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Connect the World
Pope Francis Makes History with UAE Trip; Several European Nations Recognize Guaido As President; Meeting in Canada to Discuss Humanitarian Aid to Venezuela; Wreckage of Plane Carrying Footballer Emiliano Sala Found; Bahraini Refugee Footballer Fights Extradition; Talks Begin on Alternative Arrangements to Irish Border Backstop; Trump Says U.S. Troops Could Return This Area If Needed. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired February 04, 2019 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00] BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: An historic visit by the leader of the world's Catholics to the peninsular known as the birth place of Islam.
Why the papal visit here to the gulf is so significant for so many.
Also, an expired deadline, and an increasingly defiant self-declared president. We're in Venezuela for you this hour, as European nations up
the pressure on leader Maduro.
Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have very fast airplanes. We have very good cargo planes. We can come back very quickly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Now, as Donald Trump qualifies his Syria withdrawal, what next for his Middle East policy? The view from DC, coming up.
Well hello and welcome. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky for you Anderson live from Abu Dhabi at 7:00 in the evening here.
Where Pope Francis has made history as the first pontiff ever to visit this Gulf region. Seeing the head of the Catholic church hosted on the
peninsula, known as the cradle of Islam, is a hugely powerful image. But the value of the papal visit is not just symbolic. Pope Francis and his
hosts hope the trip marks a significant milestone in the relations between the world's two largest faiths.
Well CNN's correspondent Delia Gallagher has been traveling with Pope Francis and joins me ahead of a papal mass in the morning that will be
attended by more than 130,000 of the more than million Catholics who live and work in the UAE. And, Delia, there will be a lot of people listening
to this. You may be surprised to hear that this is a Muslim country that of course boast more than 200 nationalities, I think more than 40 churches,
several hundred Christian ministries, Sikh and Buddhist temples, all alongside the mosques of the local Muslim community. How significant a
trip is this?
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean that is the significance of this trip. I mean, the Pope is coming here, but he's
coming here as representative of the region. So, the message is here, but it's also for the entire region about welcoming the immigrant, that's a top
one for Pope Francis, and about the different faiths living together. The Pope said that the Emirates is a nation striving for peaceful co-existence
between different cultures. And that surely is what the Emirates are also trying to portray in this year of tolerance. They've called it, for 2019,
the Pope wants to support them in that but not just for this country, but of course for the other countries in the region as well, for the protection
of Christian minorities, and other religious minorities, and to show an example of people of different faiths that can live together.
ANDERSON: And many of those more than million Catholics who are here are from India and the Philippines, also from other European countries and
other Arab countries, of course. And many of them will be migrant workers, as we often describe. How important is that community, that international
community, as it were, living and working here, in the UAE, to the Catholic church?
GALLAGHER: Well, absolutely. Obviously, this is a small group for a papal mass tomorrow. You know, 100,000, that's not a very large papal mass.
ANDERSON: Symbolic.
GALLAGHER: Bigger than Dublin last time.
The symbolic nature of that is that they are immigrants in a different country, and a Muslim country, no less. And so there are quite a number of
threads actually within that, and one is a question of the rights of workers, the right to live, the right to worship in a foreign country. And
you know, of course, for the Catholic church, the question of immigration in general, for many countries around the world, the Pope has obviously
been very outspoken on that and so the symbolic nature of that as well of welcoming immigrants surely one of the big themes of this trip.
ANDERSON: Yousef Al Otaiba is the UAE ambassador to the United States. I mean, he wrote in "Politico" magazine this week, and I quote, the Pope's
visit will send a strong signal across the region and world. People with different beliefs can live, work, and worship together, he said, but not
everyone will welcome or embrace the message across the Middle East, we face the menace of extremism. And he continued, Delia, radical
interpretations of Islam, represent a tiny minority of those who practice the faith.
[10:05:00] You have alluded to the fact that this is the year of tolerance for the UAE. The Pope speaking as we speak tonight, after the Grand Imam
of al-Azhar, an inter-faith dialogue, just describe what that is about and why?
GALLAGHER: Well, the Pope's wager is exactly that, it is to play to the moderate aspects of Islam, in the hopes of bringing together the religious
leaders, particularly the Muslim leadership, the Imam of al-Azhar being a principal player in this. And it's interesting to watch their relationship
develop. Because let's put it in context, under Pope Benedict XVI, al- Azhar cut off relations with the Vatican. And when Pope Francis came in, he has been working to rebuild that relationship. So this visit really is
in large part about that relationship, and calling on all of these leaders, particularly the Muslim leaders to work with the moderate aspects of their
religion.
ANDERSON: Yes, and unless we forget how damaged these relationships were back in 2009 under the former Pope.
GALLAGHER: Well that's right. And you know, there are people who disagree with Pope Francis's wager that we have to work towards the moderate Islam,
and work with the leaders who are willing to denounce fundamentalism and so on. But that is absolutely his approach. And his approach is very
intimate. It's about the friendships. It's about the dialogue. And that's why he makes these visits. I mean he's met on a couple of occasions
already with the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, so he is somebody who believes in those relationships, and let's remember, also, the effect on the general
population, on the average Muslim, who might see the Christian as the other, and it's a reciprocal thing, for Christians see the Muslims. So
these are things that are long-term analysis, you know, it is not going to have an immediate effect necessarily, but the Pope goes around to these
inter-faith meetings for that purpose.
ANDERSON: And we are looking at the Grand Imam now making his speech ahead of Pope Francis, at that inter-faith dialogue, the head of course of the
Sunni Muslim community here. Look, the Pope certainly not fearful of saying what he thinks, suggesting, in off the cuff remarks, before he left
the Vatican, that he must make a plea for the children of Yemen. The UAE, of course, involved in the Saudi-led coalition campaign in that country.
The UAE government following up those remarks and prayers, by taking the opportunity to welcome the Pope's prayers for peace, saying that this
country here hopes 2019 will be the year of peace in Yemen.
GALLAGHER: Right. So there you have already a kind of immediate consequence of the Pope's public remarks. You know, that was the wager of
the Pope, because he didn't have a public speech here. He met with the Crown Prince and government authorities earlier this morning but it was a
private meeting. We don't know what was said. And he had to come in and say something about Yemen because that was kind of the delicate political
situation that is looming over this visit. So by saying the remarks from the Vatican, they had time also to respond, and there may be a positive
consequence from that. So often when the Pope travels, we don't get to see a real kind of immediate effect, but perhaps that would be one of them to
be hoped for.
ANDERSON: Interesting. All right, you want to come back so stay with me. Because there is a lot to talk about, as I say, ahead of this enormous
mass. And I do have to point out that in the historically Catholic country of Ireland, the last mass in Dublin, I believe, I've been given the numbers
120,000, there will be 135,000, at least, in and around the stadium, tomorrow, and the UAE, very proud of that. Thank you for the time, Delia.
To the standoff in Venezuela, there's been a flurry of international activity in the past few hours, all of it aimed to put increasing pressure
on President Nicolas Maduro from capitals across Europe, nations are stepping forward to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim
president of Venezuela. Now, some EU countries had given Maduro a deadline of Sunday night to call new elections. But Maduro warning the world,
especially the United States, not to interfere in his country's affairs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Stop, stop, Donald Trump, you're making mistakes that are going to stain your hands
with blood. And you're going to leave the presidency stained with blood. Stop. All Venezuelans have the capacity of dialogue and understanding.
Let's respect each other. Or is it that you're going to repeat a Vietnam in Latin America?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, we got a massive protest over the weekend, which did little to discourage Maduro. Meanwhile, foreign ministers from 14
countries in the Americas are meeting at this hour, in Ottawa, in Canada. Most are strong supporters of Guaido and are working to bring humanitarian
aid to people who are starving in Venezuela.
[10:10:00] A team of reporters over the globe covering this story as we would expect on CNN. Stefano Pozzebon is in Caracas in Venezuela, CNN's
Isa Soares, right next door in Columbia, in Bogota for you this evening. Melissa Bell has the European angle from Paris, and Paula Newton is in
Ottawa, Canada covering the conference that is happening there. Stefano, let me start with you. Just describe the scenes, if you will, as we speak,
in Caracas, in Venezuela.
STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: Yes, Becky, we have seen more and more pressure increasingly on Maduro's shoulder again, this morning, with the
recognition by several European countries of Guaido's acting presidency -- interim presidency -- in order to call for fresh, free and fair elections
here. And many here in Caracas are just waiting to see what the government will do next. What will be Maduro's next move? Nicolas Maduro has been on
state television time and time again these past ten days, portraying himself surrounding by men in uniform, military men, portraying an image
that he's still the leader in charge. And yesterday, speaking to Spanish broadcaster, La Sexta, he had some very strong words against that ultimatum
that came from Europe. Here is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADURO (through translator): We don't accept ultimatums from anyone. It's like if I told the European Union, I give you seven days to recognize the
Republic of Catalonia, and if you don't, we are going to take measures. No, international politics can't be based on ultimatums.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POZZEBON: So we're seeing Nicolas Maduro really not giving any sign of balking against this pressure, any sign of giving an inch, to the demands
of the opposition. And frankly, to the demand of the rest of the international community in the Americas, states like Brazil, Columbia,
Argentina, Chile, all demanding fresh new presidential terms to end -- new Presidential elections to and this dramatic power tussle here in Caracas,
but so far, that is yet to be announced -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Right. Stefano is in Caracas, Paula's in Ottawa. And, Paula, a meeting of many of the, of the leaders of those states of Americas, what
can we expect to hear? We have already seen the pressure from the Europeans. What's next?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What is next is two things, Becky. One, is the determination to see this kind of momentum towards calling new
presidential elections, and I think that the way the governments that are here at the Lima Group, but also in Europe, now coming in behind the Lima
Group, to also recognize Mr. Guaido are saying look, we cannot lose sight of this momentum. So, two things here, Becky, in the first instance, they
will see what they can do to tighten some of those financial sanctions against Nicolas Maduro. Convince him in fact that his time is limit and
that he is best off calling for those new elections.
And two, that crucial humanitarian aid, we have seen Europe and the United States and now Canada this morning as well, upping the humanitarian aid to
Venezuela, trying to give strength really to the people on the ground. Those people that Stefano was talking about out there on the streets. I
want you to listen now to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as he opened his conference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: Venezuela now has a legitimate interim president, and a clear constitutional path forward to free and fair
elections. This meeting will give us a chance to discuss what steps can be taken to support the democratic process. In the meantime, we know that the
people of Venezuela are facing tremendous hardship and they need our help. As do the countries who have taken in those fleeing violence. Today,
Canada is stepping up and announcing $53 million to address the most pressing needs of Venezuelans on the ground including the almost 3 million
refugees.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: What's clear from all of this, Becky, is the fact that these countries at this meeting, including Canada, including countries like
Colombia, are saying, look, we value the input from the United States, but are dead set against any kind of military intervention. We should note,
Becky, that U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo is participating in at least a portion of these meetings. He's not here in Ottawa. He's
participating via a video link from D.C. But it is also important again, I think in all of the years I have been covering Venezuela, Becky, it has not
come to this point in time where countries on the outside felt that the people on the ground could be supported in a way that could be leading to a
peaceful transition and not a violent one.
[10:15:00] ANDERSON: Melissa, individual European nations recognizing Juan Guaido as interim Venezuelan leader. I just wonder what that means
exactly, what it affects, so far as next steps are concerned, and why we haven't seen, we've seen sort of coordinated announcements from individual
nations, but we haven't seen an overarching European position here.
MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Becky, because let's be clear, although there hasn't been this level of sort of consensus
between the United States, Canada, and parts of the European Union, over the burning foreign policy question of the day in a little while now, there
are divisions on the question of what to do next, about Venezuela, and whom to recognize as the element legitimate government within Europe.
We've been hearing of a number of countries, and we've been hearing about that ultimatum against which Nicolas Maduro was railing earlier on in your
show, Becky. Since that ultimatum ran out last night and no fresh presidential elections were called, the U.K., France, Denmark, Spain, the
Netherlands, Germany, Austria have said that they to now recognize the government of the opposition and urging it to bring forward these elections
as quickly as possible, to organize as quickly as possible. With Emmanuel Macron tweeting that he really places all his faith now in this contact
group. Because even as the world looks on to Ottawa and what happens there today, Becky, there will on Thursday be a meeting of European Union
countries, those that I mentioned and plus the EU in Montevideo, to meet with Latin America countries, about precisely that. The question of how a
peaceful political transition can best be organized in Venezuela. And of course, the whole world over the next few days, is going to be watching
very closely, Becky, to see what Juan Guaido does next.
ANDERSON: This is the world looking on. Isa you are in the neighboring country of Colombia which is massively impacted on a daily basis by those
who are fleeing the situation in Venezuela. And clearly, very involved in any next steps. So far, as the U.S. at least is concerned, on what happens
next in Venezuela. What's the latest there?
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I've been on the phone, Becky, to the government of Ivan Duque, who is the President of Colombia,
trying to get a sense of what happens with the aid. We heard from Paula that the $53 million. We've heard also Germany today promising another $3
million or so in aid and we know the U.S. aid is also preparing batches to come here to Colombia, to then be sent to Bogota, north of Columbia, which
is the border with Venezuela.
And what the government has said to me is we are working, it's a work in progress, we should know by the end of the day. But the Ministry of
Defense had this to say, and if we can bring it up in a tweet.
They said by the end of the week, we will be in a position, it says, to be able to deliver humanitarian aid to Cucuta.
The question then becomes, Becky, once the aid is there, it's one of three locations where the aid will be sent to, the other ones in Brazil, location
TBD and another Caribbean island. The question then becomes what happens to that aid? Will the refugees from Venezuela that had been fleeing to
Colombia, where will they be coming in droves? So as many as 3 million have left the country. One million coming to Colombia, or will then
Guaido, together with Colombia, with the U.S. and international allies try to bring that aid into the country?
And then the question will really be about testing allegiances. In terms of army allegiance. Those at ports, those at border control, will they
turn a blind eye to the aid, will they let the aid in? It's going to be hard. And Maduro will be testing them too. Because yesterday on
television, he actually said, we're not a country of beggars. That Venezuela's never been a country of beggars. And he went on to add, Becky
there is no humanitarian crisis, there is only an economic crisis. So clearly, this aid will be trying to peel off some of the military support
from Maduro, but this is a test, it is a test really for the brain, for the hearts, and the minds of as much as the Venezuelans but also for the army
that supports Maduro until now -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Exactly. Isa Soares is in Bogota. Your lineup of correspondents around the world on an incredibly important story. Thank
you to all.
Well still to come, British investigators say they have spotted something tragic in the wreckage of the plane crash involving missing footballer,
Emiliano Sala. Details on that are coming up.
[10:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, an update now on the plane crash involving the missing footballer Emiliano Sala. Investigators says a body has now been seen in
the wreckage of the plane found in the English Channel. The plane heading from France to Wales when it went down two weeks ago. Well CNN Sport,
Amanda Davis, is following the very latest for you from London -- Amanda.
AMANDA DAVIS, CNN SPORT: Becky, this is the news, the images that people feared we would discover. But Emiliano Sala's friends and family were
desperately hoping wouldn't be true. As you said, it was two weeks ago to the day, January 21, when the plane carrying Sala from France, from Nantes,
where he has played four years of his footballing career, to Cardiff, in Wales, the start of a new chapter, as it was meant to be for him, went off
radar. And the image that has been released today by the U.K. authorities who have been carrying out the search, the AAIB, the Air Accident
Investigatory Branch, showed this image, the one image that has been released which shows the rear left part of fuselage of the light aircraft,
and the aircraft registration number, which does confirm the fact it was the plane carrying Sala, being piloted by David Ibbotson across the English
Channel.
And AAIB in a statement have said this, tragically in video footage one occupant is visible amidst the wreckage. The AAIB, is now considering the
next steps, in consultation with the families of the pilot and passenger, and the police.
This latest turn of events is after a search, a privately-funded search, was begun on Sunday morning, after the U.K. authorities had ended their
search, after four days, saying they feared they wouldn't find anybody alive. They felt they could do no more. They there had been pleas from
Sala's friends and family members of the footballing community. The likes of Lionel Messi, of Kylian Mbappe rising money via a crowd funding site for
a private search, which began on Sunday morning. Carried out by a very well-respected ship wreck hunter, called David Mearns.
[10:25:01] He went out with a specially equipped boat, complete with sonar devices. And it turns out very quickly, relatively quickly, on Sunday
morning, he discovered on the bottom of the English Channel the wreckage of this plane, carrying Sala and David Ibbotson, and now the recovery
operation continues.
ANDERSON: Yes, very sad. Amanda, thank you.
Meanwhile, in Thailand, sport and politics colliding with the case of a detained Bahraini footballer, a 25-year-old Hakeem al-Araibi, received
asylum in Australia after fleeing the Gulf kingdom five years ago. But he was arrested while on a family vacation to Thailand and is now fighting
extradition to his homeland. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Barefoot in Thailand, and locked up in chains, a nightmare far from what Hakeem al-Araibi
imagined when he flew off on his honeymoon. Tell my wife I love her. He said. Before he is hauled back to the Bangkok cell where he has been since
November. Al-Araibi will spend another two months locked up after telling a Thai court on Monday that he will finance an expedition to Bahrain. The
country where he says he was tortured and jailed for his political beliefs, and likely will be again.
ALLAN MCKINNON, AUSTRALIAN AMBASSADOR-DESIGNATE TO THAILAND: We are asking the Prime Minister Prayut to allow Hakeem al-Araibi to return to Australia.
He is a refugee. Allow him to return to Australia to his friends and his family and the Australian community.
Australia gave al-Araibi political asylum in 2014. When the footballer flew to Thailand with his new wife in November an Interpol red notice was
issued for his arrest. An international warrant that is not supposed to be given to refugees. Bahrain what's him jailed for his part in a pro-
democracy protest and has defended the extradition request. Saying that claims al-Araibi would not receive a fair trial or would face torture or,
quote, false reports. But rights advocates remain unconvinced.
FRANCIS AWARITEFE, VICE PRESIDENT, FIFPRO: Hakeem is a refugee. He's a human rights defender. And therefore, under international law, he should
not be the subject of these proceedings.
STOUT: For now, al-Araibi says he is trying to stay fit while in prison. As for when he plays football again, that's up to Thailand.
(on camera): And in the next few days, a number of big-name footballers, including Didier Drogba and Gary Lineker have taken up al-Araibi's cause
online. Some of his supporters have even said that Thailand should be barred from staging international matches if he is sent back to Bahrain.
Becky, back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Live from Abu Dhabi tonight, this is CONNECT THE WORLD. Coming up --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a dream that the Pope is coming here. And it's amazing how the dream is coming true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, as excitement reaches fever pitch ahead of Tuesday's papal mass, we talk to the people living the dream here in the UAE.
[10:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, Peace, prayers and politics, all of these on the agenda, as the Pope, Pope Francis, who is in the UAE, makes his speech at the
inter-religious meeting at the Founders' Memorial here in Abu Dhabi. Amongst his remarks just moments ago, saying hatred and violence in the
name of God cannot be justified. That statement followed a meeting with Muslim leaders including the Grand Sheikh of Cairo's al-Azhar Mosque.
You can see the audience here, including the Crown Prince, you've just seen the Crown Prince of the UAE, you have seen the Vice President, ruler of
Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, also in the audience this evening.
While inter-faith dialogue has been the focus of the visit so far, Pope Francis hasn't forgotten his own flock. His visit concludes with a papal
mass for 135,000 on Tuesday. Preparations have been in full swing here for some time. We talked to the people who are making it happen, and those
waiting to attend. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): It's the kind of visit that comes once in a lifetime.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think exciting is the correct word to describe the feeling. I visited Rome, but here, it's a completely
different atmosphere.
ANDERSON: This visit is history in the making. For the million-strong Catholic community, in a country with 200 different nationalities,
practicing a variety of faiths. Francis will become the first pontiff to say mass on the Arabian Peninsula, a region overwhelmingly Muslim. Bishop
Paul Hinder who has lived in the Middle East for over a decade says the diversity of the Catholic community here is what makes it so special.
BISHOP PAUL HINDER, CATHOLIC CHURCH, UAE, OMAN AND YEMEN: The majority surely are Indians and Filipinos, but we have Christians from the Arabic
speaking countries.
ANDERSON: Tickets to the papal mass were assigned through a lottery system. With ticket holders officially given the day off work. And the
excitement is palpable when you speak to church-goers here in Abu Dhabi.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone wants their tickets. Asking me, oh, where's the tickets? We want to come. Even those who are working, they told me,
they will be absent from our job just to be here and be with the Pope.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a dream that the Pope is coming here, and it's amazing how the dream is coming true.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Pope coming is a peak of every Christians, it is joy. And I don't think I know a Muslim country that can do any better than
this.
ANDERSON: The public mass is expected to attract 135,000 faithful, according to the organizers. American Deacon Donald Fox will be among
those assisting Pope Francis on the day.
DEACON DONALD FOX, ST. JOSEPH'S PARISH: I definitely will have to try and ensure that I don't show my nervousness. It will definitely be the largest
type of celebration that I've ever done.
ANDERSON: There is a feeling of real impact in a country that very consciously promotes an image of tolerance.
[10:35:00] Pakistani, Faisal Quran, who has lived in the UAE for nearly a decade, and has previously seen the Pope in person, describes what this
visit means to him.
FAISAL QURAN, PAKISTANI ATTENDING PAPAL MASS: He is coming to my home. It is as if Jesus is coming to my home.
ANDERSON: A sentiment shared by many members of what is this tight-knit community.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: So this then, a dream come true, for tens of thousands of lucky ticket holders. CNN's Vatican correspondent, Delia Gallagher, has been
traveling with Pope Francis. She joins me once again tonight. I love that scene where as people were sort of cueing up for their tickets -- this has
been a lottery as we were reporting. Do tell us what your t-shirt size is, please let us know your t-shirt size. They all get a t-shirt as well as a
ticket. As we tell you in our studio in Abu Dhabi, just a couple of miles away from here, the Pope in the midst of a speech about co-existence and
tolerance. Just remind us through the prism of the Vatican why this visit is happening.
GALLAGHER: Well, if you want, a lot of what we'll here with this speech, it is about tolerance, about not justifying violence in the name of God,
things that we have heard from the Pope time and time again but perhaps of course always bear repeating. And the importance of the Pope coming here,
to this country, which is a country which as the Pope says is striving to show its religious tolerance, and the Pope saying he wants to hold that up,
as a model, for other countries in the region. So the message of religious tolerance of people living together is not of different levels. It is a
political level from the Pope. It's at the religious level. But it's also at the level of the common person who is living actually neighbor to
neighbor with somebody of different faith, or of a different culture.
ANDERSON: Yes, 40 churches, 700 Christian ministries. We have to make the point, Sikh temples, Buddhist temples all sort of coexisting alongside
mosques of the Muslim community. There are 200 nationalities in the UAE, and this is an example for our viewers to sort of understand where we are
and what this country wants to seize the year of tolerance, for the UAE. This isn't though the first time that the Pope of course has been to the
Middle East. This is the first trip to the Gulf, to this part of the world. But he's been in Jordan. He has been in Jerusalem, of course, and
you and I were on that trip, with him then. He's been in Egypt, of course, where he last met the Grand Imam, the leader of the Sunni Muslim faith.
GALLAGHER: Right, and that's a very important relationship. And I think that relationship is actually a large part of the reason that the Pope is
here. And a large part of the reason that he has gone to such lengths to meet with the Muslim leadership, and to have that relationship with them in
such a public way.
ANDERSON: We were talking about this relationship, an awful one, I mean no dialogue, back in 2009, under the former Pope Benedict.
GALLAGHER: Right, al-Azhar cut off relations with the Vatican. They were upset by some perceived comments of Pope Benedict involving Islam. And
indeed when Pope Francis came in, they were quite happy with him, and he with them.
ANDERSON: This is a man that they can do business with. Right?
GALLAGHER: Yes, well this is a Pope who believes in the personal relationship. That's why I go back to the fact of the Iman el-Tayeb, being
so important, in all of this with Pope Francis. They certainly have solidified their relationship, and for the Pope, that is a ground from
which to speak to the Muslim world.
ANDERSON: The irony of a country where there are laws against religious discrimination, where people can worship freely, that being the UAE, and
other Gulf countries around this region, juxtaposed against the perceived lack of willingness to accept political expression, expression about human
rights, that irony will not be lost on our viewers.
GALLAGHER: Sure.
ANDERSON: It has to be said. Nor will it be lost on the church.
GALLAGHER: Yes, and this is always the question when a Pope goes into any country. Whether it is political or religious conflicts, and laws, with
which the Vatican or democracies don't agree with. And the Pope's point has always been, I'm going to sit down at the table anyway. And in most
cases, I remembering various instances, for example, in Myanmar, he sits down and he says, you know, I don't hold back from the truth of what I want
to say. Always showing respect for the host country, of course. So there are delicate trips in a lot of ways. But the Pope, as we've seen is the
man of dialogue, and he feels that if there is an open door, he's going to go through it, and at least try to emphasize what is good about the
situation.
[10:40:00] And then point out in a way which doesn't offend but suggests another way forward.
ANDERSON: Yes, you and I will spend some time together, tomorrow, during, before, during and after, the papal mass, which is at a sports stadium
here, viewers, the Sheikh Zayed Sports Stadium here. I've been told that those who are attending mass -- which starts half past 10:00 local time --
need to be in that stadium by 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning. Believe me, this is an early start. Not necessarily for Delia and I, but it is a
pretty early start for us but a very early start for those lucky enough to get the tickets and they have so much looking forward. Dela, for the time
being until we meet again tomorrow morning, thank you very much indeed for joining us.
The Pope's UAE visit of course coming at a time of crisis for the Catholic faith. He will meet with bishops from around the world in Rome later this
month to tackle the sex abuse scandal engulfing the Catholic church and that will be something we will also discuss tomorrow.
That's the Pope live for you, with a speech here in Abu Dhabi. Ahead of the mass that we've been discussing tomorrow.
If you've watched this program over the past few months, you will have heard the word backstop. Many times during what has been our Brexit
coverage. Well it's basically an insurance policy that there never be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. A
contentious issue in Westminster, and one the EU says is nonnegotiable. Well despite this U.K. lawmakers are holding meetings over the next few
days to come up with alternatives. Well CNN's international diplomatic editor, my colleague Nic Robertson, is at the Irish border, where Ireland's
European Affairs Minister and the Dutch Foreign Minister have been spending the day. What did we hear and learn, sir?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, Becky, even in the next few minutes, we're expecting another EU delegation here. Over my
shoulder, you can see a couple of officials there, they are waiting for the EU commission delegation that's going to come here to the border. And just
to give our viewers a sense of what the border means here, you can probably see over my shoulder, a line in the road, in the tarmac, the tarmac changes
sort of slightly differentiation, that's the border. And you will see the traffic whizzing backwards and forwards.
So this EU commission group that is arriving here in the next few minutes is going to come and see just how ready Ireland is for the possibility of a
hard Brexit, of a hard border here. This would have been back in the day a border post. There's a small lane over there that is another road across
the border, a big highway just beyond that, and beyond that, a mountain. Where 20 or so years ago, you would have had British army military posts
that would have been able to monitor the border and control it when they needed to.
So the concern that was being expressed when the Irish Foreign Affairs Minister met with the Dutch Foreign Minister here -- rather the Irish
European Affairs Minister, met with the Dutch Foreign Minister here earlier today, was precisely about that backstop, precisely about the negotiations
between Britain and the European Union. About what will happen to this border. And if you wanted an object lesson and joined-up thinking in a
joined-up position between the European Union and one of their members, Ireland, it was absolutely here today. The Irish minister told me very
clearly that the backstop's been subject to a lot of negotiation, and no one's about to change that right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HELEN MCENTEE, IRISH MINISTER FOR EUROPEAN AFFAIRS: With the backstop again, is something that the Prime Minister herself and her cabinet have
signed up to. They have agreed to this on the basis that it protects the Good Friday Agreement. It ensures that no matter what in the future
relationship, we will never return to any kind of a border of the past. The amendment which was passed last week in the House of Commons, while it
sets out the House of Commons, it supports the withdrawal agreement. If they pose a supplementary or they change the backstop, we have yet to see
any proposals.
Anything that has been suggested or proposed in terms of a unilateral clause, in terms of a time limit, in terms of technology, all of these
issues have been addressed. They have been looked at over the past two years, and none of them address the concerns that we have had that if there
is no way of dealing with this in the future relationship, the backstop is necessary to make sure that we protect the peace process and we protect the
invisible border that currently exists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: And what we have from the Foreign Minister -- or the Dutch Foreign Minister and again from the Irish Minister was a concern about the
peace in Northern Ireland that has come about, that has been sort of grow over the past 20 years or so, because of the freedom of movement across the
border, the backstop, an insurance, to make sure that happen. And both these ministers very concerned about the possibility, the very real
possibility here of an increase in violence, if a deal isn't sorted out in the next few week -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Nic, you'd expect the border between two countries to be busy, and it is.
[10:45:50] Which is why it's an important issue and why we see these trucks roaring past you as you speak. Always a pleasure. And always a
professional. Thank you, sir.
Live from Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD. Coming up, U.S. President Donald Trump explains what he might do if ISIS regroups and rebuilds after
American troops withdraw from Syria. That after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have very fast airplanes. We have very good cargo planes. We can come back very quickly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, U.S. President Donald Trump there, describing what he might do if his assessment of ISIS is wrong. And his plan to pull U.S.
troops from Syria and Afghanistan actually helps fuel a resurgence of the terror group.
Well, just a few villages in Syria remain under the control of ISIS fighters. But they are not going quietly. Kurdish and Arab militia,
backed by U.S. led coalition air power are battling to wipe out the last remnants of ISIS as they make their final stand.
Let's get more from CNN's senior Washington correspondent, Joe Johns. Is it, well, clearly, this sounded like the President is rowing back on what
many people have said was a very impulsive sort of Twitter storm about what he was going to do in Syria, and why? That being pull the troops out
because it's all over for ISIS, which it clearly isn't. So how is the White House spinning this?
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well they're doing the best they can. And I've got to tell you the Washington view here, Becky,
is that this is really a conflict between the foreign policy establishment in Washington, D.C., and the contrarians. The foreign policy establishment
views pulling out of Syria as quite a terrible idea, that it affects our allies, including the Kurdish military forces in a very negative way. It
creates a vacuum in which ISIS can reconstitute, whenever it wants to. It removes the ability of the United States to gather more intelligence.
But the contrarian view, which really has caught some traction here in Washington, is that the situation in Syria is simply unwinnable. You don't
have enough people there, the mission is not clear enough, and the conditions on the ground are such that it's useless endeavor for the United
States. And why not do something else?
So the President has stepped into the middle of that, and he has taken more of the contrarian view. Much to the dismay of the military leaders, the
intelligence chiefs, who have warned him all along that it's a bad idea.
[10:50:00] So he says he can move our military forces over to Iraq, or that he can return quite quickly, as you heard in that clip, if need be. The
question of course, is who is right, and it might take some time for us to find out, and if perhaps the President is wrong, it would be very similar
to the situation that Obama found himself in, for which Trump criticized him during the election.
ANDERSON: Sure. Joe, very briefly, I mean the wider story here is have we learned any more about what the U.S. policy towards the Middle East is
under this Donald Trump presidency?
JOHNS: It's absolutely confusing. Confusing to our allies. Confusing to diplomats and creates a difficult situation simply because no one is
speaking in the same voice. The President has his own view and will state them. He'll get into a disagreement as he did just last week with his
intelligence chief, and people don't know who speaks for the United States. That is a problem in a very dangerous world.
ANDERSON: Joe Johns, out of Washington, for you, where it is 10:50 in the morning. 7:50 here in the UAE. Thank you, Joe.
CNN also closely following developments in another major war zone. That's Yemen. A few hours from now, CNN's Nima Elbagir will have an exclusive
report taking viewers on a search for answers. She travels to Yemen to follow a trail of American-made weapons, all stolen and abandon, explaining
how they have ended up in the wrong hands.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's absolutely incredible, with driving past, and it is like a grave yard of American
military hardware. And this is not under the control of coalition forces. This is in the command of militias.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Nima's exclusive report, "MADE IN AMERICA, LOST IN YEMEN", will air soon right here on CNN. A lot more after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM BRADY, QUARTERBACK, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: This is a dream come true for all of us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: An incredible moment for the New England Patriots, and quarterback Tom Brady. He has now won more Super Bowl titles than any
other NFL player. The Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams, 13 to 3 in Atlanta on Sunday. And they are heading for a victory parade in Boston on
Tuesday. Doesn't he look happy. He really does. That is a remarkable, remarkable victory. And as another Super Bowl entered the books, President
Trump weighing in about the sport America loves and its violent nature.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[10:55:00] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, CBS FACE THE NATION: Would you let your son baron play football?
TRUMP: It is very, it's a very tough question. It's a very good question. If he wanted to, yes. Would I steer him that way? No, I wouldn't. I just
don't like the reports that I see coming out having to do with football. I mean it is a dangerous sport and I think it's, it's really tough, I thought
the equipment would get better, and it has. The helmets have gotten far better, but it hasn't solved the problem. So you know, I hate to say it,
because I love to watch football, I think the NFL is a great product, but I really think that as far as my son -- well I've heard NFL players saying
they wouldn't let their sons play football. So it's not totally unique, but I would have a hard time with it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: President Trump.
I'm Becky Anderson. That was CONNECT THE WORLD. Join us Tuesday, at 9:00 a.m., UAE time, for CNN's coverage of the papal mass here in Abu Dhabi as
we continue to cover the Pope's historic visit to the Gulf. We will be back here in the studio, normal time, again, on Tuesday. Thank you for
watching.
[11:00:00]
END
