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Inside Palmyra; Azerbaijan, Armenian Conflict Flares Up; Controversial European/Turkey Refugee Deal Begins Tomorrow; Cannabis Oil Shows Remarkable Results for One Family with Epileptic Son; Real Madrid Wins Unlikely Match Against Barcalona. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired April 03, 2016 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:11] BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Moving in the wrong direction: migrants in search of a better future may be forced to turn back. I am going to
break down the deal between the EU and Turkey, which goes into effect in less than 24 hours time.
Also ahead, an old dispute reignited: deadly fighting over territory between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
And we will tell you why a family in Israel says medical marijuana helped their little boy.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.
ANDERSON: It is just after 7:00 in the UAE. Several hours from now as clocks tick past midnight into Monday across Europe, the extremely
controversial migrant deal between the EU and Turkey will come into effect.
Now, they are hoping it will solve the migrant crisis, but there is little sign of that right now. You can see yet more people arriving this very
morning after being rescued.
Elsewhere, some other migrants blocked traffic on a highway on Saturday, demanding to be allowed to move around Europe freely.
Thousands more camped out on the country's border with Macedonia refused to budge as well. This could prove to be very tricky, because the new deal
lets Greece send some Syrian refugees back to Turkey. One begged not to be forgotten.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FATME EMALE (through translator): We have reached this point and we are asking what is going to happen to us? I am asking all the countries, what
is our fate? No one understands what we are going through except us. We, who ran away from our country, not because we were hungry. We didn't leave
because we were hungry. We left because there is a war. Is it our fate to die here also? No one is paying attention to us, absolutely no one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, over in Turkey similar frustration with the deal as well, but for entirely different reasons. Protesters there said they don't want
rejected Syrian refugees filling up their town instead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMIR OSMAN TURK, TURKISH CITIZEN (through translator): First of all, Dikily (ph) is not ready for this. If you gather a large number of
refugees in Dikily (ph), it is almost like a punishment. This would trigger a change in this town that is a touristic spot where people live in
comfort. The people of Dikily (ph) do not want this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, let's break down the key points of the deal for you now.
Turkey will take back migrants who have arrived since March 20 if they don't apply for asylum or their claim asylmum claim is rejected, and in
exchange for that the EU will resettle one Syrian for every Syrian returned to Turkey.
The EU will also speed up paying well over $3 billion to Turkey, and crucially the EU will let Turkish citizens come in without a visa by June.
Plus, both sides will renew talks on getting Turkey to join the bloc.
Well, let's get a sense of how things are going on the ground right now in Greece. For that, we are joined on the phone from the island of Lesbos by
journalist Elinda Labrapoulou.
And, Elinda, you are aware migrants are reportedly being detained so that they can be sent back to Turkey on boats. What is the mood?
ELINDA LABRAPOULOU, CNN INTERNATINOAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, people here are panicking, Becky, because they thought they had made it to Europe. They
thought they had made it to safety. They thought they had made it to a better life. And now they fear that they may
have to go back to exactly where they have been trying to escape all this time.
So, on these islands, the island of Lesbos and the island of Helios, the two main entry points into Greece, and now possibly the first exit point
from Greece, from Europe to Turkey, people have been leaving camps on the island of Helios we've had clashes between different groups and basically
between migrants and refugees. those who are more fortunate and who might get to stay and those who know that they don't really have a chance.
People on the island of Helios, the refugees on the island of Helios, and migrants broke the fence of one of the camps. They headed to the port and
since then they have been camping at the port. It has been two days now that the port, the main port of the island of Helios, has been closed.
These people are asking not to go back to Turkey. They are saying they want to go to Germany as they originally intended. And they basically want
to be left to carry on going through Greece and Europe.
Now, this is a controversial agreement for many. There are those who say that really Turkey can't be qualified as a third safe country for people to
return to and if people go there will they be able to relocate to Europe at a later stage?
So what is certain is that those who really fought for their lives in many cases to get to Greece and to those islands will not go back quietly.
[11:05:23] ANDERSON: A story on one island, then, in Greece. Elinda, thank you.
The deal coming under heavy criticism including from the UN's refugee agency.
And short while ago, I spoke to Adrian Edwards who is a spokesman for the agency. And he began by telling me about the risks of the plan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ADRIAN EDWARDS, UNHCR SPOKESMAN: It's a very,very risky move, a very worrying moment right now because if you are going to go ahead with returns
or readmission from one country to another of people who fled war, they have to be in place at some really vital safeguards for that.
And many of those right now are lacking in Greece itself: proper preparations for this, the chance for people to properly apply for asylum
have their cases individually heard and assessed and so on. Many of those things are lacking right now.
In addition to that, you have got very real risk among the community affected by this. You have got about 3,000 people on Lesbos this morning.
There's a lot of panic, a lot of worry amongst these people. There has been fights. We had one suicide attempt yesterday. There have been other
problems elsewhere. People are breaking out of Helios (ph), a center at Helios (ph) yesterday.
So, it is a very worrying moment.
ANDERSON: What do you know about the plans in Turkey to accommodate those migrants who have not applied for asylum in Greece or whose claims have
been rejected, then? You've talked about Greece, what about in Turkey?
EDWARDS: Well, both these countries, Greece and Turkey, have, as you like, been pushed into a situation where they are having to deal with this in
difficult circumstances. Greece's asylum system has long been very, very weak. In Turkey, it is dealing with more refugees than any country in the
world, there are almost 3 million there. So, it is a stressed environment in which to be returning people.
And from what we are hearing about preparations at the moment, there are continuing concerns, safeguards in both countries really do have to be in
place before anyone is returned.
ANDERSON: Is Turkey a safe country of origin to your mind?
EDWARDS: Well, Turkey as I said it hosts more people, more refugees than any country in the world. It has vast pressure on the system. You have
got about a quarter of a million refugees living in some 24 camps around the country, and more than 2 million others living across the country in
towns and settings. And there are problems there, of course, that you would expect in any country hosting such a large population.
But the questions still about preparations in Turkey, the modalities of how this deal is going to be worked out, the necessary safeguards being in
place, because you have to think not just of the Syrians who this deal tends to focus on, but non-Syrians, too. Are the necessary safeguards
there to prevent people being (inaudible) returns from Turkey? And at the moment that is not quite clear.
ANDERSON: You have talked about Syrians. Amnesty accusing Turkey of illegally forcing thousands of refugees back to Syria. Do you have hard
evidence that that is the case?
EDWARDS: We have seen these reports from Amnesty in the media from others. And of course, it is something we are raising with the Turkish authorities
at the moment.
If I can come back to the point here, Turkey is already under immense stress and that is why
there is this worry about returning people to there in this current environment. A lot of work has to be done, including at the legislative
level as well as the practical preparations on the ground for this safely to go ahead.
If you come back to the wider point here what we are seeing here is Europe trying to get a solution to the situation of more than a million people
having arrived in Europe by boat over the last year. Now the source -- there will be -- that's being pushed in the direction of Turkey with this
deal. It's vitally important there is management of this process, but in addition to management of it, you
have got to avoid collateral damage along the way in terms of risks to lives of people who are fleeing
and persecution and maybe in need of international protection.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: The UNHCR speaking to us earlier.
Let me get you to Belgium now and the the first passenger flights out of Brussels airport since
terrorist attacks nearly two weeks ago. There are just three outbound flights scheduled for today and no arrivals.
Now, the first took off a few hours ago right after this -- a moment of silence held for victims of
the attacks.
Authorities say it'll be weeks before full service resumes.
Well, Alexandra Field joins us now from the Brussels airport.
And what sort of security arrangements are in place now Alexandra?
FIELD: Well, Becky, it's very clear that they have stepped up security in a big way, not just for the passengers whoa are actually at the check-in
counters, but well before you would even reach the buildings. Down on the connecter road, we had seen police officers this morning. There are still
police officers outside the airport right now along with members of the military. They have got K-9s out here who are roaming the grounds, cars
that pull up to drop passengers off are of course being stopped and checked. They are really controlling the flow of who is getting up close
to that terminal.
Of course, these passengers will not be going to the same departure hall that would have two weeks ago. There are a lot of repairs that need to be
done there. Instaed, they built temporary check-in facilities so passengers head there and then they'll go through another level of security
and screenings before they head towards their gates and toward those planes, which are taking off for the first time in almost two weeks, Becky.
ANDERSON: Alexandra, what is the latest on the investigation meantime into these attacks nearly two weeks ago?
FIELD: Well, we know that authorities are still looking for the third suspected bomber from the airport. They are also still looking for a
second possible suspect from the metro attacks. So, they have been investigating turning out raids for a couple of weeks now, you know, not
just in Brussels, not just in Belgium, but well beyond.
Raids have been happening in France, of course, too. This dates back as far as the Paris attacks where they've been trying to uncover any links to
any people who could have been involved with the cells that carried out both the attack here in Brussels and the one in Paris.
To that end, we learned just this weekend that another Belgian national had been taken into custody, charged with terror related activities, and that
was in relation to an investigation into an alleged plot that was being cooked up in France, that plot fortunately never carried out, officers
intercepted first, but really people here in Brussels are looking and hoping for authorities to catch the two suspected Brussels bombers who are
still on the -- still at-large, and at this point, frankly, Becky, police have not even said if they'd been able to identify either of the suspects
that they're looking for.
ANDERSON: You're reporting out of Brussels this day. Thank you.
Well, let's get you caught up, viewers, on that are on our radar right now. And investigators are rushing to the scene of a derailed train in the
Untted States. An Amtrak train traveling south from New York to Savannah, Georgia went off the tracks just south of Philadelphia on Sunday morning.
Now, local media report that two people died in this accident.
Amtrak says the train hit some sort of vehicle that was on the tracks.
The prime minister of India is now in his second day of a visit to Saudi Arabia. You'll see Narendra Modi meet met with kingdom's foreign and
health ministers. He is also meeting King Salman bin Abdul Azia. Mr. Modi is looking to bolster trade ties between
the two countries. Saudi Arabia, a major oil supplier to India. And it is looking to make the best of low prices.
A somber moment in Pakistan where churchgoers held a memorial for the 74 people killed in the Easter bombing Sunday in Lahore. A splinter group of
the Pakistani Taliban says it targeted Christians in last week's suicide blast. Most of the victims, though, were Muslims.
To Kolkata in India, now and the site of a deadly bridge collapse, which has now killed at least 27 people. Many saw the bridge fall and some told
my colleague Sumnima Udas those memories will never leave them.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: From the ground, it feels like any other day. Life is back -- people, cars, chaos.
It's amazing to think that exactly 48 hours ago this entire area where I'm standing was full of rubble, concrete and cement, some of it several floors
high.
But from above, life will never be the same again.
"It was like a movie. It just fell like this, the whole slab at once. Below there were cars, taxis,
auto-rickshaws, pedestrians. By the time I blinked, the overpass had collapsed, " she says.
In just a few seconds a 100 meter long chunk of concrete and steel came crashing down.
"I pray to god I never have to see such a thing again. I can't sleep. I can't eat. People were shouting help me, help me. There was blood pouring
out. I could see feet sticking out, hands dangling. There was blood everywhere," she says.
From their room with a view, the Setia (ph) family has watched the city grow. Forrah bazaar (ph) was one of the busiest parts of Kolkata, fruit
and vegetable vendors, tailors, traders, the homeless all jostle for space opening makeshift businesses under the overpass.
"So many people died. So many. I can't bear the pain. Imagine the people who lost their loved ones," she says.
Her daughter-in-law shows me the window from where she saw the overpass crack.
"They had just poured concrete in the entire area that morning around 11:30 a.m. Then, an hour later it broke," she tells me.
The 2.2 kilometers long overpass built to relieve the congestion below has always been controversial, spanning almost the entire width of the street.
They Setia's (ph) say no one in the neighborhood liked the overpass because this, they say, is no way to live.
Sumnima Udas, CNN, Kolkata, India.
(END VIDOETAPE)
ANDERSON: I'm going to get you some sports coming up. It has to be one of the biggest matches on the planet. Still to come Barcelona and Real
Madrid flog it out in Spain's El Clasico match. That and the latest from the English Premier League after this very short break.
Just days before a key primary, also coming up U.S. Republicans looking for a way to steer Donald Trump off the road to the White House. We'll take
you through exactly how they hope to get to a what's known as contested convention.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, shot here of Spain's El Clasico match as it's known between Barcelona
and Real Madrid. The new Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane mastered an unlikely win in his first El Clasico in charge of the team. Unlikely?
Well, let's find out why. Another El Clasico to talk about for years to come.
You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson.
And if you saw the match, you'll know what we are talking about. If you didn't, let's get more on the match out of Spain in a moment.
First to what is clearly becoming a classic performance in the English Premier League. Yes, I
am talking about the team known as Leicester and their unlikely title bid.
The Foxes have won over Southampton, stretching their lead in the Premier League to 7 points over the second placed team Tottenham Hotspur who were
held to a 1-1 draw by Liverpool on Saturday.
My goodness.
And what a lot to talk about. Let's talk about the Premier League, and let's talk about Spain's
El Clasico match.
Joined now by CNN's Don Riddell.
Let's talk with the Leicester -- start with the Leicester Foxes. It's really starting to look like these guys are going to go all the way. Is
there any stopping them at this point?
[11:20:09] DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, there doesn't seem to be, does there? I mean, seven points clear with just six games to go,
four more wins, Becky, will land them the title.
And let's just wind the clock back 12 months, because one year ago today, Leicester were at the bottom, the very bottom of the Premier League. And
here they are on the brink of what would be the most extraordinary, the most unlikely, the most historic triumphant, arguably the greatest
achievement in all of football.
It really is quite incredible what they have achieved. Getting to a stage of the season where their critics said, you know, but when the pressure
gets to them they won't be able to hold on. Well, that doesn't seem to be the case. Five of the last six games have been won by 1-nil score lines.
So, not necessarily the most attractive of wins. But they have very attractive football this season. They've really energized their
supporters. They have got a lot of neutrals gunning for them as well, or supporting for them, too, and here they are so close.
Spurs really did miss the opportunity yesterday to put a bit of pressure on them when they could only draw 1-1 at Liverpool. And even if Leicester's
rivals, like Spurs, are able to keep winning for the rest of the season, it doesn't just look like Leicester are going to slip up.
And it really is quite remarkable what they are doing. 1-0 against Southampton.
Their doubters I think are running out of reasons to continue doubting that they really can on and do this.
ANDERSON: Yeah, I don't know about you, Don, but at this point I think they could be forgiven for not playing the most attractive of football.
Like, you say, you could get 5,000 to 1 at the beginning of the season, couldn't you, on these guys winning the title. I mean, this -- even if you
are not a football fan, these are the little guys. And like you say, so many people who don't support Leicester, of course, rooting for them as
well.
And you use the term gunning for them. And I think you were thinking about The Gunners there, the Arsenal. I don't think any of the Arsenal
fans are gunning for them at the moment so far as winning is concerned, because Arsenal still hanging around of course as well.
Let's talk about El Clasico. Did anybody expect Real Madrid to win that one?
RIDDELL: No, not really. And for so many reasons. Of course, Barcelona were at home. They were unbeaten in 39 games. They have been by far and
away the best team in Spain this year. And when they played Real Madrid in Madrid at the end of last year this season, they thrashed Real by four
goals to nil. So really nobody thought that Madrid were going to do anything in this one. But they were very persistent and patient. They won
by 2-1 with a late strike just five minutes to go, Christiano Ronaldo completely unmarked at the far post and he made the most of it to give Real
the win.
Now, in the grand scheme of things this season certainly with regards to La Liga, it probably isn't going to make that much difference. Barca are
still six clear of Atletico Madrid, seven points clear of Real and of course only handful of games remaining. But I think psychologically this
result could be important. You mentioned earlier it was Zidane's first win in the Clasico as manager. I think this will give Real Madrid a huge
amount of confidence for the rest of the season.
And crucially for Barcelona we are now at the business end of the season. They are playing Atletico in the Champion's League on Tuesday. Their
manager Luis Enrique said they looked disoriented towards the end of that game in the last 15 minutes. That is not what you would have expected from
such a huge experienced and very successful team as Barcelona. And he needs to investigate what went wrong there and ensure that they don't make
those kind of mistakes for the rest of the season.
ANDERSON: Great weekend of football.
Don Riddell in the house with all the details for you. Don, always a pleasure. Thank you very much, sir.
ANDERSON: To the U.S. presidential election now and the race for the White House is ramping up. On the Democrat's side, two key primaries on the rise
that could give Bernie Sanders an edge. And frontrunner Hillary Clinton now accusing the Sanders campaign of some brittle tactics.
CNN's Chris Frates is in Wisconsin which holds its primary on Tuesday. He filed this report for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS FRATES, CNN INVESTIGATIONS CORRESPONDENT: Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton campaigning hard in Wisconsin in the northern city of O'Claire
today. But before either candidate even hit the ground here in Wisconsin, they were throwing mud at each other.
The Clinton campaign, accusing the Bernie Sanders campaign of projecting three different dates to debate in New York and April saying, this, quote,
"The Sanders campaign needs to stop using the New York primary as a playground for political gains and negative attacks against Hillary
Clinton.
Now the spokesman for the Sanders campaign, Michael Briggs (ph) firing back hard with his statement today. Saying, quote, "Unfortunately, the dates and
venues she has proposed didn't make a lot of sense. The idea that they want to debate in New York on a night of the NCAA finals with Syracuse and
(inaudible) is ludicrous. We have proposed other dates, which they have rejected. We hope we can reach agreement in the near future."
Now it's important to remember how this all started, after Bernie Sanders had a big weekend sweeping wins in Washington, Alaska and Hawaii, he
challenged Hillary Clinton to a debate in her adopted home state of New York.
For about a week, Hillary Clinton was rather non-committal then yesterday he campaign saying that they are trying to work out the dates with the
Sanders campaign and then today, the Clinton campaign going after the Sanders campaigns saying that they're playing games with these dates.
The Sanders campaign, of course, denying it and the reason why this New York primary is so important, many people expect that Bernie Sanders would
be able to win in Wisconsin, to be able to close the gap in delegates that he has. He is lagging about 240 delegates. He needs to upset her in New
York.
There's a huge cash of delegates available in the empire state, about 250. That's second only to California. If Bernie Sanders can pull a win there
and upset Hillary Clinton in her adopted home state, he comes very close to closing that gap against Hillary Clinton.
So Sanders and Clinton hashing out when they are going to have this debate is very important. Where and when can have a big impact of that April 19th
primary. We're going to continue watch that.
Here in Wisconsin, Chris Frates, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:26:29] ANDERSON: Well, clearly another big weekend in American politics. Republican candidates are focusing on wooing delegates in North
Dakota this weekend. Now, the state only offers a small number of delegates, I've got tell you. They are crucial in tightening this race.
Here is why.
The state does not hold a presidential primary or caucus, meaning there is no public vote. Instead, party leaders select total of 28 delegates to
attend the national convention in July.
Now, the key here is that the delegates do not have to commit to any candidate before the convention. They are effectively free agents and
could make a major difference if no candidate secures enough delegates needed to clinch the nomination.
A brokered convention isn't totally without precedent, but it is certainly a departure from
any election in the past few decades. CNN's Tom Foreman delves into what that could mean, or would mean at least, for the candidate's chances of
winning the White House. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is a reason they call it a floor fight if no candidate can get that magic number of delegates necessary to
clinch the nomination before the convention begins.
Now, let's look at the delegate count right now. Donald Trump is the closest, but if he doesn't get that number before the convention starts or
let's say you actually get to the convention and you have a floor full of people out here who have Trump signs but on the first vote he does not get
enough to get the nomination squirreled away, well then we have a real problem because a floor fight is underway at that point.
Why? Because after the first vote many of these delegates become unbound meaning they can vote for whomever they wish, not necessarily the person
chosen by the people back in their state. So, people who are holding Trump signs may suddenly could be holding Cruz signs or maybe Kasich signs
or maybe signs for somebody else altogether.
Every state has its own rules. The convention will have its own rules when it starts and it won't always be clear which rules override other rules and
you can bet all three of those campaigns will be doing all they can to twist arms out here, to bend the rules and to push the referees to try to
get an advantage.
And it could get very bitter and very nasty, but there is a reason the party does not want that to
happen, overwhelming reason.
Look at this from the Pew Research Center. These are the numbers. In the Republican Party if the nominee is chosen on the first ballot 64 percent of
the time that nominee will go on to win the White House. Second ballot or later only 50 percent of the time. And these numbers, by the way, are
even worse for the Democratic Party. There is a real cost to be paid by a party that goes into its convention undecided.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDRESON: And remember to join us here on CNN all day Tuesday, complete coverage of what is this critical Wisconsin primary. And as Donald Trump
crisscrosses Wisconsin he helped focus his talks there around a central theme: money, specifically how trade deals don't benefit the United
States or provide the jobs that Wisconsin needs. But now Trump says he alone has the business chops to eliminate trillions in U.S. debt. Head to
CNN.com/Politics for more on what is Trump's ambitious claim and for what economists think about it.
Your world news headlines are just ahead. Plus, an old dispute reignited. We're going to get the latest on the deadly fighting between Armenia and
Azerbaijan over disputed territory.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(HEADLINES)
[11:33:15] ANDERSON: Azerbaijan has declared a unilateral cease fire in the recent conflict with Armenia. The country, however, reserved the right
to respond to any, and I quote, provocations. The announcement comes after clashes killed at least 18 Armenian and 12 Azerbaijani troops on the front
lines of the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: A decades long conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia flairs again over the past couple of days. Heavy fighting in the disputed
Nagorno-Karabakh region has left dozens dead as deep tensions tip to military escalation.
An Azeri (ph) helicopter shot down, an Armenian drone, six tanks and 15 artillery pieces destroyed. Both sides accuse each other of breaking a
cease fire that had brought calm to the region for years.
DAVID BABAYAN, SPOKESMAN, ARMENIAN-BACKED SEPARATISTS: It was their violation of the cease fire regime, the international law, international
humanitarian law, and the Geneva Conventions. Because whatever official (inaudible) has done in the zone of Azeraijani Karabakh conflict was a
conspicuous manifestation of terrorism and anti-Armenian policy.
ANDERSON: But the Azeri foreign ministry says Armenia is to blame. Quote, "Armenian armed forces shelled the settlements near the front line, where
civilians closely live. The acts intentionally committed by the Armenian side killed and injured several civilians, damaged personal property. As
an aggressive country, Armenia bears responsibility for the current situation," end quote.
It's a region that has been in dispute for years. Nagorno-Karabakh is a land locked and surrounded and claimed by Azerbaijan. But it's controlled
by ethnic Armenians who are backed militarily and financially by Armenia.
A fragile 1994 cease-fire ended an armed conflict that had lasted six years leaving tens of thousands dead. Sporadic fighting has marred the truce
every since. Calls to stop the violence came swiftly amid fears it could quickly escalate. The U.S. and Russia have
called for restraint. And closer to the region, Iran, an ally of Armenia, and Turkey, a close supporter of Azerbaijan, have both pushed for a
diplomatic solution, calls that if not headed could potentially open up another proxy war with
deadly consequences for the region.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, for more on what has been this decades long conflict and its consequences, I am joined by Lilit Gevorgyan an who is an analyst, an
economist covering this region at IHS global insight. Joining me tonight from London. And we thank you for that.
You have been talking to people on the ground. What are they telling you?
LILIT GEVORYAN, IHS GLOBAL INSIGHT : Well, just to clarify, I have managed to get in touch with people in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh,
and this was just at a time when Azerbaijan had declared that they have -- they are declaring a unilateral cease fire. However, people on the ground
were saying that Armenian populated city of Martaget (ph) was under heavy artillery fire.
I have also gathered that the number of casualties on both sides have been rising quickly. So the official figures that we have are probably
inaccurate by now. So that is the latest that I have.
ANDERSON: Why did this happen now, do you think?
GEVORGYAN : Well, those who have been observing the conflict have been warning that a similar escalation will happen sooner or later because there
has been military build up on both sides. However, one factor that was quite alarming for many observers, and also for the U.S., France and Russia
that oversee the peace talks is that Zzerbaijan has been repeatedly tabling military solution as a potential option, one of the reasons why Azerbaijan
has felt confident that they can find a military solution to the conflict is because the country has managed to build quite strong army. Its
military budget outstrips that of the entire state budget of Armenia. So, naturally they had a confidence
that they could perhaps dictate better terms for a peaceful settlement or rather any settlement of the conflict.
ANDERSON: Well, the Armenian president has said these were, and I quote, the largest scale
hostilities since the 1994 truce. Is this, do you think, a new phase in this conflict? And what is your analysis as to the likelihood that going
forward people will have seen this as a proxy war with Iran on one side and Turkey on the other?
GEVORGYAN: Well, it's not just the Armenian president, as I said the observers who have been monitoring the conflict can confirm that no such
hostilities have taken place along the line of contact since 1994. This is really unprecedented. This takes the conflict one step closer to a full
scale war. It can really escalate into a proxy war, as you mentioned. It is very dangerous and not at least for Azerbaijan who is in dire economic
situation at the moment.
ANDERSON: So what is the role of Iran and Turkey in all of this? For our viewers who might be new to what has been this decades long crisis, how
would you describe the warring parties that may not be present on the ground, as it were?
GEVORGYAN: Well, I would actually argue that Iran doesn't really have a major role in this conflict. As far as Turkey is concerned, Turkey has
been a staunch ally of Zzerbaijan because of their ethnic kinship. Turkey has shut down its borders with Armenia since early
1990s, which remains in blockade by Turkey and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict.
Turkey has recently reinstated the full support for Azerbaijan. And to put this in the context
of Russia/Turkey tensions, perhaps from Turkey's perspective the current hostilities against Armenians who are seen as Russia's allies in the
region, this probably coincides with Turkey's national interest.
Although, I would argue that even for Turkish perspective from Turkish national interest an escalation of violence along this region is really --
can really end with unpredictable results. One of the reasons why the status quo in this region remained for such a long time is it is a really
complex issue and it requires peaceful solution. There is no military solution to this.
In addition, despite the temptation to have a military solution to the conflict that the Azeri government has been promoting and repeating for
many years now, the terrain of the region is very hostile, it's very difficult to predict how the military operations can pan out as we are
seeing now.
So it is really in the interest of all parties to seek peaceful settlement.
ANDERSON: Fascinating.
Well, the consequence will be revealed in the days and weeks to come. For now, we thank you very much indeed for joining us.
Well, turning to the war on ISIS now and we are seeing grim new evidence of the terror groups occupation in ancient city of Palmyra. Syria's state run
news agency Sanaa (ph) reports forces who liberated the city last week found a mass grave of at least 40 bodies, many of them were women and
children.
Well, Sanaa (ph) says ISIS killed hundreds of people when it stormed the city last May.
During its the ten month occupation, ISIS destroyed priceless historical structures and artifacts considered to be among the world's most treasured.
Lindsey Hilson visited Palmyra to survey the damage. This is what she found.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LINDSEY HILSUM, JOURNALIST: Palmyra's arch may have been demolished by the Islamic State. But triumph is exactly what Syrian soldiers feel. The
officers know the symbolism of stones.
"The people without a past," he says, "is a people without a future."
No one knew the propaganda value of Palmyra better than IS. They destroyed columns and
temples, supposedly in a campaign against idolatry, but really to shock the world.
They left the Roman amphitheater intact because it made a dramatic back drop for their videos of horror.
Imagine, just last year local men were forced to come and sit here and watch an extraordinary
spectacle, as 25 teenage jihadists came on to this ancient stage. With them 25 Syrian soldiers who they murdered.
It's just extraordinary to think of such barbarity, such a theater of cruelty in the modern world.
A group of Russian officers arrived, but they are camera shy even though it is their bombing that may have saved Palmyra.
Towering above the site, looms a Medieval citadel. This damage was caused by months of mortars and government bombardment, but it was only in the
last few weeks, when Russian aircraft took to the skies with Iranian and Hezbollah fighters on the ground that the Syrian army could prevail over
the jihadis.
MAJDI AL-SHAMLAT, SYRIAN ARMY (through translator): There were many explosives and mines and the heaviest battles were with the terrorists
around the castle. They had all kinds of weapons, and as soon as we appeared they fired everything at us. We killed many of them. We saw them
dragging away the bodies and the wounded.
HILSUM: Before fleeing, IS militants rigged the streets of the modern town adjacent to the site with explosive devices and mines right up to the
flagpole where last year they hanged the Khaled al-Assad (ph), 81-year-old keeper of the Palmyra museum, a brutal message to anyone who might want to
stop the looting and destruction.
The beauty of Palmyra is stunning. Syrian archeologists say they can rehabilitate the site in
five years if they get the money, and if there can be peace. The current calm is more fragile than carving on stones.
Signs of the IS presence, a jihadi must have slept here.
The graffiti says keep out by order of the Islamic State.
The devastation at the temple of Baal is shocking.
This is what the sacred sanctuary of the Temple of Baal used to look like. Tens of thousands of tourists flocked here to see it. And this is what it
looks like now, just rubble, a ruin, completely destroyed. Islamic State militants packed it with explosives and blew it up. And it is almost
impossible to imagine how it can be restored.
The stones are shattered and some archaeologists think it would not only be futile but wrong to try to rebuild as exactly as it was.
JOANNE FARCHAKH, ARCHAEOLOGIST, BLUE SHIELD: The identity of Palmyra can't be the same anymore. It's true, Palmyra is a world heritage site, but for
now Palmyra is a site that has witnessed massacres, 400 people have been killed inside the Roman theater.
People will not look at this site against as it was before. It's now a place where there is blood. The ruins have blood on them. And it is
modern blood, it's not old blood.
Can we treat it the same way as if this never happened before?
HILSUM: In Syria, the past isn't over. It's not even past. The battle for Palmyra has not only
changed the course of this modern war but changed forever this precious ancient site.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:46:02] ANDERSON: Lindsey Hilsum reporting for you.
Live from Abu Dhabi at 45 minutes past 7:00 here, you are watching Connect the World with me Becky Anderson.
Coming up, a baby who has suffered seizures since birth is benefiting from a new medical treatment. We are going to take you to Israel to learn how
the country plans to bring cannabis to the rest of the world.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Your with CNN. This is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. Welcome back.
Now, I want to get you to Israel. The country already exporting millions in pharmaceuticals. And now drug companies are eyeing the next top market,
treatments made with cannabis. But it is a cure that's also having an impact at home. CNN's Oren Liebermann visited one such family in Haifa.
LIEBERMANN: For 2-and-a-half year old Lavie Parush, moments of joy are all too brief. Diagnosed with severe epilepsy from birth leaving him with
brain damage he suffered seizures, dozens a day. Now they are nearly all gone with just a few drops a day of medical marijuana, cannabis oil, mixed
in to his food.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We saw a difference immediately. And then after a few weeks, we didn't see any seizueres at all.
LIEBERMANN: Other medicines didn't work, his father says, or worse caused severe side
effects.
Lavie has now been on medical cannabis for a year and a half.
This cannabis oil was developed in northern Israel. The oil is high in CBD, the pharmacological ingredient in cannabis, and low in THC, the
psychoactive ingredient, the drug that makes you high.
There's little research on the effect of medical cannabis on babies, but Parush he has all the results he needs. Lavie hasn't had a seizure in
months.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It just kind of when we feel that...
LIEBERMANN: He takes the CBD oil daily and a second oil of THC only when Lavie is having a bad day.
When you give Lavie a drop of THC, that's the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, it makes him high.
[11:50:08] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the beginning we were pretty anxious about it, I guess, but then we thought, well, what are we seeing? You know
what I mean? We're seeing this kid that was before he was in distress and now he isn't.
LIEBERMANN: At home, Parush and his wife play with Lavie and his little sister Geffen (ph). The difference in development is stunning. She is 10
months old, a third Lavie's age, and yet she can hold toys and play with her parents and so much more.
This, Asaf Parush (ph) fears, will always be too much for Lavie. Instead, he just hopes one day to hear his son say dad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Oren Liebermann joining me now live from Jerusalem.
And babies taking cannabis, how is this being received in Israel, Oren?
LIEBERMANN: Well, part of it is how it is viewed here. Medical marijuana -- I'm sorry, regular marijuana, the drug, is still illegal here. But for
those who view medical cannabis, specifically as a medicine, it is accepted. The debate of course here is that it is not universally accepted
as a medicine.
The big change now is that the minister of health, who is ultra-Orthodox, has essentially accepted the medical benefits of cannabis and is allowing
it to be used in many cases, including in babies, although that doesn't mean it's simple here, especially not to get medical cannabis for someone
so young.
ANDERSON: You pointed out that the politician pushing this medical cannabis reform in Israel is ultra Orthodox. And how does it fit into his
religious views?
LIEBERMANN: Well, he said a large part of his constituency, a large part of the ultra Orthodox community put up a fight. They didn't accept him
saying that medical cannabis was an acceptable drug. But he explained his perspective. He said, look, this is
a medicine and as a medicine it should be allowed if it has been shown to have medical benefits.
There he says from his perspective he has taken a look at what he has seen and he says, yes, this has effects as a medicine and therefore should be
given to those who need it.
He did specifically point out that he is very much not legalizing marijuana. That, as a drug, he opposes.
ANDERSON: Oren, briefly, some doctors in the U.S. have also had success with using cannabis to treat young kids with epilepsy. What is the
difference here between Israel and America?
LIEBERMANN: The big difference right now is that Israel still uses extracts from the plant, which means variations between what exactly is in
it, the amount that makes you high versus the amount of the drug with the medical benefits. In the U.S. it is different. In the U.S., it's very
sort of manufactured to be exact. They know exactly what is it in it. There is
none of that THC, essentially none of the stuff that makes you high. And that is the big difference as it seems right now between the U.S. and
Israel in terms of how they view medical cannabis and how they use it.
ANDRESON: My colleague Oren Liebermannis in Jerusalem. Thank you, sir.
Well, CNN's coverage of medical marijuana doesn't stop there. In fact, there is a whole part of our website dedicated to it. Plus, my colleague
Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at the possibilities and possibilities of medical marijuana. You can watch parts of his report on the website as well.
And as long as you already have your browser open, why not head to our Facebook page, Facebook.com/CNNConnect. We are always showing the latest
stories as well as quick recaps to get you into your weekly news and get it straight. Plus, make sure to get in touch with me. You can tweet me
@BeckyCNN
However you want to communicate with us please do.
Live from Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World. It's your show.
Coming up, a lighter look at the U.S. presidential election particular the latest comments made by candidate Donald Trump. We are going to get you
the very latest just jibes just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:55:35] ANDERSON: Right. Welcome back. You are with Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. It is 5 to 8:00. here.
Let's get back to U.S. presidential race now briefly. The contest has certainly had a lively flare to it this year, and that is in no small part,
of course, thanks to the former reality TV host Donald Trump.
This weekend yet again the late night comedy show Saturday Night Live took aim at him this time about over his remarks about abortion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Women's history month really ended on a high note. During an
MSNBC town hall on Wednesday, Trump said women should be punished for getting abortion. Then, an hour later, he said doctors should be punished.
Then an hour after that he said we should just let the states decide. Then, the next day he said, you know what, let's leave the laws alone
before finally saying yesterday when I'm president I'm going to change those laws.
So at this point Donald Trump has to be pro-choice because he has made all of the choices.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Also, Donald Trump, how do you not already have a stock answer for an abortion question? You are on MSNBC, what did you think they
were going to ask you? Their number one show is so what do you think about abortion? And the answer is never women should be punished. I don't even
care what the question is, you don't say that on TV, even if you are on Wheel of Fortune and the board says women should be unished. Don't say it.
How do you fall for that setup? Chris Matthews basically asked a sexist says what? And your answer was I'm a sexist and women should be punished.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then yesterday after everyone ganged up on Donald Trump, he
announced that he might run as an independent and leave the Republican Party. So he somehow ended up with yet another option for family planning,
just pull out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, before we end our show this evening, how could we not tell you about
this? In your Parting Shots tonight, just grab your pillow. People around the world battled it out during the seventh annual International Pillow
Fight day on Saturday dressed in their pajamas. Participants in Berlin, Germany blew off steam. Well, the feathers flying in Hong Kong.
No matter their age, people got stuck in, some even wore superhero costumes. Both Batman and Spiderman were spotted in the crowd.
I'm Becky Anderson. That was Connect the World. Thank you for watching.
END
