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Jordan Accused Former Crown Prince Of Destabilizing Efforts; Netanyahu's Corruption Trial Resumes; Russia Ramps Military Buildup As Ice Melts Aired 8-9a ET
Aired April 05, 2021 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00]
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Remarkable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUSSEIN BIN ABDULLAH, CROWN PRINCE OF JORDAN: I am not the person responsible for the breakdown in governance for the corruption and for the
incompetence.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Jordan's former Crown Prince speaking there from isolation after more than a dozen people were arrested
on allegations of sowing instability. Alternately what happened and why the Royal is involved up next.
And it's a dramatic split screen kind of day for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in court today facing a corruption trial while facing
the pressure of trying to form a new government.
And this hour, my wide ranging interview with Saudi Arabia's foreign minister.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN, Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
ANDERSON: It's 3:00 in the afternoon in our (INAUDIBLE) an important day line for us this hour. It's 4:00 p.m. right here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky
Anderson. This is CONNECT THE WORLD. An early edition of the show. A programming note for you while the world watches the gripping trial of the
death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in the states. This earlier timeslot will be our home for the next few weeks.
So, if you're surprised to see us here, don't be. Let's get to it. Right now more than a dozen people are being detained or are in isolation in
Jordan including the man once said to be king, on accusations that they were conspiring to "Destabilize the country." The government so far making
no evidence public. Let me connect you to both sides of this story. First, from the accused the most-high profile of those being this man.
Prince Hamzah bin Hussein. He's the country's former Crown Prince and the half-brother of Jordan's ruler, King Abdullah. Until the king sidelined him
seven years ago there are a few things you need to know about this message from the prince. It apparently was made in secret after he was told not to
go anywhere being delivered in English, so the audience clear the outside world. We're going to play you a clip of this video in a moment.
Look over the prince's shoulder, folks. That is a portrait of Jordan's late King Hussein. He is still beloved in the kingdom and Prince Hamzah said to
bear an uncanny resemblance of him. Have listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUSSEIN: I am not the person responsible for the breakdown in governance, for the corruption and for the incompetence that has been prevalent in our
governing structure for the last 15 to 20 years and has been getting worse by the year. I'm not responsible for the lack of faith that people have in
their institutions. They are responsible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I want to bring you the government's position on this now. Jordan's deputy prime minister and its foreign minister Ayman Safadi says
he sees it very differently. He explains the government's position in a news conference. So I want you to hear what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AYMAN SAFADI, JORDAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): The army chief met with Prince Hamzah yesterday to send this message and asked him to stop
all these movements and activities that target Jordan security instability. But his highness did not listen and dealt with this request with negativity
that is not in line with the interest of the country and its people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That's Ayman Safadi, he's the foreign minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Jordan. Bed Wedeman following this story for us today out of
Beirut. And Ben, you have been covering this region for decades. What do you make of these dramatic events unfolding in Jordan?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, normally, when there are differences within the Royal House in Jordan that these
differences are kept very low key. There have been in the past but certainly this is the most dramatic, most open, most public of washing of
dirty laundry that Jordan has ever seen. And people there are in a state of shock and they're also in a bit of a state of confusion because the details
of the accusations are still very vague.
They're talking about Prince Hamzah conspiring with Basem Awadallah who's the former finance minister and head of the royal court. And Sharif Hassan
Bin Zaid, another member of the royal family of conspiring with foreign entities to shake the kingdom's stability and security but beyond that, the
details are very vague.
[08:05:0]
WEDEMAN: What is clear is that the situation in Jordan apart from this plot and they haven't said it's a coup d -- attempted coup d'etat. So we don't
really know the nature of the plot that was afoot. But the fact of the matter is Jordan is -- as a friend of mine from Amman just told me a little
while ago, it's in desperate straits. The economy is tanking, unemployment in the final quarter of 2020 was almost 25 percent. The country has been
ravaged by COVID.
And unhappiness with the government, with the regime is intense. And Jordan, let's not sugarcoat this is a police state, perhaps not a police
state, along the lines of Syria but it's a place where the Mukhabarat, the secret police keep a very close eye on everybody. And if you take all of
those factors together, clearly King Abdullah is feeling that he's in a precarious position. And therefore, perhaps this is a -- something that he
can divert attention away from.
But the fact of the matter is serious problems are staring Jordan in the face. And somebody's got to do something. Becky?
ANDERSON: And Ben, while many Jordanians will be rallying around the flag right now in support of King Abdullah, there will be others who relate to
what Prince Hamzah has said. I just want to play out a little more from his video for our viewers. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUSSEIN: I am not the person responsible for the breakdown in governance, for the corruption and for the incompetence that has been prevalent in our
governing structure for the last 15 to 20 years and has been getting worse by the year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And those words, of course, reflecting perhaps what you are hearing from people on the street as well. Conspiracy theories of course
abound in this region. Is there any idea at this point what we might expect next?
WEDEMAN: I think there's a very definite possibility that there were foreign entities involved. Basem Awadallah, the former finance minister was
an adviser to Mohammed bin Salman, the current Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. And it's come out that an Israeli businessman based in Europe has
admitted that he offered the wife of Prince Hamzah a private jet to fly her out of the country as soon as he heard this was happening.
So clearly, this is not purely a domestic issue. The precise details of this situation shall we call it are not at all clear at this point. But I
think this is a story that isn't going to go away in the coming days and definitely to "Shakespeare" as far as King Abdullah goes, uneasy lies the
head that wears a crown. Becky?
ANDERSON: Ben Wedeman. Doing poetry is only Ben does best. Thank you, Ben. Well, CNN's Jomana Karadsheh was based in Oman for CNN for years who will
be joining us live from there. On our next edition of CONNECT THE WORLD airing today in about two hours time. Forgive us, you'll need to keep up
for P London. Sorry. 4:00 p.m. Abu Dhabi time and 6:00 p.m. Abu Dhabi time is our temporary home for the next couple of weeks.
Well, Israel's defense minister says the events in Jordan are an internal matter but added his country should help its neighbor with current
challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic. But again, it's told reporters on Sunday that Israel must do everything necessary to maintain its peaceful
alliance with neighboring Jordan. And staying in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing significant challenges both legally and
politically.
Earlier today, Mr. Netanyahu appeared in a Jerusalem court as the evidentiary part of his corruption trial that begins. He faces charges of
bribery, fraud and breach of trust. All allegations that he denies was just over a mile away. Members of the Prime Minister's Likud Party are meeting
with Israel's president trying to convince him to allow their candidates, Benjamin Netanyahu to form a new government.
Well, CNN's Hadas Gold connecting it all for us from Jerusalem this hour. Lot going on in your neck of the woods. What's the latest, Hadas?
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, today Netanyahu was in court as he had to listen to the deputy state prosecutor lay out the three cases
against him that include charges of bribery and breach of -- breach of trust and fraud.
[08:10:13]
GOLD: And we did hear from that first witness, Netanyahu did not have to stay for that witness. He only had to stay for the deputy state
prosecutor's speech. We did not hear from Netanyahu today. But as you noted, at the same time while this was happening, Netanyahu's political
future was on the line as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOLD (voice over): So, this is what Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to be doing Monday morning. Visiting the head of state, trying to convince the
president to give him the mandate to form a governing coalition.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Any other government that is formed that is not a right-wing government will be an
unstable left-wing government that will be formed against the clear and absolute ideology of the majority.
GOLD (voice-over): Instead, he'll be back here at the Jerusalem district court for the start of the evidentiary phase of his corruption trial. But
the two are intimately linked. And if his Likud Party colleagues achieve success at the president's residence in Netanyahu's absence, that could
help with his potential success in court, says the head of the Israeli Democracy Institute, Yohanan Plesner.
YOHANAN PLESNER, PRESIDENT, ISRAEL DEMOCRACY INSTITUTE: The past two years the legal clock and the political clock are completely intertwined. Nothing
that happens in Israeli politics can be really understood without understanding the timeline of Netanyahu's trial. Netanyahu's key motivation
is to dodge the legal process or to try and somehow overcome it.
GOLD (voice-over): Netanyahu faces charges in three separate cases. In case 4000, Netanyahu faces the most serious charge of bribery, as well as fraud
and breach of trust. Prosecutors say Netanyahu advanced hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of regulatory reforms for a multi- millionaire
businessman in exchange for favorable coverage in the businessman's Walla News Web site.
In case 2000, prosecutors say the prime minister sought favorable coverage from the publisher of one of Israel's largest newspapers in exchange for
limiting the circulation of the paper's main rival. And in case 1000, prosecutors saying Netanyahu received gifts such as cigars and champagne
from overseas businessmen. Something a public servant should not do.
NETANYAHU: They created a crime that doesn't exist in the real books of the United States.
GOLD (voice-over): Netanyahu denies all the charges and he said he wants the case to run its course.
NETANYAHU: Basically, a fake witch hunt with fake charges, with blackmailing witnesses. It's unbelievable. Erasing documents. Creating new
crimes. This is just ridiculous. I mean, the whole thing is just collapsing under (INAUDIBLE)
GOLD (voice-over): In the political arena Netanyahu faces what many analysts say is an insurmountable task, trying to cobble together a 61-seat
majority coalition either by trying to convince members who had defected from his Likud Party to return, or by getting a small Islamic party to sit
alongside extreme right wing and religious parties.
The opposition parties are having similar problems as they fight amongst themselves about who should lead a potential hodgepodge coalition. But
Netanyahu presses on. Israel's longest serving prime minister hoping to keep his streak going and keep himself out of jail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLD: And Becky, we are expecting hundreds of witnesses to be called in this trial that's expected to run Monday through Wednesday for the
forthcoming weeks without any sort of note of when this will potentially end. And in what could be a very interesting twist to all of this is that
unless he gets special permission, the Prime Minister may actually need to attend every part of that trial. Becky?
ANDERSON: Hadas Gold is in Jerusalem (INAUDIBLE) Thank you. Well, the ice rapidly melting in the Arctic as some say Russia smells opportunity there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Treasure is projecting an image that it's developing new technologies. And this of course, it is destabilizing the strategic
balance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Still ahead, Moscow flexes its military muscle and turns the region into a testing ground for high-tech weapons.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:16:19]
ANDERSON: All right. Welcome back. We're going to connect you now to Russian efforts to capitalize on climate change in the Arctic. You're
looking at satellite images of a Russian military base on its Arctic coastline and it's one of several that Russia has been building as parts of
the region are becoming ice free. Western officials say Moscow is flexing its military muscle, partly to secure a commercial shipping route but it
also has its eye on natural resources in the region.
Those bases are only one part of Western concerns. The other is high tech weapons that Russia is testing there. Among them is a new torpedo that is
said to be able to create quite a radioactive tsunami. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has this exclusive reporting.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a new frontier, expanding for all the wrong reasons, with pushy neighbors
rushing in. Russia is seeing the Arctic ice melt fast and filling the gap with a military buildup, some of it on Alaska's doorstep, not seen since
the Cold War.
Key is a new generation of super weapons, like the Poseidon, a 120-mile-an- hour nuclear propelled stealth torpedo. It's designed, say Russian officials, to sneak past U.S. coastal defenses and detonate a warhead,
causing a radioactive tsunami to hit the East Coast with contaminated water.
Experts told CNN the weapon is, "very real." It will be tested in the summer near Norway, whose intelligence had said it's not only the
ecological damage that could be bad.
VICE ADMIRAL NILS ANDREAS STENSONES, NORWEGIAN INTELLIGENCE CHIEF: It is in a testing phase. It's a strategic system, and it's aimed at targets and
has, then, an influence far beyond the region, which is being tested currently.
WALSH (voice-over): Some said Russian President Vladimir Putin was fantasizing when he revealed this and other new weapons, like the
hypersonic Zircon missile in 2018. But continuing development and tests make them very real.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Russia is projecting an image that it's developing new technologies, and this, of course, is destabilizing the strategic balance.
HEATHER CONLEY, SVP FOR EUROPE, EURASIA AND THE ARCTIC, CSIS: Those capabilities that could reach the United States and its NATO allies.
WALSH (voice-over): That's not all Russia is up to. CNN has obtained satellite images revealing the persistent buildup of Russian bases along
its northern coastline, part of what a U.S. State Department official called a military challenge.
Close to Alaska, Provideniya and Wrangel Island are two new radar stations with, stationed in Anadyr, a quick reaction alert force of bombers and
jets. West, in Kotelny, a thin strip of land has seen, over seven years, the slow growth of a large airstrip.
And in Nagurskoye, in the northernmost point, is another base that sprung up since 2015, one of several in the Arctic, decorated in the colors of the
Russian flag.
Nagurskoye and the nearby airfield of Rogachevo are both home to MIG-31 jets, recent arrivals. And further west, at Olenya Guba, on the Kola
Peninsula, over the past four years, experts believe a storage facility has slowly been built up for the Poseidon torpedo.
Russia had its eye on being the Arctic power for years and is now moving to make that happen.
Yes, this is its coastline, for sure, but U.S. officials have expressed concerns to me that this buildup is not just about protecting. It's also
about projecting power across the ice, even towards the North Pole.
There are new resources to exploit under the ice, yes, but Russia released this video in January of the first time a freighter got through the ice in
the east, in the thick winter, to set a new trade route along its northern coast.
[08:20:03]
WALSH (voice-over): It's a possible moneymaker for the Kremlin, cutting the current journey time from Asia, to Europe, through the Suez Canal, nearly
in half. U.S. officials voiced concern to CNN that Russia is already demanding ships use Russian crews and get permission to cross it.
In response to Russia's buildup, the U.S. has sent B-1 bombers to fly out of, and marines to train in, Norway. Who gets there first makes the rules,
they say in the rush for a place nobody should want to be conquerable.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, Russia's Foreign Ministry didn't respond to a request for comment but Moscow has always had its gold in the Arctic are peaceful and
economic.
Well, here in the UAE climate change being tackled not with alarm, but as an opportunity to drive jobs and revenues through a new clean energy
economy. The UAE was the first Gulf country to sign and ratify the Paris Climate Accord since then it's adopted the region's first economy wide
target to reduce emissions. Well over the weekend that the regional climate dialogue, the UAE along with 10 other countries from this part of the world
made some bold commitments to the fight against a warming planet.
These landmark talks included a pledge to step up efforts to make the 2015 Paris Agreement a success. And after four years of the U.S. administration
that repeatedly undermined efforts to tackle global warming, the new U.S. climate envoy John Kerry putting the fight back on the front burner. His
message like that of the government here in the Emirates, that climate challenge is a huge economic opportunity.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KERRY U.S. SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY FOR CLIMATE: And it's quite remarkable, frankly, to find a country that is an oil and gas producing
country that has been leading many, many other nations in the search for new technology and the effort to be a leader in transitioning to the new
economy.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Former U.S. Secretary John Kerry addressing reporters in Abu Dhabi over the weekend. The Biden administration Special
Envoy for climate in the United Arab Emirates capital to drum up regional support for global climate action ahead of the crucial cop 26 meeting later
this year. Ahead of the summit carry getting a first-hand look at some of the investments in clean energy and mitigation technologies.
That he says puts the Emirates at the forefront of the climate war. A war this traditionally oil and gas dependent country knows it must help win. In
a region where heat is extreme and water is precious the UAE is no stranger to the threats posed by climate change. Rising sea levels make the coastal
cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai some of the most vulnerable in the world. If nothing is done to mitigate global warming and the trends are not going anywhere at the moment one 2015 study predicts the heat could make the
cities uninhabitable by the end of the century.
Covering an estimated 150 square kilometers of the UAE's coastline native mangroves like these in Jubail Mangrove Park act as natural barriers
against storm surges and rising sea levels and its natural carbon sinks. They also act as a green lung for a city like Abu Dhabi.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now we already established --
ANDERSON (voice-over): John Kerry taking a chance to see the work being done locally to protect these natural eco systems. The country says it
plans to plant 30 million mangrove seedlings by 2030 to conserve these coastal blue carbon systems. The UAE's commitment commitments to a climate
save future doesn't just make environmental sense authorities here say. The economic case two is a compelling one.
SULTAN AL-JABER, UAE SPECIAL ENVOY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE: As you know, the UAE started more than 15 years ago in a -- in a very proactive manner, and
addressing global challenges like climate change by advancing renewable energy, applying scale, applying capital, investing in technology
throughout the different growth stages locally, as well as regionally and internationally.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Sources tell us that initial analysis still in its early stages puts the economic dividend from progressive climate action in
the UAE, as high as $100 billion annually by 2050 if not sooner.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, at least 41 people who are dead in Indonesia after flash flooding rip through four villages in the island of Flores on Sunday.
What's mudslides and floods crashed through homes and wiped out bridges on roads on parts of the island. Rescuers can't even reach some of the worst-hit areas because of
heavy rain and winds.
[08:25:09]
ANDERSON: And neighboring East Timor being impacted too.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): At least three people have died then flooding that's washed away entire homes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson out of Abu Dhabi. Still ahead, a group of Myanmar citizens are detained after
speaking to CNN. Coming up, an exclusive look inside the country as the military crackdown there intensifies.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: A ceasefire proposal, humanitarian crisis and new airstrikes. Houthi rebels in Yemen have been stepping up attacks on Saudi Arabia as
U.S. President Joe Biden withdraws support for the Saudi coalition. The rebel strikes have been ramping up for weeks part of the campaign of
ballistic missiles and explosive drones. Our Nic Robertson is checking on the new complications for us now from London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi attacks on neighboring Saudi Arabia have escalated.
More than a dozen attacks using drones and ballistic missiles over the past two months.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're also stepping up our diplomacy to end the war in Yemen.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): The significant uptake six years since the Saudi coalition intervened began days after President Biden switched military
support for Saudi forces backing Yemen's internationally recognized government for diplomacy against Houthi insurgents. In an op-ed last week,
Saudi Arabia's ambassador to London called for international pressure on the Houthis.
PRINCE KHALID BIN BANDAR, SAUDI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.K.: What we see and what we feel is that for them, the military advantage of the game seems to
be more important than the humanitarian cost.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): The Houthis latest targets of choice, mostly Saudi oil and airport facilities. Retaliations they say for Saudi airstrikes
killing civilians that the U.N. and NGO repeatedly cite as a significant cause of civilian death.
BRIGADIER GENERAL YAHYA SAREE, HOUTHI SPOKESMAN (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): We affirm that our operations are continuing and will expand more and more as
long as the aggression and siege on our country continues.
ROBERTSON: Three years ago, Saudi officials gave CNN access to who the missiles they said were made in Iran fired by Houthis almost 1000
kilometers away at the capital, Riyadh.
[08:30:04]
ROBERTSON (on camera): It's the positioning of these valves on the side of the missile that convinced the Saudis this is Iranian manufactured.
They sent samples to the UN. The UN verified the missiles contained Iranian-manufactured components and warned against their use. Attacks
slowly waned. Now, they've spiked again. Houthis proudly promote an arsenal of weapons. They play a maid in Yemen, from sea mines the bomb carrying
drones to long-range ballistic missiles. Five weeks ago, a ballistic missile similar to these were shot down by Saudi Air Defense over Riyadh.
With each attack, the risk of significant civilian casualty grows. And with it, potential escalation. On Yemen's battlefield too, Houthi attacks
stepped up following Biden's diplomacy reset. Most recently trying to take the strategic Yemeni Government City Marib, for now bravado, not diplomacy is king. We will not hold off. We have a
promise to God to not withdraw from what we have started these Houthi the fighter shouts.
That Biden's Yemen reset is already facing a significant challenge, not a surprise for the Saudis.
BANDAR: They've tried. We've seen the result. And now, you know, we're trying to figure out how to move forward otherwise. And I think that's
partly why we launched such a significant and public peace initiative.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): The Saudis new ceasefire proposal that includes conditionally restoring vital oil supplies through Hodeidah Port is still a
work in progress. Deep differences remain not least Houthi the Saudis are blocking desperately needed oil supplies. Fueling what the U.N. calls the
world's worst humanitarian crisis.
MOHAMMED ALI AL-HOUTHI, SENIOR HOUTHI OFFICIAL: They're suffering, because of the shortage of water, shortage of medication, the shortage of food, and
they're suffering from the suffocating and restricting blockade.
ROBERSTON (voice-over): Despite disagreement Saudis are still hopeful their ceasefire offer can get traction.
BANDAR: It was positive on one side -- one side because they didn't say no, they didn't reject it. They rejected the linking between opening the port
and a ceasefire. But they didn't reject the idea.
ROBERTSON (on camera): But by virtue of maintaining this control over Hodeidah limiting ahead of a ceasefire, you are by default, worsening the
humanitarian situation.
BANDAR: If it is so important to the Houthis why don't they stop fighting?
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Calls upon still, as attacks continue, still far too soon to know if diplomacy can take hold.
Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, that Yemen peace offer, Nic just mentioned sparked an interesting response from the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia. He told me
all about his relationship with Washington in an interview that also covered China, Israel, and of course, Iran. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PRINCE FAISAL BIN FARHAN AL SAUD, SAUDI ARABIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: I would describe our relations as robust. They reflect historically strong
relationship that has crossed many administrations both Republican and Democrat going back now, well over 75 years. I think the Biden
administration sees that the relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is absolutely key to the U.S. interests into U.S. priorities and the region
and beyond.
And they understand that working with the Kingdom requires working with us and with our leadership.
ANDERSON: Let's talk about the importance of this relationship at this point. U.S. is heavily engaged in trying to find a solution to the conflict
in Yemen. They've made Yemen an absolute priority. And to that end, they've worked with you in the kingdom to present a ceasefire offer to the Houthi
rebels, which you yourself have said could pave the way for a "political solution to the conflict there." Have the Houthis shown any signals that
they are willing to engage with the Kingdom?
AL SAUD: So far, we have seen continuing attacks across our borders, including attacks against civilian targets and infrastructure, and we see
them continuing to attack Maghrib. So the indications are that they are still not serious about taking the steps that are necessary to move this
conflict into a political phase. Nonetheless, we continue to push forward. We are in contact with the Houthis to try and convince them that putting
the best interests of Yemen first is critical and key.
And that we should all work together to make sure that this conflict moves now to a political process.
ANDERSON: You have highlighted that attacks by the Houthis continue on the Kingdom man its infrastructure.
[08:35:04]
ANDERSON: Will you take this proposed ceasefire off the table if those if those attacks continue?
AL SAUD: No. We are committed to the ceasefire. We are not going to take the ceasefire off the table. But we will be defending ourselves. We will
make sure that our people and our infrastructure is protected and we will also support the Government of Yemen.
ANDERSON: Will they be Houthis of course insist that any deal should include an agreement from the Kingdom to lift the CNS blockade on what is
his strategic Hodeidah Port, the U.N. and World Food Program support ending the blockade of recent CNN investigation uncovering that Saudi warships had
prevented all tankers from docking at the port. As we understand it, four fuel ships will now be allowed to dock in Hodeidah. The first of which
arrived last week. And can you provide more detail on that?
AL SAUD: In the last 90 days, 67 ships docked in Hodeidah. And there is a continuing flow of goods and services both through Hodeidah data and
through for border crossings. And as well, there are two other ports that are active. There is no blockade, there is a mechanism with the United
Nations -- agreed with the United Nations to allow ships to enter Hodeidah and that mechanism is continuing to be applied.
And we assume the government of Yemen will continue to give their approval for these field trips to continue to enter.
ANDERSON: What's the extent, sir, of Iran's support for the Houthis things as far as the Kingdom is concerned?
AL SAUD: The extent is broad and absolutely critical to the war effort. The ballistic missiles and drone technology is entirely of Iranian origin,
which has so far resulted in well over 400 drones being launched across the border hitting targets such as fuel depots, airports, other civilian
targets. And we believe that without the support of Iran and its advisors that are on the ground, the Houthis could not be launching these attacks
against Saudi civilian infrastructure.
And they would be constrained in their attempts to continue to attack other parts of Yemen and take over the country,
ANDERSON: Along with Israel and the Emirates, Saudi Arabia has said very clearly that it wants any new deal that the U.S. might cart with Iran to
include curbs on its ballistic missile program and its support of militia groups across the Middle East, not least, in Yemen. How confident are you
that Iran would agree to those terms?
AL SAUD: We believe it's critically important that these issues be addressed. We see these deliveries of ballistic missiles to the Houthis,
ballistic missiles and ballistic missile technology to the Houthis and other non-state actors as a critical source of instability in the region.
The only way we are going to have a peaceful region, a secure region is if we address these concerns.
ANDERSON: What assurances, if any, are you getting from the Biden administration and other Europeans that the kingdom will have its concerns
raised during any future negotiations of the JCPOA?
AL SAUD: Let me be clear, the countries that are most at risk from a nuclear armed Iran are the countries in the region including, of course,
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the GCC states. So, it's entirely logical that we should be part of the discussion and part of the dialogue.
ANDERSON: Bottom line, how realistic is it that you can be at the same table as the Iranians on any JCPOA negotiations?
AL SAUD: I think it's entirely realistic.
ANDERSON: Do you seek a rapprochement with Tehran at this point?
AL SAUD: We seek for Iran to, you know, stop its activities that are causing instability in the region. Its aggressive behaviors. Of course, if
it were willing to do so that would open up the doors to not just report more but even cooperation but we cannot have a rapprochement without
addressing these very, very severe threats to regional stability and security from Lebanon to Syria, to Iraq, to Yemen.
As well as, of course, activities within states in the region including Saudi Arabia of supplying terrorists with bomb making equipment, things
like that.
ANDERSON: This region is a very different place from the last time a democratic U.S. administration negotiated with Iran starting in sort of
2013 for the original JCPOA.
[08:40:10]
ANDERSON: Not least this region's burgeoning relationships with the east, China's Foreign Minister pay the official visit to Saudi Arabia last week
to discuss the future relationship between your countries. How is the Kingdom's relationship with China evolving?
AL SAUD: Our relationship with China, of course, also goes back some decades and it has continued to grow as you made clear economically, we are
very strongly linked both as an oil supplier but also as a trading partner. And we think China's role in the region economically is likely to grow and
we value the partnership on -- that we have with China. We work very well with our Chinese partners on a multitude of issues.
ANDERSON: So, I wonder how you then assess the trip by the foreign minister days after visiting the Kingdom to Tehran where he signed a deal to buy
Iranian oil and to invest then. But I wonder how does forging closer ties with Iran impact the Kingdom's relations with China if at all.
AL SAUD: China understand our concerns about the Iranian regional activity and about its destabilizing influence on the region. We believe they
understand those concerns. They have expressed as much as they have also a good relationship with Iran. And perhaps they can use that good
relationship to influence Iran to focus on the same things we are focused on.
ANDERSON: I want to talk Israel. Two days before Israel's election, Benjamin Netanyahu signal that the normalization of ties with Saudi Arabia
could be imminent, saying on national radio, we will have direct flights for Muslim Israeli pilgrims from Tel Aviv to Mecca. How do you see the
Kingdom's relationship with Israel evolving short and long term, sir?
AL SAUD: That normalization in the region can only be successful if we address the issue of the Palestinians. And if we are able to deliver a
Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, that gives the Palestinians dignity and gives them their rights. If we can find a path towards that,
then I think we can see a much, much safer region, a much more prosperous region when -- one where everybody can contribute to success including
Israel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister speaking to me recently. I will have more of that interview coming up in just less than two hours when I
get the foreign ministers view of the Saudi vision 2030. We are going to take a very short break at this point. Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:45:16]
ANDERSON: I want to connect you to extremely rare access inside Myanmar. Our CNN team is on the ground there in the midst of a bloody military coup
that one advocacy group says is left more than 550 people dead. Well, short time ago, CNN's Clarissa Ward spoke to my colleagues John Berman and Alisyn
Camerota. Closest reporting with the permission of the military which has been escorting CNN's team on the ground.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BERMAN: We have seen an exclusive this morning. Remarkable access inside Myanmar which is in the midst of a bloody military coup. One advocacy group
says at least 550 people have been killed in the past two months. Protests continue. They did throughout the weekend, which security officials have
been responding to with this brutal crackdown, detaining thousands. At least 11 people arrested Friday minutes after being interviewed by CNN.
Our Clarissa Ward awards joins us now live from Myanmar with the permission of the military, who we do want to know he is escorting our team. So
Clarissa, what's happening now tell us why it's so important for you to be there?
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you said, John, two months ago, a democratically elected government was overthrown by
the military in a coup after the military suffered what can only be described as a humiliating defeat in the elections back in November. That
coup has given rise to an enormous protest movement that has swelled across the country.
Put simply, the military does not have the support of the people of Myanmar. And as those protests have swelled, and have people have become
more angered about this so too has the violent oppression of that protest movement by the military, as you said, hundreds have been killed, among
them dozens of children. We wanted to come here to report on the ground because simply put, John, no other journalists, international journalists
have been allowed into Myanmar since this coup happened.
Now we came with permission from the military with all of the complications that that entails. But we still felt that it was a vital importance to come
here ourselves, to see what was happening and to confront the people responsible for the violence.
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: And so Clarissa I mean, I know all of this is delicate. But since you're under the auspices of the military, are you able
to report freely?
WARD: We had been assured prior to coming here that we would have independence and freedom of movement. We wanted to stay in a hotel in
Yangon, that was not allowed. We're staying instead in this military compound. It's completely walled off, we cannot come in and out and move
freely. On our first day we were moving around with a convoy of six trucks full of soldiers. In addition to that, we have many minders following our
every move.
Whenever we do have the opportunity to be on the street, which is very rarely, Alisyn, our minders are constantly filming everything with their
cell phones, making notes, making phone calls, taking records of every single person we talked to, and every single movement we make. So, it has
not been without its challenges, Alisyn.
BERMAN: Well, they're taking pictures and they're taking names apparently, Clarissa. So tell us about the people who've been detained after speaking
with you.
WARD: So this was a very distressing incident, John. On one day, we were finally allowed to go to a public space to an open market. And it's
important to underscore here that we have not solicited contact with any activists with anyone who is part of the protest movement because we know
given the context that we're here and just how dangerous that could be. However, when we took our cameras out in this market and started shooting
video, people started coming up to us.
People started giving the three-fingered Hunger Games salute that has become the symbol of this defiant movement. And they came up and started
telling us their stories. They told us they were frightened. They told us there is no peace there. And we let them say their piece, we thought it was
important to give them the opportunity to have their side of the story on the record. Shortly afterwards. However, we found out that many of them
were detained.
One woman actually ran after me while we were still at the market, trembling like a leaf on the phone with someone who said that three people
we'd spoken to had already been arrested. We had the opportunity, however, to sit down with Myanmar senior military -- senior military leadership, the
government spokesman himself and we asked him why on earth these people have been arrested and we urged him to release them. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[08:50:06]
WARD: We went to a market in Yangon. And a lot of people approached us because they wanted to talk to us, they wanted to tell their side of the
story. We subsequently found out that at least five of them were arrested. We have verified this independently. We have seen photographic evidence, in
some cases to confirm this. Can you please explain why you would be arresting people for talking to us? What possible crime did these people
commit?
MAJOR GENERAL ZAW MIN TUN, TATMADAW SPOKESPERSON (through translator): They haven't committed any crime. They saw it on the news yesterday and I asked
how many were arrested. 11 got arrested, the security forces were worried that they would provoke others and start the protest in the market. And
that is why they got arrested. However, the government is arranging to release them as soon as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: We are now very relieved to be able to confirm that at least eight of those 11 people in all eight that CNN new about have now been released. And
that is really truly great news. But still, this just gives you such an idea of the situation that these people are confronting here. They can't
even say on camera, that they're frightened that they want a better future, that they want democracy without being arrested.
That's how threatened the military is by these people and by this enormously popular protest movement. John, Alisyn?
CAMEROTA: So Clarissa, why does the military want you there or why have they agreed to allow CNN to be there if they're just going to arrest
everybody that you talk to?
WARD: The military wants to get its side of the story on the record too. And that's important. And we gave them up the opportunity to do that. They
see the protest movement as being violent, as being dangerous, as being disruptive to the economy. They say that if people allow the process to
play out that there will be elections again, within the next two years. They paraded a series of victims before us who told us stories about being
threatened by the protesters, by humiliated by the protesters.
They took us to buildings that they said had been vandalized by the protesters. But when it comes to the idea of this two-year process before
which there will be elections, you can understand why very few people here have any faith in that. There were democratically held elections back in
November. There were independent observers who attended those elections, who did not make note of any egregious fraud or anything of that nature.
And yet still the military intercepted and took -- and this coup took place. So, very few people here actually believed them, when they say that
there will be another chance at elections and after more than half a century of repressive military rule. Simply put, they're not willing to
give up, they're not willing to let go of the hard-won freedoms that they have enjoyed in the last decade.
BERMAN: Clarissa, do you have a sense if the military regime, their power is coalescing or growing at this point? Where is it on the curve as you
look towards these elections two years from now?
WARD: From what we've seen on the ground, the military does not have anything in the way of strong support from the people. What they do have is
sophisticated weaponry. What they do have is a large fighting force. There is no comparison in the scale of what you're seeing from the protesters
versus what you're seeing from the military in terms of armaments, in terms of funding. And so the military does have that on its side.
And it may well be that brute force wins the day here. What's very concerning to so many people, including the United Nations who warned that
this could turn into a bloodbath is that as the protesters become more incensed, as the protest movement becomes more violent, this country could
be on course, for real civil strife. And nobody wants to see that happen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. We'll be right back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:56:55]
ANDERSON: This is CONNECT THE WORLD from our Mideast hub here in the UAE where Dubai is showing that with the right measures and a good COVID
vaccine campaign, things can reopen. Aren't Dubai the Middle East's largest art fair just wrapping up its in-person event too much success? It's a much
needed restart for the art world to large sales shrank by more than $14 billion in 2020. According to Art Basel and the UBS art market report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): United Arab Emirates painting a rare pandemic picture. Tens of thousands of people flocking to the Middle East's largest
art fair.
PABLO DEL VAL, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, ART DUBAI: Art Dubai was the first advert to cancel when the pandemic started, and is the first major advert to open
in these difficult times.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Hosting 50 galleries from 31 countries, the fair is a window into the diversity of life within Dubai. Prior to the pandemic,
the annual one-week event attracted 30,000 visitors from around the globe, with many high-end buyers jetting in. This year, crowds were controlled by
COVID safe app but extended opening hours and massive hype allowed for just shy of pre pandemic numbers. It's a massive success for a city which
heavily relies on tourism to power its economy.
BENEDETTA GHIONE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ART DUBAI: This is not the Art Dubai that we envisioned we would have a year ago but we are here and we couldn't
be happier to be open.
ANDERSON (voice-over): United Arab Emirates ambitious vaccine rollout was a major propellant for the safety and success of this event. With a
population of just under 10 million people more than eight million doses have already been delivered. Sites of pandemic safety at the event and art
form within itself, matching masks and quirky social distancing signs on display everywhere you look.
Organizes opted for well-ventilated tents instead of exhibition centers with staff taking tests every few days. There is now much needed restart of
the art world hoping to carve out a path for future global art events.
GHIONE: We can go ahead and we can go live as normally as possible if we remain flexible, creative and innovative.
ANDERSON: Meanwhile, for the artists themselves, the pandemic has given many a new sense of purpose.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When the pandemic first happened I was deeply upset by the fact that my role in this life or in this world didn't seem relevant.
But eventually it did seem to be the thing that sort of holds people together in a way that perhaps was a little bit different.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Art Dubai. Well, Egyptian culture goes back thousands of years. Now a bit of that long heritage as a new place to call home.
[09:00:07]
ANDERSON: Twenty-two ancient mummies and now settled in a new museum.
END
