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Iraq Declares Victory Over ISIS in Mosul; Donald Trump Jr. Confirms Meeting with Russian Lawyer Before Campaign; Syrian Peace Talks Started in Geneva; Deadly Cholera Outbreak in Yemen; Kurdish Refugees in Japan Being Deported; U.S. Secretary of State Heading to the Middle East; Charlie Gard's Case Still in British High Court; UNESCO'S New World Heritage List Now Out. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired July 10, 2017 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[11:00:17] BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: On the front lines as Iraq declares victory over ISIS in Mosul, CNN's Nick Paton Walsh takes us there next. We

are live for you in Iraq.

Also, the U.S. secretary of state headed to the Gulf for an attempt to mediate the Qatar crisis. Coming up, new information on the root cause of

this diplomatic a standoff, details on that just ahead.

And the legal battle over terminally ill infant, Charlie Gard's health is in court now. A controversial American minister has joined the baby's

parents in their campaign to take their son to the U.S. for experimental treatment. I'll speak to him later this hour.

You are very welcome, just after 7 o'clock in the evening in the UAE. I'm Becky Anderson with "Connect the World." Terrorism, the defining story of

our lives. No group has shown that more than ISIS. Well, now we are seeing some scenes that were impossible, unthinkable, a year ago a month ago, even

a week ago.

Iraq's prime minister triumphant, parading through the city, his country's second largest after declaring that ISIS has been wiped out there. And

here, the cameramen around him almost as important as these soldiers in a victory as symbolically almost as much as it is strategically important.

Still, it's not over. On the same day as those rare videos were taken, so was this all too familiar one. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has been on the

ground for you inside Mosul.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Maybe 100 yards until they hit the symbolic river that runs through the heart of Mosul.

What was once the capital in Iraq of ISIS' caliphate now reduced to a tiny number of buildings simply and snipers picking off the tiny remnants of

ISIS.

Many of them have been emerging from the rubble seemingly wanting to give themselves up to these forces led by Brigadier General Assadi from the

Iraqi Special Forces, American trained, American equipment, and we've seen ourselves from the vast amounts of air strikes that have come in here to

support this advance, startling to see the rubble around us here, the devastation of their city, but they are so close to their final goal here.

Talk of political announcements being made possibly from this particular area.

But minute by minute, ISIS appears to be running out of ammunition, handing themselves in, fear still potentially human shields trapped inside there.

The occasional sniper round fired at them here, but the territory is small now. And so, they hit the river and that is the point in which they declare

their victory. Nick Paton Walsh about a hundred yards from the Tigris River in the old city of Mosul, Iraq.

ANDERSON: And most of these stuff, we've got reporters -- top reporters on this. Nick, now out of Mosul (inaudible) about hours drive away from the

front lines. Ben Wedeman knows more about this story than almost anybody on the planet. Nick, let's start with you. You're just back from Mosul. Sum

up, if you will, what this victory means and perhaps more importantly what happens next.

PATON-WALSH: What it means I think is that symbolically they've deprived ISIS of the territory they so deeply coveted. Yes, there are towns, Hawija,

Tal Afar, where ISIS were retaining their presence. There will be sleeper cells, the low level insurgency going on for years, but they can no longer

claim to hold a substantial chunk of the key city, major population that's the second biggest city in the country like Mosul.

What we saw today was the final, final holdout. It's a matter of a dozen buildings already reduced to rubble but ISIS' fighters, snipers, only

really down to small arms actually. We saw some of the men staggering out of the rubble, walking towards the Iraqi Special Forces, who oddly actually

warmly welcomed them, perhaps sarcasm in their voice, but these were bedraggled, dusty, some of them wounded men who clearly ran out of

ammunition and decided to give themselves up. You know, you don't really have seen the face of ISIS outside of their own heavily manicured

propaganda. It was startling to see some of these fighters emerging from that.

[11:04:57] What happens now? Well, obviously politically, we are still waiting for Haider al-Abadi, the Iraqi prime minister, to make the

announcement. He traveled here yesterday saying he was going to make. They are waiting for the fighting it seems to actually end before that occurs,

but still the celebration has begun in the streets really and I think Iraq has closed this particular chapter despite the rafter (ph) of gunfire still

being evident near the Tigris River.

The broader question is can political reconciliation begin here. You know, this conflict was born over rift between the Sunni and Shiite mystics (ph)

in this nation's state. The Sunnis used to (inaudible) saying this minority and now the Shiite find themselves in charge of the government and military

mostly. They have to bridge the divide because the Sunni withdrawn their extremist's war with ISIS because they felt so isolated from government

with nobody protecting them.

The question is, do we see some form of ISIS in the years ahead if a reconsideration isn't thorough enough, and frankly, what do you do with the

devastated Sunni cities that have been leveled by this battle (ph) as the old city is not a city anymore. It's a series of pot marks and rubble. It

actually has to be rebuilt from scratch sadly.

And the question, I think, broadly is how can that be managed in such a way that the Sunnis are brought back into the fold again. That's the broader

challenge for Iraq moving forward. And still there will be military operations going on, but let's perhaps allow them this moment of victory,

the sacrifice Iraq has made and for the rest of the world, frankly, taking ISIS away from his own territory, depriving them of what they call their

self declared caliphate. That's happened. I's happening now. And I think that's the moment perhaps reports (ph) with some sense of accomplishment

certainly here in the Middle East, Becky.

ANDERSON: Sure. Nick, nobody has been on this story of ISIS quite like you've been. Just before this weekend, you went inside Raqqa in Syria, for

our viewers, a quick reminder of some of what you've reported on there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATON-WALSH: We are now inside the old city walls of Raqqa, the capital of ISIS self-declared caliphate and territory in which they will make their

final stand in Syria and really the Middle East.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Nick, from the front lines, what is your sense of how ISIS fighters, those fighting day-by-day are feeling about what is going on

right now?

PATON-WALSH: I can't. Unfortunately, one of the hardest things about this conflict is how much of the psyche and mentality of ISIS. However much we

think we understand it does still elude us. And I think in Syria certainly there are many people from Raqqa inside Raqqa who are still doing the

fighting. They believe only perhaps a few hundred of the coalition or of the 2,500 fighters there are in fact foreigners. So, a lot is indigenous,

perhaps born over the gross injustice and violence of the Syrian civil war.

So, there may be people who have latched on to the ISIS ideology because for the ones or anything else, frankly, that sounded like they might

protect the Sunnis in Syria who were fighting perhaps for their hometown. Now, that may be perhaps the reason why we've seen so far signs of maybe

less civilians being caught in the mix here. There are suggestions that could be as little as 50,000 trapped in Raqqa, the smallest city anyway.

Quite different from what we've seen in Mosul. The intensity of the violence for their fight for Mosul is absolutely remarkable and the

devastation has caused the loss of life we've seen. While we've yet to get into the urban sprawl of Raqqa when we're there in Syria, it did feel like

much of the fighting was more about small arms, less instances of car bombs repeatedly coming at them and also to some degree more coalition organized

advanced and a smaller, more relaxed sprawl around the city. They're slightly different fights. Raqqa may get worse as time goes by. It seems to

be going quite quickly.

But I have to say, you know, after three years or so of trying to fully understand the ISIS mentality, we're sort of given a ghastly portrait by

their own propaganda of people who ideologically fueled people who were driven by a warped vision of Islam in their own minds to do ghastly things,

but still these are humans. These are people who are perhaps fighting for their own homes, who possibly believe themselves they are the good guys.

And still at this stage, you know, we -- I think the major challenge now there appear to be seeing their own defeat as to work out quite how we got

here in the first place, Becky.

ANDERSON: Appreciate it, Nick. Amazing reporting. Let's get you a tale that ISIS in two videos almost exactly three years ago we brought you these

pictures. On the left here, ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declaring the start of his group's caliphate, Mosul's 800-year-old mosque. On the right,

just a few weeks ago, it blew up that very same place as its control over the city evaporated.

Ben, as you consider the images today of the Iraqi soldiers, residents, celebrating the liberation of the country's second biggest city, your

analysis of just how far we have come and how much further there is to go in this fight against the scourge that is ISIS.

[11:10:11] BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, certainly Iraq has come a very, very long way since the 10th of June

2014 when just a few hundred ISIS fighters managed to drive out far a superior Iraqi force from Mosul in just a matter of hours. In the

subsequent months, it really looked like the Iraqi military was in full retreat and full collapse against what looked like an ISIS blitzkrieg

against the Iraqi forces.

Now, we have a complete turn around. You've seen ISIS lose one city after another. Now, the fight for Mosul has gone on for nine very difficult

months and hundreds of Iraqi soldiers and thousands of civilians have been killed, but they have managed to completely change the situation. And if

you look back over the 3 years and 10 -- and 1 month that ISIS controlled Mosul, that's really just a blink of an eye in the history's -- the city's

multi-millennial history, but it was three very difficult years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WEDEMAN: It was supposed to be the showcase of the good life under ISIS. Mosul was the largest city in the once rapidly expanding territory under

the group's control, a bustling metropolis with a rich history, the jewel and the crown of the self-styled caliphate.

Just a few ISIS fighters managed to drive a much larger and better armed Iraqi force out of the city in June 2014. It was here that Abu Bakr al-

Baghdadi made his only appearance as kalifa or caliph of the new realm. Initially, many Mosul residents welcomed the group after years of what they

saw as Baghdad's heavy-handed often sectarian rule. It soon became apparent, however, ISIS' priority was not good government, but rather an

unrelenting assault on Mosul's very soul.

Tens of thousands of Christians, Shiites, Musibis (ph), and others fled the city under threat of forced conversion, imprisonment, slavery and often

execution. The extremists destroyed ancient shrines like the Tomb of Jonah, the biblical prophet. They desecrated churches and they took their sledge

hammers to priceless artifacts in the Mosul museum. All the while, life gradually became more difficult as oppression increased, coalition air

strikes became more frequent, and as it became ever more apparent that ISIS' bizarre experiment was coming to an end.

Over the last nine months as the battle for Mosul raged, thousands of its residents were killed and large parts of the city transformed into a waste

land. No single act better encompasses what ISIS means to Mosul than the group's recent destruction of al-Hadba, the lady minaret that was the

symbol of the city. What ISIS couldn't keep, like Mosul itself, they destroyed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WEDEMAN: And it's still somewhat premature to celebrate perhaps the death or destruction of ISIS. They still control much of (inaudible) province in

Syria. And in Iraq, they control the towns of Hawija and Kahwin and Tal Afar between -- halfway between Mosul and the Syrian border. And of course,

a few towns.

And of course, as far as Mosul goes of about -- of its population around 920,000 fled the city, 700,000 are still displaced. And according to the

U.N., it's going to cost at least $1 billion just to rebuild the city's basic infrastructure. We already see, however, that on the eastern side of

this city that's been liberated since the beginning of this year, life is coming back to normal to a certain extent. But for the west, it's a long,

long time to go for that part of the city. Becky?

[11:14:37] ANDERSON: Ben Wedeman, out of Rome today. Of course, he spent many, many months and weeks in the region. Ben, thank you.

It's overwhelming, isn't it? The sheer scale of the tragedy we're watching unfold in Mosul, as Ben rightly pointed out, hundreds of thousands running

from their homes, thousands more slaughtered, it's just hard to imagine. So before we move on this hour, I want to bring Mosul down to the scale of one

-- one child. This young boy, who Kurdish media reports wounded and alone, crawled inside a basement and stayed there for 20 days, coming back

aboveground to, as you can see, his city, his home in ruins.

Neighboring Syria also bares the scars of a long war, but the U.N. is trying once again to broker a solution to end the fighting there, a new

round of peace talks taking place right now in Geneva. This is the seventh round of these talks and haven't netted much progress so far, but there is

still hope, especially with the new ceasefire deal that appears at least to be largely holding. That deal brokered by Russia, the U.S. and Jordan. You

can see the three regions south of Damascus where the agreement is in effect. Those areas are now de-escalation zones as they are known.

Just ahead, new revelations raise new questions about the Trump team's contacts with Russia. I'm going to get you what Donald Trump's oldest son

is saying about a meeting he had with a Russian lawyer during the presidential campaign. This is "Connect the World." I'm Becky Anderson

taking a very short break. Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: You're with CNN. This is "Connect the World." I'm Becky Anderson. If you are just joining us, you are more than welcome just before

20 past 7 in what is our UAE home here, our programming hub in the Middle East.

The White House is on the defensive today about a meeting between some of Donald Trump's inner circle. A Russian national during the U.S.

presidential campaign, Mr. Trump's son, Donald Jr., acknowledges he met with a Russian lawyer last June. Now, "The New York Times" reports he did

say because he was promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton. Trump Jr. has given conflicting accounts about this meeting. Now, he is

firing back on Twitter. He wrote, sarcastically, "Obviously, I'm the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent,

went nowhere, but had to listen." An adviser to President Trump also speaking out. Here is Kellyanne Conway on CNN earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEYANNE CONWAY, COUNSELOR TO U.S. PRESIDENT: Don Jr. has very explicitly stated he didn't even know the name of the person that he was meeting. He

agreed to the meeting based on a contact from the Miss Universe pageant. They get They get into the meeting and it quickly turns into a pretext for

Russian adoption, according to his statements, that the comments this woman was making about any type of information on Hillary Clinton were vague.

They were meaningless. Others exited the meeting very quickly. The meeting itself was very brief. There was no information given. There was no action

taken. There was no followup.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[11:20: 12] ANDERSON: Well, another key part of the story involves who else was seated at the table with said Russian lawyer invited by Trump Jr.

Himself. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux has more on this for you from Washington. Have a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN MALVEAUX, CNN U.S. CORRESPONDENT: "The New York Times" reporting that the Donald Trump Jr. was promised damaging information about Hillary

Clinton before agreeing to meet with the Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin at Trump Tower on June 9th, two weeks before his father became the

Republican nominee. Trump Jr. admitting in a statement that potentially helpful information was a pretext for the meeting, but insisting that

nothing meaningful was provided, noting the woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the

Democratic National Committee and supporting Ms. Clinton. Her statements were vague, ambiguous and made no sense. The president's son insisting that

his father knew nothing about the meeting, a statement reiterated by Trump's legal team.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a nothing meeting.

MALVEAUX: In Donald Jr.'s initial statement released Saturday he gave a different explanation for the meeting, explaining that they primarily

discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children and making no mention of Hillary Clinton. Both statements noting that the president's

son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, were also in attendance.

ADAM SCHIFF, U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, CALIFORNIA: I think we're going to want to question everyone that was at that meeting about what was discussed.

MALVEAUX: This as President Trump is facing scrutiny over his response to Russia's election hacks, after meeting with Russian President Vladimir

Putin. Trump walking back a tweet about forming an impenetrable cyber security unit with Russia to guard against the threat.

JOHN CAINE, U.S. SENATOR, ARIZONA: I am sure that Vladimir Putin could be of enormous assistance in that effort since he is doing the hacking.

MALVEAUX: Facing backlash, President Trump reversing course 12 hours later, tweeting, "The fact that President Putin and I discussed a cyber

security unit doesn't mean I think it can happen. It can't, but a ceasefire can and did."

LINDSEY GRAHAM, U.S. SENATOR, SOUTH CAROLINA: It's not the dumbest idea I've ever heard, but it's pretty close.

MALVEAUX: President Trump also insisting Sunday that he strongly pressed President Putin about Russian meddling during Friday's meeting, but not

indicating if he accepted Putin's vehement denial saying only, "I've already given my opinion."

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF America: I think it was Russia, but I think it was probably other people and/or countries and I see

nothing wrong with that statement. Nobody really knows.

MALVEAUX: This after the Russian foreign minister said Friday that President Trump heard and accepts Putin's denial, a claim the president's

aides denied on Sunday after initially declining to answer questions about the matter during a gaggle aboard Air Force One.

REINCE PRIEBUS, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: The president absolutely did not believe the denial of President Putin.

MALVEAUX: And President Trump declaring just yesterday that now is the time to move forward to work constructively with Russia, but that, of course,

might be difficult. Lawmakers and Congress, they are finalizing a bill that would slap additional sanctions on Russia because of its meddling in the

election. The administration officials are quite frustrated by this because they feel that President Trump needs more flexibility to negotiate with

President Putin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Suzanne is joining us now live from the White House. We've also got our Ivan Watson for you in Moscow. Let's start with you, Suzanne. What

are we to make of all of this?

MALVEAUX: Well, the fallout will be very interesting here because a lot of people for them it raises much more questions than really answers here. And

a lot of skepticism here in Washington about what this means. First, what you see is an all-out offensive the White House really in full battle mode

here to defend Donald Trump Jr. saying through Kellyanne Conway this morning quite clearly one thing and said they cleared this all up because

they have now added to these disclosures, these disclosure statements, these additional meetings with these Russian nationals or Russian officials

with all the players involved.

Secondly, you heard Kellyanne Conway essentially pleading ignorance on Donald Trump Jr.'s part that he didn't know the name of this person, this

individual. A lot of people find it very difficult to believe or maybe even irrelevant what her name was, really the intention of the meeting behind

this. And then third that she makes this point that this is all a nothing burger here, that because there was no substantial information, meaningful

information that came of this that there is really nothing there.

[11:24:57] We have already heard from lawmakers, however, who are looking at this very closely and do believe that there are a lot of questions and

whether or not this moves forward, the notion that there was collusion between the campaign and Russian officials or Russian nationals. Democratic

Congressman, Adam Schiff, of the National Intelligence Committee, already calling to have those people in that meeting, in that room, with this

Russian national to go before their committee to answer some questions about what came out of the meeting but, certainly, more importantly,

perhaps what was the intention going into the meeting, how close were those links with this Russian national and the intention about whether or not

they really wanted to disrupt the Hillary Clinton campaign and promote Donald Trump.

ANDERSON: All right, Suzanne. Let's bring in Ivan. Critics of the Kremlin, Ivan, say it is difficult to believe that it doesn't even know who the

Russian attorney at the center of this story is. Your thoughts?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, definitely, Dmitry Peskov, President Putin's spokesperson, he was asked about this and

he said, "We do not know about this woman and we cannot be asked to keep track of all Russian lawyers and their travels abroad," which does seem to

be a pretty fair statement.

Now, we've reached out to Natalia Veselnitskaya and are waiting to conduct an interview with her. In the meantime, she has spoken with "The New York

Times" and she insists that she does not represent the Russian government and that the election was not discussed at that June meeting with Donald

Trump Jr.

What more do we know about her? Well, she had been active in the U.S. lobbying against the Magnitsky Act, this piece of legislation passed in

2012 that targets people, foreign entities and individuals that are believed to be linked to human rights abuses or corruption. It was directed

against Russia initially and expanded. And she also represented a company based in Cyprus, a holding company with a Russian leader who was hit under

these sanctions that saw their assets seized, that was called Prevezon.

As part of the controversy between the U.S. and Russia over this Magnitsky Act, Russia responded in a tit for tat move basically banning the U.S.

adoption of Russian children. So, as part of her lobbying efforts, she was arguing that, "Hey, if we want to get Russian -- adoption of Russian

children back, then you have to kind of lift the Magnitsky Act." So, that's a little bit more background about this woman and her activities in

the U.S. Becky?

ANDERSON: Your point being she is not unknown. All right. At G-20, Ivan, we were told that U.S. President Donald Trump and his counterpart in

Russia, Vladimir Putin, had agreed to set up a working group on cyber security, cyber hacking. Lots of confusion over what exactly this is and

whether it's going to happen at all.

WATSON: Exactly. I mean there were three essential things that the two presidents walked out of that meeting having announced. One was appointing

an envoy to deal with the Ukraine conflict. Another was to set up a local safe haven in Southwestern Syria and the third was this working group to

deal with cyber hacking and interference. And of course as you saw in Suzanne's report, President Trump sent out this tweet describing it as a,

quote, "impenetrable cyber security unit so that election hacking and many other negative things would be guarded and safe."

Rex Tillerson, who was the only other U.S. official in the room during that more than two-hour meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin said the

following during his visit to Ukraine on Sunday. Take a listen. Oh, I apologize. We don't have that sound bite, but I will quote Rex Tillerson.

He went on to say, quote, "What we agreed on the cyber front is to explore a framework under which we might begin to have agreement of how to deal

with these very complex issues of cyber threats, cyber security." And then we get a tweet from President Trump saying that this cyber security unit

can't happen.

Well, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin's spokesperson, was asked about this today in a conference call. He basically was arguing, "Well, it's not entirely

clear whether or not President Trump has cancelled what we agreed upon. We had agreed to begin working towards this." So, end result, Becky, you've

got a lot of mush here about what should have been a pretty diplomatic, a pretty straight forward agreement made between these two presidents.

Perhaps that's a sign that in the future when these two presidents meet you need to have more officials in the room and to agree on some kind of

written text. Otherwise, everybody is left wondering what did these two heads of state agreed upon. Becky?

[11:30:17] ANDERSON: Ivan Watson in Moscow for you and Suzanne reporting from Washington on what is a very complex story. Still to come tonight --

thank you, guys -- hoping to bridge a widened Gulf. America's top diplomat is, as we speak, way to the Middle East as the Qatar standoff drags on.

Details on the diplomacy up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: It is just after half past 7 in the UAE, this is "Connect the World" with me, Becky Anderson. The top stories for you this hour. A U.S.

lawmaker investigating the Trump campaign's ties to Russia says his committee wants to interview Donald Trump Jr., Paul Manafort and Jared

Kushner about their meeting with a Russian attorney last summer. "New York Times" reports Trump Jr. was lured with the promise of damaging information

on Hillary Clinton.

The United Nations started a new round of Syrian peace talks in Geneva. The U.N.'s envoy to Syria says a ceasefire deal in the southwest is holding

well in its second day, but he says the de-escalation zones are just one stage of the peace process. The deal was brokered by Russia, the U.S. and

Jordan.

A deadly cholera outbreak is spreading through war-torn Yemen faster than ever seen anywhere else. This is according to the International Red Cross,

which says that 300,000 people have been infected in the last two and a half months. Thousands of new cases are being reported every day.

We started our hour talking about Mosul. Many fled the fighting there from many places just like it here in the Middle East. They look to Europe and

elsewhere for homes. A few, very, very few, in fact, end up in Japan. That country rejects nearly all of them who apply to live there. CNN's Will

Ripley spoke to a Kurdish family that has worked to build a new life in Japan only to end up in limbo.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[11:35:09] WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A rare case of Kurdish hospitality in Japan. This family of refugees welcomes us into their home,

their home at least for now. About 2,000 ethnic Kurds live in Japan, most seeking refuge from sectarian violence. This family fled the Turkish/Syrian

border more than a decade ago. They've learned Japanese, local customs and live quietly in a small Kurdish enclave north of Tokyo, but they don't have

a permanent home. Japan can deport them at any time because of a strict policy that only gives refugee status to a select few and leaves everyone

else in limbo.

Visut Kul (ph) has been living temporarily in Japan for 11 years. He reapplies at the immigration bureau every two months. When he tried to

reapply in December, something he's done more than 60 times, immigration workers told him he was being deported. His request for refugee status

finally denied. Locked in detention for five months, Kul (ph) became seriously ill. Officers took him to the hospital in shackles.

It sounds to me like you're describing a prison. Did you feel like you were in prison?

VISUT KUL, KURDISH REFUGEE: (SPOKEN THROUGH AN INTERPRETER). Yes, it is, he says. I was living faithfully, honestly, following Japanese laws. I

believed I'd be accepted, but I ended up being detained.

RIPLEY: Kul (ph) is appealing his deportation order. He says even this life is better than what he would face back home. Japan's Justice Ministry

says nearly 11,000 people applied for asylum last year, a record. The immigration bureau accepted just 28 refugees. The government tells CNN

people abuse the system that many seeking refugee status are actually economic migrants and that Japan, the world's third largest economy,

already donates billions of dollars to refugee programs. But this homogenous insular society is fiercely reluctant to take in migrants. Prime

Minister Shinzo Abe says Japan needs to focus on restarting its economy before considering changes to its refugee policy. It is designed to grind

people down to make them want to leave?

HIDENORI SAKANAKA, FORMER TOKYO IMMIGRATION BUREAU CHIEF: (SPOKEN THROUGH INTERPRETER). From my 35 years of experience in immigration, I would say

Japan wants to send them back, says Hidenori Sakanaka. The former head of Tokyo's Immigration Bureau is trying to change the system. The time has

come for us to accept more refugees and immigrants, he says. Not one Turkish/Kurd has ever been granted refugee status in Japan, instead they

get temporary permits renewed every few months. Many cannot work legally, don't qualify for healthcare and can't even leave their city without

permission.

RIPLEY: What's it like to live without residency here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This means you are not -- officially not exist here.

RIPLEY: You just don't exist?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. That is the main problem.

RIPLEY: A constant state of uncertainty, even for students like 19-year- old Ramazan Dursun (ph). His parents brought him here as a child.

RAMAZAN DURSUN, KURDISH REFUGEE: (SPOKEN THROUGH INTERPRETER). I dream about having a future in Japan, he says. But if I'm deported, everything I

learned, everything I built here will disappear.

RIPLEY: In Japan, he and other refugees find safe harbor but no home. Their lives, their futures in limbo. Will Ripley, CNN, Kawaguchi, Japan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, America's top diplomat is heading to the Middle East, whiz way (ph) here as we speak for some shuttle diplomacy. If all goes to

schedule, U.S. Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson touching down in the region around now. Let's get a clearer picture of where exactly this trip

will take him. From Istanbul, Tillerson is heading to Kuwait, the Gulf State that is mediating what is this Qatar crisis. Then from Kuwait, he is

expected to pay visits to both Qatar and Saudi Arabia. For more, our senior diplomatic correspondent, Michelle Kosinski, is in Washington for us. This

is the former head of a major oil company who undoubtedly has strong ties with many of the region leaders on both sides of this crisis. What's his

M.O. as if were for this trip?

[11:39:46] MICHELLE KOSINSKI, SENIOR DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT: Well, the U.S. has obvious reasons to play both sides here. They want a close

relationship with these Gulf States. They have obvious ties there. They're all united in the fight against ISIS. That's been a critical goal. But the

U.S. needs Qatar. I mean it's a long-time ally where the U.S.'s big military base for that region is.

So the U.S., you could say, is in a difficult position, yes. But it's also in a perfect position to try to ease the tension here. That has difficult,

but it's still early days. So you've also seen the evolution of the US' stance on this. I mean, there was this first almost typical strangeness

where President Trump was tweeting and saying that this boycott or embargo or blockade or whatever you want to call it of Qatar by this other states

was a good thing and it seems to be taking credits for it. Then you see the U.S. backing away, now saying agreeing with Qatar that the demands of its

neighbors are untenable, that it's just not going to work.

So, increasingly the U.S. has taken up Qatar's side. Initially, it seemed to be, you know, fully supporting Saudi Arabia. This situation is such that

initially Saudi Arabia said, "Well, these are our demands. Take it or leave it." Qatar said, "We have to leave it. These are not going to work." Now,

we hear the U.S. agreeing, "No, the demands are not tenable. Things like, you know, giving up Al-Jazeera and all of its affiliates around the

region."

And it was interesting today to hear the State Department even before this trip started saying that this is a two-way street in terms of terror

financing, which is what its neighbors are accusing Qatar of. The State Department said that there are no clean hands here and that they have to

find a solution that works. And those demands that were made on Qatar by its neighbors are clearly not going to work. Becky?

ANDERSON: Right. We'll be on this story as long as Tillerson, of course, is in region and beyond should this crisis continue both sides seem entrenched

in their positions here. Michelle, thank you for that.

Live from Abu Dhabi, this is "Connect the World." Coming up, the latest in the case of an infant whose condition is terminal, the British High Court

hears about a new medical option that some say could prolong his life. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:45:29] ANDERSON: You're watching CNN, this is "Connect the World" I'm Becky Anderson. Welcome back. Now the British High Court has adjourned

until Thursday as it considers -- reconsidering actually a case that tugs at the heart strings and asks the most challenging of questions of what's

right or wrong. I'm talking about Charlie Gard. This is a little 11-month- old boy born with a rare disease. It's caused by a genetic mutation and leads to weak muscles and organ dysfunction.

Charlie has been in intensive care in London since October. His parents want to bring him to the United States for an experimental treatment, but

the courts sided with the hospital to take Charlie off life support. Doctors believe the experimental treatment will not help the boy. Well,

those were the doctors at Great Ormond Street where he is being cared for.

Well, the legal and ethical battle over little Charlie Gard has drawn attention from around the world. Now, a controversial American pastor has

joined the parents in their campaign to take their son to the United States for that experimental treatment. Reverend Patrick Mahoney of the Reformed

Presbyterian Church calls him a, quote, "Christian, social, political and human rights activist." Joining us from outside the courthouse. Before we

begin, the U.K. High Court has placed some restrictions on the reporting of this case. We can't identify any hospital in the U.S. or those who might

treat him in the United States. Reverend, we know the reporting restrictions, but you were allowed into court today. Did you go in and how

is the family holding up?

REVEREND PATRICK MAHONEY, PASTOR, REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: Well, first of all, I was there through the entire hearing. We want to say it's a

significant victory for Charlie and his parents, Connie and Chris. Great Orman Street Hospital today asked the judge to dismiss everything. In other

words, no more hearings after today, that it was done. Judge Francis did not accept that and he has set Thursday for a full day of hearings for the

family to present new evidence. We believe that new evidence will change the mind of the court and Charlie will be allowed to get this experimental

treatment in America or perhaps Italy or even Spain.

ANDERSON: Right. You have traveled from the U.S. to be in London alongside Connie and Chris Gard, the parents, as they go through what is clearly an

extremely hard period. Why did you need to be there, sir?

MAHONEY: Well, first of all, we never would have come if Charlie's parents hadn't invited us. So number one, we were invited by Connie and Chris. We

are not the only people here. We have a team from America, but there are people here from around the world. Our position is clear. This is not a

political issue, a conservative issue, a liberal issue, it's a human rights issue based on the notion who should decide what's best for their children

and that's parents. It has been difficult the moving part of the hearing .

ANDERSON: Reverend Mahoney, you are -- sorry. I apologize. I didn't mean to -- I didn't mean to jump in. But let me just put this to you. You are .

MAHONEY: No problem.

ANDERSON: . you are a Christian activist. On your Facebook page, for example, you're constantly holding prayer vigils for causes that you're

clearly passionate about. What do you say to the critics, your critics, who accused of taking on this case, accuse of hijacking this case, some of

them, as your latest cause celeb?

MAHONEY: Well, I, first of all, never listen to critic. That's number one. I'm surprised about that. Most of the press has been good. It's funny that

depends on the issue. I work very closely on Muslim/Christian relations. When a pastor threatened to burn Koran's in Florida, I went down there and

talked about and have two (inaudible) Koran in my basement. When that happened, I was criticized by the conservative right and conservative

evangelical Christians. Now, we stand on one issue. I would say just look at the facts. No one is trying to garner attention. You invited me to be on

CNN. I didn't force myself to be on your network. Your staff did a great job in rushing me out, but I was invited here and we're invited on the

program. So we're here to help the family -- I'm sorry. Go ahead.

[11:50:12] ANDERSON: No. I just made sure, absolutely. Look, the Great Orman Street Hospital has insisted that their actions are -- go on, sir.

MAHONEY: Well, Great Orman Street Hospital today lost in court. They asked for a dismissal. Clearly a Judge Francis felt there wasn't significant

evidence. He had been briefed on this. He had seen it. Then the judge would have denied the request of the family. He wouldn't have given a hearing.

But he said clearly there's a full hearing on Thursday. In fact, he might not even be able to rule on Thursday. He said that other evidence might

come in that would cause a longer time. So this is a victory. And we just hope that the evidence is presented in a way -- I'm sorry.

ANDERSON: And with that, we're going to leave it there. You've done an extremely good job battling an incredibly noisy street behind you, but

we've heard you and we appreciate you coming on, sir. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.

The vagaries of working outside on a street in London at rush hour. Right. We'll take a very short break. Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: You're watching CNN. This is "Connect the World." I'm Becky Anderson. Welcome back. Parting shots this hour. About the politics of

preserving the past. UNESCO's list of new world heritage sites is out and Hebron in the Palestinian Territory is among the places flagged as

significant and endangered, inclusion of what is the flash point town, home to the cave of the patriarch, sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims

sparked a furious response from Israel. Tel Aviv promptly cut funding to UNESCO by $1 million to protest what it calls the politically motivated

move.

In China, the choice of a mountain plateau in its Tibetan region also drew protest campaign and say it endangers the livelihood of local nomadic

people. The modernist architecture of the Eritrea capital Asmara is also in the world's spotlight, a success for a government accused of human rights

abuse that has driven thousands to hit the migrant trail to Europe.

Less controversial choices from this region include the 3rd Century Turkish ruins and marble queries of Aphrodisias, from the Iranian desert or Yazd, a

former silk road trading post that survived the mangles (ph) and is built entirely of mud. Stunning images to end today's program and a reminder of

the history and beauty that exists in this region at a time when we see so much destruction.

But as we know, heritage not only break some water. 24 hours ago, I was standing in the famed date groves, one of the UAE's first ever UNESCO

heritage sites, Al Ain. Now, this oasis town was given the nod for its intricate irrigation system that's thousands of years old. It's called a

aflaj (ph) system and it's 19th Century forts. More on that story in our programs for you in the weeks ahead.

For now, I'm Becky Anderson. That was "Connect the World" live from this ancient and ever-evolving region. Thank you for watching. CNN, of course,

continues after this short break with "Quest Express" from the team here working with you most, working with us around the world, it's a very good

evening.

11:55:42 (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END