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Austrialian PM Ousted; European Ministers in Emergency Session to Discuss Refugees; Interview with David Miliband; Egyptian Security Forces Accidentally Kill Convoy of Targets; Mixed Signals from Iran; Party Leaders Hope to Avert Political Crisis in Northern Ireland; More Charges Against FIFA. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired September 14, 2015 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Europe gathers as these refugees keep coming. The block is trying to speak with one voice about the human tide pouring into
the continent. But this hour, ministers are in emergency session. What we can expect to hear in a live report from Brussels.
Also ahead, tragedy in the desert, the Egyptian security forces accidentally target a convoy of tourists, killing 12 people. The latest on
the investigation from Cairo.
On the mixed signals south of Iran, how agreement on the nuclear issue is not stopping some of the more heated rhetoric. We're live in Tehran this
hour with the details.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
ANDERSON: A very good evening. It's just after 7 o'clock here in the UAE. I want to begin in Australia for you where the country's Prime Minister,
Tony Abbott has just been booted out of his job by his own party. It comes after hastily arranged leadership challenge coming from Malcolm Turnbull,
Mr. Abbott's former communications minister. Now, Mr. Turnbull will now take on the top job, becoming the fifth person to do so in as many years.
For more on what this means, let's bring in CNN's Asia-Pacific editor Andrew Stevens.
Abbott had been plagued by poor opinion polls. Why was that?
ANDREW STEVENS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he was just an -- basically fundamentally, Becky, an unpopular leader. He didn't chime in
with the electorate. He seemed to be out of step with the electorate. And those opinion polls have been weak for more than a year.
So it's not as if he's had no time to try and rectify that and set the ship back on the right course. And you'll remember, it was only in February
that he actually survived a no confidence vote from his own party and that is where most analysts think that is when Malcolm Turnbull seriously began
planning his leadership bid.
Malcolm Turnbull is seen as a much more popular leader, a man who is more in touch with Australians, but he's still, at this stage, obviously, has
this shadow of not being elected by the people rather than by a back room deal.
But he did come out after that leadership challenge, Becky. And he made a fairly clear call, fairly clear message about this new government that he
was going to lead would be much more one of consensus than Tony Abbott's.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MALCOLM TURNBULL, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER DESIGNATE: A traditionally, thoroughly traditional cabinet government that ensures that we make
decisions in a collaborative manner. The prime minister of Australia is not a president. The prime minister is the first among equals. And that,
and you can see the partnership between me and Julie, the partnership with our colleagues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEVENS: So it's going to be a change in style, at least initially, rather than substance. Not expecting big policy changes, Becky. But it's
interesting him talking about that collaborative effort. Because you'll remember, some of the rather odd decisions that Tony Abbott has made not
consulting his cabinet. And I can just think of, off the top of my head, the latest one is when he awarded Australia's top honor to the husband of
the queen, Prince Philip in the Australia Day honor's list. And nobody knew about that. And it was hugely criticized. And he faced a no
confidence vote not long after that.
So he was making what he called the "captain's picks," these sort of unilateral decisions, which didn't play out well either in his own cabinet
or indeed the wider electorate.
ANDERSON: Andrew Stevens reporting.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
I want to get you to emergency talks on the migrant crisis now that is threatening to overwhelm Europe. First up, though, these are live pictures
coming to us from the Hungarian side of the border with Serbia. A show of force by police as the final work is done on a fence.
Now, Hungary says it will make it much tougher to enter the country as a refugee without legal repercussions. Well, the measure gives more
authority to the police and lays down stiffer penalties for crossing the border illegally. New penalties include three years in prison for anyone
climbing over that newly built razor wire fence that you are seeing. It also allows for new border transit zones to hold asylum seekers while their
applications are processed.
[11:05:07] Well, meantime, EU interior ministers are meeting in Brussels this hour. They're debating a controversial quota system that would
redistribute asylum seekers across the block.
Now, Germany has been the most welcoming, but even it is now taking extraordinary steps to curb what is this massive influx. German police now
conducting checks along the Austrian border. They say they've already arrested several human traffickers. Austria has followed Germany's lead,
imposing controls at the border with Hungary.
Well, we've got reporters across the continent in this story for you tonight. Hala Gorani is covering that emergency meeting in Brussels, Atika
Shubert following Germany's response to the crisis from Munich and Ivan Watson is watching a huge flow of refugee's stream across the Greek-
Macedonian border.
Hala, let's begin with you tonight. What have the ministers been saying going into this meeting?
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRSPONDENT: Well, there is this agreement between member states, especially the central European countries, not least
Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland as well, saying they do not agree with this mandatory quota system proposal that was laid out last week
by the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker. Other countries such as Germany or Italy, one of the front line nations, all
think that it is a fair and just system.
And as you mentioned, this is all unfolding against the backdrop of tightened border controls, Germany tightening its border, Austria sending
troops to its border, Hungary building it razor wire fence. So you have a nation -- you have a Europe-wide, I should say, problem, but really a
piecemeal individual solution from each country with a very different approach.
So right now, reaching this idea that a harmonized solution debated here in this building where I am standing, is going to come to fruition any time
soon I think it seems as though that is a lot further away than state's like Germany would hope. Germany that today said could take up to a
million asylum seekers this year alone, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yeah, and as we hear from you, Hala, we are watching live pictures coming to us from that Hungarian-Serbian border where this fence
is being erected, you see, on the other side asylum seekers making their way through woods. At its core, Hala, this is a human story. You just
caught up with a person whose recent family tragedy was, in many ways, a turning point for global attention on this refugee crisis.
GORANI: Well, it's this picture, Becky, as you know and as our viewers now know, that became instantly iconic, a symbol for the suffering of refugees
trying desperately to cross that stretch of water between Turkey and Greece and others on another Mediterranean route from North Africa to countries
like Italy. It is little Aylan Kurdi, the 2-year-old, who was photographed dead, drowned, face down on that beach in Bodrum.
I spoke to his aunt, Tima Kurdi. She's here in Brussels. She was flown in by an NGO, a humanitarian organization called Avaaz. She's going to meet
with high level European officials. She says she's now a voice for the voiceless, those who have lost their lives making that dangerous crossing.
I asked her about that picture of her nephew, Aylan Kurdi. And this is what she told me. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIMA KURDI, AYLAN KURDI'S AUNT: I have a very strong feeling that boy is - - God sent him to the world and this planet because there has to be a solution to stop it. There was too many thousand of them are dying every
day and nobody doing anything about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: There she is. Tima Kurdi, both her nephews, not just Aylan but also his 4-year-old brother and their mother drowned trying to make the
crossing from Turkey to Greece. Their father, Abdullah Kurdi, survived, Becky.
ANDERSON: Hala is in Brussels for you this evening. Let's cross now to Ivan Watson who is standing by for you on the Greek-Macedonian border. And
Ivan, any sign that the flow of people, in any way, is beginning to ease?
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely not. There has been a constant stream of people coming through. And let me get out of the
way to perhaps show how the Greek border authorities and the Macedonian border authorities are kind of managing this flow of people, that they have
been allowing to pretty much move through smoothly.
Now, in one 24 hour period over the weekend, Becky. You had, according to the UNHCR, more than 8,600 people cross through this informal crossing
point that the authorities have basically established as an improvised transit point for migrants and refugees on their way to central Europe.
That's a lot of people in just a 24 hour period. So thousands and thousands of people crossing through here. They are not staying in
Macedonia. Once they come from Greece, all of them tell us that their goal is to go onwards to the next country on the migrant trail, which is Serbia
and then onwards into Europe, into Hungary and hopefully they hope to finally arrive in Germany.
The question about European countries imposing more restrictions on their borders, well, that's likely to, in the days ahead, start to have a trickle
down affect on crossing points like this where thousands of people have been allowed to move through easily in recent days, Becky.
ANDERSON: Ivan, briefly, can you describe what people are telling you about why they continue to risk their lives to make this trip?
WATSON: Well, when you talk to Syrian refugees and 70 to 80 percent of the people coming through are Syrian refugees, when you ask parents, for
instance, who are clutching their small children, and you ask, you know, you did put your child's life at risk on those boats from Turkey to Greece,
you know, one man put it very succinctly. He said, "If my child stayed in Syria he would die anyway. So, this was the only way out."
It is complicated, however, that calculation by the fact that there are a lot of people who aren't Syrian refugees. Yes, there are Iraqi refugees,
but there are many people from Afghanistan. Increasingly, we're seeing south Asians, sub-Saharan Africans mixed in with the population that is
moving through these borders. And some of these people are not coming from countries in conflict zones, some of these people have told me that they
have been living for months in Athens and now they just want to move on to perhaps a country with a stronger economy, a more comfortable existence.
And this is one of the challenges that is going to face the Europeans as they try to cope with this flood of humanity that's heading their way,
Becky.
ANDERSON: All right. Well, let's -- thank you, Ivan. Cross over to Atika Shubert who is one of the ultimate destinations, Germany, where the
government now says it is expecting 1 million asylum seekers this year.
Atika, Germany has introduced temporary border controls on its border with Austria to cope with what's been this massive influx of people. What's
next, then, for Germany's asylum seekers?
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean, what we've seen here is an extraordinary amount of people coming through, 16,000
people coming in just one day, that was yesterday, on Sunday. And so, Germany has said it is willing to take now, it seems, even up to a million
refugee applications, but it can't take it in the sort of daily surge where you have more than 10,000 people coming every day. And this is why they
have imposed these border controls, not to stop refugees from coming in entirely, but to try and stem the flow a little and spread it out.
So now, instead of getting 16,000 at the train station behind me in Munich, what they're doing is they're trying to make sure they get to other
stations across the country. And for those trains that are coming in, they will be checked for their IDs. And they're trying to determine at the
border who is a refugee and who is, in the opinion of the German government, an economic migrant from a stable country, but is trying to
come here for a better life.
Those people will -- are likely to be turned away at the border. And this is what Germany is trying to do. But what Germany says it really needs is
a joint asylum policy. And this why Brussels is so key, making sure that all of the EU nations are sharing the burden, of taking more refugees, not
simply Germany, and finding a legal and safe way for these refugees to get to the countries that have accepted them, Becky.
ANDERSON: Atika Shubert in Munich in Germany for you. As you know, viewers, this story has so many facets. It is completely dominating the
front page of CNN.com. There, you will get not just the latest developments, you'll have a chance to hear from the migrants themselves
like the two young men forced to swim from Turkey to Greece. And read why our chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour argues we can all
afford to be human. All that and more is at CNN.com. Do use the site.
Still to come this hour, anti-American rhetoric and symbols throughout Tehran despite the historic nuclear deal. We'll go live to the Iranian
capital later this hour.
First up, though, as the British prime minister speaks to refugees himself, we speak to a former British foreign secretary who thinks Mr. Cameron's
efforts are too little too late.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:17:27] ANDERSON: You're watching CNN. This is CONNECT THE WORLD with me Becky Anderson. It's 17 minutes past 7:00 out of the UAE for you. As
EU ministers discuss the migrant crisis, the British prime minister says the solution isn't just in Brussels, but in the Middle East. David Cameron
is now in Jordan to hold talks with King Abdullah on the Syrian refugee crisis. There are about 1-and-a-half million Syrian refugees inside
Jordan.
You'll remember, I was in Amman last week where I sat down with Queen Rania to hear her thoughts on the crisis. Well, Mr. Cameron flew into Jordan
after visiting a camp housing Syrian refugees in Lebanon. There he said the UK is doing a lot to help.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Well, I wanted to come here to see for myself and to hear for myself the stories of refugees and what they
need. Britain is already the second largest donor to refugee camps and to this whole crisis really helping in a way that many other countries aren't
with serious amounts of money. We'll go on doing that, including increasing the amount of money we're giving to educate Syrian children here
in Lebanon and elsewhere. And I think that's absolutely vital.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, not everybody thinks Britain is doing enough. For more, let's talk to the UK's former foreign secretary and now President of the
International Rescue Committee, David Miliband.
He's on the ground on the Greek island of Lesbos where he is assisting refugees and has accused the EU of, "Appalling neglect in handling this
crisis."
David, a hazardous guess that those are bruising words for any Germans watching this broadcast who have seen their government throw open its doors
to upwards of a million refugees.
What do you hope to hear out of this EU minister's meeting in Brussels, that has convened as we speak?
DAVID MILIBAND, FRM. BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: Good evening, Becky. You're absolutely right that German leadership has really been on an
extraordinary scale over the last few weeks. And now, the boldness of German decision making needs to be matched by the rest of the EU. I think
there are three absolute priorities for the summit. One is to agree the figure of refugees who are going to be admitted to Europe this year and how
they're going to be distributed among all the member States of the EU.
Secondly, there needs to be far greater help of the kind that Mr. Cameron has been talking about in the neighboring states to Syria. But as we've
been warning for some time that the pressure in Lebanon and Jordan it's going to become overwhelming.
Thirdly, we need some planning for the future to create legal routes to Europe because in the absence of legal routes, people will take the illegal
routes that are dangerous and very expensive. And that's, I think, the right order of priority, the order of business for the summit today.
[11:20:00]
ANDERSON: I want talk about the root cause, which is Syria, mostly, in a moment. Firstly, are quotas, David, the answer for Europe?
MILIBAND: They're part of the answer in the sense -- if by that you mean a plan for distributing a large number of refugees around the member states
of the European Union, because over the last couple of years, Greece and Italy have been left to handle this crisis on their own, that's clearly not
sustainable. German intervention has now offered a way forward and that needs to be broadened out to include the whole of the EU in my view.
ANDERSON: Your organization has called the US offer to resettle 2,000 more refugees, "Cold comfort to the victims of Syria's conflict." How many
Syrian refugees do you believe the United States should -- and is equipped to take?
MILIBAND: Well, we don't pick our numbers out of the air. We follow the United Nations. The United Nations has said that in the case of Syria,
which as your correspondent pointed out, is a major part of the European refugee crisis. In the case of Syria, the UN has recommended 200,000
refugees to be resettled in richer countries over the next 16 or 18 months.
By historic standards, the US has always taken about half of the world's resettled refugees, which is why a coalition of US charities, including the
International Rescue Committee, has said that the proportionate US share would be around 100,000.
And you're right that the administration has raised by 2,000 the number that they're planning to admit. But obviously, that's no way commensurate
with the scale of the crisis, which has been escalating at such speed over the last couple of years.
ANDERSON: As I mentioned a little earlier, last week I spoke exclusively to Queen Rania of Jordan, a country, as we've said, hosts save a million-
and-a-half Syrian refugees. She called Syria a, "Crisis of exceptional magnitude that demands", she said, "an exceptional response." She also
told me this. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUEEN RANIA, JORDAN: I think that, you know, as an international community, you know, this is no longer just a Middle East problem, nor is
it exclusively a European dilemma. This is for the whole international community to deal with. And we need to come together for collective
action. We need to come up with a comprehensive and cohesive policy in order to deal with this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And the British prime minister does agree, he says the focus should be the root cause of this crisis. And David, he's also suggested
the possibility of more involvement by British armed forces.
You've called his offer to house 20,000 Syrians in the UK over the next five years inadequate, but isn't he right that it's Syria and the conflict
that needs to be solved at this point?
MILIBAND: Well, Becky, it's got to be both. The European end of this crisis has got to be addressed, because there are already half a million or
so refugees in Europe, but it's also correct, as David Cameron says, to address the origins of this crisis.
I think Queen Rania has spoken very powerfully to the fact that this is a moral crisis and a political crisis. I can't think of a civil war of
similar proportions anywhere in the world that has had so little political and diplomatic muscle expended to bring it to a close. Four-and-a-half
years into the war we're further away from the political solution than we were three or four years ago. And it's absolutely vital that as well as
addressing the symptoms of the crisis in Europe, the causes are also addressed inside Syria and in the neighboring states.
ANDERSON: David Miliband is in Lesbos for you today. Thank you. And David suggesting that as many as 100,000 Syrians should be offered refuge
in the United States. Remember, this is a crisis where you can help. Visit CNN.com/impact for more details on how.
Also tonight, we'll be speaking to one young Syrian who made the journey to the United Kingdom. He'll be answering your questions live at 9:30 p.m.,
Abu Dhabi time. And you can put a question to Milad by going to our Facebook page, Facebook.com/CNNConnect and get in touch on Twitter. You
can tweet me @BeckyCNN. In fact, I've just tweeted out just how you can get in touch with Milad on that live Facebook chat. So please do that.
Live from Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with me Becky Anderson. Coming up, Mexico says it has spoken with six tourists who survived after
Egyptian security forces fired on them. What, they had to say about that attack.
[11:25:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:32:12] ANDERSON: This is CONNECT THE WORLD with me Becky Anderson. The top stories for you here on CNN this hour.
And these are live pictures coming to us from the Hungarian side of the border with Syria as the final work is done on a fence that's ringed with
razor wire. Hungary says it will make it much tougher to enter the country as a refugee without legal repercussions. EU members meeting right now in
Brussels have agreed to allow the use of military force to track down on people smugglers in the Mediterranean Sea. That is according to an EU
source. Around 2,800 migrants have died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year, including 34 off the coast of Greece just yesterday.
Mexico's foreign minister says a tour convoy carrying several Mexican citizens may have been hit by an air strike in Egypt. Twelve people were
killed, including at least two Mexican nationals, if Egypt's government says security forces fired on the tourists after mistaking them for
militants.
The US State of California is grappling with huge wildfires. Thousands have abandoned their homes as firefighters battle blazes like this in the
northern part of the State. California's government has -- sorry, governor, has declared a state of emergency in some areas.
And Tony Abbott has been kicked out as Australia's prime minister. He lost a leadership challenge from former communications minister Malcolm Turnbull
who won the Liberal Party vote 54 to 44. Turnbull is set to become the country's next leader.
Well, as the world waits for a possible US rate hike on Thursday, markets in the Gulf will be watching intently, most major indices in the region
traded lower again this Monday. And there may be more bad news around the corner as Goldman Sachs says the price of oil could drop to 20 dollars a
barrel.
CNN's emerging market editor John Defterios reports from the Dubai stock exchange.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN DEFTERIOS, EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: It's a scene unique to the trading floors of the Arabian Peninsula. Investors supporting traditional
white robes and the formal headdress. The pace is not frantic, but in this uncertain climate, the prayer beads are active.
While Dubai is a full eight hours ahead of Wall Street, what the federal reserve does with interest rates will ripple right through the Middle East.
WALEED AL-KHATEEB, GENERAL MANAGER, DAMAN SECURITIES: People, they are watching closely what's going on with the federal reserve toward the dollar
and how it will impact on them directly.
DEFTERIOS: Regional markets are being squeezed from the west by US interest rate uncertainty and from the east by China's slowdown. But it's
the better than 60 dollar fall in oil prices causing the most damage. In fact, many of the regional markets remain in bear market territory. With
oil prices tumbling, excess capital is drying up. Residential real estate prices in Dubai have tumbled 9 percent in the past year, according to HSBC.
[11:35:05] AL-KHATEEB: Today we see it at 40. But sure it will affect us in the coming period, maybe in the coming two or three quarters we'll see
the affect on spending on infrastructure, spending on the all kind of projects.
DEFTERIOS: These markets just started to open up to the outside world when the tide began to turn. The MSCI upgraded both the UAE and Qatar to
Emerging Market status. At one point, the Dubai market was up 200 percent in an 18-month window. But those heady days seem something from the
distant past.
SEBASTIAN HENIN, THE NATIONAL INVESTOR: So on top of the MSCI inclusion, which was a major factor for the market, we had the announcement from Dubai
and you know, they will organize the export 2020, the equity market, the local equity market with trading very close from the lows of '08/'09
following the crisis and evaluations, we have dirt cheap, if I can say that.
DEFTERIOS: Unlike Russia or some of the Southeast Asian markets, which have been hit by currency devaluations, the Gulf States are tightly linked
to the US dollar. This provides some stability, but certainly no buffer against the bear markets.
John Defterios, CNN, Dubai.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: We are learning more from the survivors of an attack on a tour convoy in Egypt, 12 people were killed, including at least two Mexican
nationals. Mexican officials spoke to six tourists now at a hospital who believe that the convoy was hit by an air strike. Egypt's government says
its security forces fired on the group after mistaking them for militants.
Well, Ian Lee has been following this story for us and has the latest from Cairo. And what are the details of this attack as we know them, Ian?
IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, we're really hearing two different narratives. What we're hearing from the Egyptian
government is that this attack took place while the Egyptian army and police were conducting an operation in the western desert. They were
chasing militants and smugglers and that's when the mistaken identity happened, when they struck this convoy of tourists. And we're hearing from
the Mexican authorities who interviewed the survivors that said that there was air strike from airplanes and helicopters that hit them while they were
having lunch.
Now, the Egyptian official said that they should not have been in that area, that it was prohibited, that was a restricted zone, tourists should
not have been in that area, but we're hearing from multiple people, from families and friends, colleagues as well as Egypt's Tourism Guides Union
that said, they in fact did have the proper permits and then also that they had someone from tourism police with them at the time the incident happens.
So, we really are hearing two different narratives. But the facts are on the ground that this convoy of tourists was struck by the Egyptian
military. State TV, State Media is reporting that at least seven of those people have been killed, the people killed were Mexican nationals, but then
investigation is underway, the president of Mexico also said in a statement Mexico condemns these acts against our citizens and has demanded that the
Egyptian government conduct in an exhaustive investigation of what happened. So we're waiting to see what the detail of that investigation
is, but, Becky, this doesn't bode well for tourism in Egypt.
ANDERSON: Yeah, Ian Lee reporting from Cairo for you.
Well, to the recent nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers now, which has left many analysts wondering if we are entering a new phase
in relations between Tehran and Washington?
Well, so far there have been mixed signals from both capitals. Take this tweet for example; something that many people may not expect to see.
The Iranian President Hassan Rouhani wishing members of the Jewish community a happy New Year, but that comes just days after the country's
supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini said that Israel won't exist in 25 years. At the same time despite that nuclear agreement there is huge mistrust and
suspicion between Iran and the United States as CNN's Fred Pleitgen now reports.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FREDERIK PLEIGTEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: If anyone thought Iran supreme leader would hold back with fiery rhetoric after the nuclear
agreement, think again. His anti-American and anti-Israeli views are plastered all over Tehran these days.
This one says America will be under Iran's shoes, and this one, God willing in 25 years there will be no such thing as a Zionist regime.
Khomeini also blasted the US and Israel in a recent speech, just as congress was set to vote on the nuclear agreement, showing that even with
the deal distrust towards America remains strong says Mohammad Marandi of Tehran University.
[11:40:11]
MOHAMMAD MARANDI, TEHRAN UNIVERSITY: The Iranians are not interested in having further talks with the United States because here they feel that the
United States has to show that it's serious at the negotiating table, it has to show itself at being serious at the implementation stage.
PLEIGTEN: But there is another possible explanation for the tough talk. Iran's conservative clergy and its powerful military are the supreme
leaders' strongest supporters. Both groups have been highly critical of the nuclear agreement.
Many conservatives feel that Iran gave up too much in return for sanctions relief and they want reassurances that there will be no further major
negations with the west anytime soon.
A majority of Iranians do favor the agreement and many we spoke to say they want better relations with America, but also demand respect.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Iran is not the other countries. Iranian people are proud of their history. We have a strong history, so we are strong. We
are powerful. We don't let America abuse us.
PLEIGTEN: Both sides should make compromises, this woman says. They should build on what they have in common instead of talking about their
differences.
For the first time since the Islamic revolution, authorities removed the US seal from the former embassy in Tehran and replaced it with a stone full of
words cursing America. A sign that even after successful talks over the nuclear issue normal relations between Iran and the US still seem a long
way off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Now, Fred Pleitgen joining us now live from the Iranian capital Tehran. Fred?
PLEITGEN: Hi, Becky. Yeah, it certainly is interesting to see the mood here, because one of the things that we do see is that while there is a
majority for this nuclear agreement among the population there still is a very robust and actually very controversial debate going on, and that
controversial debate is now more and more also moving into Iran's parliamentary process. What Iran has done is it's put in place a
committee, a parliamentary committee to review the nuclear agreement.
Now, that committee can't derail the nuclear agreement, because of course the supreme leader has already signed off on it, but they do have to have a
debate about the pros and cons and about whether or not they feel that Iran got a good deal in all of this.
So there's some very prominent people who will speak at that committee. First and foremost, of course, those who were the architects of the deal,
for instance, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif is there, also the head of Iran's nuclear agency, Salehi. He's speaking there as well.
And today, that committee went on a fact-finding mission to the Arak reactor, that of course was one of the very controversial points in that
nuclear agreement what to do with that heavy water reactor and how that reach water reactor would be modified.
So there is a very, very robust and very controversial debate going on. Nevertheless, we were speaking to business people here today and they are
absolutely thrilled that this deal has come through. And they're, of course, looking for sanctions relief and they're looking for it very, very
quickly to jump start this economy here.
ANDERSON: Just --- yeah, just how quickly are they looking for sanctions relief? And just what sort of business is to be had? Certainly, there are
lawmakers in the State saying, "Well, look the Europeans are already jumping on board and we're late to the table." What are the opportunities?
PLEITGEN: A very, very good question. And we were looking into that today and there's certainly -- the opportunities are far more diverse than many
people would have believed. Of course, the thing that jumps out at everybody is the oil and gas sector, hydrocarbons here in Iran, that's
something. For instance, there was a German delegation here recently with some big industrial companies that are looking to get into that sector in
particular.
There's manufacturing, the automakers here are in dire need of investments. So right now, there a big sort of push in social media to boycott Iranian
vehicles coming out of Iran because people feel that the quality is poor. However, there are automakers that are looking to invest in Iranian
companies and upgrade those vehicles as well.
And then finally, something that many people are going underestimate is a huge tech startup scene with a lot of companies that are looking for
funding, for venture capital, and a lot of those mirror a lot of the sites that are out there in the United States and internationally already. For
instance, an Iranian eBay, or an Iranian version of Craig's List or something similar. So there is a huge potential for investment, but of
course a lot of it will depend on whether this political situation, the very favorable political situation that seems to be shaping up right now,
whether or not that will keep going, Becky.
ANDERSON: Fred Pleitgen is in Tehran for you. I'm in Abu Dhabi. Thank you, Fred.
This is CONNECT THE WORLD with me Becky Anderson. Coming up, Northern Ireland has become a huge attraction for Game of Thrones fans.
[11:45:03] Well, now the nation is getting even more attention, but for a very real political crisis.
And the beautiful game under a harsh spotlight again. Officials investigating corruption spoke out a short time ago. What they had to say
in 10 minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: This is CONNECT THE WORLD. Party leaders in Northern Ireland say it could take weeks to reach an agreement to avert a major political
crisis. Its five main parties have been holding talks with officials from Ireland and Britain's government. Now they hope to keep Northern Ireland's
power sharing government intact. The possibility of a collapse has raised concerns not just about the country's political future, but its growing
tourism industry. Our Nic Robertson reports.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Northern Ireland has never been so popular, tourists flocking to see where the Game of
Thrones is filmed. This, the King's Road.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She told me there is a Game of Thrones tour, trying to go back where they filmed a majority of the scenes. So it's probably.
ROBERTSON: What do you think now that you have seen it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my goodness, it is beautiful.
ROBERTSON: Coach companies are cashing in.
CAROLINE MCCOMB, MCCOMB'S CHOACHES: As soon as we put the seal, tickets were flying off the shelves so to speak. That's two years ago now. And we
haven't looked back since. We have seen a massive increase in business through it.
ROBERTSON: But just as in the mythical Game of Thrones, all is not well in Northern Ireland, where two former IRA members have been killed. And
several top government ministers have resigned amidst political disputes that threaten to collapse the power-sharing government, a product of the
1988 Peace Agreement that ended three decades of conflict. Game of Thrones is only one of the things at stake.
So far, Game of Thrones has brought in estimated $170 million for Northern Ireland. It is doing what everyone hoped the peace deal would do, boost
the economy. The Peace Agreement itself, one of US President Bill Clinton's foremost foreign policy successions, and it has become a model
for resolving other conflicts.
[11:50:13] Paul Donnelly teaches tourists about the conflict. In the wake of resignations, he worries about the consequences of a collapsed power
sharing government.
PAUL DONNELLY, TOUR GUIDE: There's absolutely dangerous. First of all, you create a vacuum within Northern Ireland. Vacuums always tend to be
filled. There are people small numerically, but who would be happy to fill that vacuum.
ROBERTSON: Power militaries, he means he doesn't expect to return to the violence of before, where more than 3,600 people were killed, but he fears
some violence is possible. But the problem, he says, is political infighting.
DONNELLY: They're not thinking about the overall governance of Northern Ireland, not thinking about the health of the Good Friday agreement.
They're thinking about their own collateral possessions.
ROBERTSON: Back on the King's Road, known locally as the Dark Hedges, this local tourist, out with his wife and grandchild, says that politicians need
to wise up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then they would again (INAUDIBLE). Nobody wants to go back to the way it was.
ROBERTSON: Unlike the Game of Thrones, so far, it seems Northern Ireland still has a shot at a brighter future. Nic Robertson, CNN, the King's
Road, entering Northern Ireland.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That's right. Live from Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD just after 10 to 8:00 here in the UAE. Could corruption in football be
bigger than we thought? Well, the very latest on the international investigation into FIFA up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: You're watching CNN. This is CONNECT THE WORLD with me Becky Anderson. Welcome back.
More corruption charges against FIFA officials could be on the horizon. US and Swiss investigators say they are widening their separate probes into
world football's governing body. Both say they are expecting to make more arrests, but US Attorney General Loretta Lynch isn't naming names.
Well, for more let's bring in World Sports Alex Thomas who is live in Zurich for you tonight.
Any indication, Alex, of just how big this could get?
ALEX THOMAS, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah, lots of hints, but no hard facts, Becky.
We're standing outside a hotel here in Zurich where we've seen the 20th anniversary of the International Association of Prosecutors. That was the
excuse to bring America's Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, here to Switzerland. But of course, the thing that the world's media are turned up
to hear about was an update on the investigation into football corruption.
And it was the symbolism, Becky, that was the most important thing, more than the statements I think. You had the US Attorney General here in
FIFA's own backyard just four months after those dawn raids and arrests that threw the football world into confusion and has ultimately led to Sepp
Blatter announcing he'll stand down, although of course Blatter has always denied any wrongdoing and there have been no charges against him.
But Loretta Lynch made it clear this wasn't the end, this was only the beginning. And she would -- she was certainly strongly hinting, if not
promising there'd be a further round of arrests.
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LORETTA LYNCH, US ATTORNEY GENERAL: All individuals involved in soccer, this beloved sport, through which we teach out children sportsmanship,
integrity, and the fundamentals of fair play must be committed to reform and to compliance with the rule of law. To anyone who seeks to live in the
past and to return soccer to the days of corruption and bribery, cronyism and patronage, this global response sends a clear message, "You are on the
wrong side of progress and you do disservice to the integrity of this wonderful sport."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[11:55:28]
THOMAS: And that could even be viewed as a thinly veiled threat to all those standing in the next FIFA presidential election early next year, if
you're part of the old guards then watch out because we're coming for you.
And the interesting thing was, Becky, there was more detail from Switzerland's attorney general, Michael Lauber, his parallel investigation
there is some cooperation, but there are two very distinct investigations. He told us actually -- they've actually confiscated flats from people as
part of their investigations. His task force is still sifting through 11 terabytes of data, 121 suspicious bank accounts. And he also said that his
task force had been denied access to certain sealed documents, although he wouldn't say who those documents belonged to. Interesting stuff, Becky.
ANDERSON: Well, watch this space as those storm clouds continue to gather over FIFA.
All right. Thank you, sir. That's the bit the news there tonight.
Tonight's Parting Shots, then, we leave you with a sight that tennis fans have become very used to, Novak Djokovic celebrating another grand slam
win. It's his third this year. He also won in Australia and in Wimbledon. You may remember, just like the Wimbledon final, he defeated Roger Federer
and once again it was in four sets.
The final was delayed because of rain storms in New York and the Serb coped better when they eventually got going. Federer making 54 unforced errors.
It now means Djokovic has 10 grand slam titles to his name, a large amount, but still short of Federer's total of 17. Amazing stuff.
I'm Becky Anderson. That was CONNECT THE WORLD from Abu Dhabi here. Thank you for watching. And do remember, tonight we're going to be speaking to
one young Syrian who made the journey to the UK. On a special Facebook chat, he'll be answering your questions live at 9:30 p.m., Abu Dhabi time.
That's in about 90 minutes time. You can put a question to Milad by going to our Facebook page. That's Facebook.com/CNNConnect. Stay with us for
that. Goodbye.
END