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Deadline Looms For Qatar to Accede to Gulf Demands; Murdoch Acquisition of Sky News Needs Further Review; State Department Sends Cable Defining Close Family Relation. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired June 29, 2017 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:12] BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Here we go again, the White House's travel ban coming back to life, but not all of it. Although, this new one
may have you asking how much you really like your grandparents. Everything you need to know is up next.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And how many more days do you think ISIS have in Mosul and Iraq?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: CNN takes you to the front lines against ISIS terrorists for that answer. Footage you won't see anywhere else just ahead.
Then, one of the pope's top advisers being accused of sexual assault. We're going to get you to Rome.
And I want to welcome to Connect the World. It is 4:00 in London, the capital of the country, once proudly described as the asylum of nations.
I'm Becky Anderson.
Airports, travelers and border agents are bracing because in just hours from now, the Trump administration is putting its revised travel ban into
place. It goes into effect at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time tonight, that's 3:00 a.m. in Libya, Syria and Iran, for example, three of the six countries
targeted.
Travel ban 2.0, as it's being called, is a win for the U.S. president. The ban has been tied up in court for months. But a decision from the U.S.
Supreme Court this week is allowing parts of the executive order to proceed.
Well, the revised ban states that people from six Muslim majority nations must prove a, quote, close family business or school relationship in the
United States.
Laura Jarrett has more on how exactly the U.S. government is defining these relationships.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAURA JARRETT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Trump administration issuing new guidelines for visa applicants from six Muslim majority countries impacted
by President Trump's travel ban. A senior administration official telling CNN that applicants must prove their relationship with a parent, spouse,
child, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, or a sibling already in the U.S. to be eligible.
Other extended family members including grandparents and eastern fiances, left off the list. Any applicant unable to demonstrate this close
relationship traveling from those six countries will be banned for 90 days. The State Department criteria sent to all embassies and consulates late
Wednesday, also applies to all refugees currently awaiting approval for admission to the U.S. Visas that have already approved will not be revoked,
but immigration advocates worry that we could see chaos again at airports, like these protests in January when the president's first travel ban went
into effect. This as the U.S. agency tightens aviation security for overseas airports with direct flights to the U.S.
JOHN KELLY, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We cannot play international whack-a-mole with each new threat.
JARRETT: Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly announcing new measures that will include greater scrutiny of passengers, canines that detect
explosive, and enhanced screening of electronic devices. The DHS choosing not to implement an all-out laptop ban but leaving the option on the table.
KELLY: Make no mistake, our enemies are constantly finding new methods for disguising explosive, recruiting insiders, and hijacking aircraft.
JARRETT: Secretary Kelly warning that there will be consequences if airlines refuse to comply.
KELLY: Those who choose not to cooperate could be subject to other restrictions, including a ban on electronic devices on aircraft, or even a
suspension of their flights into the United States.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: We've got it all covered for you. Our justice correspondent Jessica Schneider live in Washington. Diana Gallagher is also in D.C. for
you.
Just let me start with you. For those of our viewers who may be confused as to exactly what it means by proving your granny and your grandad are
exactly who you say they are, what is the advice?
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the State Department has been trying to clarify this. So, it sent out a cable
outlining all of these guidelines to U.S. embassies and consulates last night. It does lay out what the U.S. government has interpreted as these
bona fide relationships, of course, all in the wake of Monday's Supreme Court ruling.
So, I'll break it down, who is allowed in? It includes parents, spouses, children, sons and daughters-in-law and siblings.
But here's a list of people who don't qualify, and it might be surprising to some. It does not include grandparents and fiances, also aunts, uncles,
nieces, spouses, children, sons and daughters-in-law, and siblings.
But here's a list of people who don't qualify, and it might be surprising to some it does not include grandparents and fiances, also aunts, uncles,
nieces, nephews, cousins as well as brothers and sister-in-law as well as fiances.
So people may say, hey, how did they break this down? Well, it is not totally arbitrary. It does fall in line with how close relationships are
defined in the visa application process. So, for travelers, in addition to these familial relationships, they can also prove this bona fide connection
with connections to educational opportunities, or jobs right here in the U.S.
But you know, Becky, it's important to note that if a traveler doesn't fall into these categories, and they are from one of those six Muslim majority
countries, they will be banned for 90 days. And as for refugees from any country, if they don't have a bona fide connection as well, they'll be
banned for 120 days. Of course, this all goes into effect 8:00 tonight here in the U.S.
We did see a lot of chaos the last time the travel ban went into effect. We're not really expecting that at the airports this time. Although, legal
observers, civil rights groups, they'll be monitoring all of this.
The Department of Homeland Security, it has stressed this will not impact people who arrive in the U.S. with valid visas and legitimate travel
documents.
But, of course, we'll all see this unfold, ticking down it does take effect in just about nine hours now.
ANDERSON: That's right. The wee hours of the morning in many of those countries, which are affected.
Dianne, these were the scenes of chaos that Jessica alluded to that erupted earlier this year when the original ban was announced.
Today, immigration laws and advocacy groups are stationed at various airports to make sure this ban is properly implemented.
Are those that you've been speaking to or anybody you can source on this story telling you that they are expecting any trouble?
DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think the fact is right now, Becky, that this is just ambiguous. They're not really sure, because it is
murky, as Jessica said there. Nothing official has been issued. Everything seen in his reporting is from this cable that the State
Department gave to the U.S. embassies and consulates. So, until there is some kind of official public criteria listed by the Department of Homeland
Security or the State Department, it makes it a little bit difficult to tell for these advocates exactly what they're going to do. That's why
they're prepared for just about anything, although, Becky, they're not anticipating anything like what they had in January, because they're at
least there is some criteria there.
ANDERSON: To both of you, thank you. Travel ban effectively shuts the door on refugees fleeing war zones as we've been discussing, including
Mosul in Iraq.
CNN is on the front lines of that fight. And we can now confirm a major development. Iraq's prime minister is declaring an end to ISIS in Mosul
after his forces recaptured a hugely symbolic site: the ruins of the al- Nuri mosque. But suggesting the battle isn't 100 percent over, Haider al- Abedi also says Iraqi forces will continue hunting ISIS militants until every last one is killed or brought to justice.
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has been just meters away from that mosque in recent days. He filed this report, taking us to the streets of Mosul for a
firsthand look at the fight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The end is near for ISIS. You can just feel it. And normal life is springing
back out of these pancaked buildings. Yet, turn one corner in Mosul towards its old city and the nihilism of the very final chapter in this war
emerges.
Liberation leads little life behind. Bodies still where they fell in the scorching heat.
Senior commanders take us in in the calm before their final storm to wipe ISIS off the map.
(on camera): And how many more days do you think ISIS have in Mosul and in Iraq?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some days.
WALSH: Three, four?
(voice-over): Brigadier General Asadi (ph) beckons us on to see their prize. These are the last rooftops ISIS own in Mosul, barely hundreds of
meters to go now. In the distant left, the river bank marking where ISIS's world ends.
And in the dust, the ruins of the sacred al-Nuri Mosque. ISIS blew it up, rather than let it to be captured. A terrifying omen for civilians held
underground as human shields here.
(on camera): Well, that mosque has always been a distant target for Iraqi forces, and now, they literally are able to see it from neighboring
rooftops.
(voice-over): U.S. trained Major Salam (ph) took us into Mosul eight months ago, and now he's here to see the end.
(on camera): We're at the beginning. And now, we're at the end of it all.
[11:10:06] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
WALSH: So, what are we seeing on the screen?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This digital camera that we try to recon the enemy, where are they located, and we try to find where are the civilians also.
Nobody is sure exactly how many civilians there are. They located in so many different houses. Many families in one house.
WALSH: Are you getting enough help from the Americans now? Because when we first met eight months you...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: More than enough. I am so happy for all the support from Australian side, from American side.
WALSH: There is the occasional stench of death here from the bodies of ISIS fighters like this one below me here left behind and also at times an eerie
silence when the gunfire subsides.
But it's in these dense streets that you can really feel how hard the fight against ISIS has been in these final moments, but also, too, how many few
meters they are away from kicking the terrorist group out of Mosul, but also out of Iraq entirely.
(voice-over): Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Mosul, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: ...joins us now with the very latest. He's in Irbil now, which is a short drive away from Mosul. And Iraqi forces and the government
declaring an end to ISIS by which, Nick, they mean what? You've witnessed the center of town. What's your sense?
WALSH: Well, this -- as it always was going to be, Becky, is really a political statement. Haider al-Abedi, the Iraqi prime minister, under a
lot of pressure to end this now years long campaign to push ISIS out of the land.
Now on a sheer practical front, it is not true that the al-Nuri mosque is fully in the control of Iraqi security forces. That certainly was not the
case just three hours ago when we were there ourselves. There is a group of Iraqi special forces working tirelessly day and night to reclaim it, but
they face innumerable obstacles from Intense sniper fire to endless booby traps. They'd been using bulldozers to clear the rubble and move around.
They move this morning was to try and encircle the entire mosque compound.
Now that, as far as we could see from where we were, and according to the commanders of that unit,had not happened as we left this afternoon, and
frankly it didn't look likely it was about to happen anywhere. And we've got about an hour left of daylight.
So, I cannot necessarily see how you could believe a fully successful occupying of the mosque has occurred. Yes, you could argue, as appears to
be the case from Iraqi military spokespeople that because nobody really controls it, because it's been blown up and it may currently be
unoccupiable for months, because it's full of booby traps, many people fear, that because no one has it -- and ISIS are on the other side of it,
technically, that therefore it falls in the hands of the Iraqi government again.
But they don't control it. They're not in it. They don't appear to be around it at this point.
So, this is a rhetorical moment, really, for Iraq, and sadly one as well that seems to potentially want to brush under the carpet, the fate of the
possibly thousands of civilians caught in the remaining 700 to 800 meters worth of the old city in Mosul that is still not cleaned out of ISIS.
It is a very dirty and lengthy fight. It is still ongoing right now. And I have to say, to be honest, you know, you've got to bear in mind, Becky,
that whatever moments in a political history Iraq choose to declare an end to ISIS, it will always come with the heavy caveat that they will continue
as a lower level insurgency. They don't go away. They were born of the Sunni-Shia split in Iraq's population here, representing in a very
extremist branch of the Sunni population here.
And they will continue to carry out car bombs, et cetera moving forward. They still have control of Hawija and other towns as well. So, I suppose
you could in fact, as defense say, there was a moment really where they needed to say this job is done and we're moving to a different phase of the
work, but it is strange, dishonest, frankly to have been at the old mosque for the last two days and seen in the old city and hear this announcement
frankly while we were ourselves watching the fighting continuing very intensely -- Becky.
ANDERSON: As you talk, we're just looking at some of that remarkable reporting and access that you got just in the past couple of hours and
days.
You reported, Nick, witnessing signs of life again. Describe what you mean by that?
WALSH: It is kind of weird, to be honest. I mean, you know, approaching the old city we had expected to see a ghost town throughout all of Mosul.
But weirdly as you head into towards the suburbs, towards the old city, very visible because of the nature of it is sort of a very clearly defined
series of separate alleyways that are very dense and tight and narrow.
You see people frying chicken on the street on open grills, markets trying to reopen. That's amongst buildings often which have been flattened.
But you turn a corner and then round again towards the old city and the world changes dramatically -- intense rubble everywhere as you saw in that
package, the stench of death intermittently.
Today, we got our first glimpse of some of the civilians who have been trapped in ISIS's pretty horrendous world for the past months or so, and
these are people hobbling out, they're treated, of course, with intense suspicion by the Iraqi troops who they first meet, because they fear that
it may be carrying suicide belts, bombs, et cetera, may pose a threat to them initially. They're initially checked and then allowed through.
But one woman we came across had pins in her legs. Absolute horror, frankly, they'd been enduring over the past months or so.
We don't know how much longer it's going to take for that chunk of the old city to be entirely purged of ISIS. We do know, though, frankly that the
destruction being wrought upon it makes it pretty much inhabitable going forward. And that's the broad question for Iraq now.
The damage of fighting ISIS has been physically ghastly and will cost billions to rebuild. And it's happened in areas that are predominately
Sunni as well, because that's where ISIS has found themselves getting a lot of sympathy, some say, within the population.
The government in Baghdad is predominately pro-Shia, or Shia. So, that Sunnia-Shia split in Iraq will come to the fore in how Iraq chooses to
rebuild and chooses to move on politically here. They need to give some sort of sense of franchise to those Sunnis in the government here. And the
fear, I think, possibly is that given the nature of the declaration of victory here where fighting is still ongoing, where areas, you know, aren't
pacified, perhaps suggests that Baghdad is breaking to move on with all of this, rather than actually look at the root cause of the issues here, clean
up areas, bring peace to them, and then try and get a genuine reconciliation going, and the fear certainly you see in the eyes of coming
out of the ISIS territory is perhaps what's ahead of them, but most, of course, certainly what they've just been rescued from as well -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Nick Paton Walsh is reporting for you out of Irbil where he is now back at base, having been right at the heart of what is an incredible
story, and incredible reporting from Nick, making it seem as if we were right there with Iraqi forces as they battle ISIS in Mosul. It doesn't end
there.
Do use the website, and you'll almost feel the searing heat as you scroll through pictures of utter destruction. You'll also read about families
desperate to escape the fighting only to be turned back at checkpoints.
More from Nick and his team at CNN.com.
Right, still to come this evening out of London, the third highest official at the Vatican gets snared in a sexual abuse scandal. I'm going to get you
more on the charges facing cardinal George Pell. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: He's spent the last three years investigating ways to reform the Catholic church's finances. Well, now Cardinal George Pell, a chief
adviser to Pope Francis, is facing multiple sexual assault charges in his native Australia. The details of those charges haven't been released yet,
but claims against the cardinal have been circulated in Australian media for years now.
The cardinal who is required to appear in court on July 18th says he is innocent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[11:20:05] CARDINAL GEORGE PELL: I am looking forward, finally, to having my day in court. I'm innocent of these charges. They are false. The whole
idea of sexual abuse is abhorrent to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, we're covering this story on all angles, of course. Vatican correspondent Delia Gallagher joining me live along with Today
journalist Sara James, who is reporting from St. Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne in Australia.
Just how did we, Sara, get to where we are today?
SARA JAMES, JOURNALIST: Well, there has been a royal commission into sexual abuse and to institutional response to child sexual abuse here in
Australia. That started in -- well, the call for it was in November of 2012. It began in April of 2013. And that came about as a result of a
number of news reports and basically charges that were made by individuals who said that they had been victims of child sexual abuse.
Now, that just grew and grew. There were more and more cases. The royal commission, as I mentioned, looked into that. And that was the backdrop
for what happened.
In terms of the specifics with Cardinal Pell, this, of course, is the top ranking Australian in the Catholic church and one of the leaders of the
church globally. And there had been a couple of detectives from the state police here in Victoria who went over last October and interviewed the
cardinal.
And then today here in Melbourne, the state police issued these charges for historical sexual assault offenses. They say that there are multiple
charges and multiple complainants. Again, the cardinal saying that he is innocent and he looks forward to coming back to Australia and clearing his
name.
ANDERSON: Delia, sadly this is not a new story. It's a familiar one, of course, the Catholic abuse scandal, a worldwide one, has led to disturbing
cases exposed not only in Australia, for example, but in U.S., in Ireland, in various other places. And this is something that has embarrassed Pope
Francis, has angered him, and is something he said he will clean up.
How is he going to react to this? Clearly he's been aware of these allegations over the past couple of years, at least.
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Becky. And Cardinal Pell said this morning that he has kept the pope apprised of
these allegations, and indeed spoke to him just two days ago in order to ask for a leave of absence to return to a court trial in Australia on July
18.
Of course, the reason this is so significant outside of the fact of its importance for Australia, for sex abuse survivors and for Cardinal Pell is
because it puts the spotlight back on the Vatican and its handling of sex abuse cases under Pope Francis who, as you say, talked about a zero
tolerance policy, has made a lot of noise about doing more to help protect children. And yet it is the one area, Becky, where this widely praised
pope has also been criticized.
And in fact just a few months ago, one of the members of the commission that the pope set up to help advise him on sex abuse resigned saying that
the commission was ineffectual, that the Vatican was not moving forward.
So, this is one of the areas where Pope Francis has been criticized. The additional point is that Cardinal Pell is one of the men that Pope Francis
hand-picked to come over here and help him with reform. That was financial reform, but he is one of his top cardinals closest advisers. They have
different political and religious views sometimes.
But nonetheless, he is a man that Pope Francis himself picked, so potentially should the cardinal not be completely exonerated of all of
these charges, that could be devastating as well for the pope and for the question of how dedicated he is to moving foward on sex abuse, on
protecting victims and on getting the Vatican to move a bit more quickly on some of these cases, which has been one of the main complaints, Becky.
ANDERSON: Out of Australia and the Vatican today, your correspondents on a very important story. Thank you.
Well, let's get you up to speed, then, on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now, viewers. And the Chinese President Xi Jinping
is in Hong Kong to mark the 20th anniversary of the British handover to China. Major protests were expected, but things have been relatively calm
in Hong Kong after several activist leaders were arrested on Wednesday.
He may have a funny name, but Boaty McBoatface is making some serious discoveries. Scientists say the British robotic submarine has returned
home with unprecedented data about some of the coldest and deepest waters on Earth. Boaty explored the ocean near Antarctica on its maiden voyage.
And CNN has exclusive access to 500 African elephants being moved to a safe haven as they face extinction elsewhere. The full report will be on CNN at
these times. For now, here's a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Humans are poaching elephants for their ivory. The idealistic view of Africa as this vast, open landscape where animals can
move freely from point A to point B that doesn't exist anymore.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll take a straight run.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can now link effectively managed protected areas across Africa moving elephant from areas where management has been
successful and effective into areas where elephants have been depleted.
And what we're doing here now demonstrates that scale is not a limitation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, consider this, two people have died in the latest wave of protests in Venezuela. That means close to 80 have perished in the
unrest. The attorney general has been banned from leaving the country. The president says a police helicopter attacked the supreme court with guns
and grenades.
Now, there's speculation that was actually staged.
Well, to make things worse, people can't even get enough food.
Just one of those headlines would stop the presses in any country, wouldn't it? But with all of them being seen in Venezuela, you have to ask where is
the nation headed?
Well, I'm joined by Stefano Pozzebon, who is a journalist normally based in Caracas.
It was a week ago that Nikki Haley at the UN said the following: "the Venezuelan people are starving while their government tramples their
democracy. The tragic situation in Venezuela calls out for action." Is there any?
STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: That is absolutely true. And the thing is that the Venezuelan crisis has been ongoing for years, and that every month
we in Caracas ask ourselves what can comes next. And as you said, we have headline making news every hour, almost, plus 48 hours have been crazy down
in the Venezuelan capital.
But what stays in the background of the news circle, and very much in the forefront of many Venezuelans is the fact that the shelves are empty are so
are the bellies. You can't find food. You can't find most subsidized prices food, and even medicines, things like aspirin or penicillin are
extremely hard to find down in Caracas, so that's the main reason why hundreds of people day in, day out are taking to the streets.
And this is happening once again today with the opposition calling for yet another march on the constitutional national assembly down in the center of
Caracas.
ANDERSON: Any sense we are at the point any time soon that we will see the straw that breaks the camels back. And I guess I'm talking about the
president's back at this point?
POZZEBON: The key moment, Becky, will be the 30th of July, we think. The 30th of July is when the government, so Nicolas Maduro, have called for an
election to elect a new constitutional national assembly with a task of rewriting the constitution.
Now, the current constitution was written by Maduro's predecessor and political mentor, Hugo Chavez, who is almost a god-like figure down in
Caracas. So, many people who were linked with Chavez and were linked previously with Maduro are now breaking ranks. One of them is the attorney
general, Luis Ortega.
So, when these elections will take place, it will take place? Because the opposition is adamant in trying not to take -- not to let the election even
take place.
ANDERSON: We stand accused at times when we take a look at a country like Caracas, or any country around the world, taking a look at the capital city
and saying that is reflective of the sense of what is going on across the rest of the country. Is Caracas reflective of what is going on elsewhere
in Venezuela?
POZZEBON: The situation in the rural areas is definitely worse than it is in Caracas, but as much as other centralized countries suggest, London for
the UK, or Paris for France, Caracas is the heart and soul of the whole country. About 33 million people living in Venezuela, Caracas has almost 8
or 10 in the urban area.
Most political protest marches take place in Caracas, and all the deputies and congressman are there. All activities down in the streets. And
whether Maduro will cling to power or not, it will end up being mainly because of the people of Caracas, the (inaudible).
ANDERSON: Thank you, sir. Important story.
I'm going to get you all the very latest news in the world up next. Plus, Qatar's diplomatic emergency.
Rupert Murdoch isn't getting his own way.
And a hero cop stabbed in the head while fighting off terrorists here in London. He speaks up. We'll get that and more after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(HEADLINES)
[11:33:55] ANDERSON: Well, the bitter spat between Qatar and a group of Gulf states is dragging on and dragging many other international partners
into the fray. On Wednesday, the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his hopes for peaceful dialogue while on a phone call with the
emir of Qatar.
Meanwhile, other nations more blunt especially when it comes to the list of demands issued by the Saudi-led bloc. The speaker of Iran's parliament had
this to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALI LARIJANI, IRANIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER (through translator): So, is it logical, is it mature, for one country to dictate to another and say you
must do as I say? And say, well, you must cease relations, for example, with Iran? And I do not believe that in the region the Saudis carried this
kind of weight to say these sorts of things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: It would have been bigger news, of course, if the speaker of the Iranian parliament hadn't been slamming Saudi. But it is important that we
hear what he says.
Here with me to discuss all of this is CNN's emerging markets editor John Defterios who is normally based with me in the UAE. Both of us in London
this week.
John, why is Japan, for example, in a particularly difficult spot when it comes to Qatar? I think this helps flesh out the perspective on this
story.
[11:35:15] JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Yeah, I would suggest Japan, Becky, but all the G7 countries, because they don't have a
relationship with the bloc of the Gulf Cooperation Council, but with individual countries themselves -- Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, in
particular.
I think foremost for Japan on the checklist has to be can they continue to import natural gas. They are the number one customer of Qatari LNG, and
that have been the case since they started that business in the 1990s with Qatar going to the LNG and the 65 tankers they have today.
It is Japan number one, South Korean number two, and India number three.
So, first and foremost we have the conversation with Sheikh Tamim of Qatar. He wanted to know, in fact, will the supplies remain secure going forward.
Now, the wrinkle is here Shinzo Abe, as you know, established a very good relationship with Donald Trump at the beginning of his administration. He
doesn't want to do anything when it comes to Qatar to offend Washington, of course. And number three, we also had Japan being a top customer of Saudi
Aramco.
So, if it went to script for the Japanese, they'd like to get part of that listing of Saudi Aramco in the IPO of 2018 and remain a number one customer
of Qatar, make sure the supplies still come in. Perhaps that is wishful thinking going forward, but you can see the delicate balancing act.
Have a good conversation, but the Qataris went a step further, the Qatar news agency was suggesting the Mr. Abe was sympathetic to the fact that the
13 items on that tlist that you were talking about are perhaps to onerous.
We reached out to the ministry of foreign affairs in Tokyo. And there was no mention of that position, although Prime Minister Abe, in fairness to
the Qataris, said we'd like to see a peaceful resolution.
ANDERSON: The U.S. did try and stay out of this spat, didn't it? But at the end of the day it is playing the biggest role as mediator. Let's say
that the GCC has Kuwait front and center as the mediator amongst the members -- big job -- the U.S. really now front and center on this.
DEFTERIOS: As you suggested, the U.S. was hoping that the regional players would sort out their own spat.
ANDERSON: As they have in the past, but I think in this instance it was unrealistic. And I think it goes back to 2014, the sources that we've seen
speaking to in Abu Dhabi in parituclar said the primoses of the pledges made by Sheikh Tamim back then suggested don't think about my father as the
Emir of Qatar, but think of me. And I'm going to start from afresh. That promise was broken. So it makes it very difficult for the United States to
stay out.
Now, the Secretary of State Tillerson has a very difficult position, because Donald Trump put out a tweet in the first couple of days in this
spat and suggested that the Qataris need to do more when it comes to terrorist financing.
Rex Tillerson, this is kind of a pivotal moment for him. Can he define his position as secretary of state and find a solution? He's had 20 meetings
and phone calls with all the different stakeholders. Again, Becky, as you're suggesting, trying to remain neutral.
But I thought this spokeswoman in the State Department Heather Newer (ph) said something quite interesting. We're mystified that this alliance
against Qatar right now have not presented hard evidence to both the Qataris or the international community right now, suggesting that at some
point they're going to have to put the evidence on the table so the Qataris can respond. And I think that's furthest that the State Department has gone
so far in this debate trying to find a resolution.
ANDERSON: And lest we forget, a huge American base in Qatar likely to be part of the fight going forward against ISIS in Raqqa. All of this is
really important stuff. John, thank you for that. John Defterios giving us the international perspective as we take a step back to analyze this
standoff.
For more on that, I'm joined by John Hannah from Washington. He's a senior counselor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a think tank very
critical, it ahs to be said, of Qatar's alleged terror funding. He was also a national security adviser to U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney.
You -- give me just your sense at this point of where the U.S. stands. We are hearing -- we certainly heard, as John suggested, in an early tweet
on this from Donald Trump, a very sort of supportive of the Saudi-led bloc. It seems that the State Department in a slightly different position,
certainly trying to keep the door open for more dialogue.
Where does the U.S. stand?
JOHN HANNAH, SENIOR COUNSEOR, FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: I think you explained it, Becky, that the U.S., frankly, is divided. I think
you've got the White House in one place, which is taking a very, very tough stand on the issue of Islamist extremism in general and Qatar's role in
that in particular. And, of course, you've got the State Department, but also backed up by Secretary Mattis at the Defense Department. And now
you've got congress in the form of Senator Corker, the chairman of our Senate foreign relations committee who weighed in earlier this week saying
he was going to hold up any further arms sales to the Gulf until he had a better idea of what the administration's strategy was to bring this crisis
to a resolution.
ANDERSON: All right, the Saudis insisting that there is no room for negotiation on their demands, a list of 16 demands, a list of 16 demands.
Qatar, for their part, says not a shred of intel to even back them up saying, and I quote -- and we got this from the Saudis late last night --
we cannot stop doing things we are not doing. We are left to conclude that the purpose of the ultimatum was not to address the issues listed, but to
pressure Qatar to surrender its sovereignty. This is not something that we will do, this is something we will not do.
There isn't a shred of evidence at this point so far as intel is concerned. It might be out there, but it hasn't been shared. That's
correct, right?
HANNAH: I guess I beg to differ. I mean, the problem of Qatar and its role in the region has been well known to certainly to region officials for
a very long time. But frankly, also, to U.S. officials.
I can remember back in the early 2000s during the war in Iraq where U.S. troops were being incited against on a daily basis by the editorial line
out of al Jazeera Arabic where al Jazeera correspondence were showing up ahead of time at virtually every improvised explosive device that was being
set off against a U.S. convoy.
ANDERSON: The problem with this is, this is not just about al Jazeera, we are told by the Saudi-led bloc, this is about terror funding. And my point
being if the intel is there, show it.
HANNAH: Yeah, well, Qatar has been shown -- you've had U.S. Treasury Department offiials standing up on several occasions over the last several
years identifying Qatar as a permissive environment for terrorist financing. We know that there are major Hamas leaders, including Hamas
military planners that have safe haven in Qatar and has been ordering operations into the West Bank. We know that the Taliban clearly has an
office inside of Qatar in which they're allowed to operate. And there are designated U.S. terrorist financers operating inside of Qatar able to raise
funds quite easily, some of whom have finally seem to be taken under some control and house arrest unspecified by Qatar, but still others that are
out there that are given much too much free reign in Qatar. It needs to be tightened up significantly.
ANDERSON: Part of those demands, a 10-day deadline, the Saudis say they are not prepared to negotiate that 10-day deadline. We were told by one of
the UAE diplomats here on this show yesterday is Monday, July 3. So, we'll see what happens. Thank you, sir.
Retired U.S. Admiral James Stavrides (ph) has offered what -- his view on what the U.S. policy makers should do to solve this crisis. He was supreme
allied commander at NATO between 2009 and 2013. He wrote for the New York Daily News that the goals should be as follows, securing a changing Qatari
behavior that benefits regional stability, avoiding Qatar too hard so that it embraces Iran, and finally avoiding further escalation.
Well sit on those including interrogating this story.
Live from London, this is Connect the World. Coming up, the British government weighs in on 21st Century Fox's plans to by Sky. Rupert
Murdoch's bid to expand his media empire could be in jeopardy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:46:12] ANDERSON: Well, the British government has dealt a setback to Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox and its bid to purchase the Sky pay
television group. UK Culture Secretary Karen Bradley announced that Fox should not be allowed to take over Sky without further review. She says the
$15 billion multiplatform merger raises public interest concerns, because it could give Murdoch too much influence over British media.
Brian Stelter joining us now form New York.
Your perspective on this decision by the minister in the UK.
BRIAN STELTER, CNN MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: A setback for Rupert Murdoch. No way around it. This is something he has wanted for a long time. He had
tried to do this deal a number of years ago. It was blocked. It was stymied partly because of the phone hacking scandal. Now, years later,
here he is again trying again to take over the rest of Sky.
He has cared deeply about this for a long time. He has been lobbying, trying to get this done, but now here is a further delay.
Now, we'll see what happens. This is not the end of the road, but it's a big bump in the road as this process is delayed and there may be a further
review.
ANDERSON: Let's just remind ourselves how big a deal Rupert Murdoch is in the international media space.
STELTER: He is a confidante of President Trump, and he has been a confidante of other political leaders in the past -- Tony Blair comes to
mind. He is a global media mogul. And he really likes to assert his power and influence. You see it on the front pages of newspapers in the U.S. and
the UK. You also see it on Fox News and other television networks. But Sky has been a real unique pursuit of his. You know, they already own part
of it. He wants to own all of it.
But there were issues raised in the springtime when there was a Fox News scandal involving sexual harassment. Remember, Bill O'Reilly lost his job
amid complaints about sexual harassment, Roger Ailes had lost his job last year. So, there was lobbying efforts toward the British government saying
the Murdochs are not fit and proper to own Sky. Look at this sexual harassment scandal in the U.S. as an example.
It's notable today that Bradley is not saying she agrees with them. Their conclusion is that, yes, the Murdochs are fit and proper, but they're
objecting on other grounds and wanting to review this further.
ANDERSON: Brian Stelter on the story for you.
You're watching Connect the World live from the British capital. Up next as people ran for their lives, he went straight into the danger. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:25] ANDERSON: A police frenzy following horrific scenes when terrorists used a van and then knives to murder people on an otherwise
ordinary evening here in London just a few weeks ago. They killed eight people, dozens were wounded.
But wherever you find hate and tragedy, you will also find heroes. And our Phil Black has the story of one policeman who is just that -- Phil.
PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, absolutely, Becky. No doubt.
On June 3, when this attack took place, you'll remember three men with a van and knives running along London Bridge killing people. We knew that
there was a police officer who took them on. He was injured. He released a statement at the time saying I was just doing my job. We now know how
extraordinary that job was, because he's recovered enough to talk about what happened that night. And what happened when he first realized that
something wasn't right. He heard screaming, saw a woman running, saw a man fall flat and that was when he first saw a man with a knife.
He says he reached for his police baton and this is what happened next. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WAYNE MARQUES, BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE OFFICER: I took a deep breath and then charged in. I charged at him and a swung as hard as I could. I was
planning to take his head off in one go like just put him down straight away.
He looks and he sees me coming at the last second and he managed to get a hand up or both his hands up. Then while I'm fighting the first on, I get
a massive whack to the right side of my head. It felt like a metal bar at firsts, only afterwards I realized it was a knife.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACK: So that blow to the head that he's describing there, he says it was so powerful it shut down his vision in his right eye straight away. It
just went dark. And then suddenly he was confronted by all three attackers. He had no idea there were three men there. He's bleeding from
the face. He said he suffered an extremely deep, long wound to his hip as well. One of his fingers, he says, was sliced in two. And he realized
that he was in pretty bad shape that he was seriously hurt.
So, he says he was swinging wildly at all three of them. The fight eventually became a standoff, the four of them literally just standing at
each other. And he says at that moment he expected them to charge in and try and finish him. Instead, he doesn't know why, they ran away.
And it was moments after that, just minutes really they were tracked down by armed officers, shot and killed. And then on the bridge when other
officers arrived to help him he lost consciousness.
He said the only thing that he was thinking about that night was trying to keep people alive.
ANDERSON: We can call him a hero, can't we?
BLACK: I think so, yeah. I think that's fair. Absolutely.
ANDERSON: Phil Black on what is a remarkable story. I watched that interview in full, and it is -- it makes your hair stand up on your arms.
It really does. What a good boy. Right.
This week, this hour, we've been across every part of Qatar's crisis -- small Gulf kingdom. And we know what's going on there.
Now, one of the key players, Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai, has put out a poem to Qatar. We couldn't get him to read it for us at such short
notice, so instead I got Muhammad from my team to read it for you. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUHAMMAD: Qatar knows that we provide it with shade from strangers and those of weak standing. Our political benefit should not be violated.
Neighbors are for each other and should not let their camaraderie get affected. It is our duty to advise Qatar in public if someone places a
sand snake in its path. A wolf eats the big and plump ones once they stray from the path in negligence. There's a right time for everything, and the
time for getting serious is now. I feel like there has been enough time, and the time is now to bury the evil we all wish to bury and to go back to
being united in hearts, protecting each other without hatred and bitterness. From Saudi Arabia to the homes of Oman with my country, we are
all connected. And Bahrain and Qatar and al-Thani are one Gulf which god is watching over.
The Arabs have an old saying, before throwing your arrows, make sure your weapons are loaded. Together, arrows do not break if they are united, but
if they are separated they break in seconds. And a broken arrow is useless.
It is not by force or by will, no matter our differences, our neighbor is always protected. By dialogue and conversation, the truth will come out
and be revealed. And the path is clear. The door is open and clearly marked. And the road to god is better and heaven is better than the devil
and his evil people. And if Qatar do not wish to go on our path, then each should follow his own path.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[11:55:08] ANDERSON: Your words from a poem by Sheikh Mohammed bim Rashid, the ruler of Dubai on a story now that has been doing the rounds for a
month and isn't over.
That is it for us this week. Thursday is the end of our working week. We normally work out of the UAE, of course. How I'll be spending my days up?
Well, of course surfing all over Facebook.com/CNNConnect to find out what you've been talking to us about. Join me there. I'm Becky Anderson. That
was Connect the World. And that is it from us this week. We'll be back in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. See you there.
END
