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Iran Attack Threatens Nuclear Talks; U.S. Calls for Pause in J&J Vaccine; U.K. Pubs Reopen with Outdoor Service Only; European Lawmakers Review Vaccine Passport Proposal; Violence in Tigray; NATO Concerned about Russian Buildup at Ukraine Border; Photographer Captures Daily Life in Baghdad. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired April 13, 2021 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNNI HOST (voice-over): Tonight, Iran vowing revenge. A mysterious attack on its nuclear site now threatening to undermine recently
revived nuclear talks.
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ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ahmed (ph) brings me to a place he wanted to bring me to for years but couldn't.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First of all, I'm happy here. This is the first time I bring you to my childhood neighborhood.
ANDERSON (voice-over): CNN goes on a rare and emotional ride through the streets of Baghdad nearly two decades after the devastating war there
started.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Then over a year into the deadly coronavirus pandemic, we are still seeing scenes like this in India. They report from
the largest religious pilgrimage on Earth.
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ANNOUNCER (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
ANDERSON: It's 4:00 pm in the evening here in Abu Dhabi where we are coming to you live from CNN's Middle East programming hub. I'm Becky
Anderson. Hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD.
I want to start with breaking news. U.S. health authorities just issued a joint statement calling for an immediate pause in the U.S. of Johnson &
Johnson's single dose coronavirus vaccine.
This comes after six recipients in the U.S. developed a rare disorder involving blood clots with two weeks of being vaccinated. European health
officials faced similar problems with the AstraZeneca vaccine. We'll get you more information on this.
First up, a temporary setback. That's how Iran's top diplomat is describing the mysterious outage at its main nuclear site. Mohammad Javad Zarif vows
the facility will soon have advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges back in place.
Details on the weekend incident are murky. Iran calls it an electrical outage and says it has identified the person responsible. Zarif blame
Israel, calling it nuclear terrorism and a grave war crime that must not go unpunished.
Israel has not commented though its army chief hinted at Israeli involvement. The incident coming just days after informal talks began in
Vienna to get the U.S. back into the nuclear deal and Iran back into compliance.
But its talks will continue. Iran is suspending meetings with the E.U. on human rights, on terrorism, on refugees and on other topics, Tehran citing
E.U. sanctions on 11 Iranian officials or entities for their roles in a deadly crackdown on protests in 2019.
The White House is telling the world America played no role in this incident over the weekend. And it's doubling down on that denial. Take a
listen to the White House press secretary.
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JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The U.S. was not involved in any manner. We have nothing to add on speculation about the causes or the
impacts. Our focus is on the diplomatic path forward. We have not been given any indication that attendance at the discussions -- and that will
proceed on Wednesday -- has changed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Fred Pleitgen has reported from Iran on numerous occasions and was just in Vienna for those nuclear talks. Hadas Gold is in Jerusalem.
Hadas, Iran accusing Israel of orchestrating sabotage. Israel not officially saying anything at this point.
What are you hearing locally?
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's correct; Israel is not officially confirming or denying their involvement but Israeli media pretty quickly
pointed the finger, citing unnamed sources at the Israeli Mossad agency.
And as you noted, the Israeli army chief did make some interesting statements just hours after the incident took place. He said Israel's
operations throughout the Middle East are not hidden from the eyes of the enemies.
Then also at an event yesterday, alongside the U.S. Secretary of Defense, who was visiting Israel, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu also addressed
Iran. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: My policy as prime minister of Israel is clear.
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NETANYAHU: I will never allow Iran to obtain the nuclear capability to carry out its genocidal goal of eliminating Israel. And Israel will
continue to defend itself against Iran's aggression and terrorism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLD: This was taking place with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Israel visiting. He did not directly comment on the incident, only echoing
what the White House press secretary was saying, that they are focusing on the diplomatic talks ongoing in Vienna.
Interestingly today, the U.S. and Israel, according to our colleague in Washington, they are expected to hold their second round of strategic
talks, which are expected to include discussions on Iran. But we have been told that these meetings were scheduled to take place before this incident
occurred.
ANDERSON: Hadas, thank you.
Fred, we are just hearing some fairly significant news, that some Iranian officials claim that thousands of centrifuges were damaged in this nuclear
facility sabotage attack.
What more do we know at this point?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That is indeed some really interesting news. As right now, it's murky as to how big the
damage is at the facility.
But you're right. A senior Iranian parliamentarian came out and said that thousands of centrifuges that had been knocked out of commission by this
attack that happened. We have to say that with the caveat that this particular parliamentarian is someone that's very critical of nuclear
enrichment.
He's also someone who is a hardliner but someone who is a very senior politician, who did make these remarks on Iranian state TV. That's
significant.
So far officially from the government, we don't have anything as to what the damage was from this incident that took place. However, what Iranian
officials have said is that there are repairs going on at the facility and also that a backup power system has already been restored there as well.
Now the Iranians acknowledging that damage took place and the older centrifuges that were damaged in this incident will be replaced by newer
and more powerful centrifuges, essentially the Iranians are saying that they are going to increase their capabilities at the facility after all
this took place.
I want to listen in to what the Iranian government spokesman said. Let's listen in.
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SAEED KHATIBZADEH, IRAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON (through translator): The unfortunate event that took place in Natanz and the Zionist regime has
said multiple times both now and before and it can be heard from multiple sources that confirm that the Zionist regime was behind this.
If the goal has been to disrupt the path of sanction relief for the Iranian people, they will definitely not reach this goal. And no one will fall into
their deceitful trap.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: So the Iranian government spokesman, saying that, first of all, they are going to go back to its operating and also that the Iranians are
going to continue those indirect talks. We have been monitoring them so closely with the United States and the other remaining members of the JCPOA
that are currently underway.
The Iranians are saying this, the foreign minister saying their position has been strengthened. But I picked up one other interesting thing. Javad
Zarif also wrote a letter to the secretary-general of the United Nations.
In the last paragraph of that letter, he called on the United States to drop all the sanctions. He said that Iran would then reverse all the things
that they have done that brought them out of full compliance with the nuclear deal.
He said, for the time being, after the incident, Iran is going to accelerate the measures that they have taken in which they are not
compliant with the nuclear agreement. Certainly, we can expect them to ramp up some things in the next period of time.
But at the same time, they are still saying that they are still sticking by the talks and that everything can be reversed if the U.S. comes back into
the deal.
ANDERSON: These are indirect talks. The U.S. has been pushing the Iranians to get into direct talks, which as you rightly point out, the Iranians say
no way until the sanctions are lifted, all of these sanctions are lifted.
The U.S. is emphatic that the sabotage attack has nothing to do with Washington, they say we knew nothing about it.
How does what happened over the weekend, do you think, affect, if at all, the momentum for these talks in Vienna?
PLEITGEN: The one thing you point out is correct.
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PLEITGEN: It's not surprising that the United States is saying that they have nothing to do with what happened because that would be something that
could seriously jeopardize those talks moving forward.
So the U.S. is saying we want to continue this diplomacy. Both Iran and the United States have acknowledged they want the nuclear agreement to survive.
But with something happening on the scale of what appears to have happened, that's certainly something that could be quite difficult for that
agreement.
Now that letter that Javad Zarif wrote to the secretary general of the United Nations, that's certainly that's very interesting.
The Iranians are saying they are going to accelerate some of the things they have done, where they dropped some of the provisions of the nuclear
agreement, gone over the amount of uranium they are allowed to make and the quality, enriching it to a higher level. That in the meantime is going to
happen.
That makes time even more of the essence to get the U.S. back into the deal and get the Iranians back into full compliance. But it certainly seems the
Iranians are still willing to stick with the negotiations that are going on.
And I think one of the things and the vibe that I got when I was in Vienna and some of the things we have been hearing, I don't think that's
necessarily changed, even after what happened.
I think the Iranians are getting signals from the U.S., which are things they have wanted to hear. You have the administration say they are possibly
willing to lift sanctions that they say are not in line with the gist of the agreement.
That doesn't mean only nuclear sanctions. Possibly some other sanctions put in place under the Trump administration as well. It does appear as though
that momentum that was there, that does seem to be there, even after what happened in Natanz.
ANDERSON: Fred in Berlin today, Hadas is in Jerusalem. To both of you, thank you.
We're going to take a short break. Back after this.
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ANDERSON: The top of this hour, I brought you some breaking news on the vaccine front. This is important. This is news out of the U.S. this hour.
U.S. health authorities have called for a pause on the Johnson & Johnson single-use COVID vaccine. Let's get to our chief medical correspondent, Dr.
Sanjay Gupta, for more on this.
What's behind this pause?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: What they have found is that there's been six women who developed blood clotting problems that seem
to be related to this vaccine. It's not entirely clear yet. They are investigating things.
But there's enough of a concern that the women developed blood clots, known as cerebral venous thromboses, basically the blood vessels in the brain,
blood vessels that drain blood away from the brain.
And one woman died and one is in intensive care. They are still trying to investigate that this is related to the vaccine. But that's the concern.
What you're seeing on the screen is a graphic image of what the blood vessels in the brain look like, that's in blue.
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GUPTA: If you take blood to the brain, you've also got to drain blood away from the brain and that's what the veins do. If those veins become blocked,
the brain can swell and even develop bleeding around those blood vessels.
It's a lot to absorb but that's essentially what they are concerned about and trying to identify why these women developed this and what to do going
forward.
ANDERSON: Do you know how many doses have been administered and what the incidence is of these blood clot issues?
GUPTA: It seems very rare right now. I think there's been over 6 million doses administered. We're talking about six people. So literally one in a
million. So it is rare. I think that's hopefully somewhat reassuring for a lot of people watching, saying, hey, I took that vaccine.
But the thing about this sort of thing is that we saw some concerns about blood clotting with the AstraZeneca vaccine. You'll remember that in
Europe. We're seeing concerns with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. They are both what are known as adenovirus vaccines. It's a type of vaccine that's
different than the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna.
It's different from a protein subunit vaccine. So this is a warranted concern in that we now have some sort of safety signals that have come up a
few times now with regard to these vaccines and blood clots overall.
The point you're making is an important one. It is very rare. I think that should be reassuring. But it is of concern enough that, if this is
something that is found to have some sort of association, that there may be certain segments of the population who are told to not take these vaccines.
We may now see that Johnson & Johnson.
ANDERSON: We are very mindful about reporting these issues, which is why it's so important that our viewers get to hear from you, Dr. Sanjay Gupta,
because so much of what's happening with coronavirus is happening in real time. And the information gets spread on social media.
The medical and scientific communities are sort of running to keep up with what it's learning from these vaccines. I wonder what all of this means.
On this occasion, for example, how will this impact rollouts?
GUPTA: I hear you. This is a real sort of -- there's a lot of factors that are coming together here. Part of it is you have these trials that look
good. Part is, when you release these vaccines or any sort of medicine to larger and larger populations, you keep reviewing the data.
Now that millions of people are getting it instead of thousands, is something else popping out here?
That's sort of what happened here. In some ways, it sort of shows that the system works. It wasn't just, vaccine authorized; put it out there and just
see what happens. They have continued to follow this data.
That's why even rare things like six out of 6 million sort of pop up. That hits people's radar.
On the other hand, there's a real issue with vaccine hesitancy overall. And just being candid, this will do nothing to help that. People will look at
this and say, hey, look, I was perfectly healthy. You give a vaccine to healthy people and now I have a problem, even if it is rare.
The larger concern is the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, there's been hundreds of millions of doses now given out and they haven't had these
safety concerns. But they are harder vaccines to deploy.
The AstraZeneca was to be easier to deploy. There's concerns about that. Johnson & Johnson, an easier vaccine to deploy around the world. There's
still concerns. We'll see what happens going forward.
Maybe a situation where you have to say, look, not the same vaccine for everybody. Women with this vaccine, they were the ones who seem to develop
these blood clotting problems. They were younger women.
Is it something about their hormones predisposing them to clotting?
Are they on birth control?
Do they have a history of underlying malignancy?
We don't know the answers to these questions. Some of these may pop out as investigators race to look into this. And maybe that will give a little
more clarity and more reassurance.
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GUPTA: But right now, in a situation where something has happened like this, as rare as it may be, pausing, evaluating is really important.
Luckily, there's enough other vaccine out there that hopefully can fill that gap around the world. But it's obviously going to have an impact if
you start to pause vaccines like this.
ANDERSON: Sure. And that's important because you and I have discussed this. They are not the panacea but the vaccines are an enormously important
tool in our tool kit in fighting COVID-19 and particularly important, as we see numbers around the world, which are alarming to say the least.
There are several countries in this region of the Middle East who have seen large increases in COVID-19 cases over the past months, seeing
significantly larger numbers as well. The World Health Organization warning cases have been rising for seven consecutive weeks now. Deaths have been
climbing for four weeks in a row.
Cases had been declining in January and February. Before I let you go, I wonder whether you have a message for the viewers when it comes to the sort
of caseload that we continue to see around the world and what your sort of message and advice is at this point.
GUPTA: Yes, I think there's two messages here. I'm so immersed in this. Sometimes it's hard for me to try to consolidate this into a couple
thoughts but I will say this, that everything you just said is true.
I think there's a lot of people who are looking at this in rearview mirror and saying COVID is in the background now. We're getting through this.
There's reasons to be optimistic but the numbers are still going up.
Some places that haven't received enough vaccine, hospitalizations and deaths are still going up.
The second part of that message, there's places around the world that, even without the vaccine, were able to bring this localized pandemic under
control. We're talking about a small strand of genetic material. It can't jump very far. It doesn't like to be outdoors. It's fairly easily contained
by a mask. The basics still apply here.
If we had leaned into the basics, we wouldn't be in the same predicament. I'm not trying to minimize things here. But there are basic public health
measures that can and should still make a huge difference, even as we navigate these vaccines.
ANDERSON: Sage advice as ever, Dr. Sanjay Gupta for you, viewers. Wherever you are watching in the world, this advice is pertinent: please wear a
mask, stay safe and stay well. Thank you, Sanjay.
The British government says its COVID vaccination plan is now ahead of schedule. More than 32 million people have been offered a first dose of
vaccine and that's in a population of some 60 million. And that's all of adults over the age of 50, the clinically vulnerable and social care
workers.
Prime minister Boris Johnson called it a significant milestone. Adults under 50 are expected to be invited in the coming days to get a dose. This
puts the U.K. closer to its target of offering all adults a vaccination by the end of July.
All that is good news for businesses that have suffered under months of strict lockdown measures in the U.K. in order that authorities can protect
the health care system. Anna Stewart talks to some pub owners who finally got their customers back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was all hands on deck. After three months of lockdown, pubs could finally reopen. For now, though,
only outside.
Most of Laine's pubs have been able to reopen today, maximizing outdoor space and adopting COVID safety measures hasn't been cheap.
GAVIN GEORGE, CEO, LAINE PUB COMPANY: We spent at least a quarter million this time around and the outside areas and we've invested in ordering
table, apps technology and also, extra resource to manage the restrictions that we got this time.
STEWART: Hopefully, it's all worth it?
GEORGE: It's definitely worth it, yes. But we do need the government to stick to its recovery plan and come through the 21st for us to be able to
operate as normal without restrictions.
STEWART: This is just a first, but a very welcome one for the pub landlords.
JOLA MCROCZEK, LANDLORDS, THE BLACK LION: For day one, we've received booking within two. Two days. It was just -- it was just insane actually.
[08:25:00]
STEWART (voice-over): And as the clocks struck midday, the first bookings arrived.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Enjoy!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very happy to be back here, really am.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, face to face.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is fantastic to be back, yeah, absolutely. We've been waiting for long. Like the Beatles say, it's been a long cold lonely
winter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Getting lunch back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Getting my life back, yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Anna Stewart reporting.
The E.U. is trying to salvage its summer tourism season. With that in mind, lawmakers at the European Parliament are taking a closer look at the green
passport, known as a vaccine passport. European justice commissioner Didier Reynders said the certificate would, in his words, gradually restore free
movement in the region.
But how and for whom?
He joins me live from Brussels.
Thank you, sir. The plan is to try to launch this before summer to aid safe European travel. Right now, a third wave of COVID gripping Europe. States
like Greece and Portugal, countries that rely heavily on tourism, obviously, want to get this vaccine passport through for the summer months.
Are you seeing any pushback from other member states at this point?
DIDIER REYNDERS, EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER FOR JUSTICE: No, we have real support from the member states and the European Parliament. I went this
morning to the European Parliament to explain what we tried to do.
In fact, we are thinking about next summer and we want to be ready with new regulations or law to force the assurance of the same certificate in all
member states in Europe and to be ready with a technical solution, a digital solution --
(CROSSTALK)
REYNDERS: -- be possible for all the citizens to ask a certificate on paper or a digital certificate. But it's to reconnect the world from the
server (ph), of course. We try to be ready to facilitate the free movement in Europe from the beginning of July and we try to --
(CROSSTALK)
REYNDERS: -- people coming from their countries.
ANDERSON: Let's discuss this then because, globally, there's an awful lot of concern about these vaccine certificates. They have set off this fraught
debate about the fairness of what many perceive to be a two-tier system. For those who have been able to take a vaccine and those who haven't.
They're also stirring political and ethical discussions about discrimination, inequality, privacy and about fraud.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: How concerned are you about these issues?
Hold on, sir.
How concerned are you about these issues?
And are you confident that the public will be on board if the E.U. is able to roll out this scheme in time for the summer?
REYNDERS: First of all, I'm quite confident about the reaction of our population because it's not a passport for just the vaccines. It's a
certificate I said without any discrimination. So with three kinds of data on the certificate. The recovery from the disease, the vaccination or a
test.
If you don't to be vaccinated or you don't have the opportunity to be vaccinated, it's possible to use tests to organize travels. First of all,
we tried to do that again in Europe, to facilitate free movement.
But will it be possible for the summer to lift some restrictions?
We want to give the chance to all the citizens to travel with the same facilities and without discrimination, with recovery and vaccination and
tests and for the moment it's possible to travel in Europe with tests and (INAUDIBLE).
ANDERSON: Delays and supply shortages have significantly affected, stalled Europe's joint vaccine rollout. Many have been calling it an unmitigated
disaster and European member states have called it an unmitigated disaster.
The suspensions and restrictions placed on the AstraZeneca vaccine have compounded this issue. Now I do understand that the bloc expects 350
million new vaccine doses delivered by the second quarter of this year. That would significantly speed things up, to get these vaccines into
people's arms.
I do wonder, I have heard you say that herd immunity is a possibility by July.
Is that really genuinely a realistic goal at this point?
REYNDERS: We have had many problems with one company, AstraZeneca.
[08:30:00]
REYNDERS: But we have received what it was committed by Pfizer and all the companies. Now we are waiting for more than 350 million doses before the
end of the second quarter. So it's very clear that we want to go to the immunity during the summer, maybe in July.
And we want to be ready to react, when it be possible for the minute states to lift the restrictions to travels. We are starting with the citizens
living in the E.U. and also with nationals from third countries residing in the union.
And then we're going to try to work at international level certainly with the U.S. but with the WHO to find availability between all certificate and
a solution maybe in the U.S. and U.K. and other parts of the world.
ANDERSON: With that, we'll leave it there, sir. We thank you for making time for us today. Thank you. Important stuff. Back after this.
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ANDERSON: Ethiopia facing international pressure after reports of human rights violations that may amount to war crimes in the Tigray region.
Thousands of civilians are believed to have been killed since November. And the Ethiopian prime minister launched a major military operation against
the Tigray region's ruling party.
CNN's own investigation with Amnesty International found the Ethiopian army involved in the extrajudicial killings of at least 12 men. Here's CNN's
Nima Elbagir with that report.
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NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You're watching footage filmed by a soldier turned whistleblower, now in hiding.
This video was obtained by a pro-Tigray media organization based in the U.S.
The video you're watching will show these Ethiopian soldiers execute these men. A war crime.
The Ethiopian government has waged war against Tigray's ousted regional leaders for the last five months with the help of neighboring Eritrea.
Ethiopia has implied the atrocities in Tigray are mainly Eritrea's doing. That's not true and here's why.
We know these are Ethiopian soldiers because of the Ethiopian flag on their shoulders here and here. Examining details of the stitching, color and
camouflage patterns, military experts confirmed to us that the uniforms match those of the Ethiopian army.
In addition, the soldiers are speaking Amharic, the official language of the Ethiopian federal army, distinct from the local language.
We also know the location by analyzing the video and geolocating the footage. We know it's in central Tigray by the mountain range and terrain
just south of the city of Aksum.
This model, developed by Amnesty International then verifies that location through spatial analysis. You can see the mountain range matches the
footage.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That's just part of Nima's reporting and that not the half of it.
[08:35:00]
ANDERSON: Reports of rape used as a weapon of war on the ground there. Finland's minister for foreign affairs, Pekka Haavisto, has just returned
from the Tigray region and joins me live from Helsinki.
Great to have you with us. You visited Ethiopia on behalf of the E.U. on a number of occasions, including in the past week. You say the situation in
the Tigray region is out of control.
What do you mean by that?
PEKKA HAAVISTO, FINNISH MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: I had the opportunity to visit the capital of Tigray. I was visiting the university
hospital. It was very clear that civilian victims are still coming into the hospital. It's still overcrowded at the moment.
Other health facilities have been looted or destroyed. And what was most concerning is that the human rights violations are ongoing, particularly
the U.N. agencies raised up the issue that even more than one person knew, IDPs (ph) are coming from western Tigray. So there is this forced
displacement of people ongoing from some parts of Tigray still.
ANDERSON: Sir, you have vast experience in Africa, working in the field of conflict resolution.
Given what you have witnessed on the ground, do you see a peaceful way out of this conflict?
HAAVISTO: Well, that was one of our messages from the European Union side. Both the world fighting parties, including the Ethiopian military,
including Eritreans who are still on the ground, including the armed militias and the pockets of resistance, the TPLF (INAUDIBLE).
We cannot see any fighting solution to this. It has to be a negotiated solution and the human rights violations have to be investigated properly.
It looks like all parties might have done some human rights violations and, unfortunately, the COVID is still ongoing.
And for the civilian populations, they are definitely in between these fighting parties at the moment. Looting has been ongoing. People cannot
cultivate their land. The agriculture is not functional at moment. And this might bring a new (INAUDIBLE) crisis in the region.
ANDERSON: We will continue to follow this conflict and hold those responsible to account. Rely on us at CONNECT THE WORLD to do that.
While I have you on, I want to get your reaction to a CNN report from our correspondent, Matthew Chance, who was on the front lines of Donbas,
Eastern Ukraine, alongside President Zelensky. Here's what the Ukrainian president told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Is there a chance the Russians could be planning an invasion?
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Of course, of course. We know it, begging from 2-0 Putin (ph), we know that it can be. It can be anywhere at
(INAUDIBLE). It can be. So they are ready (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Ukrainian military officials also told CNN they estimate more than 50,000 Russian troops are massing near the border. Clearly,
geographically, Finland couldn't be closer.
How seriously is Finland taking this, monitoring Russian activity on the Ukrainian border?
HAAVISTO: Of course, Ukraine is very close to us. It's very close to Europe Union. We have been supporting of course Ukraine and their
sovereignty and their right of keeping their borders.
We condemned the Crimean occupation and the happenings in Eastern Ukraine. We are very worried about the current crisis and escalation of bringing new
Russian troops up close to the borders of Ukraine.
It's unnecessary and it's causing extra concerns also among the Ukrainian population. The European Union foreign ministers who discussed this on
Monday (INAUDIBLE) but already we have reacted with our concerns.
ANDERSON: Is it time that Ukraine is granted NATO membership?
HAAVISTO: Of course, that's the question of NATO and the question of Ukraine. Finland is not member of NATO. But every countries would be
guaranteed their security. And there's a process to solve the problems of Crimea and East Ukraine.
There's been the Minsk agreement and we are asking both Russia and Ukraine to return back to the table. At this moment, it's very much up to Russia to
fulfill those requirements.
[08:40:00]
ANDERSON: Sir, France, Italy and Germany now finally is stepping up the pace of their vaccine rollouts amid a deadly third wave, gripping Europe,
delays and supply shortages have significantly stalled the continent's joint rollout.
Will Finland be able to follow suit and ramp up its own vaccine rollout?
Or are there still significant barriers?
HAAVISTO: We are part of the vaccine program. Our vaccines are coming from this overall package the European Union is getting. But we have a quite
good and controlled situation currently here in Finland.
We are already looking for exit strategy and we are looking for this green passport, vaccination passport, that people could move more easily in
Europe and other places. I think for the economy that would be good, as long as we get the vaccines and get this under control, that free movement
of people would be direct.
ANDERSON: We really appreciate your time today. Thank you so much for joining us.
A wide ranging discussion with the Finnish foreign minister.
It was 18 years ago we first brought you these pictures, the toppling of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Just ahead, Arwa Damon with an extraordinary report
on how the lives of Iraqi people have been battered since that regime fell.
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ANDERSON: Iran's top diplomat says a recent mysterious outage of a nuclear facility will only strengthen Iran's hand at talks to revive the 2015
nuclear deal. Mohammad Javad Zarif said Israel made "a very bad gamble" if it thought sabotaging the nuclear site would weaken its position.
Israel has not officially commented on the incident, though its army chief has hinted at Israeli involvement.
Iraq, another country shattered by U.S.-led international sanctions. It's been over 18 years since the collapse of Saddam Hussein's rule. Much of
Baghdad came under American control. Early on, there were tearful welcomes to advancing American troops, like this toppling of Saddam Hussein's
statue. That excitement was short lived.
Arwa Damon was on the ground throughout that second conflict and has been looking back at the profound losses, the numbness and a few glimmers of
hope that continue to touch lives and psyches across the country. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAMON (voice-over): Each neighborhood, each street, each family has a story of suffering.
[08:45:00]
DAMON (voice-over): The violence was so widespread here that I, in my 18 years of covering the war in Iraq, do not know a single person who has not
somehow by impacted by it.
DAMON: We are going to meet up with Noof, who we first met 10 years ago. I'm quite excited to catch up with her.
How are you?
NOOF ASSI, IRAQI BLOGGER AND ACTIVIST: Good.
DAMON (voice-over): Ten years ago when I first met Noof, she took us to the streets around her old high school. Back then, they were lined with
corpses.
ASSI: I got used to seeing people getting killed. So then I started losing that empathy, let's say. Then it's like, everybody is going to die.
DAMON: I also remember you talking about nightmares and saying all you wished for was something of a dreamless sleep.
Is that still the case?
ASSI: When I get worried, these nightmares come back but not as like in the past. I lost my humanity. I didn't feel anything. If people tell me
someone dies, it's like, meh.
DAMON: Have you been able to get it back?
ASSI: Yes, I really worked hard on that because I couldn't stand myself. I really don't like the person I used to be.
DAMON: (Speaking foreign language).
DAMON (voice-over): Over the years, I have interviewed countless victims of the war. But it is often the stories we were never able to tell that
stayed with me the most.
DAMON: I think it's kind of crazy that someone is doing crew in the river.
MOHAMMED TAWFEEQ, CNN PRODUCER: We should do it.
DAMON (voice-over): Mohammed and I started at CNN within weeks of each other. For years in the Baghdad bureau, he was the cornerstone of our Iraq
coverage, a dear friend and colleague to so many of us.
DAMON: I have always wanted to ask you what it was like for you to watch your life, your country, your people turn into a story.
TAWFEEQ: I was sad. I was very sad. Obviously, I was constantly thinking about my family, constantly thinking about my relatives, constantly going
outside and seeing all the destruction and damages. It wasn't easy.
DAMON: Do you feel like, when the violence was at its worst, that people, that our viewers understood how bad it really was?
TAWFEEQ: I don't think so. It was difficult for them to understand. There's so many little details that I don't think anyone can understand it.
DAMON (voice-over): In Baghdad, the Tigris River has become a favored way to dispose of bodies. Each day, hired boats pull bodies out of the river.
DAMON: Each time I look at the river, I always remember the stories about the bodies.
TAWFEEQ: This is constant in our mind, the dead bodies in the river.
I never imagine in my life I will see this type of books. Everything used to be controlled by the president, by the previous regime. This is the end
of Al-Mutanabbi Street, the book street. And now I'm passing by al- Shahbandar coffee shop, the most iconic and famous coffee shop on this street.
Some people, usually after they buy their books, they go inside, they talk, they chat, they have their tea. We woke up that morning in 2007 and there
was such tragic news. We heard that this coffee shop was severely damaged in a massive suicide car bomb, where we had dozens were killed.
DAMON (voice-over): Among the dead, four of the coffee shop owners' sons.
TAWFEEQ: I'm talking to the owner of the coffee shop, Abu Vanim (ph).
He's telling me when his wife heard the news that her kids died, she went blind, she went crazy and she passed away.
(Speaking foreign language).
ABU VANIM (PH), AL-SHAHBANDAR COFFEE SHOP OWNER: (Speaking foreign language).
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am very happy today because (INAUDIBLE) victory (INAUDIBLE). (INAUDIBLE).
DAMON (voice-over): Over the last 18 years, moments of joy for Iraqis were so rare. I'll never forget the year Iraq won the Asia Cup, how the whole
country came together. How, for that brief moment, everyone forgot about the war, the hatred, the killing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is our victory.
TAWFEEQ: (INAUDIBLE) I think for me that day changed my perception of about this country because I thought there's no (INAUDIBLE) sectarian
violence and (INAUDIBLE).
[08:50:00]
TAWFEEQ: And all of a sudden, we see Sunni, Shiite, Kurds, Christians, the entire country celebrating this moment.
DAMON (voice-over): Mohammed brings me to a place he wanted to bring me to for years but couldn't.
TAWFEEQ: First of all, I'm happy you're here, really. This is the first time I bring you to my childhood neighborhood, Talbiyah (ph).
DAMON (voice-over): This may not seem like a big deal but it is. Mohammed, like other journalists, people working with the Americans or a foreign
company, was a target. He had to keep his work secret from his friends, from anyone who was not immediate family.
TAWFEEQ: I spoke to my relatives, by the way. They asked me not to mention exact locations because they still feel like fear for their safety.
DAMON (voice-over): In 2013, Mohammed finally got asylum in the U.S.
TAWFEEQ: I remember one day I was walking the street in midtown Atlanta and walking, like going to a store to buy something. I heard someone
walking behind me and immediately my reaction, this trauma is still inside me, fear is still inside me. When we heard that the U.S. was coming to get
rid of Saddam, I was excited, I was happy.
But it's been 18 years. Nothing has been changing.
DAMON: I get this question a lot. I'm sure you get it more than I do.
Was it better under Saddam or is it better now?
TAWFEEQ: It's not that simple to answer this question. It's not that easy.
DAMON: Because it's not black and white.
TAWFEEQ: At all, at all, why we have to choose between two nightmares.
DAMON (voice-over): The younger generation is the generation of war, of social media, of knowing that better than this exists and being willing to
sacrifice for it. Hundreds have been killed in demonstrations, demanding basic services, government reforms, an end to corruption and outside
influence.
DAMON: For you it's been a decade of protests.
ASSI: Yes. It's literally today, in 2011, I was here.
DAMON: So what has changed in the last 10 years?
ASSI: Lots of things changed but let's say, if you look at it overall, nothing changed. But our lives, the way we look at things, our perspectives
are changed.
DAMON: This country has paid such a price for everything. It's impossible to understand it, especially for an outsider.
ASSI: And sometimes we always question ourselves, is it worth it?
I'm losing all these people.
DAMON: Is it?
ASSI: I don't know the answer yet. I still ask myself that question every day.
TAWFEEQ: Look and seeing new generation, I really have hope. There's such a bold, smart, educated generation. And I'm optimistic. It's going to take
a second, though. It's going to happen overnight.
DAMON: And it's not going to happen in your lifetime.
TAWFEEQ: I don't think so, no.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson.
[08:55:00]
ANDERSON: You just saw before the break a compelling report by on Iraq 18 years after the downing of those statues of Saddam Hussein. I want to
connect you now to an Iraqi photographer, Amir Hazem, who is capturing the wartorn city of Baghdad in a new light.
Despite facing the constant threat of violence, his pictures show that life there does still go on, from painters in their studios to skateboarders
having fun, he's part of a bold, new generation, ready to freely express themselves. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
AMIR HAZEM, PHOTOGRAPHER (voice-over): For me, it is a personal experience for me and how I see things and how I capture it. And luckily I feel in my
city growing up with all of the war and what's happening in my childhood, I think it comes between the young generation and my time growing up here
when I was young.
There was an information block and I couldn't know too many things about the war. It was fear in the air. You can't do many things or suppress
yourself if you're under pressure of fear.
I think now the young generation can be bold about what they want to do. Now they can connect with the war at a young age and that gives them the
power to participate in so much activity like sport, art scene. There's so much creativity and energy.
If I could describe Baghdad in one word, I'm going to say it's a complicated city. But life is still going on even through all of this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Remarkable footage there.
This is the first full day of Ramadan. I want to take us around the world to show how people are celebrating the holy month of prayer, fasting and
reflection. In the old town of Iraq's northern city of Mosul, children received toys and kids posed in front of alfresco paintings with lots of
light and bright colors there.
Lights helping set the scene in the old town of Jerusalem on the first evening of the holy month. And traditional Ramadan suites on display in
Aleppo in Syria where people have been shopping ahead of the fast.
In the capital of Indonesia, social distancing keeping group prayers safe on the first night at a prominent mosque in Jakarta.
For those who are celebrating, thank you for watching. I'll be back for another hour of CONNECT THE WORLD in an hour's time. But for now, it's time
for "FIRST MOVE" with Julia Chatterley.
[09:00:00]
END
