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New Talks to Form Temporary Government in Libya; WHO Experts Investigate Wuhan Lab; U.K. Launches Trial to Test Efficacy of Mixing Vaccines; California Reports Lowest Daily Case Numbers of the Winter; Prominent Lebanese Activist and Hezbollah Critic Found Dead; U.N. Aid Chief Warns of Widening Destabilization in Ethiopia; Interview with Stephanie Williams, Acting Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General for Libya, on Renewal and Reconciliation. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired February 04, 2021 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:00]

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DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You think it's possible this virus was engineered within that lab and leaked?

DR. PETER DASZAK, WHO MISSION EXPERT: There's no evidence of that at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Tonight, just how did the pandemic begin?

Well, CNN talks to a member of the WHO's crack team of clue hunters on the ground in Wuhan about what they have uncovered so far.

Then, can you mix and match COVID vaccines?

It may sound unusual but a new study looking to prove you can.

And talks -- new talks underway to form a temporary government in Libya. We talk to the U.N.'s woman on the ground there, trying to bring the opposing

sides together.

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ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson. It's 10:00 in the morning, D.C., 7:00 in the evening in Abu Dhabi and it is 11:00 at night in Wuhan. And that is where

we begin this hour, the Chinese city, where the coronavirus pandemic is believed to have started over a year ago.

A team of experts from the WHO on the ground in Wuhan this hour -- and they have been there for a week, looking for clues as to where exactly the virus

came from.

Why?

Well, to make sure this never happens again. As for what the team will find, well, in large part that depends on how much China lets them poke

around. Our David Culver has been living this story in China for a year. He spoke to one of the researchers.

David, of course, made it out of Wuhan a year ago just before the lockdown, joining us tonight from Shanghai.

David, what have you learned?

CULVER: You mentioned one year, 12 months, Becky. And one of the things I put to one of the international experts, who we had the opportunity to

speak with, is, in the 12 months that have passed, has that done damage?

This lag time in getting to Wuhan, getting on the ground, getting the chance to start this field research, it can't be ideal, is my assumption.

And he said, obviously, you want to be there before the start of any outbreak. It's just not a reality. So you want to get there as soon

thereafter.

But he understood there were complications in place, including a virus that was rapidly spreading here in China at the time. But add to that what we

experienced when we were down in Wuhan, shortly there before the lockdown went into effect.

And it was after the Huanan seafood market, the original ground zero, at least believed to have been the ground zero by Chinese authorities, had to

close down. And that was wiping it clean. They were doing so, according to Chinese authorities, to stop it from spreading.

But in doing that, they were also destroying evidence from a scientific perspective. So I asked the expert if that played into some of the

concerns. He seems to think that, after having spent now several days on the ground, they are getting good information, solid leads that will lead

them, ultimately, he says, to the origins of this virus.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CULVER (voice-over): A caravan of vehicles pulling into the Wuhan Institute of Virology. On board, international experts, representing the

World Health Organization.

Their mission?

To find the origin of COVID-19.

DASZAK: What we're trying to do right now, at this stage, is keep an open mind about every possibility.

CNN connected with zoologist Peter Daszak. He's part of the source tracing assignment here in China. Speaking to us from his hotel room in Wuhan, he

had just visited the Virology Institute's highly secured and highly controversial lab.

It is from here that former U.S. president Donald Trump and his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, have alleged, without any evidence, the virus

originated.

TRUMP: I think they made a horrible mistake and they didn't want to admit it.

CULVER: China has rejected the claim.

DASZAK: It was good to see the lab and, you know, you confirmed your suspicions that it's an incredibly well-built, well-designed, well-managed

lab.

CULVER (voice-over): Members of the scientific community have said that Daszak has a conflict of interest due to his close ties to the Wuhan

Institute of Virology and its leading scientist, Shi Zhengli.

This video shot in 2014 shows the pair inside the institute, examining coronavirus samples collected from bats. They've jointly published several

scientific research papers.

DASZAK: She speaks very openly and quite directly and often goes counter to the sort of political trend.

CULVER (voice-over): Shi Zhengli is known as Bat Woman in China. She's reached celebrity status. Since the SARS outbreak in 2003, she has focused

her research on bats and the various coronaviruses they carry.

[10:05:00]

CULVER (voice-over): But after COVID-19 was first detected in Wuhan, less than 10 miles from where her lab is located, speculation surfaced that the

virus leaked from her facility.

MIKE POMPEO, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I've seen evidence that this likely came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

CULVER (voice-over): The Trump administration provided no evidence to support those claims.

CULVER: Do you think it's possible this virus was engineered within that lab and leaked?

DASZAK: There's no evidence of that at all. But it is something that we talked about with people at the Wuhan lab, got really honest and frank and

good, informative answers to because they themselves brought this up. The conspiracies around lab leaks that they feel strongly have no grounds.

CULVER (voice-over): Swarmed by media throughout their site visits, the WHO field team also inspected the hospitals where the early COVID-19

patients were treated, along with the now-infamous Huanan seafood market.

CULVER: This place had a lot of attention over the past 12 months paid to it. There was a lot of concern that perhaps the virus was still festering

in spots. So the Chinese authorities essentially wiped it clean.

CULVER (voice-over): Daszak and other experts agree, it's most likely the virus originated from wildlife. Though without ruling it out, he stopped

short of concluding it started in the market or even in Wuhan.

CNN obtained these images from December 2019. They show a variety of caged creatures inside the now-shuttered seafood market.

DASZAK: We're still piecing together the evidence. So we're looking at the animal evidence, what was sold at the market, where did it come from, what

types of animals are they, the ones that could carry coronaviruses?

CULVER (voice-over): China's state media has also suggested, without evidence, the virus might have been imported into the city on frozen foods,

a claim leading health experts have dismissed as completely groundless.

But it is an origin theory Daszak is not ruling out. The team's field study expected to continue into next week.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CULVER: Becky, I want to get back to a point you brought up at the top of the show.

That was how much poking around were they allowed to do here?

It's a question that I put to Daszak.

How much access do you have?

How much freedom do you have to choose where you're going?

Now he said they can't run rogue but, prior to this visit, they did deliver to the Chinese experts where they wanted to go. And he says officials have

allowed them to follow that agenda.

He says people have been very transparent. And he, in his characterization, has gotten good information in what he's been able to access so far. That's

one expert's opinion, his experience. There are more than a dozen others, who may have a very different take on all of this.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. David, thank you, as ever.

As the WHO looks to the past for lessons, a new trial could determine a game-changing path forward in the world's battle against the virus. That

would contradict what we have known until now. But there you have it, of course, a lot is being turned upside down sort of as we speak, right?

So the big line researchers launching the world's first study to see whether people can be safely vaccinated with two different types of COVID-

19 shots. Well, in the 13-month trial, participants will be given both the Oxford-AstraZeneca and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines in various

combinations. And that will be to test efficacy.

Why is this such a big deal?

Well, current guidance in the U.K., U.S. and from the World Health Organization is to not mix and match between the different vaccines.

Jacqueline Howard, our health reporter, joining us now.

Jacqueline, how significant could the results of this new study be?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH CORRESPONDENT: If the results turn out to be positive, it could make a significant impact, Becky.

The reason why researchers are hoping that, if the results appear to be positive, then mixing, you know, different types of vaccines, one from

Pfizer, one from AstraZeneca, could lead to greater vaccine delivery flexibility.

We could have more options in what we can deliver and what might be available. That's the hope here.

And then there's the idea that, could this lead to even greater protection?

We don't know until we see the data but that could be an option. In this study, there are eight different vaccine schedules being tested. Some of

the trial participants will receive Pfizer first. Some will receive AstraZeneca first. Some are going to receive their doses about 12 weeks

apart; whereas, others will receive their doses about 28 days apart.

So there's a lot being studied here. The preliminary results are not expected until the summer. But once they come out, there will be a lot of

interest to see what has been found.

ANDERSON: Absolutely. And some really encouraging news from a new survey by the Institute of Global Health Innovation.

[10:10:00]

ANDERSON: Jacqueline, it shows that global vaccine confidence is rising.

Do we know by how much at this point?

HOWARD: It's interesting; in November, it was found that about 40 percent of people surveyed -- this was across 15 countries -- said that they are

willing to get vaccinated. Now we see a higher percentage.

We should have the numbers here, across the 15 countries. Now it's 54 percent are willing to get the vaccine.

So if that's the increase that we're seeing, that there is greater confidence. Now in the United States, a separate CNN poll had these

findings. We should have those numbers as well.

Last month about 66 percent of Americans said that they would get the vaccine. That, again, is a higher percentage from 51 percent that was found

in October. So around the world, there is this growing confidence in the vaccines and, as time continues, the percentages could get even higher.

ANDERSON: Yes, and this vaccine hesitancy, of course, has been a real concern to governments around the world. And there are certain groups

within populations around the world, who are perhaps more hesitant than others. And that's something we've been reporting on for some weeks.

I just finally do want to get a brief take from you on the numbers, the numbers of people getting infected in the U.S. and indeed, sadly, losing

their lives.

It does seem, it does seem as if we are beginning to see some better news, correct?

HOWARD: That's correct. You know, thankfully, there does appear to be a decline but, however, we cannot celebrate quite yet. There is still

significant spread of the virus. There is this emerging threat of the coronavirus variants, which has a lot of health officials on guard.

So that's why, you know, there is hesitancy to really celebrate any decline in the data because the pandemic is still going on.

ANDERSON: No, absolutely. All right. Good stuff. Thank you for that. The vaccine analysis and insight is really, really important.

Supply shortages, of course, are also important. And these are hampering efforts in the United States, where, as we've been discussing, up to 80,000

more people are forecast to die from this disease by the end of the month.

But President Biden's chief medical adviser says it looks like the vaccine supply will be more steady through February and into March. A steady supply

critical, as health experts race to get ahead of the more infectious variants, which they worry could trigger another surge.

As you can see here, as we've been discussing, cases are slowing down. But there is no room for complacency. Now this is, of course, the United States

we are focusing on here. Let's zone in on California.

The state just reported its lowest number of new daily cases of this winter, much lower than the tens of thousands it was seeing every day just

a few weeks ago. CNN's Stephanie Elam is there in Los Angeles with more.

You and I have been speaking throughout these waves and we've reported on some very horrific stories.

What's behind this drop that we are now seeing in daily cases?

And if the U.S. can't get ahead of these new variants, what next?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's the scary part because we are seeing a bit of a reprieve. And I don't want to say that things are

completely better, Becky, because the numbers are still too high. We're coming down off of an exponentially way too high bit of a number.

But when you look at the average daily number of cases, we're down about 57 percent from a month ago here in California; the positivity rate continuing

to drop.

Now the 14-day positivity is below 7 percent. So numbers going in the right direction. Hospitalizations are also down more than 30 percent. All good

news. But the issue is here that you still have plenty of reason to see the virus take off again.

And that's because what we know is that, here in Los Angeles County, in particular, they did say that it was Halloween, October 31st, it was then

that they started to see cases begin to rise. People got together, hanging out together.

And then Thanksgiving, which is at the end of November, people decided, hey, things have been calm. I can go ahead and see my family, see my

friends. We saw the numbers spike then. And then leading into the December holidays.

Somehow, though, it seems to be there was a bit of a change around New Year's, going into New Year's, where people saw these numbers and decided

to actually stay apart. That's what's helped to bring our numbers down.

However, these variants are a concern and whether or not they are actually leading to more deaths we're now seeing, hearing from some health officials

nationwide.

[10:15:00]

ELAM: They are saying they do believe that that is a possibility of what's happening here, Becky. So really, not the time to stop masking and social

distancing. People still need to be vigilant even as we're seeing the vaccinations increase.

Governor Gavin Newsom also saying we're now vaccinating in California about a million people a week and opening up two big sites, with the help of the

Biden administration, one here in Los Angeles on the East Side and also the Oakland Coliseum up in the Bay Area.

And what is going to be huge about that, they are saying they plan to do like 6,000 shots a day. The fact that these are both in places that are

where people of color live because those are people who are not generally getting the vaccine and also they are the ones who are driving the farthest

to get the vaccinations as well.

So trying to change those numbers here in the state.

ANDERSON: Yes, two mass vaccination centers opening up, as you rightly pointed out, a new federal pilot program in order to ramp up these

vaccinations. Good stuff, Steph. Always a pleasure. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.

We are also looking today at vaccination distribution issues on a global level. We're not just looking today. We have been on this story for months

and months and months. In the next hour, the global drive to combat vaccine inequality. We'll talk to the man coordinating that effort for UNICEF.

And later, a prominent anti-Hezbollah activist has been found dead, just as Lebanon marks six months since the devastating and deadly blast in Beirut.

More on that after this.

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ANDERSON: Lebanese politics can be a very murky place indeed. A well-known Lebanese activist, who openly goes after Hezbollah and who hits back at

Iran, has been found dead in his car.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Here's the crime scene where Lokman Slim was murdered, shot five times. It's just south of Beirut. There have been widespread calls for an

investigation among Lebanese leaders into the killing. But as it is exactly six months since the blast in Beirut, such calls rarely amount to anything

at all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: CNN's Ben Wedeman is reporting on this story for us from Beirut, where, as I understand it, you are sort of in the dark there, in the

office, in the bureau. And that, as a result of a power outage. That, sadly, is the story of life in Lebanon these days.

But, Ben, you are a total pro and so you will just carry on regardless.

What do we know about this killing earlier today?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lokman Slim, this prominent critic of Hezbollah and Iran's role in Lebanon, went to visit an

acquaintance in the southern part of the country near the city of Sidon.

[10:20:00]

WEDEMAN: And he left that acquaintance's house at about 8:00 pm local time and that was the last anybody heard from him. His sister apparently raised

the alarm via Twitter when, after midnight, he hadn't arrived back in Beirut.

And this morning Lebanese security forces found a car he had rented by the side of the road and his body inside, with four bullets to his head, one to

his back.

Now this is a man who, going back to December of 2019, had received, outside his home, which is in Haret Hreik, which is a neighborhood with a

lot of supporters of Hezbollah, outside of his home was posted threats against him, posters calling him a -- or rather pieces of paper written on

it that he was a traitor.

He published a letter to the Lebanese authorities, saying that he held Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hezbollah, and Nabih Berri, the

head of the Shia Amal movement, responsible for his safety.

This is a man who rarely held back in his public criticism of Hezbollah. Now we have heard condemnation of his killing from the Amal movement and

many other Lebanese politicians, who have been quick to point an accusing finger in the direction of Hezbollah.

Hezbollah itself, however, has yet to comment at all on the killing. But this is the third killing, mysterious killing, in Lebanon since the August

4th port blast. A photojournalist was killed under mysterious circumstances as well as a customs official, who was in some way involved with the

investigation.

So, unfortunately, this is really just the latest in a long string of murky killings in Lebanon going back decades, most of which have never actually

been solved -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Well, and that was, of course, my next question. It's a sensible one but then, again, you know, it seems nothing sensible is to be had out

of Lebanon these days.

What can we expect from any investigation into this assassination, if that's what this is -- and, indeed, you're right to point out this is the

six-month anniversary since the Beirut blast.

What's the status of that investigation?

WEDEMAN: Well, I think we can say, with a fair amount of confidence, Becky, that no investigation in Lebanon, whether a Lebanese investigation

or an international investigation, like the special tribunal for Lebanon, which investigated the assassination in February of 2005 of former prime

minister Rafic Al Hariri, that didn't come to any definitive decision as far as who might have been concerned.

And as far as the port blast, there was a judge assigned to investigate the port blast, who was appointed soon after the blast. But he had to halt his

investigation in December, when two ex-ministers that he tried to indict asked the court to have another judge investigation them.

The prime minister, the caretaker prime minister, was also indicted. But he refused to be questioned. And because of the current lockdown in Lebanon,

the COVID lockdown, which lasts until February 8th, that investigation is on hold -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Where is the justice, is the question.

Ben, thank you. Ben Wedeman is in Beirut for you.

We will connect you to another country in political crisis, that of Myanmar. Reports say police there have charged the de facto leader Aung San

Suu Kyi for illegally importing communications equipment. Her alleged crime is getting six walkie-talkie radios without permission.

Military rounded up Suu Kyi and other government leaders on Monday in a coup. Since then, it has clamped down on communications, restricting

Facebook and other social media sites. And that has muted but not stopped the protests.

Students and activists marched in the city of Mandalay to announce the coup, some -- or, sorry, to denounce the coup. Some medical workers have

also vowed to go on strike.

Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories on our radar right now.

The United Nations aid chief is warning the conflict in northern Ethiopia could lead to further destabilization.

[10:25:00]

ANDERSON: That's according to Reuters, quoting Mark Lowcock, who told the UNSC Ethiopian troop deployments to the Tigray region could be leaving

other parts of the country vulnerable to insecurity. The U.N. says it still does not have access inside Tigray to deliver aid.

The U.S. is calling for dialogue to resolve long-running tensions between the Indian government and farmers. Talks were halted after protests turned

violent last month. Smaller farmers say new laws benefit larger companies. After the clashes, internet access was temporarily blocked in several

districts, drawing widespread condemnation.

And the Kremlin denies that recent arrests there amount to repression. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov's comments come after a journalist criticized the

thousands of protesters detained since the arrest of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Peskov says those arrested broke the law by taking part in

illegal demonstrations.

Still ahead, Libyan peace hitting a snag on the road to negotiation. But the country's U.N. envoy says crucial progress is being made. We speak with

her -- up next.

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ANDERSON: It's been six years since the start of the political rift that sparked Libya's second civil war. Now U.N. officials say they are one step

closer to unifying the country's bitterly opposed factions. Peace talks are currently underway in Geneva to appoint a temporary Libyan government to

oversee national elections, come December.

On Tuesday, a group of 75 participants cast their votes for a three-person presidency council but there were no clear winners. So the talks will go

on, as candidates from the council work together to elect a temporary prime minister.

My next guest is mediating these crucial peace talks. Stephanie Williams is the U.N. secretary-general's acting special representative for Libya. She

says the country is counting on the mission to bring an end to years of violence in the war-torn country. She joins me now live from Geneva.

And it's good to have you on and it's important to have you on at this point.

To your mind, what is the current status of talks?

STEPHANIE WILLIAMS, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL'S ACTING SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR LIBYA: Well, I'm very encouraged by what I have seen here in Geneva

this week. As you mentioned, we had the first vote for the presidency council. None of the candidates met the threshold designated in the

electoral college.

[10:30:00]

WILLIAMS: So now we're going to a list formation for a vote that would include three members of the presidency council and the prime minister

position. And those lists, we expect, there will be no more than four lists, are due to be submitted to the mission tonight to 10:00 pm our time

for a vote expected tomorrow.

ANDERSON: The system -- right. The system proposed to reach elections in December. I have to say, it's quite a complex system.

Why and how is this process being established this way, just out of interest?

WILLIAMS: OK. So there are two things. One is Libyans want elections and that was accomplished in Tunis in mid-November, when this group first met,

set the elections date for December 24th of this year, which coincides with Libya's Independence Day.

National elections are taking place. That's a sacred goal and that's what we're working toward.

The other piece of it, of course, is that you've had these bitter divisions, particularly for the last six, seven years. Libyans want their

institutions to be united. And this will actually help move the country towards elections, to set the security -- stabilize the security situation,

to improve living conditions, to ensure that services are reaching municipalities.

ANDERSON: OK. So this is the political sort of sphere. And let's be positive here. These are positive political developments -- and we applaud

you and your team and those who are on the ground there for the progress that has been made and the negotiations, of course, that have been led by

yourself.

Military factions on the ground, though, as per a CNN report last month, reveal the continuing presence of foreign fighters and, indeed,

mercenaries, who were required to leave last month per an agreement between the warring parties.

How large is that current presence of foreign fighters?

Why haven't they left?

And who is responsible at this point?

WILLIAMS: So in terms of the size, the numbers, I put them at around 20,000, you know, occupying, either fully or partially, about 10 bases on

Libyan soil.

The 5+5, the Joint Military Commission, is actually meeting again today in Surt. It's their seventh round. They are going to really move forward, I

expect, on the implementation of the opening of the Coastal Road between Abu Qurayn and Surt.

This is to enable the free flow of people and goods between Eastern and Western Libya. Look, it's a challenge. But the simple message is, the

Libyans have spoken. Listen to the Libyans. They've made it very clear. They set a 90-day clock. It was ambitious.

That doesn't make it any less of a legitimate Libyan request or any less binding on the countries or organizations that have brought these

mercenaries to Libya.

ANDERSON: Because these foreign fighters and mercenaries on the ground -- and if you put them, their numbers at say 20,000 -- are still there and are

-- haven't left as prescribed by these negotiations before Christmas suggests -- certainly their continued presence suggests there is no real

impact -- impetus on the ground to reach a conclusion to all of this.

Is that your concern?

WILLIAMS: Look, I am listening to the Libyans and it's very clear, from what we see in the three Libyan tracks that we have been running, that

Libyans want to restore their decision making. They want to restore their sovereignty. They want to restore the democratic legitimacy of their

institutions.

And so it's basically, you know, it's now incumbent upon the international community to respect the desire of the Libyans and to, frankly, abide by

their -- these countries' own obligations, both with regard to the U.N. arms embargo and the commitments they signed up to at the Berlin conference

last year on the 19th of January 2020.

ANDERSON: Stephanie, this all against the backdrop of COVID, of course.

What support are you getting from the international community, especially with regard vaccines in Libya's own battle against this virus?

[10:35:00]

WILLIAMS: Yes, well, this is, of course, the conflict, institutional division and the severe deterioration of infrastructure, particularly

health infrastructure, not to mention the fact that many clinics were bombed during the war on Tripoli last year, has put a huge strain on Libyan

capacity to combat COVID.

Certainly the U.N. is on the ground. The World Health Organization has been very active across the country in helping the Libyans, the authorities, to

address the situation. We have over 113 case -- 113,000 cases and something like 1,800 deaths so far. So, yes, they do need assistance. The

international community is providing assistance.

ANDERSON: Stephanie, as we've said, you have four days left in this current role, with Jan Kubis named special envoy on Libya last month.

As you hand over the file -- and you are smiling at this point; I'm sure you are exhausted by it -- but do you hand this file over with a genuine

sense that there is resolution in the near term?

WILLIAMS: I am encouraged by what I've seen here. Look, this is not without its challenges. We've made enormous progress. There have been

important steps forward. The Libyans are talking to each other; 75 Libyans who are here, Libyans in the other tracks, we have done something that's

quite unprecedented.

We've had 43 candidates put themselves forward for the presidency and prime minister positions. And we have aired their presentations live on Libyan

television and they have been, you know, subjected to a pretty rigorous question and answer, you know, session. There's a lot of transparency here.

Libyans like it. Libyans have now very high expectations and, frankly, they want these institutions to unite. They want to return the country to a

degree of normalcy. So I'm encouraged.

I think the United Nations is on the ground. Mr. Kubis is here with me in Geneva. We're doing our transition as we speak and, you know, I'm very,

very confident moving forward.

ANDERSON: I wonder, as you look back at your time in this role, whether you are satisfied with what you have accomplished. And I do also wonder

whether you wish that Washington had perhaps taken more interest in the Libya file under a Trump administration and, further to that, how you think

a Biden administration will deal with this file.

Is Washington better involved or not, as it were?

WILLIAMS: Well, I think it's always very helpful when the international community comes in squarely behind the United Nations. Look, I came to

Libya to work with the Libyans.

And I leave with, you know, them in mind. The international community is very important. Certainly, a strong and positive U.S. role is key. And I

believe that will be the case moving forward.

ANDERSON: Finally, is there or are there any clear favorites of yours in the international community, countries that you genuinely believe have

helped push this process forward?

And, you know, you have four days left in the role, an opportunity to really point the finger, if you feel that way. And I am very keen, as I'm

sure our viewers are, to find out from you who you believe have got in the way of progress over the time that you have been trying to effect some

resolution.

WILLIAMS: Well, there's only one shoutout I want to do here and that's to Chancellor Merkel. The chancellor took -- you know, she listened to my

former boss, Ghassan Salame, when he took this whole idea of building a process with the international community, including the Security Council,

but also bringing in the countries that are directly involved in the conflict, in the regional organizations, and building these inter-Libyan

tracks.

And she, you know, she accepted the proposition. And so we really wouldn't be here without her very strong and principled leadership.

ANDERSON: A diplomatic answer but I appreciate it, thank you very much indeed for joining us.

[10:40:00]

ANDERSON: Stephanie, four days left in the job. You know, it's understandable. Thank you very much indeed for joining us and the best,

because you've given us your time at times when it was really important to keep this story on the international agenda. For that, we really appreciate

it. Thank you. And all the best.

We will be back after this.

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ANDERSON: Welcome back.

Take a look at this haircut, a unique stylistic choice for sure. It's not real. He was just joking around.

But the reason that he posted it is no joke at all. Player haircuts almost affected the multibillion-dollar Super Bowl power one in three Americans

watch. I want to know what happened so we always know that we have a man never follicly challenged in the house to help us out, Mr. Don Riddell with

a beautiful barnet.

What happened?

DON RIDDELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Barnet fair, really good, caught your rhyming slang there, Becky, well done.

(CROSSTALK)

RIDDELL: This is quite a story. I mean, the Kansas City Chiefs could have been seriously derailed for the Super Bowl by a simple act of going to the

barber's to get a haircut.

A number of players were in line, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes, when they discovered that the barber had tested positive for COVID-19.

This is backup center Daniel Kilgore in the chair, when the positive test was confirmed, which is why he has posted this picture of his head half-

shaved. It's a joke, as you say. He was already deemed to be a close contact so they figured, well, he might as well finish getting the haircut

done.

But because of this, a number of players are now on the backup list and they're going to have to go through a number of tests and get five

negatives before they're allowed to play. But this could have been really, really serious for the Chiefs and, of course, for this showpiece event as

well.

ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely.

"WORLD SPORT" is up after this short break. Don Riddell in the house, anchoring that. I will be back top of the hour for you with the second hour

of CONNECT THE WORLD.

(WORLD SPORT)

[11:00:00]

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