the outskirts of the capital, Montevideo, with his three-legged dog.
I'm Becky Anderson, that was CONNECT THE WORLD, thanks for watching.
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