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Pope Canonizes Two Palestinian Nuns; Ramadi Falls to ISIS; Ceasefire in Yemen Running out; The Street Art of New Delhi. Aired 11-12 ET.

Aired May 17, 2015 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[11:00:09] BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: A purported treasure trove of intelligence on how one of the world's most dangerous terror groups

operates.

Tonight, will the recent U.S. raid on a top ISIS target thwart the group's advance in Syria and in Iraq? We'll get the latest from Washington and

Ramadi for you.

Also ahead, time running out on a ceasefire in Yemen. And there's little sign there's anything to take its place. We'll look at what's next for one

of the Middle East's most volatile nations.

And, history in the making as Pope Francis canonizes the first Arabic speaking saint in modern times. Live for you at The Vatican and in the

Holy Land this hour.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.

ANDERSON: Very good evening. It's just after 7:00 here in the UAE.

Well, the U.S. is now analyzing intelligence gathered in what was a special forces raid in eastern Syria. Now it was a daring operation meant to

capture a top ISIS commander, but the U.S. says the man it identifies as Abu Sayaaf fought back and was killed.

He is described as a key figure in the terror group's oil and financial operations, but his true identity remains in question.

Well, let's get the very latest as we know it from Washington. Our Sunlen Serfaty joins us now outside the White House.

The U.S. defense secretary certainly touting the death of Abu Sayyaf as a significant blow, and I quote him on that. What do we know about him?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you said, the administration is characterizing it as significant, but I have to say there are still many

questions, Becky, about this raid, and specifically about who Abu Sayyaf is, what role he had in ISIS, and even at the most basic is what his real

name is.

Now the national security council says he is a senior ISIS leader, someone who had a role in overseeing ISIS oil and gas operations. But as many have

noted, he wasn't all that well known, not so high profile as many other ISIS leaders that the U.S. had their sights on.

Now senior administration official says that they believe he would be in that role as the oil and gas overseer would have some in turned action with

al-Baghdadi. Of course, top ISIS leader that the United States wants to find and has been looking for, for quite some time.

And we know, Becky, this originally started as a capture mission. So that what might have been one of the intentions, attempt to capture Abu Sayyaf

in an attempt to get any more intel.

ANDERSON: So, as far as intel is concerned, what has been learned from what we believe to be this plethora of communications gathered during that

raid?

SERFATY: Well, U.S. officials say that there is reams and reams of data that was recovered from that mission site we know including a computer.

But key here will be, according to U.S. officials, they hope to learn how ISIS operates, the broader ISIS network, also how they communicate, and

specifically how they get their money to fund what they're doing.

Now we know that his wife, Umm Sayyaf, is detained in Iraq right now. She survived that mission. She will be interrogated by the FBI-led high value

interrogation group. And there's reason to believe according to U.S. officials that she might as well as their husband, but she specifically can

now potentially glean some insight on ISIS's hostage operations. And that will be key intelligence if they get it from her going forward, Becky.

ANDERSON: We believe that she is being held in Iraq. What happens to her next. Do we know at this point?

SERFATY: Well, that's a great question. And that is the big question within the United States government you have to imagine that they are

deciding on right now. She is being detained in Iraq. But the key question is where does she go from there?

We know, according to sources who tell CNN's Evan Perez that they don't favor the option of sending her to Guantanamo Bay. They don't favor the

option of keeping her in military detention within Iraq. So the question is will she come to the U.S. And if so, what charges will she be held

under -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Thank you.

Your reporter in Washington.

Well, Syrian officials and activists say that Syrian troops have forced ISIS militants back from the ruins of Palmyra, but fears remain that this,

the UNESCO World Heritage Site could become yet another city leveled by the militant group for being what it calls un-Islamic.

Nima Elbagir has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Palmyra: for 2,000 years its columns and temples have loomed over the oasis at the heart of Syria, a

crossroads of Rome and Greek, Persian and Babylonian influences, now in a renewed territorial push ISIS militants stand poised at the gateway of this

so-called Venice of the Sands.

This is what's happened in other towns and territories taken by ISIS, pillaged, hacked and sold. Artifacts standing for thousands of years as

testament to man's flights of imagination deemed idolatrous and un-Islamic by ISIS.

The winged guards of Nimrod, dating back to about 900 B.C., the Mosul Museum: across Iraq and Syria in the place of priceless artifacts ISIS has

left rubble as the world stood helpless.

Palmyra, recognized by the United Nations as one of the most significant monuments in the Middle East now the UN is pleading with the world to find

a way to save this symbol of our shared past.

[11:05:57] IRINA BOKOVA, UNESCO DIRECTOR GENERAL: I don't know what will happen in Palmyra. I'm very worried, I'm alarmed by what is happening.

Let's hope that this wonderful monuments will not be destroyed like we have seen unfortunately in some of the other in Nimrod, in Hatra (ph), some of

the bulldozing and bombing of these sites.

ELBAGIR: Across Iraq and Syria, Palmyra and seven other ancient sites and cities are on the UN's cultural agency UNESCO's danger list. Damascus's

old town, Aleppo, the Crac des Chevaliers -- the list goes on.

This in a year where in Nepal alone 200 heritages sites were damaged during the recent earthquake. Nature, of course, can't be stopped. Whether ISIS,

who is just outside Palmyra, can remains to be seen.

Nima Elbagir, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, across the Syrian border in Iraq, in the battle against the terror group in Ramadi security sources say that Iraqi troops and

coalition airstrikes have forced ISIS militants away from the city center.

Now they had seized and Anbar's provisional headquarter there after launching a new attack late on Thursday. Militants left that building

booby-trapped. ISIS had been fighting for months to control the city just 100 kilometers west of Baghdad.

Let's find out exactly what is going on on the ground. Muhammad Haimour is the Anbar provincial governor's spokesman and adviser joining us now from

Baghdad this evening. Thank you, sir.

What do you understand to be the latest on the ground?

MUHAMMAD HAIMOUR, ANBAR PROVINCIAL GOVERNOR'S SPOKESMAN: Well, it is a sad day for Anbar and for Iraq and for democracy. Anbar is the province that

crushed al Qaeda in 2006 and protected American lives then and unfortuanately yesterday DAESH managed to use bulldozers rigged with

explosives and driven by suicide bombers to attack the government compound, which had been standing for a year-and-a-half now. And they did take over

the compound and it is -- we believe that it's completely destroyed either by their explosives or by the airstrikes.

We know that DAESH have committed massacres, including executing (inaudible) Norhain Ali (ph) whose father was a soldier fighting against

DAESH. They executed her and her aunt and her mother is severely wounded.

They've taken soldiers, executed them in the streets of Ramadi.

We don't have exact count of the casualties. We believe that it has exceeded 500. We are seeing a new wave of internally displaced persons

fleeing the city towards safer areas such as Baghdad and Habdariyah (ph). Many people are now trapped on David's Bridge (ph), which is the only way

to cross from Anbar to Baghdad.

ANDERSON: Yeah, the situation on the ground, it sounds, is pretty horrific. Ramadi, of course, a city of nearly a million people, more than

just a symbolic prize, it seems, to the militants.

And whilst there are reports that they've abandoned the government compound buildings, although I know you can't stand that up, they may have just

moved into residential neighborhoods, of course, where they'll be less likely to be hit by these coalition airstrikes, which we know have been

ongoing overnight.

It doesn't sound like the Iraqi army and its affiliates are winning there, sir, does it?

HAIMOUR: Well, no, actually. They Iraqi army did fight hard, but DAESH is fighters are very well trained. They do have heavy weaponry. And they'd

come to Anbar and Iraq to die. So, it's very difficult to stop a bulldozer that's been armored, driven by a suicide bomber with tons of explosives and

dealing with these fighters has been extremely difficult. It's not a conventional war by any stretch of the imagination.

So, yes, the Iraqi army did retreat yesterday and today.

[11:10:39] ANDERSON: The U.S. certainly announced on Friday, sir, that it is speeding up weapons shipments to Iraq, because if the current fighting -

- because of the current fighting in Ramadi.

What is your message to Washington?

HAIMOUR: We are very grateful to the effort of the international coalition and the role of the United States. We are in constant communication with

the embassy in Baghdad. We are grateful to the effort of the U.S. ambassador here and the team at the embassy, be it on the humanitarian

level or the ongoing airstrikes, which have been extremely precise.

And if it wasn't for those airstrikes, things would have been much, much worse. There are advisers, American advisers and trainers that are still

in Anbar training different members of the tribes.

Obviously, all of this has not been enough to defeat DAESH. And we hope that there will be more weapons, heavier weapons, and also training for the

tribal forces that are still standing in Anbar.

Anbar has not fallen, by the way. There are still cities like Haditha who have held their ground and have not been taken over by DAESH. Amrit (ph)

and Fallujah has become a symbol of resistance against this criminal organization.

So my message to Washington is that we need more support. Ramadi is a very symbolic city to a lot of Americans. Many Americans have died defending

against al Qaeda in that city. And there are many brave people who are still there fighting and they need a lot of support.

ANDERSON: With that, we're going to leave it there. We thank you very much indeed for joining us this evening.

Still to come, Pope Francis makes a pair of Palestinian nuns saints. We'll discuss his larger message to Christians in the Middle East and beyond.

That is a little later this hour.

And Yemen, fast approaching an end with temporary truths, our Saudi Arabia is trying to broker a permanent solution to the crisis. And why not

everybody is on board with its plans. Taking a very short break. Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:15:15] ANDERSON: Well, a British citizen is among four people killed in a carbombing in Afghanistan's capital, 18 people were wounded.

Investigators say a suicide bomber targeted the European Union police vehicle near the main airport in Kabul.

The Taliban have launched a wave of attacks across the country since the drawdown of most foreign troops last year and have claimed responsibility

for this attack.

You're watching CNN. Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. Welcome back.

There are less than five hours before a ceasefire in Yemen is set to expire. Now the five day truce has largely held, but there has been some

sporadic violence. More than a dozen people reported killed in clashes Saturday, many of them in the city of (inaudible).

Well, the United Nations envoy to Yemen has called for the humanitarian ceasefire to be extended another five days. He made that appeal at the

opening of a conference of Yemen's political parties.

Now that is being held in the Saudi capital Riyadh. That choice of location not sitting well with Houthi leadership who have boycotted the

event.

Well, joining me now to discuss the talks in Riyadh is Abukhaleq Abdulla, a political science professor at the United Arab Emirates University, a

regular guest on this show.

Sir, always a pleasure having you in.

Hardly talks when the opposition certainly aren't turning up, nor was there any likelihood of them being at the table. They made it abundantly clear

from the outset. So what's the point?

ABDUKHALEQ ABDULLA, UNIED ARAB EMIRATES UNIVERSITY: I think it's good to start somewhere. So I think this is good to have a meeting in Riyadh

tomorrow, or even if the Houthis are not there.

Although there will be 400 different delegates who will be attending this Riyadh meeting, including representative of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the other

powerful guy who are affiliated with the Congress Party.

So there are enough people to start a dialogue. It's good to start somewhere at the end of a two month military campaign.

ANDERSON: This was a GCC initiative. It was always going to happen in Riyadh at the behest of the Hadi government, the president of Yemen who now

rests in Riyadh for the time being.

Earlier, CNN spoke to a Houthi activist on the ground in Sanaa with ties to members within the leadership, sir. This is what he had to say about why

they aren't participating in the talks in Riyadh, quote, "we will not accept having talks in a country that attacked Yemen or any country

involved in the coalition. They should have the talks in Sanaa or any other country acceptable to all parties."

And quite frankly I think you and I know that there have been ongoing discussions about talks either in Muscat, for example, or somewhere else,

but not in Riyadh because it doesn't work for both sides.

So again I put it to you, is this...

ABDULLA: Eventually, they have to -- no, I don't think so. You have to start somewhere. Eventually, the Houthis will come in. I think when the

times comes, you will see some delegates representing the Houthis.

Although, the Houthis are not welcome to Riyadh. But eventually they will have to come.

This is now the first stage of the military campaign. It's over. We have the ceasefire five days. It's going to be over. I think we're going to go

into a second stage, maybe to (inaudible). Probably after that, this, you know, talk will start -- restart with the Houthis either in Riyadh or

anywhere else. But the talk will start not now, after a second stage of the military campaign.

ANDERSON: Well, that's interesting. And you allude to Ramadan, which this year of course is June 18. We are about a month away from that.

Last month, I spoke to the former UN envoy to Yemen, a man by the name of Jamal Benomar after he resigned from his post. Now we've just seen the new

UN envoy in position in Riyadh at these talks today. Here's what Benomar had to say about what derailed Yemen's power sharing discussions last fall.

Have a listen, because I think it's interesting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMAL BENOMAR, UN SPECIAL ENVOY TO YEMEN: It was all going well, you know, until spoilers, you know, who were hard at work trying to impede this

transition, you know, managed you know to turn it up now. And, you know, the problems emerged really after January 2014. So the context is now

different.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: He talked about spoilers who upended unity talks. He certainly says, and certainly President Obama thought was a sort of transitional

model that wasn't just going to work in Yemen, but might work across the region.

There is a school of thought that says that Saudi didn't ever want this to work on the ground, that they could have helped facilitate these unity

talks, they could have influence over their outcome, but they chose a war instead, because it suited them.

ABDULLA: It doesn't stand, you know, to the facts on the ground. I think the spoiler is probably Benomar is talking about are the Houthis

themselves. They took over Sanaa. They were greedy. They thought they will take over all of Yemen...

[11:20:08] ANDERSON: I think he was talking to a wider group, but anyway...

ABDULLA: I think, you know, what ever he has in mind I think the spoiler here were the Houthis who got too greedy after they thought that they have

secure Sanaa. They wanted to go all the way down to Aden, try to eliminate the legitimate president. So I think, you know, the real spoiler in all of

this were the Houthis themselves who are backed by the Iranians. And after a long time of negotiation, there was no way but go militarily to stop

their momentum and hopefully convince them to come back.

ANDERSON: The stated goal of the military intervention was to reestablish the Hadi administration in Yemen and to stabilize a government, a country

that was quite frankly out of control. The wider goals are that Saudi is looking to establish its legitimacy across the region, and as we know,

repel a rival in the shape of Iran interested and influential of course in Yemen and elsewhere.

But the problem, surely, is that there is no ultimate goal in Yemen. If you've got these wider goals, how do you sort out a country to your south?

ABDULLA: Well, Yemen is a difficult case. It's always been a difficult case. This is a country approaching a failed state, so it has always been

this bad history in Yemen, OK.

So you try to deal -- to stabilize...

ANDERSON: But things are getting worse, not better.

ABDULLA: Well, OK. So, to start with, Yemen has always been a failed state and there's absolutely no way to fix it all in one go. But the real

goal was to stop the Houthi's momentum from taking over all of Yemen. And I think that has been succeeded.

But then again, in this zero sum game region that we have between Saudi Arabia, Iran and GCC and Iran, you just had to stand up somewhere. And I

think so far two months later I think the GCC could claim a psychological victory, a political victory that is absolutely nothing Iran could do to

help the Houthis.

They look very powerful. They could not send an airplane. They could not send aid. They could not send ships. They could do absolutely nothing.

That's the moral, political, psychological victory for Saudi Arabia, which is, you know, in this zero sum game it's the net loss to Iran, too.

ANDERSON: Humanitarian crisis as a result of it, sir. That's the problem.

ABDULLA: Of course. That's the human tragedy. You have to deal with it.

ANDERSON: Thank you.

Live from Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson.

Coming up, Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi is on a tour through Asia. Details on where he's heading and what is in his agenda are coming up.

Plus, celebrations in Saint Peter's square. Some 2,000 Palestinians sang and prayed as Pope Francis conferred sainthood on two 19th Century nuns.

More on what is this historic occasion up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: You're watching Connect the World live from Abu Dhabi. Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson.

Today, Pope Francis canonized two Palestinian nuns, making the first Palestinian saints of modern times.

The ceremony in Saint Peter's Square celebrated Marie Alphonsie Ghattas and Mariam Baouardy. CNN's Oren Liebermann takes a look at the two women's

lives and what this historic step means for Palestinian Christians.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[11:25:14] OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's the perfect celebration of sainthood for two Palestinian nuns: a humble and devout

offering of prayer to mark a historic moment for Christians and Palestinians.

In the land of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, the land of the beginnings of Christianity, Mariam Baouardy and Marie-Alphonsine Ghattas are the first

two Palestinian saints in modern times.

REV. JAMAL KHADER, LATIN PATRIARCHATE BEIT JAIA: As Christians, this is a sign of hope. This is a light in the tunnel, the dark tunnel where we are

living, especially now in the Middle East with all the events, with all the violence, we are celebrating the lives of two saints who worked humbly for

everyone and who proved to be true followers of Jesus Chris.

LIEBERMANN: Marie-Alphonsine Ghattas was born in Jerusalem in the 1840s to a devout Christian family. She became a nun, dedicating herself to a life

of quiet servitude. In Bethlehem she said she began to receive visions of the Virgin Mary telling her to start a new congregation for Arab girls

called Sisters of the Rosary. Her hard work, her devotion led to the Rosary Sisters here. It was Ghattas's home, donated to the convent to

spread education and culture.

SISTER AGATHA: And sometimes god create from this weak people something great.

LIEBERMANN: Her canonization comes one year after Pope Francis visited the Holy Land, one of his first trips overseas as pontiff. His visit became

its own reason to celebrate a triumph at a Christian community that continues to this very day with the sainthood of Ghattas and Mariam

Bouardy, also known as Mary of Jesus Crucified.

Sister Bouardy was born in Iberline (ph) a small village in Galilee, also in the 1840s.

She was the 13th child in her family, and the only one to survive past infancy. Her parents died when she was 3-years-old and her uncle raised

her in Alexandria, Egypt, one of her uncle's servants told her to convert to Islam. It is here that Bouardy's miracle begins.

"Mary became a martyr and she went to heavy," says Sister Fireal. "She saw the crown of grace, saw her mother and father, but she heard a voice saying

that your life is not yet over and you should return to Earth."

According to the account, a young woman, a nun dressed in blue healed her, cared for her and led her to church. It was the Virgin Mary.

Bouardy led a life of service to the poor and the church, her room remains a symbol of her humility, her few possessions on display.

A bone from Bouardy's arm has become enshrined in Bethlehem's Carmelite monastery in the West Bank, the faithful visit to pay their respects, eager

to celebrate the message of this canonization.

NASHA'T FILMON, DIRECTOR, PALESTINIAN BIBLE SOCIETY: It's a message for the whole world that Palestinian Christians do exist on this land, that

Palestinian Christians have a heritage of 2,000 years and the journey continues.

LIEBERMANN: This day has been decades in the making for Palestinians and Christians of the Holy Land. Mary of Jesus Crucified was beatified back in

1983. Thousands of Palestinian faithful will travel to The Vatican for the canonization. They will, for a moment, be able to forget about all the

current difficulties in the Middle East and remember thousands of years of religious history.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: And we're going to have more on the religious and political significance of these canonizations after the break. I'm going to get you

live to Rome and indeed to Jerusalem.

And the latest world news headlines are also just ahead. Plus, color popping up all over Delhi. We'll take a look at the growing street art

scene there. That, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:31:33] ANDERSON: This is Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson. You're watching CNN. Half past 7:00 here in the UAE. These are top

stories. U.S. raid in Syria has yielded new intelligence and the ISIS commander it meant to capture was killed. The U.S. called him Abu Sayyaf,

but his real name has not been released.

A humanitarian ceasefire in Yemen is set to end less than five hours from now. That ceasefire has largely held despite some sporadic fighting. At

least 15 people were reported killed in clashes on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia hosting Yemen's political parties for talks in Riyadh. Houthis have boycotted the event.

At least four people are dead following a suicide car bombing in Afghanistan's capital on Sunday, a British citizen among those dead. 18

people were also wounded. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the event.

Pope Francis has canonized a pair of Palestinian nuns at a ceremony in Saint Peter's Square, rich with symbolism. They are the first Palestinian

Catholics to be made saints in modern times. Many see it as an effort to support Christian minorities being persecuted across the Middle East

region.

Two nuns from Europe were also canonized.

Well, Sunday's ceremony comes just days after The Vatican announced it would sign a treaty formally recognizing Palestine as a state.

Let's do more on this. We're joined by Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem and Barbie Nadeau in Rome.

Barbie, let's begin with you, if I can, on Saturday the pope met with President Mahmoud Abbas at The Vatican, afterwards he presented him with a

medallion that depicts and angel of peace, all of this nothing if not controversial. What is the message here from The Vatican?

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, it started on Wednesday, really, when The Vatican came to an agreement and formally recognized the Palestine

State. This is something that Pope Benedict did as well in 2012, but never quite so formally as Pope Francis did on Wednesday of this week followed by

the meeting on Saturday and today's canonization sending these two Palestinian nuns into sainthood, which is, you know, for Catholics is as

high of an honor as you get, really, especially when you consider that only 2 percent of the population in Palestine and in Israel are Christian -- are

Catholic.

And this sends a message that he supports the Christians in that region. And you know sending someone to sainthood is not something taken lightly

here in Rome, Becky.

ANDERSON: Coming back to you.

Oren, let me bring you in. What's the reaction to events at The Vatican where you are?

LIEBERAMNN: Well, the foreign minister here, an official there said he is disappointed with the decision for The Vatican to recognize the State of

Palestine. And the idea is there that a unilateral action like that discourages the Palestinians coming to peace negotiations. That's where

Israel sees the best hope, the best chance of progress with a two-state solution. Many Palestinians frustrated with that, though, and that perhaps

is the underlying theme here that they see more hope going to the international community. With recognition coming from The Vatican and a

few others in the international community, for example, the ICC and the United Nations where they're a non-member observer state.

ANDERSON: Barbie, a year ago you and I were both in the Holy Land when Francis made his first trip there as pope and invited Mr. Abbas and indeed

the Israeli president to The Vatican. The Pope of Peace they were calling him. This is what we heard in the old city of Jerusalem while I was there.

Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[11:35:11] ANDERSON: This is the entrance to the Christian quarter and behind me, the Holy Sepulcher. And let's find out how people here feel

about what's going on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Problems so much here now. We're not seeing like just first time I see problem too much here.

ANDERSON: Can you see an end to this senseless violence?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mainly it should be the religious leaders who should talk to the people in a peaceful way, you know, like it's becoming holy

war.

ANDERSON: We're now coming out of the Christiand quarter and into the Muslim Quarter. And you can hear the call to prayer.

When will this end, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This is a long-term thing produced by Netanyahu. Netanyahu is very moody. It doesn't depend on the

Palestinians or the Israelis, it depends on Netanyahu's mood.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: That was interesting, because you had the other chap that I talked to there talking about how this was down to religious leaders to

work this hour.

Barbie, you and I spoke a lot at the time when we were there. Some might say that things have actually gone backwards not fowards since then. The

pope called for peace. Is he getting it?

NADEAU: Well, you know, I think Pope Francis really sees this as his responsibility to try to bring peace into the Middle East and this

situation. He sees this as something I think that he needs to work very hard on. It's on his agenda. It's -- you know, he speaks about it a lot,

especially, though, in other regions as well where Christians are persecuted seems to be something that he's not so worried about the people

who can make it to Rome here to pray with him, he's really about those people that have a hard time worshiping in their countries. And this

underscores that as well.

ANDERSON: Oren, critics in Israel will say, as you've rightly pointed out, that The Vatican's recognition of statehood only discourages Palestinians

from resuming talks on a final status agreement to which many others will say what talks about what final status?

LIEBERMANN: Right, Becky. That gets at the frustrations here about the lack of progress with the peace talks. The last round of peace talks broke

down more than a year ago, last April, and there hasn't been any substantial talk of furthering that process at all here.

The peace negotiations weren't a big issue at all during the elections and that frustrated a lot of people, especially the Palestinians who say, you

know, when are we moving forward on this process? When are we talking about a two-state solution.

Again, certainly also worth pointing out, Becky, that furthering the peace process was part of Netanyahu's coalition agreement, but it did not mention

a Palestinian state.

ANDERSON: So what does happen next, Oren? You have a new cabinet installed, a government that is pretty much a made up government as it

were, it made a lot of compromises made by Netanayahu to just continue to lead the country. What does happen next when it comes to the two-state

solution, if anything?

LIEBERMANN: Well, I think especially in light of The Vatican being sort of the latest in a round of international recognitions of a Palestinian state,

we'll see growing international pressure. From the U.S., we heard President Barack Obama talk about it at Camp David. We'll hear about it

come up again in the EU and the UN. So now it's international pressure on Netanyahu's government to get back to the peace talks to do something to

advance the peace process.

But Netanyahu's government won't necessarily make this easy, because he has a 61 seat right-wing government with a number of right-wing parties that

won't make advancing a peace dialogue any easier here on the ground.

ANDERSON: Barbie, finally Pope Francis has an incredibly busy agenda. Many say that he sets his agenda himself, and his chooses the issues that

he goes after and clearly Christians in the Middle East really high on that agenda.

But given everything else he has to do, just how important is this to him?

NADEAU: Well, I think it's very important, because I think he looks at the peace summit he had last summer after -- as we discussed as something that

didn't work. And I think he wants to give it another try. And I wouldn't be surprised, and no one would be surprised here in Rome if he doesn't try

to call another sort of peace summit to give it another go.

I think he sees it as something he's not going to give up on any time soon.

ANDERSON: To both of you, we thank you very much indeed.

Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi is wrapping up a visit to Mongolia with 14, 14 agreements in hand. They range from renewable energy to cyber

security. And Mr. Modi on a three nation visit to China, Mongolia and South Korea focusing mostly on economic issues, it has to be said.

It's been one year since he led his party, the BJP, to what was a sweeping victory on a platform to modernize and improve India's economy. A Times of

India/Ipsos Poll last week shows 50 percent of respondents says Mr. Modi has delivered on his economic promises.

Well, a group of artists in India is hoping to bring back tradition to New Delhi. They are giving the walls a splash of color. Kush Bushar (ph)

explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[11:40:30] KUSH BUSHAR (ph), CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's next to homes, it's on shops and local government buildings, an unexpected pop of

color in Delhi, most of it very new on the old streets of the city.

A group of international and Indian artists are collaborating with local neighborhoods to cover the walls with messages, to bring back tradition to

the big city with support of the government.

GIULIA AMBROUGH, CURATOR: In many small villages or towns in India, everything is written on the wall, everything like political campaigns,

funeral, marriages, but now in the big cities everything is printed and many traditions are getting lost.

There is like, you know, a kind of different way of using the streets in the big cities.

BUSHAR (ph): This is part of an art festival that comes to Delhi over the past couple of years. But alongside the mural of Gandhi and Gods, illegal

graffiti art is also cropping up. Daku is one of Delhi's few known underground graffiti artists. He works under a pseudonym and does not want

to be identified.

He calls his work vandalism, a form of protest against convention.

DAKU, GRAFFITI ARTIST: The government putting the stop signs all over on the road during the Commonwealth Games to kind of make the city look more

international while in India no one follows traffic rules, and stop sign is just a decoration, it's not even like, you know, people don't stop when

looking at the stop sign.

So for me, for me these stop signs were kind of almost meaningless and I thought if I twist it in a very government way, so I added like words

underneath that say stop pretending, stop shopping, stop thinking, stop honking, like stop doing multiple things.

BUSHAR (ph): The police have let the graffiti stay all over the city with little intervention, Daku says. So for now, Delhi's urban landscape

remains a festival of color.

Kush Bushar (ph), CNN, New Delhi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, we have come across street art in many of the cities that we've traveled to across the Middle East. What about where you are? Do

you have Banksy-like neighborhoods? Well, do send us photos of your favorite. You can post them on the Facebook page, Facebook.com/CNNConnect.

You can also get in touch on Twitter if you are a regular viewer you'll know that that is @BeckyCNN. That is @BeckyCNN.

That was Connect the World. From me and the team here in the UAE, thank you for watching.

END