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Pro-Kurdish Party Enters Turkish Parliament for First Time Ever, Deals Blow to President Erdogan's Presidential System Plans; British Ship Carries 1,200 Migrants into Sicilian Port; Russian, Qatari World Cups in Doubt, Says FIFA Official; G7 Leaders Meet in Germany. Aired 11:00a-12:00p ET
Aired June 08, 2015 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:15] LYNDA KINKADE, HOST: And with the world's most powerful leaders meeting in Germany over some of the world's most pressing issues.
We'll have the latest from the G7 summit and bring you more on the sideline meeting between President Obama and Iraqi prime minister al Abadi.
Also ahead, these are live pictures from the port of Catania in Sicily. The British navy ship you see is carrying up to 1,200 migrants all
of them were rescued while trying to cross the Mediterranean. We'll have a live report from the dock.
And President Erdogan's party in Turkey failed to win a majority of seats in the parliamentary election. What does that mean for the country
moving forward?
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is Connect the World.
KINKADE: Welcome.
Barack Obama says the United States and its allies stand ready to impose additional sanctions on Russia if necessary over its actions in
Ukraine.
The U.S. president spoke moments ago at the G7 summit in Germany. Leaders of the seven major industrialized nations talked about everything
from climate change to Iran's nuclear program, but one of their main priorities involved Russia.
Mr. Obama suggested President Vladimir Putin, he's trying to resurrected, quote, the glories of the Soviet empire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Russia's actions in Ukraine are hurting Russia and hurting the Russian people. Here at the
G7, we agreed that even as we will continue to seek a diplomatic solution, sanctions against Russia will remain in place so long as Russia continue to
violate its obligations under the Minsk agreements.
Our European partners reaffirm that they will maintain sanctions on Russia until the Minsk agreements are fully implemented, which means
extending the EU's existing sectoral sanctions beyond July.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta is covering a summit and joins us now live.
Jim, the war in eastern Ukraine a big issue. The German chancellor says it needs to be solved on a political level. And the U.S. president
just said that Russia -- if Russia doubles down on its aggression, additional steps will be taken. And they're already making preparations on
a technical level.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Lynda. You heard the president and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the host of this G7 summit,
really on the same page when it comes to this crisis in Ukraine. President Obama just wrapped up a news conference here in the Alps. During
that news conference he said that Russian President Vladimir Putin, as you said, is doubling down on the aggression in Ukraine that he's trying to
recreate the glories of the Soviet empire. And he's walking out of this summit with what he wanted, and that is for the G7 to come out with a
strong statement saying that the duration of sanctions against Russia for its activities in Ukraine will be linked to Russia's cooperation with the
Minsk agreement, honoring the Minsk agreements and respecting Ukraine's sovereignty.
So, the president is getting what he wants out of that element of this G7 summit, very critical there.
On Iraq, which is the other big issue at this G7 summit, he met with the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi earlier today and then held this
news conference. During that meeting with Haider al-Abadi, the president said that the U.S. is going to be ramping up its support and assistance to
the Iraqis. And then he put some meat on that during his news conference, the president saying that he really wants to ramp up the training of Iraqi
security forces.
But during a portion of this news conference, answering a question about what the strategy is for dealing with ISIS in Iraq really sort of had
an unforced error when he acknowledged that the U.S. is for training those Iraqi security forces. He's awaiting a plan from the Pentagon to do just
(inaudible) security forces to take the fight to ISIS is the lynch pin of the U.S. strategy. Here is more of what the president had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: We don't yet have a complete strategy, because it requires commitments on part of the Iraqis as well about how recruitment takes
place, how that training takes place. And so the details of that are not yet worked out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: OK, Jim Acosta, thank you very much for that update.
ACOSTA: And the president went on to say there as -- you bet.
KINKADE: Now, while world leaders talk about fighting ISIS, Iraqi forces are making progress on the ground.
Iraq's defense ministry credits U.S. support for the recapture of Baiji. But as Nick Paton Walsh reports, the battle for the city's critical
oil refinery is not over yet.
((BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Limited good news for the Iraqi government, frankly, after weeks of the opposite. We are
hearing from Iraqi defense specials. They now control the town of Baiji, that is the government complex key parts suburbs outskirts around it. Not,
it's important to point out, the oil refinery. That is a key part of Iraq's energy infrastructure and still held by dozens of ISIS militants who
threaten to blow it up causing potential ecological catastrophe if they do realize that sort of nihilistic vision.
But the good news reverberates around video shown here. And it seems to show Iraqi pro-government militia in the buildings around that
particular town, crucial to some degree showing the bodies of ISIS fighters they clearly killed.
They say very openly they are pleased with the coalition's assistance here. They are grateful for airstrikes which seemed to assist them retaking
this particular area. Coalition press releases pointed to three airstrikes and two in the last 24 hours. So normally, not a high number but the Iraqi
security forces clear they were to be grateful for the difference the airstrikes have made.
But still the refinery in ISIS hands. When we were there probably week ago, it was described to us as a complex task retaking that refinery. Same
path they may choose simply surrounds what's happened today is going to make that very possible. And they want now potential to create a buffeted
zone from the south of the key city of Mosul also held by ISIS in the event that they choose to launch the long awaited attack to retake that vital
northern city.
But the good news today, the Iraqi government limited because it is still a vital refinery. Everybody was fighting intentionally over around
Baiji even though it seems now that pro-government forces have more or taken hold of the areas all around it.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:06:40] KINKADE: Now to Turkey where the president is feeling more fallout from Sunday's setback at the polls. Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his
party failed to win a majority and now three smaller parties have told CNN Turk that they will not be part of any coalition with Mr. Erdogan's AKP.
He went in hoping for an even larger bloc in parliament so the AKP could potentially change the constitution without a referendum, but he and
his allies lost ground.
Perhaps the biggest winner, a pro-Kurdish party that will have seats in parliament for the very first time.
Now, here's -- we don't have -- Arwa Damon has this report from Istanbul.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: 80-year-old Gula Duldurmiga (ph) has voted in every election since she turned 18. In her
lifetime, she has seen how unforgiving political, and by default economic, instability here can be.
"Everything has its importance," she says. "We've been through so many eras. Every passying day has its significance."
And this most certainly is among them: no matter what the outcome, this parliamentary election was going to significantly shape the country's
future. And it has: and end to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's single party rule. His Justice and Development Party, the AKP, fell short of the
needed 276 seats and will have to, for the first time since they came to power in 2002 form a coalition, or according to some analysts, even call
for early parliamentary elections.
Throughout the voting stations we visited, there was a sense of unease. In some areas, people easily aggravated, as we witnessed here at a
polling station in one of Istanbul's conservative neighborhoods where the AKP enjoys a solid support base.
Despite the fact that regulations clearly state that as media we are allowed into polling stations as long as we're not impeding on individual's
ability to vote, we were just asked to leave the premises here. A sizable argument ended up breaking out after those local authorities in the
building were unclear as to whether or not we should be allowed to film, illustrating just how tense the situation here potentially is.
Contributing to that was the fate of the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party, the HDP, attempting for the first time to enter
parliament as a party and to achieve that having to cross a 10 percent national threshold.
They succeeded and made history.
These results are the triumph of freedom in the face of oppression, and of peace in the face of war, (inaudible) earned that, HDP
parliamentarian declared.
A key factor that drove up the HDP votes was fear of what the AKP would do if it gained enough seats to unilaterally overhaul the
constitution and implement a presidential system that could potentially see Erdogan in power indefinitely.
And the HDP, a traditionally pro-Kurdish party, has grown into a more inclusive entity. No longer alienating Turkey's traditional secularists.
24-year-old Yamur Yanaz does not have Kurdish roots, nor does she view the HDP as being a uniquely Kurdish party. She believes that the HDP will
work to safeguard human and women's rights.
[11:10:18] YAMUR YANAZ, HDP SUPPORTER: There is a change going on and that's really exciting for me, for everyone really.
DAMON: But change here is never easy, and rarely smooth.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: CNN's Arwa Damon joins us now from Istanbul. And Arwa, the Kurds we know make up about 20 percent of the population in Turkey. And
obviously we saw huge celebrations there when we finally became a party in parliament.
What does it mean for them? And how difficult will it be for Erdogan's party to form a coalition given the hostility among opposition
parties?
DAMON: Well, to answer your second question first it is going to be quite challenging to see that sort of coalition formed. And if the AKP is
unable to form a coalition, they can try to put forward a government that parliament would then need to vote on. It could perhaps pass, although few
are predicting that it actually would. And the other option is to call for early elections, which means a fairly lengthy process before Turkey
actually sees a new government being seated.
As for the HDP, this pro-Kurdish party, for them this has significance on a number of many different levels. They've proven to themselves and to
the Turkish public that they are a legitimate party, they are a party that can directly negotiated with as an entity that is part of the Turkish
government when it comes to key Kurdish issues that still need to be resolved here.
For them, this is beyond a historic moment. This election has always been an evolution, if you will, when it comes to who they are, who they are
trying to identify with. They've managed to successfully branch out from being simply stamped as a pro or a Kurdish movement.
But there is an awareness amongst the top HDP leadership, as we heard from them yesterday, that some of the votes they managed to obtain were
loaned to them. And they do realize that they have to live up to many of their campaign pledges.
KINKADE: OK. Arwa Damon, thank you very much for that update in Istanbul, Turkey. We'll talk to you soon.
And of course the markets are certainly rattled by this uncertainty hanging over Turkey. The nation has currently reached a record low on
Monday. The lire fell 5 percent against the dollar compared to Friday.
Now emerging markets editor John Defterios will join us later this hour with more context on the economic impact of Turkey's political
shakeup.
We'll also take a closer look at the historic finish for the pro- Kurdish Party. A newspaper columnist will tell us how the HDP managed to reel in voters normally skeptical of Kurdish parties and their platforms.
Also ahead, first steps towards a new life. We report from Italy and Greece on Europe's migrant crisis. And hear from some of the tens of
thousands of people affected by it. That's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:15:37] KINKADE: Singing and clapping as they draw close to shore, hundreds of relieved migrants mainly from Eritrea arrive in a Sicilian
port. These images show just a fraction of the almost 6,000 people rescued in the Mediterranean Sea in the last two days.
And you're watching CNN. And this is Connect the World with me Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back.
The Italian coast guard says more than 50,000 migrants have landed in Italy this year, mainly, most of them, in Sicily. Senior international
correspondent Nic Robertson is in the port town of Catalania where many of the rescued migrants take their first steps on European soil.
And, Nic, another boatload just arriving a few hours ago. What can you tell us about those on board? I understand there were a few pregnant
women.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, there are about 1,100 or 1,200 migrants on board. They're from Syria, they're from Egypt.
I'm just going to step out of the way, because we're just beginning to see the first of them coming off the boat here. They were from Egypt, from
Libya, from Mali, from Nigeria, some as far away as Pakistan. Ten pregnant women.
What we understand is this British navy vessel, the HMS Bulwark, an assault ship, got an emergency call late Saturday, early hours of Sunday,
began to arrive where there were vessels with a lot of migrants aboard them just off the coast of Libya. Some of them, we're told, some of these
migrants in rubber inflatable dinghies that are normally used to accommodate perhaps 20 people, in some cases there were as many as 100 or
close to 100 in those boats.
15 different boats altogether, three of them wooden, but the rest all these inflatable dinghies.
They were all picked up. And it's taken almost 24 hours since then to get this huge ship, 165 meters long, to get this ship into the port here.
It's been in -- it's been at the harborside here for almost two hours. And we're just beginning to see the first of those migrants coming off the
boat.
What happens now? Well, I'll step out of the shot again. And you can see the Red Cross aid workers there. They will be making a health
assessment as these migrants come off the boat. Then there will be processing by immigration authorities. They'll be taken to a front line
immigration houses, if you will. People will stay there for perhaps, perhaps maybe a day, 24 hours, 48 hours before. Then they go on to sort of
larger immigration centers.
But for many of the people, we're told, who have been coming ashore, particularly those from Syria, particularly those from Eritrea, they don't
want to go through the full registration process. They don't want to get fingerprinted here in Italy. What often a lot of them do, we're told, is
just leave these immigration centers and go further into Europe, got to -- a lot go into Sweden, a lot are going to Germany, we're told, and the
reason that they don't want to go through the fingerprinting and identification process, we're told, is because if they do then under law
they could be returned to Italy.
So, a lot of those arriving here, although they'll spend a couple of days now in Italy, a lot of them we're told will very, very likely be
trying to get further into Europe.
And of course, this is becoming a wider European problem. These 1,100 or 1,200 migrants on board this vessel part of close to 6,000 who have
tried to cross the Mediterranean this weekend, who have been picked up by a variety of European navies: the Italians, the Spanish, the Irish, the
Germans. And this is the biggest wave of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean in a single weekend this year.
And the figures that we understand from aid officials is that as many as potentially 100,000 people have already tried to cross the
Mediterranean, have crossed the Mediterranean so far this year, mostly going to Italy, but also some going to Greece, Malta and Spain as wel.
This number significantly up on the number by this time last year, the beginning of June last year, only about 50,000 migrants had tried to cross
the Mediterranean. So you can see a significant step increase in the number of migrants coming across and this presenting a growing problem for
Europe at the moment, and in particular right now of course, right here, Lynda for Italy.
[11:20:07] KINKADE: And Nic, stay with us.
This year, of course, we're seeing a huge increase in asylum seekers and economic migrants reaching Europe. I was surprised to hear that you
said some refused fingerprinting. What is the process? What do actually - - what are they forced to do? And what can they option out of, I guess?
ROBERTSON: Well, under European agreements right now, what we're told is that about 20,000 under EU, European Union, agreement -- we're looking
now at a wheelchair being brought forward. We're looking at some of the first the migrants going into this health screening process here.
We're told that...
KINKADE: So there's 220...
ROBERTSON: Part of the processing here is that they can seek asylum. But Eritreans and Syrians can get political asylum in Europe. The EU has
agreed that 20,000 can get asylum here.
But we're talking here about those also coming from refugee camps around the borders of Syria as well, from Lebanon, from Jordan, from
Turkey. So these that are coming ashore here don't necessarily followed that kind of -- you can see some of these migrants here are really having
difficulty walking.
How long they've been at sea, how long it is since they left their home countries, that's not clear to us at the moment. What lies ahead of
them is a path that's been trod by tens of thousands of other migrants.
We were talking there a bout the fingerprinting issue. When they go for registration, when they go for the registration process, it includes,
you know, registering their names, having a photograph taken, but it's the fingerprinting part of that process that can potentially tie them to asylum
centers in Italy that we're told Eritreans and Syrians in particular, Somalis, too, have been trying to avoid, which allows them a legal freedom
to continue further into Europe without, therefore, the pressure likelihood and possibility of being returned back to Italy.
For the Italians, of course, this is a -- this stresses their system of coping a large influx in just a couple of days. It puts a lot of
pressure on their ability to accommodate these migrants. But what happens to some of them? They'll stay in these migrant centers for just a couple
of days before getting trains or using other means of transport to try to get further into Italy.
We understand that a lot, according to the UNHCR, UNHCR -- official I was speaking to earlier today, a lot are going to Sweden and a lot are
going to Germany as well -- Lynda.
KINKADE: And we know, of course, one small Greek island where Isa Soares was reporting over the weekend, it's just kilometers from Turkey,
has seen 8,000 people come ashore since January. And of course a lot of regions, especially in Italy, are turning people away now.
ROBERTSON: There is, you know, a perception here, some of the newspaper today have been saying that this, of course, is a British Royal
Naval vessel, some of the newspapers here have been saying today the British have them, the British have taken care of them. There's a real
feeling here that's rising and some parts of Italy, Lombardy in the north, other areas in the north around Venice where there is a sense that Italy
has done enough. Europe needs to step in. They have enough migrants is what's being said in those regions.
Of course, the brunt is really being borne here in the south of Italy in Sicily, Lampedusa and other ports, Brindisi (ph) in the south of
mainland Italy, but there's a reaction from some areas in the north of Italy already that the numbers are high that Italy is accommodating, and
they want Europeans to do more. And in particular they look at David Cameron from Britain and they feel that Britain is taking a very, if you
will, it's not taking or doing its fair share of accepting migrants. A lot of them, as we say, are going to Germany, a lot of them going to Sweden as
well, Lynda.
KINKADE: And with the weather conditions at the moment, we're expecting to see more. Already, agencies are saying that this is the
highest number of refugees we've seen coming ashore in just the last few days compared to over the weeks prior to this.
So, we expected to see many more in the coming days.
ROBERTSON: The expectation is, and we know from Italian -- the Italian coast guard today, they still have a rescue mission going on at the
moment that involves over 100 migrants. They have four calls at the moment -- calls for help and for rescue that they are -- that they are
investigating at the moment. So the situation is still ongoing. Perhaps at the moment the figures not at high as we've seen over the weekend, but
the situation is ongoing.
The weather has been, according to aid officials, has been -- you know, if you will better conditions for migrants to try going out to sea,
but clearly when you have 6,000 migrants going to sea in what are dozens of vessels all at one time, it does give the impression that it's those behind
who are facilitating, who are taking the money and transporting the migrants out to sea, that are making a decision that this is the best and
this is the right time to do it.
And certainly for the European nations like the British, the Germans, the Italians, the Spanish, the Irish, the Swedish who have been involved,
have ships out at sea right now here understanding why so many put to sea at one time, it's going to be critical.
But the weather is a factor in that we understand. But very likely there are other factors as well.
And going forward the concern is that this year already close to 100,000 migrants have come across the Mediterranean, that by the beginning
of June last year that figure was around 49,000. By halfway through the year is about 75,000, June a particularly busy period for migrants coming
across, so that what we're seeing now is if partly typical of last year, but where it isn't typical is the numbers are hugely up on last year.
And that's a concern that as Libya becomes less stable and the various authorities there become less able to prevent big migration efforts that
are underway right now, that we're very likely to see a lot more of this type of huge exoduses of thousands of people effectively in very short
periods of time, Lynda.
[11:26:44] KINKADE: Such a huge, huge operation going on there.
Nic Robertson, we appreciate your time. And we will cross back to you surely later in this show. Thanks very much for joining us.
And still to come, the latest world news headlines are just ahead.
Plus, a landmark election in Turkey leaves the country's most powerful politician in search of partners.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: This is Connect the World. I'm Lynda Kinkade. And these are the top stories this hour.
The UN and the Italian coast guard say almost 100,000 migrants reached Europe in the first five months of this year. More than half landed in
Italy with the rest going through Spain, Malta and Greece. At least, 6,000 people were rescued in the Mediterranean this weekend alone by ships from
several European states.
Another setback for the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Three parties have told CNN Turk they won't join a coalition with his AKP party,
which lots his majority in Sunday's election.
A pro-Kurdish party, meanwhile, will have a presence in parliament for the first time after winning more than 10 percent of the vote.
Paralympian Oscar Pistorius could soon be leaving prison. A parole board met with him last week and will recommend he be released in August.
Pistorius will have served 10 months of a five year sentence for killing his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Speaking at the G7 summit today, President Obama said the U.S. needs to improve the speed at which it trains Iraqi forces. In his meeting
earlier with Iraqi Prime Minister al-Abadi, Obama said recent ISIS gains could be reversed by ramped up U.S. assistance.
Meanwhile, thousands have been protesting the G7, calling on leaders to do more to solve the worlds' problems like global poverty. While the
demonstrations were largely peaceful, police did use some force against the activists. Karl Penhaul has the story.
BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[11:31:22] KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A forceful end to what had been a peaceful sit-in to blockade a highway close to where
G7 leaders were gathering.
In another game of cat and mouse, German police corral more demonstrators. Multiple acts of defiance aimed at disrupting the summit.
How has this morning been?
SIMON ERNST, ANTI-G7 ACTIVIST: We have a little blockade on B20 road, which was our target. Now said stop G7 and we stopped it at least for an
instant.
PENHAUL: Stopped in their tracks, spirits still high.
Police herd them down a forest track.
Back in town, a separate pop-up demo, but the same message.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Obama, we want more than hot air.
PENHAUL: Environmentalists, leftists, anarchists and concerned citizens are united here under a common banner. They see the G7 as a club
of fat cat politicians that's failed to tackle world problems, fairly or democratically.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, the most important thing to me for this demonstration is to just make your voice loud, let leaders know what you
care about and what's important to you and how we need to end poverty.
PENHAUL: There have been occasional scuffles and clashes between police and protesters in the last few days. But some days demonstrations
were largely trouble free.
It's clear, though, police have been using tactics that have proved controversial in Europe. So-called kettling (ph), that involves tightly
herding demonstrators to restrict their movements.
Their moves have been stifled by the riot police. 17,000 police on duty to provide security.
Protesters may have been blocked from reaching the G7 summit, but they still seem determined to make their voices heard.
Karl Penhaul, CNN, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Let's refocus now on those surprising results from Sunday's election in Turkey. Uncertainly tends to rattle financial markets. And
Turkey's way forward is suddenly a lot less clear now that the ruling party must find a coalition partner to govern.
We told you earlier how these smaller parties have told CNN Turk they will not be part of a coalition with the AKP.
CNN's Emerging Markets editor John Defterios joins us now from our bureau in Abu Dhabi. And John, the first time in four general elections
that saw Erdogan's power slip away. The results also obviously meant the stocks and currency took a hit.
Why such a negative response?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, they've been living with this single rule party since 2002, Lynda. And this is providing
investors a flashback to the 1990s when many coalition governments couldn't pull their act together and drive a police forward.
A little perspective here. The AK Party was hoping for the two-thirds majority to try to create a presidential, executive government very much
along the lines like France. They didn't even get a simple majority with a performance of less than 41 percent they fell 18 seats short.
So the investment community was taking this view that it will be very hard for the AK Party to rule going forward. All the coalition potential
partners also just said they don't want to join the AK Party.
Mr. Erdogan used a very strong arm, particularly after the Gezi Park protests over the last couple of years, reached in to the judiciary,
reached in to the police forces, fired many members of both of those entities. And this created a lot of uncertainty for investors at the same
time.
So, we saw the lire, the worst performing emerging market currency in 2015, fall at the sharpest level since October 2008. The stock market
opened down 8 percent, but finished just below 5 percent.
And we see long-term interest rates creeping up. Investors again are very uncertain about the future, close to 10 percent. While his
unemployment rate is close to 10 percent and so is inflation.
So what we're seeing now is that the AK party, which made its reputation in the first 10 years of government with very fast growth, is
boxed in by high interest rates and very slow growth, which also weighed in to the polls this weekend.
KINKADE: And looking ahead, now that Erdogan's party has to form a coalition government, that instability will no doubt make the markets even
more uncertain in the short-term.
What will it mean for Mr. Erdogan's ambitious plans at dealing with unemployment, for example?
DEFTERIOS: Well, it's a key word, ambitious. In fact, he had very ambitious plans to double the size of this economy by 2023. This would be
the centennial of the Turkish republic. And Mr. Erdogan often compares himself to Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish republic. By 2023, he
wanted to be a top 10 economy, $2 trillion in value. He had tripled the per capita income for the Turkish peopel, Lynda, and now he's at the prospect
of 2.5, 3 percent growth this year in 2015 and many are wondering what would jump start Turkey going forward.
So, it he can't reach out to coalition partners, what we're looking at here is a scenario of ad hoc coalitions, law by law having to reach out to
one of the other three opposition parties here and asking each time can we push this through or not.
And we have to be very candid here, this was a vote against strengthening the presidential powers for Mr. Erdogan. He won the election
in August of 2014 to be president. He said if you give me the mandate, I'll make it a presidential republic and even strengthen my mandate even
more until 2023. That doesn't seem to be the case after this weekend election. And again polling just under 41 percent in parliament. He'll
have a very difficult time putting forward his blueprint going forward.
And its' a bit question mark who will help him push forward the AK party today. His prime minister Mr. Davutoglu, or will there be another
heir apparent emerging over the next year or two.
Lynda, back to you.
KINKADE: That is the big question, big question indeed.
John Defterios, thanks so much for joining us.
And as we mentioned, this election in Turkey also brought a major win for the pro-Kurdish HDP party. It will have seats in parliament for the
first time in history.
Now let's go back to Istanbul now for more perspective on these surprising election results. Asli Aydinatasbas. She is a columnist for
the Milliyet Daily newspaper. And she joins us now. Thanks very much for being with us.
Now after 13 years in power, Erdogan is for the first time seen his power slip away. And as a result the country is entering a very uncertain
period. What's your reaction to this?
ASLI AYDINATASBAS, MILLIYET: Well, uncertain but on some other level it's also a period of normalization, because Erdogan's strong arms, to use
the previous commentator's term, was actually creating some stability in the economy, but was simultaneously creating social tensions -- you know,
the Gezi unrest.
And there have been strings of corruption charges and various social protests over the last couple of years. And there was a sense that Turkey
was too divisive, too fractured to be stable. And I think a period of normalization, or at least normalization in politics, sort of leveling this
playing field is what people are expecting now.
The HDP party, the pro-Kurdish party is only 13 percent, but it's also received a lot of strategic vote from Turkish secularists, leftists,
Alawite (ph) people, Yazidis, they have two Yazidi candidates, an Armenian candidate. It's more like a rainbow coalition, something like the Syriza
coalition in Greece.
And what they're trying to do is, they're not claiming that they're going to run Turkey, but their promise is we're going to normalize this
country by making sure we bring down AKP votes. And I think people have gravitated towards the Kurdish party largely because of its sort of -- this
new message, a rainbow coalition. We can all live together. And secondly, because -- them entering the parliament with 13 percent simply reduced AKPs
majority stronghold in Turkish parliament.
For the firs time 13 years, there's a real rollback of the governing party's power in parliament.
KINKADE: And now stay with us. I'm just going to have a look at the president's comments. He made these comments just after the election
results. He said, I believe that the current situation which did not permit any party to form a government on its own will be evaluated
healthily and realistically by all parties that have taken part in the race.
Erdogan's Justice and Development Party won 40 percent of the vote in Sunday's election. That means the party lost its parliamentary majority
for the first time since it came to power in 2002.
So, how difficult is it going to be for him to form a coalition government?
[11:40:34] AYDINATASBAS: This was a message by the president, and to be very honest with you, this is the first time in a long time that he
sounded as neutral as this. Because normally -- although presidency is a symbolic position, he's not supposed to be a partisan party in politics,
Erdogan has actually put the constitution on hold for this election period and had been campaigning, not just campaigning, but also there had been
calls particularly targeting, focusing on the Kurdish party.
And really, you know, what I think got people galvanized around the Kurdish party was Erdogan using quite an abrasive language, calling them
infidels or Zoroastrians or traitors and terrorists. And I think it got to the point that people felt that there was a need for a different language.
And I'm very happy, and I think people are very happy, that he issued this written statement in -- those it's in a manner that we're not used to
hearing from him, it is still very important at a time like this.
I think that we don't know what he's thinking. And we don't know what AKP leaders are thinking. It's foolish (inaudible) possible and doable.
And the Kurdish party would like to remain in opposition, but the other two major parties, the nationalists and the social democrats, are willing to
consider coalition formulas, but it's really the current leaders of AKP, particularly Erdogan's hand-picked prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu, to
figure out whether or not they can convince the president, their president, Tayyip Erdogan, to work out a coalition formula.
We don't know what Erdogan is thinking. He has -- he has to give the mandate to Davutoglu to try to form a coalition. It's going to be a first
in a long time. Not only have we lost our habits of coalitions, but it's also I think politicians have stopped talking to one another even directly,
because the language had been so abrasive all along, almost toxic here.
So I think it's in some ways refreshing break to enter a period in which people will have to -- will have to be more civilized in political
negotiations.
KINKADE: That's right.
Well, the president has 45 days to form a coalition government. So we'll see how this plays out.
Asli Aydinatasbas, we appreciate your time today. Thanks for joining us.
This is Connect the World. Still to come, how did two convicted killers escape from this maximum security prison. We'll have a live report
from upstate New York.
And pressure grows on FIFA's former vice president Jack Warner. We'll have the latest on the scandal engulfing football's governing body.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:46:21] KINKADE: We're going to return now to live pictures from the port of Sicily where British navy ship is docking with 1,200 migrants
on board. You can see them here coming to shore. All of them were rescued from unsafe boats while trying to cross the Mediterranean.
Now over the weekend, ships from several countries picked up more than 5,800 people who had set out on the perilous journey from North Africa.
You're watching CNN. And this is Connect the World with me Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back.
Now to the ongoing scandal engulfing football's world governing body FIFA. Russia and Qatar are continuing preparations for their perspective
tournaments. That's despite a warning from a senior FIFA official.
Compliance officer Domenico Scala says that both nations could lose their right to host the tournaments if evidence of bribery emerges.
Meanwhile, pressure in the Caribbean is mounting on former FIFA vice president Jack Warner with Trinidad and Tobago's justice minister urging
him to go to the U.S. to face trial.
Warner is one of 14 people accused of corruption.
There are a lot of different strands to this ongoing scandal. Our Fred Pleitgen has more from London.
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Lynda. Yeah, there certainly are many different strands, but it's very difficult to keep
track of all of them.
One of the things, of course, as you mentioned that really I wouldn't say was a bombshell, but was certainly something that many people were
really surprised about was that the FIFA compliance officer Domenico Scala on the weekend in an interview with a German language Swiss newspaper said
that, yes, indeed there was the possibility that Russia and Qatar could lose their World Cups if, indeed, it was found out or there was evidence
that they were only awarded these World Cups because of bribes that had been paid.
He also said, though, that no such evidence has come forward.
And FIFA today, we asked them for a clarification on all of this. And they put out a statement just recently, which I want to read to you. They
said, Russia and Qatar were awarded the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups by democratic vote of the executive committee. Based on expert opinions and
available facts, FIFA has no legal grounds to take away the hosting of the FIFA World Cup from Russia and Qatar. We will not speculate on possible
scenarios and therefore have no further comment at the time being.
So, certainly very strong statement from FIFA saying that at least at this point in time they see no reason to take these World Cups away.
Of course there are also huge economic implications if, in fact that were to be the case. Of course, the Russians have already invested
millions into their World Cup venues and stadiums as have the Qataris. It would be very, very difficult to take these World Cups away right now.
But certainly, it appears as though at least the remote possibility is, in fact, there Lynda.
KINKADE: Russia and Qatar don't seem too concerned about that at this stage. But there is of course a lot of focus on former FIFA vice president
Jack Warner. He's very crucial to these investigations. And in the past he's claimed he has a lot of evidence, and our crews are trying to speak to
him, but he seems to be staying silent right now.
PLEITGEN: Well, yeah, he seems to be staying silent right now, which is not something that he was doing in the past couple of days. He did come
forward at one event in Trinidad and Tobago and said that he was completely innocent. But there were further things that he could put forward on Sepp
Blatter and that he was willing to cooperate as well.
Of course, at this point in time he has not gone to the U.S., or said that he will go to the U.S., to cooperate with the authorities there.
But one of the things that the BBC here in England put forward over the weekend is that they said that they had come across records that seem
to indicate that a $10 million payment that was made to an account controlled by Jack Warner by FIFA on behalf of South Africa after the
awarding of the 2010 World Cup seemed to indicate that that money was not used the way it was supposed to be used, which is to foster football
development in Central America and that it appears as though Warner used that money was not used the way it was supposed to be used, which is to
foster football development in Central America and that it appears as though Warner used that money for himself.
So this is another very interesting strand in all of this. And of course this comes on top of a Sunday Times investigation and videos that
seem to show executive members, or members of the executive committee of FIFA blatantly talking about bribes that were handed out for the 2010 World
Cup and even indicating that possibly Morocco had gotten more votes than South Africa in that bidding process, but that South Africa still got the
World Cup.
So, there are a lot of things to sift through, a lot of different strands. And certainly it seems as though at this point in time no end in
sight for FIFA, Lynda.
[11:50:49] KINKADE: That is true. We'll be talking to you again shortly about this no doubt. Fred Pleitgen in London, thank you very much.
Now, live from Atlanta, this is Connect the World. Coming up, authorities are hunting for two convicted killers after a brazen prison
break in New York State. We'll have the latest just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back to Connect the World. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
We turn now to a stunning prison break that seems right out of a Hollywood movie. A worker at a maximum security prison in upstate New York
is being questioned after two inmates broke out.
Polo Sandoval joins me now live from New York. And Polo, this really just sounds like they followed the script for the film Shawshank
Redemption, but clearly they must have had some sort of inside help. What can you tell us?
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, you know, Lynda, it really does have all the makings of a Hollywood movie. But still, these
individuals posing a very serious threat. As you mentioned, that is really perhaps the most significant development we've seen in the last day or so.
Now, a CNN source, law enforcement force source confirming for us that authorities here are questioning a female prison worker as a possible
accomplice in this thing.
Now they will not go any deeper into detail. They won't say exactly how she could or could not have been involved with this prison break of
David Sweat and Richard Matt, how she actually was able to allegedly help, but we have seen those reports already of them possibly using power tools
to pretty much cut their way out of their cell to access this underground tunnel system and then popping up out of a manhole cover that's not far
from where I'm standing here just outside the prison perimeter.
So, in the next hours ahead, we do hope to learn more about who this woman is, what her role is, or at least her employment status is currently
with the Clinton Department of Corrections here -- or at least the New York Department of Corrections here. At least I can tell you that that is again
one of the most significant developments at this hour, Lynda.
KINKADE: And we do know when they did escape, they seemed to have hours of a head start in front of authorities, because they certainly
covered their tracks well by stuffing pillows, was it, in their beds to try and pretend that they were still asleep during prison checks?
SANDOVAL: Right. Extremely elaborate here, pretty much bundling up their clothes, putting a hoodie on that bundle to create a form of --
really somewhat of a dummy so that these guards that would walk up and down the cell block would notice that somebody, or at least give the appearance
that somebody was in those beds.
Last time they had that visual of these two inmates was 10:30 p.m. Friday night. It wasn't until 5:30 a.m. Saturday that they noticed that
they were gone.
So, you do the math, clearly a very significant head start for them.
And at this point, because we are about 40 kilometers or so from the Canadian border, there's very serious concern that they may not be in the
area anymore, may not even be together, and that they may have even crossed the international boundary whether it be north or maybe even made their
south as well.
[11:55:21] KINKADE: Just give us some perspective where this prison is in regards to the Canadian border. It's actually quite close.
SANDOVAL: Yeah, very close. Like you said, about 25 miles or so, 40 kilometers to -- from our location here. So, that's a very serious
concern.
At the same time, we also know that these two individuals are from west New York, the other from southern New York State. So officials there
are actually really trying to keep in touch with law enforcement in those cities to make sure that these individuals have not reached out to their
family members, to their friends, because there does exist that possibility that they could have gone there.
I can tell you, though, that about 150 leads have come in since this story broke. Investigators are following up on all of them, however, New
York governor Andrew Cuomo saying none of those leads have been strong enough to point investigators in a definite direction, but they are putting
forward that $100,000 for -- hoping to encourage anybody to come forward with information leading to the arrest of these individuals, because they
are extremely savvy and extremely dangerous, Lynda.
KINKADE: OK. Polo Sandoval, thank you very much for that update. It seems the authorities have a lot of work to do.
Now, you can always follow this story that the team is working on throughout the day by going to our Facebook page, that's
Facebook.com/CNNConnect.
And you can get in touch with us on Twitter. You can tweet me @LyndaKinkade.
Now in tonight's Parting Shots, a celebration in southeast Turkey. People there poured into the streets after the pro-Kurdish party won enough
votes to get into Turkey's parliament for the very first time.
Here, you'll see supporters of the Kurdish People's Democratic Party, HDP, lighting up the night sky with flares. No fireworks here, just young
HDP fans celebrating on top of a family car.
And in this shot, a female HDP supporter gets in on the celebrations. This HDP fan climbed on a sign in the middle of the street.
And finally we have a carload of HDP supporters, young and old, giving the peace sign.
Well, that does it for us here at Connect the World. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Thanks very much for watching.
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