Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
Head of European Commission Calls for Unity; Queen Elizabeth Becomes Longest Service Monarch in British History; Interview with Jordanian Government Spokesman Mohammad Momani; Senate Democrats Cross Threshold To Filibuster Disapproval of Iranian Deal; African Startup: Eco Designs. Aired 11:00a-12:00p ET
Aired September 09, 2015 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[11:00:09] BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Hundreds of thousands of people forced to flee their wartorn homes seeking refuge in Europe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The head of the European Commission calling for unity among EU members.
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And you can hear the sirens right now. It's causing people to run.
ANDERSON: Capturing the headlines and sparking debate about global attitudes towards asylum seekers.
But the number of people streaming into Hungary, Austria or Germay pales in comparison to the millions of Syrians and Iraqis who found refuge
in neighboring countries like Lebanon and here in Jordan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: This is the hour we connect the world.
ANDERSON: Hello and welcome to Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. Tonight, a very special show for you from the capital of Jordan
where as you can see a major sand storm has engulfed the city.
Now this is a small country caught in the middle of what is an enormous refugee crisis. And as we've been seeing in recent weeks, that
crisis now stretches all the way to Europe's doorstep.
The European Commission has laid out its plan for dealing with this refugee crisis. It calls for EU countries to share the burden based on a
quota system.
Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker wants 160,000 refugees currently in Greece, Hungary and Italy to be relocated across EU countries
over two years.
Now, their quotas would be based on population, GDP and their unemployment rate.
In a speech before the European parliament earlier, Juncker said that Europeans must not forget their own past.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER, EU COMMISSIONER: This is not a time to take fright. It's a time of humanity and of human dignity.
We Europeans, all of us I thought before the interruption, all of us we should remember well that Europe is a continent, we are nearly everyone
has at one time been a refugee.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, some EU members, especially in the east, have fiercely opposed a quota system. What's more, British Prime Minister David
Cameron said today that quotas won't solve the problem.
Well, there's no better example of the sheer determination these migrants possess than what we are seeing one part of Hungary. Right now,
CNN's Arwa Damon has been tracking a group of people who have gone to extraordinary lengths already and still have yet to reach their
destinations -- Arwa.
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNAITONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Becky.
We're actually -- just to set the scene for you -- right at the crossing point between Serbia and Hungary. And this is the wall that
Hungary is in the process of building. It's Hungary's attempt to try to control, or even stop the flow of refugees across its border.
From Serbia, they follow these train tracks into Hungary. You can see a group of them resting up in the shade, because just this portion of the
journey takes them anywhere from six to nine hours.
And at the end of these tracks, Becky, that is where they find what is meant to be a holding area. But because of the conditions there,
because of the length of the wait, which can last up to a few days in some cases, more and more people have been trying to push through the police
lines and break out. And that is what we saw taking place earlier this morning where a group pushed through -- they were eventually cordoned off
by the police, but they then manage to negotiate to have buses come and pick them up and take them to the Austrian border.
And among them, Becky, was a woman who was carrying an 11 day old baby. She had given birth shortly after she arrived on the Greek Island
and then carried that newborn this entire way.
Now that police car right now is announcing -- and they've been driving up and down this road, the name of a little boy, an 8 year old boy,
who has been lost since yesterday at around noon. Earlier, they were saying that he was wearing a white t-shirt.
And you know, Becky, I mean in a lot of the chaos that does ensue at various points along this journey, but also a lot of what happens here in
Hungary, families are getting separated from one another, and it is incredibly heartbreaking to think of this little boy right now who they
have not been able to find. We have been seeing this vehicle go up and down as I was saying, this little 8-year-old boy who seemingly is lost at
this stage, Becky.
And this is just a very small snapshot of the difficulties that these people face as they try to make their way to Western Europe.
[11:05:17] ANDERSON: Yeah, any parent's absolute nightmare. Arwa, thank you.
There were chaotic scenes on Tuesday as refugees in Hungary tried to get past the police line. Camera crews there recorded something that has
shocked viewers.
Hungarian camerawoman appears to kick and deliberately trip refugees running through the field. At one point, she trips a man who has a child
in his arms. The television station that she works for, which is associated with a nationalist political party, says she will be fired. It
said her behavior was completely unacceptable.
Well, that is Hungary for you.
This crisis isn't just being felt in Europe. We heard earlier about EU plans to accommodate 160,000 refugees. For every single one of those,
Turkey has roughly another 13 Syrian refugees.
Almost 2 million in total escaping the war. It is a human catastrophe in Syria and it is bleeding out. That's more than any other country in the
world, largely down to what is a porous border between Turkey and Syria.
And it seems more and more people are moving towards Europe, often smuggled in boats illegally.
Let's cross to CNN's Ivan Watson now who is making that very same journey. He's in fact on a boat off the coast of Turkey right now.
And Ivan, you've spoken to some of the smugglers. What are they telling you?
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I actually haven't spoken to smugglers, I've been talking to refugees, Becky, who are
determined to make this crossing.
We're in Aegean Sea, and they're determined to get across from the Turkish coast, which you can see right over here, across the Aegean Sea to
Greek islands like Lesbos, which you can see in the distance over there.
And this is a movement of people that is continuing. There are more people on the way. And it's a quite a sophisticated and brazen smuggling
operation that's underway on the Turkish side of the border. There are indications that there's been a crackdown in some areas.
But, this is very much a business that is booming right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is how some refugees and migrants are smuggling themselves to Europe, cramming more
than 30 people at a time in broad daylight on board an overcrowded pontoon boat.
Armed with life jacks and inflated inner tubes, in case of an accident.
This footage filmed secretly a little more than a week ago off the coast of Turkey. Turks, who appear to be smugglers, shove the overloaded
boat out into the water. Seconds later, a man appearing to pilot the vessel abandons ship.
The inflatable rubber boat turns in circles until the migrants figure out how to steer the vessel themselves.
It then motors off towards the Greek island of Lesbos, an informal gateway to Europe.
And it looks like many more Syrian refugees are on the way. From the Turkish port city of Ismir (ph) on Tuesday, scores of Syrians sit in cafes
and on sidewalks with backpacks full of belongings and garbage bags full of lifejackets.
The passage to Greece by sea is still a really big business here. I mean, cafes are selling life jackets. You've got Syrians trying them on in
the street just waiting for their trip across the water.
This Turkish shop owner does not want us filming his business. Several Syrian refugees who don't want to be identified for fear of
reprisal back home tell me they just arrived in Turkey from Syria within the last couple of days.
Aren't you afraid? These are bad boats, you know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know. I know.
WATSON: Something terrible could happen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know.
WATSON: People are dying in the water.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What could I do? Stay in Syria? They're taking girls (inaudible). I don't want to fight with anyone. I don't want to
kill. I don't want to get killed. I don't want...
WATSON: They say it costs around $1,300 to buy passage to a Greek Island. Among those waiting for the call from a smuggler, many families
with children.
When I ask a father if he's afraid his kids could drown at sea, he answers they'll die anyway if they stay in Syria.
On the Turkish coastline last week, the refugees just kept coming, some walking with children down to the water.
Under the olive groves, they wait for their chance to escape.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
So, it is still very much a movement of people. Europeans feeling overwhelmed by the flood of migrants crossing their borders. They better
get ready, because this is a new group of people coming.
And Becky, it's important to note there -- Turkey hosts some 2 million refugees from the conflicts in neighboring Iraq and Syria, but all the
refugees that I talked to in Ismir (ph) on Tuesday, they were fresh arrivals, they had just flown in to Turkey from Syria with the express goal
of paying smugglers that roughly $1,300 to get on board these barely sea worthy vessels to get across to Greek Islands -- Becky.
[11:10:41] ANDERSON: It's remarkable.
Listen, Ivan, Turkey also facing domestic security issues, namely its conflict with the PKK, a Turkish militant group which they've openly
targeted with airstrikes. Have a quick listen to what President Erdogan told me last week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRESIDENT (through translator): We have lost 50,000 people in our fight against the PKK until today. We've lived
with this threat in our country. Therefore, the PKK is the number one threat and Daesh is the second.
We will continue to fight against both with determination.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Strong rhetoric, Ivan, there.
And just last night, of course, pro-Kurdish party says its offices were attacked amid nationalist protests. Ivan, what are behind these
protests?
WATSON: There's been a spike in the violence in this long simmering conflict that Turkey has been facing with the PKK, the Kurdish rebels.
This is a conflict that's gone on for some 30 years. There was a peace process that was led in large part by President Erdogan. But it is
completely fallen apart in the course of the past month or so.
PKK guerrillas believed to have carried out attacks that killed some 16 Turkish soldiers, another 13 Turkish police officers killed in another
area on Tuesday. And that has led to a spike in polarization here with a number of arson attacks carried out against the offices of the pro-Kurdish
HDP Party around Turkey. They say that their office in the capital Ankara was torched on last night. And that fire was eventually put out.
This is very disturbing. The HDP Party, they won gains in elections last June, much seem to be at the detriment of Erdogan's ruling AKP Party.
They lost their majority in parliament as a result of those last June elections. And elections are scheduled to take place in November, snap
elections.
So this is really -- throw in the political process here in disarray. You now have the leader of that pro-Kurdish HDP party who is trying to get
to a border town called Jizreh (ph), largely populated by ethnic Kurds near the border with Iraq. He's been stopped some 90 kilometers out, he says,
by Turkish security forces. And you have a number of parliament members from that party who were determined to march on foot some 90 kilometers to
reach that town, which they say has been under strict curfew by the Turkish security forces for days now.
So, the Kurdish peace process in disarray now. The number of casualties on both sides of the conflict rapidly spiking. Turkish military
carrying out airstrikes on the Turkish side of the border, on the Iraqi side of the border as well against what are believed to be PKK targets in
northern Iraq. And an incursion by Turkish special forces into the mountains of northern Iraq in the last couple of days. This is disturbing,
disturbing stuff for Turkey, which had been embarking on an historic peace process just a few years ago -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Absolutely. And with 2 million refugees accommodated, the impact on infrastructure, of course, the stress on the country absolutely
enormous.
What a mess.
All right, Ivan, thank you for your reporting.
Still to come tonight, four more U.S. Senators have signed on giving the White House enough support for the Iran nuclear deal. But detractors
do remain. We're going to look at the road forward for what is this historic agreement. That's going to come up a little later in the show.
And how the landscape of Jordan is changing once again as it absorbs almost 1.4 million Syrian refugees alone.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:17:06] ANDERSON: We're live from Amman in Jordan tonight. You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. Welcome
back.
Now, I want to focus right now on Jordan as the country grapples with an enormous number of refugees. Now the country shares its border with
Syria where four years in the relentless war is still killing and maiming the population, decimating it, in fact.
Over to its east, in Iraq, ISIS continues its murderous rampage undeterred by coalition bombers.
Adding to the misery of refugees fleeing those horrors, they're soaring demand for help is causing a cash crunch at the World Food Program.
Hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees right here in Jordan have seen their vital food aid cut off entirely. Some have been lucky enough to keep
it, but seen it slashed.
Earlier, I went to a supermarket with a refugee family here in Amman to see the effects of that firsthand.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: We are in a supermarket in the north part of the city. And it's Syrian refugees like Waroud who come here to redeem their World Food
Program vouchers. And Dina is with the World Food Program.
Waroud (ph) you have seven children. What are you buying today?
DINA, WORLD FOOD PROGRAM: I'm buying -- she's telling us that she's buying just the essentials. She buying rice, sugar and oil.
ANDERSON: With only the equivalent of some 50 cents per person per family, it must be very difficult to cope. How do you cope?
DINA: She's telling us that she bought -- she's buying just the bare minimum. She's had to reduce many of the items that she used to purchase
for her children and now she buys just the things that will last her for a longer time like starches, like rice, and things like oil and sugar.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Upwards of 1.5 million Syrian refugees in this country. Consider just for some context there are some 300,000 refugees trying to
make their way through Europe at present, 1.5 million here in the small country of Jordan just 8 million people in total. You can just imagine how
tough things are.
As the World Food Program faces a shortfall running to over $200 million.
For more, Rasmus Egandal is with me, the deputy regional emergency coordinator with the WFP.
Rasmus, I believe that some 200,000 refugees no longer have any aid from you whatsoever. Is that correct?
[11:20:11] RASMUS EGENDAL, WORLD FOOD PROGRAM: That is correct. Unfortunately, we've had to cut off assistance for almost a quarter of a
million people in Jordan simply because we can no longer continue to support and we have to focus our assistance on the most vulnerable.
ANDERSON: And our shopper there one of those who gets some 50 cents per member of her family per month. I mean, the numbers are just awful.
How bad are things going to get?
EGENDAL: This is a very bad situation for many people. And what we are seeing is that the situation is getting worse for these people.
They've been here for two, three, four years. They can't work. They are - - they've used all their resources. And we're seeing them resorting to ever more desperate measures to survive.
ANDERSON: Like what?
EGENDAL: Like taking (inaudible) out of school so they can work, or they can beg, like increasing their debt so that they can pay for the most
basic necessities such as food.
We're seeing it becoming an evermore difficult situation. And the international support unfortunately at the moment is woefully inadequate to
even guarantee the most basic of necessities such as food.
ANDERSON: We are seeing the European disbursement of people from Turkey, from various other places, making the headlines, splashed all over
the headlines.
What risk that refugees who had thought they might try and settle here in the interim while there was such a bloody conflict going on in Syria.
Might try and make that same treacherous journey now.
EGENDAL: Well, the fact that we are having to cut off assistance is not the reason necessarily why people are moving. It is a trigger, it is
the straw that broke the camel's back for the reason that I mentioned. They've been here for a long time. They're simply maxed out.
They need additional assistance to take care of their immediate needs, but they also need assistance that provides them with the hope for a better
future. They need jobs. They need access to education and they need access to a whole lot of other things.
ANDERSON: The risks we run as a world at this point is that those who are growing up in this environment with no education, hardly any food on
the table could see the idea of militancy, for example, as a valid option. Correct? Are you concerned?
EGENDAL: Of course that is a concern and experience from elsewhere. And the world has proven that to be the case. I would say there are a lot
of organizations that would find this a very sort of fertile fishing ground for their radical courses. So that is of course a possibility that we are
very aware of.
ANDERSON: With that, we'll leave it there. We thank you very much.
EGENDAL: You're welcome.
ANDERSON: ...for joining us.
This isn't just a problem for governments to deal with, you can help directly. These refugees need your help. The World Food Program welcomes
donations from the public. You can contribute to helping give food to these men, women and children and many others like them by going online to
WFP.org/Syria.
Times are desperate.
Live from Amman, this is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. Coming up, a reminder of what many refugees are running from. We hear from
a teenage girl who was captured by ISIS then enslaved by the terror group's leader himself. She recounts her hellish captivity and how she finally
managed to escape.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whether made from wood or plastic, furniture is designed to be strong, to last and to look good.
These are qualities you might not associate with cardboard furniture. But in Madagascar, one company is doing just that.
[11:25:12] TMOTHEE ANDRIAMAMONJIARISON, OWNER, ECO DESIGNER: We are able to make tables, chairs, bookshelves, but when it is assembled it's
strong, light and different.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Making furniture out of cardboard is certainly different. Timothee Andriamamonjiarison bought his company, Eco Designer,
earlier this year. He was already in business printing graphics and billboards and saw cardboard furniture as an opportunity to expand his
portfolio.
ANDRIAMAMONJIARISON: So, this is the workshop. This is where everything happens. We buy our cardboard from a local company, which is
importing recycled paper in rolls, then we can ask them to build the cardboard that we want.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eco Designer makes its customized furniture on demand apparently selling around 20 pieces a month.
ANDRIAMAMONJIARISON: The furniture picture (ph) is they are able to make everything you want, you just give them the design, they will cut it
with small cutters, glued, they just use their hands to make furniture.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In addition to furniture, he decided to make paper bags. He says the combined sales of furniture and bags brings Eco Designer
$7,000 a month.
ANDRIAMAMONJIARISON: We notice that there is a growing demand on paper bags, but in furniture it's still -- there is not order. We are not
making furniture, but most growing business is the paper bags. We have more and more and more orders every day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And he's already planning on how to grow and improve the business further.
ANDRIAMAMONJIARISON: So, the next step for Eco Designer is to buy some machines. We are going to buy digital cutter to make furniture with
machines, so it will be better quality, faster. It is the next step to grow the business professionally.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:30:07] ANDERSON: This is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson from a very windy Jordan this evening. The top stories for you this hour.
The European commission is calling on EU countries to resettle at least 160,000 refugees from Syria and other war torn countries. Now, it's
the new plan called for mandatory quotas based on population, GDP and a country's unemployment rate.
The British prime minister David Cameron says Britain may need to use, and I quote, hard military force in Syria. He was speaking at prime
ministers questions where he was grilled by opposition politicians over the decision to approve a drone strike recently in Syria. That drone strike
killed two British citizens.
U.S. Presidential Candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says she anticipates Iran will test the next president. In a
speech a couple of hours ago, she stated her support for the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by the White Hosue with Tehran. If elected, she said she
will impose penalties on Iran even for small violations of the deal.
Well, the brutality of ISIS is well documented, often by the militants themselves. But we are now getting a chilling look at their treatment of
female captives by a teenager who became a personal slave for ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Atika Shubert, my colleague, has this exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Zainat (ph) was just 15 when she was captured by ISIS fighters and brought, she says, before their leader, Abu
Bakr al Baghdadi.
ZAINAT, FORMER BAGHDADI SLAVE (through translator): First time he came, I was 15 and crying. When I stood up, he looked at me and told the
guard take this girl away and put her to the side.
SHUBERT: She says she was taken to the Syrian city of Raqqa, the ISIS stronghold where she cooked and cleaned for Baghdadi's three wives and six
children. She tried to escape once. Her punishment -- beatings with a garden hose, the last blows delivered by Baghdadi himself.
What did he say to you when he hit you?
ZAINAT: Abu Bakr Baghdadi told we beat you because you run away from us. We chose to convert to our religion. We chose you, you belong to the
Islamic state.
SHUBERT: Then she says she was thrown into a cramped cell for a month. That is where Zainat says met Kayla Mueller.
ZAINAT: I told her, I'm a Yazidi girl from Sinjar and I was captured by Daesh. After that we stayed together and became like sisters.
SHUBERT: She and Kayla were moved to the home of Abu Sayyaf, a high ranking ISIS commander. Shortly after she says Baghdadi came to visit. He
called for Kayla.
ZAINAT: When Kayla came back to us, we asked her why are you crying. And Kayla told us Baghdadi said I'm going to marry you by force. You're
going to be my wife. If you refuse, I will kill you.
When I heard that Kayla told me, I wanted to escape, and I told Kayla to escape with me, but Kayla refused. She said if I escape they will behead
me.
SHUBERT: She says she waited until 1:00 a.m., and pushed open a broken window into their room and ran. A man in a nearby village smuggled her out
to her family and only then did she discover who the man who tortured her really was.
ZAINAT: When I escaped, I saw him on TV and I heard his voice. When I ran away I asked my family who is this man. They told me this is Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi.
SHUBERT: Zainat says she has told her story to U.S. investigators including details of Baghdadi's daily routine.
What kind of a man was Baghdadi? Was he ever, ever kind to you?
ZAINAT: No, he was always evil. There were no kind words.
SHUBERT: She says she hopes some piece of information however small will lead to the downfall of the man who once called her his slave.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, we can't independently confirm all the details in Zainat's story, Kayla Mueller's family tells CNN some of the details match
what the family has learned from government officials. Mueller was later killed in what ISIS claims was a Jordanian strike inside Syria.
Now Washington absolutely refutes that.
You can read much more on this story on the website, including the hellish condition that both women in Jordan, their dealings with the ISIS
leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, that is at CNN.com.
The U.S. President Barack Obama has enough congressional support to ensure the nuclear deal with Iran will go forward. Tuesday, the White
House picked up four more backers from his own party, pushing the total number of senate supporters to 42.
Now 41 was the latest magic number that the administration had hoped for. Hitting that milestone means that Republican legislation disapproving
the deal may not come to a vote in the Senate. Now that is because Democrats have enough numbers to block it by means of what is known as a
filibuster.
Well, to break this all down, I'm joined now by CNN's global affairs correspondent Elise Labott in Washington. And for the view from Iran,
Scott Peterson of the Christian Science Monitor.
And let me start with you, Elise, while the deal it seems is safe, it's not expected to lead the headlines as congressional posturing
continues and presidential candidates weigh in. What is the latest on those two fronts.
ELISE LABOTT, CNN CORREPSONDENT: Well, Becky, look, the deal is safe. It's unclear whether the fact that the administration has those 42 votes,
whether it will be voted for a filibuster -- I mean, that's a lot of technical things that will happen in the coming days. But clearly this
deal is going ahead. And so you have various candidates speaking out. Secretary -- former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke today, gave a
major speech on Iran, in some ways kind of taking credit for the deal that's on the table now because she was involved in the sanctions that led
Iran to the table as well as instructing her aides to start those secret talks.
But also kind of trying to take it a step further, calling it distrust, but verify, and kind of strengthen some of the other methods to
counter Iran's destabilizing behavior in the region. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, FRM. U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: This is not the start of some larger diplomatic opening. And we shouldn't expect that this deal
will lead to broader changes in their behavior. That shouldn't be a promise for proceeding.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LABOTT: So, Secretary Clinton put a little bit more meat on the bones of what that means in efforts to strengthen Israel and the Gulf states,
counter Iran's proxies in the region, really offering a few more specifics than we heard from the Obama administration.
Later today, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz will be speaking about Iran. They've said that they would overturn the deal. A lot of questions about
whether that's even possible, given the fact that once the train leaves the station and this deal is implemented, other countries are not going to walk
it back, Becky. The rest of the world very anxious to do business with Iran.
ANDERSON: All right, Elise is in Washington for you tonight.
Scott, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei has said today that Iran will not hold talks with the U.S. on other issues other than these
nuclear negotiations. How should we read this? Because it differs from what the Iranian President Rouhani said yesterday when he opened the door
for talks with other countries, for example, on Syria.
SCOTT PETERSON, CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: Well, that's right. In fact, Becky, we heard this theme coming from the supreme leader and from
some other senior, especially conservative figures in Iran over recent months. And that is that these nuclear talks are not going to open the
pathway to a broader set of negotiations.
However, the supreme leader today put a much sharper edge on those comments than he has in recent past. He basically made reference to the
1979 Islamic Revolution when he said that the pro-U.S. shah, he said that the Satan had been pushed out then. We're not going to let them back in
through the window.
And he basically warned that those further negotiations might actually yield penetration of Iranian society that was completely undesirable.
So, he put a larger -- a sharper point on it. But I think he's got really two constituencies there. One is he's trying to mollify and appease
the hard liners in Iran who are against the deal and are concerned that this deal is going to yield a broader opening and a shift of revolutionary
principles. On the other hand, he's also responding, I think, to some of the statements that we've heard from American politicians, even though who
are supporting the nuclear deal, who have really kind of shown their anti- Iran or you can't Iran bonafides and pro-Israel sentiment as well every time they make a mention of this deal.
ANDERSON: Scott, what did the supreme leader say, out of interest, about Israel today? What was his intended audience for what were very
strong remarks.
PETERSON: Well, he made, again, very, very strong remarks regarding Israel. And of course this is referring to the -- what some critics of the
deal have called a sunset clause that basically Iran is not going to face the kind of constrictions in 15 or 20 or 25 years after this deal is kind
of finalized. And so of course we've heard a lot of those criticisms coming from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel. And so what the
supreme leader specifically said was, you know, for you who are concerned that -- for you Israelis who are concerned that after 25 years that Iran is
going to be a problem, you should know that you, too -- and here I'm quoting Iran's supreme leader -- that you and the Zionist regime, those are
his words, will not likely exist in 25 years.
So, again, strong words, but again dealing -- or in the context of trying to kind of speak to a hardline constituency here that feels that
some fundamentals of the revolution are going to change because of this deal. He's trying to calm them about that. And also at the same time
pushing back against American politicians in Washington who have been very strong on support for Israel in terms of this deal.
ANDERSON: And let me get back to Washington. Thank you, Scott.
Elise, finally, you have been around for some time in the city. Can you just describe the atmosphere. Clearly, Obama is looking for a legacy
sort of slam dunk on this Iran deal. What's the atmosphere like around this in Washington?
[11:40:54] LABOTT: Well, it's very polarized, Becky. And the deal itself has been polarized ever since it looked very clear that they were
moving towards there.
If you remember all the way back to when Prime Minister Netanyahu came to speak to the congress at the behest of the Republicans, and it's gotten
ever more increasingly polarized since the presidential campaign began.
I mean, you talk privately to U.S. officials and they think once the deal gets through, once the deal starts to be implemented, you know, they
could be accused of being naive, but they believe Iran will follow the spirit if not the letter of the deal. And so they feel that this
polarization will end once they show that Iran's program is continued to be curbed.
But again, you need to also look at Iran's destabilizing behavior in the Iran. If Iran thinks that it can start acting up in other ways,
certainly the administration is going to be under criticism, particularly from Republicans that it was naive (ph).
ANDERSON: And certainly Iranian influence in Syria -- and we'll talk about that after this short break. Both of you, thank you.
Live from Amman, what is the back end of a pretty nasty sand storm. Still pretty windy here. This is a special edition of Connect the World
with me Becky Anderson.
Coming up, we look at how this country of Jordan has been transformed and shaped by the 1.5 million Syrian refugees here.
And after that, long may she reign. Britain celebrates as Queen Elizabeth hits an historic milestone. That's later in the show.
Stay with us. We're taking a very short break. Back, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, live from Amman in Jordan, you're watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. Welcome back.
And some breaking news just in to CNN, and it's from here in Amman, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan says he will stand again for the FIFA
presidency, hopes to succeed Sepp Blatter. He says he is the only candidate with the courage to confront corruption in football's governing
body.
This will be Prince Ali's second attempt, as you'll remember, to win football's top post.
Well, we'll discuss that shortly, but I want to get you back to what is our top story, and an incredibly important one. On the day that Europe
announces its grand plan to deal with hundreds of thousands of migrants crossing its borders, we are live from one country that is being dealing
with a similar crisis for more than four years.
Jordan now hosting more than 1.4 million Syrian refugees.
The United Nations-run Zaatari Camp is now the fourth largest city in the country.
And as we've been hearing there many refugees living outside the camps. In fact, the UN says about 80 percent, eight out of 10, Syrian
refugees in Jordan are now living in non-camp settings. Many of them are here in Amman.
We're joined by government spokesman Mohammad Momani. Just if you can, describe the impact that this new population has on this country.
Remind us.
MOHAMMAD MOMANI, JORDANIAN GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: Thank you, Becky. Welcome back again to Amman.
It's huge. You're talking about 20 percent of the Jordanian population becoming Syrian refugees.
ANDERSON: That would be the equivalent of something like 13 million refugees in Britain, or something like 75 million refugees in the United
States.
When you see the headlines that are coming out of Europe, you must be delighted that the Europeans are taking some responsibility. But does it
upset you that for four years this has been a roiling issue that people have ignored around the world here?
MOMANI: It does upset us. And we feel disappointed, because since four years we've been saying to the whole world that we must be helped.
Someone must shoulder this responsibility with us or otherwise you will have to deal with them in the seas and on the shores of Europe.
So, helping refugees here in the Middle East, helping countries like Jordan, who is hosting 1.4 million refugees, will be the very logical thing
to deal with this pressing issue.
We're proud, honestly, what we have done. But we think that the international community must step in and must help Syrian refugees in host
communities.
ANDERSON: Right, this is about cause and effect. The effect of a horrible war in Syria is a refugee crisis we are seeing elsewhere.
What is the solution to Syria?
MOMANI: We think there must be a serious, vigorous political effort to get all parties together, because we think that once Syria is
stabilized, refugees will go back.
Now, what the refugees are suffering from is lack of security and lack of food -- and because the World Food Program, which you just interviewed,
as I gathered, is not getting enough funds from the international community.
ANDERSON: Jordan is part of the coalition fight against Daesh, or ISIS in Syria and in Iraq. Most of the refugees that our correspondents
have spoken to on the move in Europe say they're not frightened of ISIS, or not as frightened of ISIS as they are of President Bashar al-Assad. Can he
be part of any political solution at this point? Because there seems no momentum to get rid of him.
MOMANI: We think the most important thing is to bring all Syrian factions together. Once the...
ANDERSON: Including Bashar?
MOMANI: Including everybody, because the Syrians will have to decide on their future. And Geneva, one is clear they're talking about a
transitional government with full authority. So if this is the case, then let's be it and let's bring security to the Syrians so refugees will stop
leaving Syria, some of them will go back and then we don't have to deal with them sinking in the sea.
ANDERSON: Mohammad, I spoke to the UN envoy to Syria who has one of the toughest jobs I guess in the world today. He pointed the finger of
blame at four countries specifically: the U.S., Russia, Iran and Saudi. Let's play the blame game, because we need to at this point. Who do you
think can help solve this situation? And what do they need to do?
MOMANI: Well, clearly there are different countries in the region and at the international level that must come to some level of understanding on
what should be done. Russia, definitely, the United States, Europe, Saudi Arabia, Iran, all parties -- Turkey, Jordan, all parties must come together
and try to get some serious negotiation going on between Syrians because this start affecting everybody in the region and Europe and it will
continue to spillover more.
ANDERSON: So, short-term, do you support the notion of safe zone with no-fly zones to police those so that at least those Syrians who are
displaced -- and we are talking millions within the country -- can find some refuge?
MOMANI: I think it's better to talk about safe environment through which Syrians can find better way of life.
[11:50:02] ANDERSON: But this is all talk and no action, Mohammad.
MOMANI: Unfortunately, because so far the political process has not taken off. And we've been saying this since four years. And we've been
receiving refugees. We've been dealing with this. But clearly without a serious political process this is not going to go anywhere. The
international community must understand that enough pressure -- military pressure, political pressure, must be put in place in order to give this
crisis on the right track of a solution, because otherwise we will all be affected by it.
Terrorism will increase. The humanitarian crisis will increase. And then we will have to deal with ten times more problems than the ones we
have now.
ANDERSON: And you've been saying that for some time.
I do have to ask you, because the news has come in the past hour, that Prince Ali who just announced his candidacy for president of FIFA, that was
down in town I know just about a half hour ago. Is he serious about this? Does he think he's going to win?
MOMANI: I think he's very serious. I was in the ceremony, actually. I just came. And I think he's very serious. He spoke very clearly about
his vision on why he's doing this, why he's taking this challenge. But clearly he is going to go for this challenge. And he's going to win.
ANDERSON: Jordan taking its responsibilities seriously as ever. Thank you.
MOMANI: Thank you. Thank you, Becky.
ANDERSON: You can always follows the stories that the team is working on throughout the day. Do go to the Facebook page,
Facebook.com/CNNConnect, get in touch with me. You can always tweet me, you know this if you are regular viewer, @BeckyCNN -- @BeckyCNN.
Live from Amman in Jordan. You've been watching a special edition of Connect the World. We'll be back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Britain's Queen Elizabeth was in Scotland earlier for the official opening of a new railway line. It sounds like an extraordinary
engagement for her. But this is no ordinary day. She's become Britain's longest reigning monarch, overtaking her great, great grandmother Queen
Victoria. She's now been on the throne for 63 years and more than seven months.
Let's bring in CNN's Max Foster. He's in the garden of the queen's residents at Buckingham Palace.
And how has the royal family and the British population been celebrating this historic milestone, Max?
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, initially the queen didn't want to celebrate it at all. She just wanted to stay at home,
because for her it's about mourning, actually, the death of her father, the whole -- you know, this date is defined, really, about when her father died
and she took the throne.
Also, it's about the death of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria who is a very revered figure here.
So, she didn't really want to celebrate it. She was convinced to do so. But I think it rather called it marking the occasion. She's up in
Scotland on a fairly regular royal engagement. And she's meeting the crowds.
But it didn't feel like a regular engagement, this really is a moment in British history.
But this is how she put it herself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUEEN ELIZABETH, GREAT BRITAIN: Many, including you first minister, have all so kindly noted another significance attaching to today, although
it is not one to which I have ever aspired. Inevitably, a long life can pass by many milestones. My own is no exception. But I thank you all and
the many others at home and overseas for your touching messages of great kindness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: So, business as usual, Becky.
Also emphasized by an official picture that was released. It was taken by Mary McCartney, Paul McCartney's daughter. And it shows the queen
at her desk going about her daily work. So, the message here it's business as usual. Also, though, that she's not slowing down in any way. So, get
rid of all this talk about abdication.
[11:55:08] ANDERSON: And just we before go, I know you're in an area of Buckingham Palace, I think in the gardens tonight, which is very rare to
get access to. Can you open up and just give us a sense of where you are and what you think?
FOSTER: Cameraman is nodding, I think it's possible. Here we go. This is the back of Buckingham Palace. So we normally see the other side,
of course. But there's a few other media lined up there as well.
We've got the public -- today is a day when the public has been allowed in. And that really says quite a lot about the monarchy, actually,
so when we think of the queen as very traditional. She was the first one to allow the public into Buckingham Palace. She was the first to go on
walkabout, for example. She's allowed Prince William and Kate to sort of modernize the monarchy as well. So, it's sort of a time to take stock of
what she has changed, which when you compare it to before he reign, there's been quite a lot really.
ANDERSON: All right, Max, thank you.
Well, tonight's Parting Shots, then, we pause to look back on this historic day for Queen Elizabeth. Landmarks in the UK were keen to let the
world know about her achievement. This was BT Tower in London displaying the message "Long may she reign." And it seems remnants -- reminiscent of
her diamond jubilee celebration, as you may remember, though, is back in 2012, a flotilla of boats passed down the river Thames, but perhaps it is
best to leave the last word to the Queen herself who said a long life can pass by many milestones, my own is no exception.
You can always follow the stories that we're working on as you know. I've let you know what the Facebook page is, @BeckyCNN -- that's @BeckyCNN.
You've been watching a special edition of Connect the World live from Amman.
We're here in Jordan again tomorrow evening. I'll be sitting down with Queen Rania to talk about her majesty's thoughts on the Syrian refugee
crisis and how Jordan and the world can help. I'm Becky Anderson, that was Connect the World. Thank you for watching. From the team here and those
back home in Abu Dhabi and around the world, it's a very good evening.
END
