Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
Israeli Police: Enough Evidence To Indict P.M. Netanyahu; Memorial Service For President Bush Begin Monday; Trump And Xi Agree To Temporary Trade Truce; Bush Led The U.S. Through Sweeping Global Changes; UAE Energy Company Looking To Expand; "Saturday Night Live" Pays Tribute To Late President. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired December 02, 2018 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00] JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Fareed Zakaria "GPS" starts right now.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, the last of American icon, war hero, congressman, ambassador, head of the CIA, and the 41st president
of the United States, as America mourns George HW Bush. We look back this out at his foreign policy legacy, especially its impact here in the Middle
East, and to the man now in the job he once had pressing pause on the trade skirmish as America holds off on ramping up extra fees on Chinese goods at
least for now. We're live in Washington for details of Trump's latest move.
A very warm welcome. This is CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, live from Abu Dhabi where it is 7:00 in the evening. And we have a lot
more just ahead on the passing of the former U.S. President George H.W. Bush. First, I just want to update you on a developing story this hour.
Israeli police now say they have enough evidence to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a third corruption case. This is the biggest yet,
involving allegations of bribery and fraud, in a deal that was to get him more favorable news coverage he denies any wrongdoing. Let's get you to
Oren Liebermann.
Now, this is not a done deal it's all up to Israel's attorney general, Oren, as far as I understand it. You are in Jerusalem this hour, what's
going to happen here?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Attorney General has the final say-so here and he has said he'll take his time looking at these
investigations. He has said he'll look at them together, case 1,000, 2,000 we've talked about in the past, and now the case we're looking at now, the
biggest of the investigations facing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu known as case 4,000.
Police have include concluded they're part of the work, they're part of the investigation which has taken some 18 months. Their conclusion there is
sufficient evidence here to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of fraud, bribery, and breach of trust. But that's not all. They
say there was actually enough evidence to indict his wife here on receiving bribes and interfering with an investigation.
So what is case 4000 and why is it so big? It relates to a time when Netanyahu was not only the Prime Minister but also the communications
minister. An investigators say during that time he used his position to advance regulatory benefits for a telecommunications firm controlled by one
of his friends, a man named Shaul Elovitch. In exchange, Elovitch would give Netanyahu favorable news coverage on a news site called Walla! News
owned by Elovitch.
Investigators have also said Elovitch will also face charges here or rather that they have sufficient evidence for Elovitch to face charges. Everyone
here has denied wrongdoing. In fact, Netanyahu issued a statement shortly after the police statements saying there will be nothing because there is
nothing. Becky, that has been his standard response to all of these investigations and he's sticking to it.
ANDERSON: Does the Prime Minister have the support he needs to survive this, so soon after seeing off an election of course, seemingly by making
an existential crisis?
LIEBERMANN: As of right now, the answer is yes. He does have the support to survive this, both from his party and from his coalition. But
certainly, it adds pressure on his coalition partners, on his political partners. Opposition parties have called for him to resign. In a sense,
that's nothing new. They've called on him to resign at every step of the way here. The key player here is once again the Finance Minister as he has
been so often. He has said if the Prime Minister is in fact indicted, he will withdraw his support.
But Becky, as we've pointed out, that decision is up to the Attorney General and that decision has not yet been made so at least for now
Netanyahu holds on to his position as Prime Minister.
ANDERSON: Oren Liebermann is in Jerusalem for you this evening. It is 7:03 in Abu Dhabi and I want to get you -- Thank you, Oren. Back to the
story that we started the show with because right now funeral arrangements are being planned for George H.W. Bush who died on Friday at the age of 94.
The 41st president of the United States dedicated his life to serving his country as a Navy pilot in World War Two, Member of Congress during the
Cold War and as President to the fall of the Soviet Union and Gulf War.
Former President Barack Obama says Bush leaves behind "a legacy of service that may never be matched even though he'd want us to try." George W. Bush
announced his father's death writing, "Our dear dad has died. George H.W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter
could ask for. The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41's life and love," he said.
Well, when George Bush passed away on Friday, he was surrounded by family and friends. Among them were his son Neil Bush and his wife Maria, his
best friend for Secretary of State James Baker and his grandson Pierce Bush. His son and grandson spoke to reporters shortly after Mr. Bush died.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[10:05:06] NEIL BUSH, SON OF PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. BUSH: His sense of service with humility, giving credit to others, lifting others by looking
for the best in others, those real character values that are there so deeply embodied in him or what I will carry forward with me, is what Pierce
will carry, all the grandkids and the siblings of George H.W. Bush and I think many Americans have been influenced by his positive example. So, I'm
not mourning, I'm celebrating a life so beautifully well lived.
PIERCE BUSH, GRANDSON OF GEORGE H.W. BUSH: He had a heart for lifting up others, always had an ability to put himself in the other guys shoes to an
extent that I wish more humans could do because I think we -- the world would be a much better place. So I'll remember so many things about my
grandfather, but most of all, I'll remember him as the world's greatest grandfather.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Memorial services begin on Monday when he lies in state at the Capitol building in Washington on Wednesday. There will be a national day
of mourning. Family, friends, and dignitaries all gather for a state funeral in Washington. Another funeral will be held on Thursday in Houston
where the former President lived. Well, as we mentioned earlier, George Bush helped Shepherd the U.S. during pivotal times of change, but some of
the biggest moments of his career came within a relatively short period which is only term as president saw the fall of the Berlin Wall in Europe
and the first Gulf War in the Middle East.
Joining me now Ben Wedeman in Beirut and Matthew chance in Moscow. Ben, let's start with you. We've just heard from George H.W. Bush's family
about how they will remember him and how perhaps that people in the United States of America will remember the 41st President. How will he be
remembered in the wider Middle East region?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly, Becky, he will be remembered as probably the last U.S. president who really
understood Middle East diplomacy in particular and world diplomacy in general. He did manage to put together and keep together a massive
international coalition that drove Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. And he also resisted the temptation and sort of the urging of so many in the United
States to carry on and topple Saddam Hussein.
On the other hand he was also the architect of the crippling international sanctions which according to some estimates left more than half a million
Iraqis dead. So it is definitely a mixed legacy. And it was also his son who gave in to the temptation to topple Saddam Hussein which basically that
disaster continues to this day. And many would argue that was the beginning the end of the American Empire. Becky?
ANDERSON: Let's just have our viewers see a clip of George W. Bush, his son. It's from 2002 and he was speaking about Saddam Hussein in the run-up
to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Here is that what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's no doubt his hatred is mainly directed at us. There's no doubt he can't stand us.
After all, this is the guy that tried to kill my dad at one time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Does that suggest to you that the 45th President merely inherited his Middle East foreign policy from his father George H.W.?
WEDEMAN: No, because I mean, if you look at the father's legacy in the Middle East there was a certain amount of caution which caution was thrown
to the wind with the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It was a catastrophe for the United States as well as for Iraq and we've continued to feel the
reverberations of that catastrophe to this very day.
Brent Scowcroft who was the National Security Adviser under Bush the father said before the U.S. invasion that it should not be done but he did not
heed his father's caution or his advisors cautions that occupying Iraq, toppling the regime of Saddam Hussein would and did open Pandora's box for
the United States and I'd argue for the Middle East in general.
ANDERSON: Ben, thank you. Matthew, the fall of the Berlin Wall in Europe on the watch of the 41st President when there are those that say George
H.W. changed the face of the Middle East, he certainly oversaw a monumental time for Europe and beyond. Your thoughts and a perspective from where you
are.
[10:10:06] MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he said, he certainly did. I mean, many people associate with the fall of the
Berlin Wall with the predecessor of President Bush, Ronald Reagan, who called famously on Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down that wall. But it was
actually in November 1989 during the presidency of President Bush Senior but that actually happened. And so he sort of oversaw and managed to a
very large extent those dramatic geopolitical changes that took place in Europe and of course across the world with the collapse of the Soviet Union
as well taking place less than two years later again during his presidency. And his counterpart I suppose here in Moscow has already gone out and paid
tribute to H.W. Bush.
Mikhail Gorbachev that the Soviet leader expressing his deep condolences in a statement that he issued shortly after the passing of the former
president. He said this. "I've got a lot of memories associated with this person. We had the chance to work together during the years of tremendous
changes. It was a dramatic time that demanded great responsibility from everyone. The result was an end to the Cold War and the nuclear arms
race." Those are the words of condolences from Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet leader.
And the current Russian President Vladimir Putin has also written a letter directly to George W. Bush, George Bush Jr. and expressing his condolences,
and saying that praising at the political wisdom and foresight of his father which he said was used to make informed decisions even in the most
difficult circumstances.
So you get the sense that the Russian political elites sort of look back on that period of the Bush presidency as a sort of golden age of trust between
these two -- these two nations.
ANDERSON: And you make a really interesting point. We will be looking to the anniversary of 89 next year, of course, 30 years ago. And as the
Kremlin delivers its condolences to the Bush family today, just describe what it was if you will about the relationship that George H.W. Bush had
with Moscow at the time and why it is that the change in presidencies subsequently has led some will say destroyed those relations.
CHANCE: Well, I think it was this idea of mutual respect, the idea that George H.W. Bush was magnanimous in what was perceived in the people around
him in his country and in the West as a victory for the West over the Soviet Union. It led to the collapse of that -- of that nation and its
disintegration. But he sat down still at the negotiating table with Boris Yeltsin who emerged as the leader of the sort of independent Russia if you
like as its -- as its first president and conducted important nuclear non- proliferation negotiations and signed the start to treaty with Boris Yeltsin and dealt with him still as an equal which is important I think
from the Russian point of view that had undergone this dramatic and sudden collapse of its global influence.
In the subsequent administration's in Washington, I think the perception in Moscow is that it was treated with less respect. It's -- the verbal
commitments, it says it got for instance over NATO expansion were violated. It was seen as a third-rate player on the diplomatic stage. Until you get
to a situation now of course where you know the relationship with Washington and Moscow perhaps couldn't be worse. I mean, that they're
barely even speaking to each other. And the Russians have gone so far as to say look you know, if we don't start talking about the substantive
issues between us, that's going to lead to more tensions globally.
And so there's a real contrast that's being drawn between the relationship back then between -- with Washington and the relationship that exists now,
Becky.
ANDERSON: To both of you, thank you in two pivotal capitals there. Ben Wedeman in Beirut for a look at the late president's legacy in this region,
the Middle East the region that troubles every president but defies it seems solutions for all of them and Mathew chance in Moscow capital once of
the Soviet Union which President Bush saw collapse. CNN in both incredibly important places for you on this story. I say thank you both.
Still to come this hour, the presidents of the U.S. and China strike a deal over dinner to put their trade war on hold for now. At least we'll get the
latest from Washington up next. And we continue to look at the legacy of George H.W. Bush.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:15:00] ANDERSON: U.S. President Donald Trump is back at the White House and touting the temporary trade truce he and the Chinese President Xi
Jinping negotiated at the G20 Summit. The two leaders meeting over dinner for two and a half hours to nail down the details. White House Reporter
Sarah Westwood joining me now with more on those details. What do we know at this point?
SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, Becky the two leaders emerged from that meeting both sounding optimistic about progress on these
trade talks that have been contentious for months. Essentially President Trump hit the pause button on the escalation of this trade war but he
didn't roll back any of the tariffs that he's already imposed on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. He said he would not on January 1st says
he's scheduled to raise the tariffs from ten percent to 25 percent to give himself a little bit more breathing room to continue negotiating with the
Chinese. And in exchange China has informally agreed to significantly increase its purchase of agricultural products, energy products, and other
goods, and that's aimed at reducing the trade imbalance between the U.S. and China that Trump has been fixated on in recent months.
The President told reporters flying aboard Air Force One home from the G20 Summit that if a deal with China came to fruition, it would be one of the
greatest in history. But of course, there are still a lot of distance between the two sides, a lot of stickier points that have held up talks for
months now. For example, the Trump administration focusing also on China's intellectual property theft, in the past they focused on currency
manipulation, a lot of issues not covered in these talks are at least what we know about them so far and it's unclear how much distance is left before
tariffs actually starts to get rolled back, Becky.
ANDERSON: Sarah, we also know Mr. Trump met with President Putin. Let's listen to how that played out from the Russian side. Standby.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (through translator): Of course we were there. We talked to each other. I had a brief talk with President
Trump and I answered his questions about the black sea incident. He has his position on that and I have mine and we didn't change those positions.
But I informed him about how we view the incident. I think it's a pity we didn't succeed in having a full-fledged meeting because I think the time is
ripe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[11:20:00] ANDERSON: This was an on-again-off-again meeting. They eventually didn't hold a substantive meeting as had been planned. So what
happens next so far as this relationship is concerned?
WESTWOOD: Well, the White House sort of downplayed that conversation as an informal talk that took place on the sidelines of the G20 dinner. The
Kremlin playing it up a little more saying that the two discussed the Russian seizure of three Ukrainian naval vessels last week. Now, the White
House isn't signaling if we're when the President will sit down again with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Of course, pursuing a thaw in relations
between the U.S. and Russia has been a broader goal of the President since before he took office.
That's obviously been made more difficult by the Russia investigation and now by the fact that Russia is being more aggressive in Ukraine than we've
seen since Trump took office. So the President is sort of staying away from Putin right now while the domestic political situation is difficult
for him and while Russia is making these aggressive moves on the international stage.
ANDERSON: Sarah, thank you out of Washington. It's looking like a pretty misty day there today. Thank you for that. It is 10:21 there. It's cold.
It's warm here in Abu Dhabi. I have to tell you President Trump returned home from the G20 Summit to new developments in the Russia probe including
the revelation from his defense chief that Russia tried to and I quote, muck around in last month's midterm elections. Plus, there's a raft of new
findings from investigators offering more insight Mr. Trump's business dealings in Russia. Let get you back to Matthew Chance.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHANCE: For Trump, it's always been about business, his business, his friend, his properties.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: People ask me, what is Trump stands for more than anything else, and if I used one word it's always
quality. Big windows, great fixtures, beautiful kitchens, everything is going to be the best and that's what it's all about.
CHANCE: And it was Trump, that property developer who campaigned to be a Republican presidential candidate juggling his business and political
ambitions which inevitably overlapped.
But by how much is only now coming to light. His former lawyer revealing negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow went on much longer than
previously admitted until at least June 2016 after he essentially secured the nomination. Nothing wrong with that, Trump insisted, before leaving
for the G20.
TRUMP: It was a well-known project. It was during the early part of 16 and I guess even before that. I didn't do the project. I decided not to
do the project so I didn't do it. So we're not talking about doing a project.
CHANCE: It was in this location on the outskirts of Moscow, near the sprawling crocus City business and entertainment complex that the Trump
World Tower Moscow as it was called was meant to be built, part of a 14- tower project according to the developers which would have stood across this whole area. You can see here, we looked through this wire fence that
some of the towers have already started to be constructed and of course the Trump Tower isn't amongst them. One of the ideas for that Trump building
according to one of his business associates was to give the top floor, the penthouse apartments in a 250 apartment block to Vladimir Putin, the
Russian president as a way of attracting buyers.
IVANKA TRUMP, DAUGHTER OF PRESIDENT TRUMP: The Trump Organization likes we're always ahead of the curve. We're always ahead of the curve, and this
would be another example. Ivanka Trump and her spa and fitness brand were also an integral part of the Moscow proposal. Put into a letter of intent
obtained by CNN, Trump's daughter would be given sole and absolute discretion to approve the spa designs. This was a Trump family affair.
But how much was the Kremlin also involved? Until this week it insisted attempts by Trump associates to make contact over the Moscow Tower had been
ignored. The Kremlin spokesman now admits his office called and asked why they wanted to have meetings with the presidential administration and
explained that we have nothing to do with construction issues in the city of Moscow. It may be an important change.
The Russian based owners of Crocus City where Trump Tower Moscow was meant to be built have been embroiled with the Trump family in other areas too.
Did the Russian authorities -- did your family had information to pass on to Trump administration?
Take Emin, the pop star son of Crocus owner Aras Agalarov who helped set up a meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and Russians promising dirt on Hillary
Clinton at Trump Tower in New York. Aras and Trump also co-organized the 2013 Miss Universe contest in Moscow, but the U.S. President, it appears
business and politics in Russia have often mixed. Matthew Chance, CNN Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[10:25:25] ANDERSON: Well, while many look questioningly at the current President's relations, America, Mourning the passing of its former
president, George H.W. Bush. We continue our coverage this hour of that, taking a deep dive on the 41st U.S. President's legacy here in the middle
east. We speak to expert and a former U.S. Ambassador to Israel. That's up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, the towers in Kuwait city lit in red, white, and blue of the American flag and the portrait of the 41st President, the late George
H.W. Bush. As President in 1990, he ordered the Operation Desert Storm sending U.S. forces to liberate the country after Iraq invaded. It's just
one of the tributes to Mr. Bush around the world this weekend.
Well, the late U.S. President leaves behind a legacy. He championed public service and volunteer work and his steady leadership helped keep the peace
in the fall of the Soviet Union. He also led U.S. into the first Gulf War which has cast a long shadow over the Middle East. For more on the legacy
and the impact of his policy on this region, let's bring in Dan Shapiro who tonight is in Tel Aviv for you. And Fawaz Gerges, a regular guest on this
show out of London.
And Dan, let's start with you. You penned an op-ed today that points to the two very significant events of the 41st president single term in
office. The Gulf War on the one hand, and the Madrid peace process. Two events that as you put it, cemented America's role as guarantor of the
security of the Gulf states and the sponsor of efforts to achieve peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors, which you argue makes the Bush
presidency in some respects one of the most influential in decades. For better, Dan, or worse?
[10:30:57] DAN SHAPIRO, FORMER UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL: Well, I think both can be derived from those two initiatives. But both of those
were representative of a broad understanding that President Bush had and his national security team like Secretary of State James Baker and national
security adviser Brent Scowcroft add that the United States needed to play a major leadership role in shaping international affairs and shaping the
terrain in which the United States could protect its interests.
That was true in Europe as the Soviet Union collapsed. The Germany was unified, and it was true in the Middle East. And those two initiatives,
the Gulf War which transformed the United States security guarantees for its Arab Gulf allies into from something that was primarily manifested
through arms sales to one in which there were permanent major deployments of the U.S. military.
First, for the purposes of reversing the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and then, for defending our Gulf allies, and the U.S. sponsorship of a major
initiative to try to end the conflict between Israel and all of its Arab of neighbors.
Really are initiatives that have stood the test of time in the sense that all such subsequent administrations have found their policies in many ways,
the contours of whom shaped by those two initiatives.
ANDERSON: Certainly. George H.W. Bush follows, then as we've brought up launching the first Gulf War in 1991 -- the Arab War, and then, ground
invasion of Iraq after that country's invasion of Kuwait.
When you look back, and we've been discussing the influence that these decisions had on this region and will have going forward for years to come,
how do you see that invasion leading to what kind of domino effect in where we are right now?
FAWAZ GERGES, CHAIR, CONTEMPORARY MIDDLE EAST STUDIES, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE: Well, it depends really, Becky, on what
particular parts of the Arab world you're talking about. I mean, in two words, the legacy of George Bush is really coalition builder.
Between 1990 and 1991, he built one of the probably biggest U.S.-led coalition to expel Iraqi troops from Kuwait. Even President Hafez al-
Assad, a vehement critic of American foreign policy sent a contingent to Kuwait to help liberate Kuwait.
For the Gulf States where you are, Becky, the Gulf War was a turning point. Why was the Gulf War a turning point? President Bush delivered on American
conceptual security guarantees. He deepened a trust with the Gulf States in terms of providing security of the Gulf States, basically are
threatened.
He also what we need to remind our viewers, he established a direct footprint -- foothold in the Gulf after the liberation of Iraq by sending a
large contingent of American troops to Saudi Arabia.
Permanently stationing American troops, a fateful decision -- a fateful decision that embittered Osama bin Laden between 1991 and 1992, and led
really to the establishment of al-Qaeda that came to haunt the United States since the late 1990s.
ANDERSON: It does seem ironic that as you discuss the role of a coalition builder and security guarantor for this specific region, the gulf. So, we
live in an era where the U.S. president who has very much sort of revived those old ties and with certainty, Saudi Arabian here, the UAE.
How do you see the legacy, the position that George H.W. Bush took and the way he dealt with those relations differing in any way to the ways the
current president is conducting himself and his policy here?
[10:34:54] GERGES: You know, Becky, when President Bush was asked -- was criticized for not really ordering American troops to march all the way to
Baghdad, because he stopped. He didn't go all the way to Baghdad. His answer was very simple. Going all the way to Baghdad basically would
chatter the U.S.-led coalition, would turn the entire Arab world against the United State, and would make Saddam Hussein an Arab hero.
It's not just about Donald Trump, it was his son, George W. Bush that did not really listen to the advice, the wisdom of President Bush. And now, we
are on era -- President Bush, where I said, coalition building, I'm talking really about multilateral diplomacy.
President Trump does not really believe in this nonsense. It's America's first, America's alone, profit and business, and let the world go to hell.
It tells you a great deal about the Gulf that has been established in American foreign policy in the last 20 years or so.
ANDERSON: Dan, you write as -- and I quote you here, "As the region has changed with the transition in Iraq, the rise of an Iranian threat, the
collapse of the Syrian State, and the ups and downs of Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, the U.S. role has had to adapt with it. Has it adopted in a
way that you support? And what hopes for peace going forward, where are we?
SHAPIRO: Well, one of the adaptations is that the original deployments of U.S. military to the Persian Gulf, first, to liberate Kuwait, and then, to
defend our Gulf allies were primarily directed against Iraq.
Obviously, for all of the difficulties and downsides, and they were extraordinary of the invasion of Kuwait -- of Iraq during the George W.
Bush administration, it did lead ultimately to an Iraqi transition in which Iraq is no longer the main threat.
So, those military deployments in the Gulf are now primarily directed at defending our Gulf partners against Iran. And that has been the major
transition there. Something that simply necessary because of the aggressive Iranian posture towards -- toward his Gulf neighbors and toward
others in the region.
That is not something I think one can say is good or bad, it just was a force recognition and transformation of that commitment to new realities.
As for the other commitment that the United States has remained at the forefront of efforts to try to help achieve peace agreements between Israel
and its neighbors, there have been many ups and downs through that obviously.
The Madrid Peace Conference was a breakthrough, and it led to other breakthroughs like the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan. And at
least, some openings between Israelis and Palestinians and the Oslo Accords, and between Israel and Syria.
But neither of those two tracks ultimately met with success. Probably, there will not be any more Israeli-Syrian peace talks in my lifetime
because of the collapse of Syria. And it's unclear whether Israelis and Palestinians can ever get themselves back to -- back to the table.
But what was launched in Madrid still defines the effort to try to normalize Israel's place in the region and there are echoes of that now
coming back into play as many of the Arab states in the region no longer see Israel as an enemy, but as a partner because of their common security
challenges from countries like Iran.
ANDERSON: Just though, Fawaz, you're shaking your head.
GERGES: Well, first of all, really when you look at the presidency of George Bush, surely it was very consequential. The Palestinians hail
President Bush as the first American president since the Suez Crisis on 1956 that really stood up to Israel. That exerted pressure on Prime
Minister Shamir in order to stop illegal settlements in -- on the West Bank.
But yet, at the same time, in the end -- at the end, President Bush relented and basically was willing to accept the $10 billion loan
guarantees to Israel.
Even the Madrid conference sadly and tragically led to a bilateral process. He did not really President Bush -- even though he was committed, he did
not really care through his vision. And now we are in the United States, Becky, and I'm being very direct.
The United State no longer pays lip service to a multilateral peace process. The Trump administration is fully committed to the right-wing
agenda in Israel.
In fact, we are seeing the end of the peace process as we know it in the past 40 years or so.
ANDERSON: You discussed in the op-ed that you wrote today, Dan, finally, the evolution of the Republican Party's position on Israel from H.W. Bush
through to Donald Trump. We clearly understand that the position that Donald Trump holds at present seems to be a White House position rather
than a Republican position purely.
Because we haven't seen the details and nor have most Republican lawmakers and -- on where this peace process might go next. A final word to you, if
you were to consider the legacy that H.W. left on this region, it would be quite simply what?
[10:40:15] SHAPIRO: It would be that the United States and the leadership of the United States is essential for both ensuring the security of key
allies, and at times requiring major sacrifices by the U.S. military and the United States -- and the people of the United States. Although knowing
those have to be measured and kept in proper proportion, which we don't always -- haven't always done.
And the United States' leadership is also going to be essential for any process that will ultimately succeed in bringing Israel and its Arab
neighbors into peace agreements that end those conflicts.
That's true on the Palestinian track, it's true -- it was true on the Jordanian track, it would be true on a regional basis, as well. Those were
two initiatives and two items of his legacy that I think still define very much the U.S. role in the region.
ANDERSON: Final word, Fawaz, briefly.
GERGES: Well, sadly and tragically, we are seeing really now a radical shift in American strategy on the peace process. I'm not saying anything
original, Becky. But the reality is President Trump and the Trump people no longer really pay lip service to American strategic commitment and
vision.
And any kind, even the United State as a partial, as a -- honest broker, it's all over now. And this really in a way makes us feel nostalgic to
President George Bush. Because he really believed in a multilateral format, calling on the Madrid conference. Even though he excluded the
Soviets, but the reality is he believed that American leadership was essential, that American vision, that a strategic commitment to a peace
process, it's no longer there. We're really living in a new era, Becky, when it comes when it comes to the Arab-Israeli conflict. In particular,
the Palestinian-Israeli track.
ANDERSON: Fawaz Gerges and Dan Shapiro, both regular guests on the show, we thank you both for your analysis. And if you would like to know more
about the life and legacy of George H.W. Bush, do use the web site that you will find analysis about his impact not just in the U.S. but on the whole
world.
We'll also have information on funeral services being planned for this week. It is all there, cnn.com.
Let's get you up to speed on just a couple of other stories on our radar right now. And the French government, says it is considering all options
to control protests over rising fuel costs. More than 400 people were arrested in Paris on Saturday after the demonstrations turned violent.
The government spokesman, says that the government is thinking about steps, including a state of emergency.
Well, more than 650 aftershocks have hit Alaska since the 7-magnitude earthquake hit on Friday. The earthquake split roads, damaged buildings,
and terrified everybody. Some people are now being allowed to go home and assess the damage.
We are live from Abu Dhabi. This is CONNECT THE WORLD. Its 43 minutes past 7:00 in the evening.
Here coming up is OPEC eyes an oil production cut this week. We look at our one energy giant is weathering the changes. That after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:45:45] ANDERSON: Well, amid worries of a U.S. trade war with China, we are also just days out from the OPEC meeting in Vienna. Many expect a
production cuts when the world's all exporting nations meet on December the 6th.
They would hope to stabilize the market with that while all prices have gone from a four-year high to full-blown bear market in the space of just a
few weeks. Aided by ramped up production from Saudi Arabia and the U.S.
Well, here in the UAE, the national energy company is looking to both expand oil production and become a major gas producer. John Defterios with
the story. Reinforced steel, heavy machinery, drilling.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: It's a 24/7 operation in above view. But what's not visible on site, is that the Abu Dhabi natural
oil company is on the cusp of a tech revolution.
SULTAN AHMED AL JABER, DIRECTOR GENERAL, ABU DHABI NATIONAL OIL COMPANY: I actually worked in this field for about three years.
DEFTERIOS: ADNOC's Group CEO, calls it Oil and Gas 4.0.
AL JABER: We are at the forefront of a new age of opportunity for our important industry. Digital innovation is delivering unparalleled levels
of progress.
DEFTERIOS: With the tech-led drive to go from 3 million barrels a day to $5 million by 2030, and a major gas producer. The panorama digital command
center is at the heart of that change. A 50-meter wide LED screen with over 125 different dashboards takes up an entire floor at ADNOC's H.Q.
ABDUL NASEER AL MUGHAIRBI, DIGITAL SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, ABU DHABI NATIONAL OIL COMPANY: (INAUDIBLE), we need to show you the picture.
DEFTERIOS: Abdul Naseer Al Mughairbi is the man at the helm of the center. He and his team can see everything. From drilling rigs to refining, to the
loading of a supertanker at its main terminal on the other side of the country.
AL MUGHAIRBI: The ship like this in Fedora, we know how much it's going to load up to a million barrel. We know that it has loaded 524,000 barrels
already, and I monitor it from here.
DEFTERIOS: ADNOC is not the only company pursuing a high-tech agenda. But analysts say, it is pioneering the use of technology in the region.
What sort of power does it give you in terms of management then?
AL MUGHAIRBI: The flow of information is much faster. Management decision-making is much faster. Now, it's in one location. Upstream,
downstream, all working together.
DEFTERIOS: Panorama provides an all-encompassing view of the company. From drones checking above-ground operations to underground drilling and
reservoir technology.
There's a less obvious benefit to this panoramic technology. A year ago, the company went through a rebranding. Bringing 16 entities under one
umbrella. This room gives line-of-sight to management at headquarters but also serves as a wider integrator of operations.
After a year since panorama was launched, ADNOC is already testing the next frontier.
AL MUGHAIRBI: We are trying to be disruptive, we are going to use block chains to do our transactions. We're going to use A.I. to take -- to help
us take decisions. We're going to do autonomous operations. We're going to go into a new era of technology. And this is the start.
DEFTERIOS: With a major expansion in the pipeline, this technology helps those here at H.Q. and in the field make decisions in real time. John
Defterios, CNN Business, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: You are live from Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson, this is CONNECT THE WORLD. Its 49 minutes past 7:00.
Coming up, a Dutch church goes into overdrive. Conducting round-the-clock services in an effort to stop a family's deportation. That, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:51:35] ANDERSON: (INAUDIBLE), a Dutch church have taken extreme measures to prevent the deportation of an Armenian family. By conducting
round-the-clock services for the past 54 days and the counting, CNN's Simon Cullen explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SIMON CULLEN, CNN FIELD PRODUCER: -- Dutch law, police are not allowed to enter a church while a religious service is taking place. So, in order to
prevent an Armenian family from being deported from the Netherlands, they've been moved into the Bethel church and community center in The
Hague, while hundreds of pastors and volunteers from across the country hold a nonstop service in the building.
The idea was hatched in secret to protect the family before they moved in. That was on October the 26th. Since then, the service has been meeting
around the clock for nearly 900 hours.
THEO HETTEMA, CHAIRMAN, GENERAL COUNCIL OF PROTESTANT MINISTRIES, NETHERLANDS: They are doing fine together, the father, mother, and three
children. Sometimes they are depressed, sometimes they are glad and hopeful. And they try to leave. They attend the church services or have a
little apartment of their own in the church building that they can sleep and to -- yes, be together for a moment. It's the best we can give to them
and they gave much to us.
CULLEN: The Tamrazyan family have been living in the Netherlands for almost nine years. But their claim for political asylum has been rejected.
The only hope now is the government intervention.
But in a statement to CNN, a spokesman for the Minister for migration Mark Harbers, said, "The Minister for Migration has the power to decide cases
involving very specific, exceptional, and urgent circumstances."
However, he added that, "Factors such as a long period of residence in the Netherlands and enrollment in education in the Netherlands, are not
sufficiently exceptional circumstances."
Church leaders say they are continuing to have behind-the-scenes talks with government officials about this case. And avowing to continue the church
service until the family is allowed to stay Simon Cullen, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, just time your "PARTING SHOTS" tonight. And turning back to our main story this hour, a reflection on the passing of a prudent man,
former American President George H.W. Bush. Here's a glimpse at some of his finest and most poignant moments in his own words.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Read my lips. No new taxes.
I, George Herbert Walker Bush, do solemnly swear
WILLIAM REHNQUIST, FORMER ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES: That I would faithfully execute the office of President of
the United States.
BUSH: That I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States.
Kuwait is liberated. Iraq's army is defeated. Our military objectives are met.
Just because you run against someone does not mean you have to be enemies. Politics does not have to be me mean and ugly.
I love you precious with all my heart and to know that you love me means my life, how often I have thought about the immeasurable joy that will be ours
someday.
Just because you're an old guy, you don't have to sit around drooling in the corner.
No regrets about one single thing in my life that I can think of.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, of course, Mr. Bush, he had a lighter side and he wasn't afraid to laugh at himself. On "Saturday Night Live", they paid tribute to
Mr. Bush and to his sense of humor.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLIN JOST, HEAD WRITER, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, NBC: President Bush was famously a very warm and gracious man, who always understood the power in
being able to laugh at yourself. So take a look.
[10:55:06] DANA CARVEY, CAST MEMBER, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, NBC: A thousand points of light still operating coming in from all those areas. Here it
is.
Not going to do it. Not going to do it.
BUSH: Dana, George Bush here. I'm watching you do your impression of me, and I got to say it's nothing like me. Bears no resemblance. It's bad,
it's bad.
CARVEY: Well, I'm sorry Mr. President. I think it's a fair impression.
BUSH: That's it. It's totally exaggerated. Not me, those crazy hand gestures, pointing thing, I don't do them. And also na, ga, da? I never
said it. In all my years of government service, I never once said, "na, ga, da."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson. That was CONNECT THE WORLD from team working with me here and around the world. It's great, good evening.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
