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Biden to Begin U.S. Troop Withdrawal from Afghanistan on May 1; U.S. Announces Tough New Sanctions on Russia; France to Administer Johnson & Johnson Vaccine as Planned; Germany Pushes for National Lockdown Emergency Law; Resolving Human-Wildlife Conflict in India; U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry in China for Talks. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired April 15, 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]
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Right now we will be connecting you to everywhere that matters. America's top diplomat landing in Afghanistan,
a day after the U.S. pulls the plug on its longest war. We are in Kabul this hour.
Then as we are set to learn more about the funeral plans for Britain's Prince Philip, we take you live to Windsor.
And America's climate envoy in China to talk the fate of our planet. You have got it and we are there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
ANDERSON: It is 8 in the evening in Shanghai. It's 1:00 pm in the afternoon in Windsor, 4:30 in Kabul where we start this hour.
The top U.S. diplomat is in Afghanistan, a day after the American president announced that its longest war is ending. Secretary of state Antony Blinken
painting the decision by Joe Biden as the start of a new American chapter in Afghanistan, even as that nation's leaders face an unsettling uncertain
future.
Blinken describing the partnership as changing but enduring. President Biden told his country, the time for change is past due, as he revealed the
U.S. troop withdrawal will start on May 1st and end by September 11th, the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks on American soil.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I concluded that it's time to end America's longest war.
We went to Afghanistan because of a horrific attack that happened 20 years ago. That cannot explain why we should remain there in 2021.
We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan, hoping to create ideal conditions for the
withdrawal and expecting a different result.
I'm now the fourth United States president to preside over American troop presence in Afghanistan, two Republicans, two Democrats. I will not pass
this responsibility on to a fifth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The looming withdrawal being met with decidedly mixed reaction in Washington and beyond. The administration's critics, some of them
Democrats, said increases the chances of another 9/11-type attack.
Former president Barack Obama, who supports the decision, warns of difficult challenges and further hardship ahead in Afghanistan. His
forecast may face an early test.
The Taliban there insisting all foreign troops leave the country by May 1st, the original date agreed by the previous U.S. administration and
signed at this 2020 ceremony in Qatar. They warn of trouble if that deadline is not met.
In the midst of all this, the Afghan people, the U.S. and its NATO allies are leaving a country where, in Taliban-controlled areas, at least, women
can't leave the house without a male companion, girls don't go to school and minor offenses like theft can be punished with public hangings.
Let's start by connecting you to Kabul this hour. Nick Paton Walsh is there. He's covered the Afghanistan war for much of its nearly 20-year
history, joining us live.
Nick, this is what Antony Blinken had to say when he hit the ground today in Afghanistan. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I'm here to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Islamic Republic (INAUDIBLE) and we have a
partnership that is changing but enduring. And as we have been discussing, as the president said, we have a new chapter. But it's a new chapter that
we're writing together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: "It's a new chapter that we are writing together."
Nick, his words have a ring to them.
Question is, do they ring hollow locally?
What's been the response there?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Well, we've also seen from some of the full footage, his meeting with president Ashraf Ghani.
[08:05:00]
WALSH: In which the president there, Antony Blinken has been writing some stern letters to, frankly telling him to get on board with the peace
process the Americans are trying to start in Istanbul in a week.
Ashraf Ghani said after that meeting they respected the decision of the U.S. and they were adjusting their priorities accordingly. Frankly, gentle
reception from a presidential palace here that knows fully well this is potentially imperiling their position here even in Kabul.
And they have, of course, been Afghans who perhaps welcome the end of a lengthy foreign intervention here, one of them, of course, is the Taliban
who again today have put out a statement saying that this is not fast enough, that they demand the original Doha agreement signed by Donald
Trump, which gives them until May 1st to get out.
That's when Joe Biden wants troops to start withdrawing. We heard just in the last hour from the Taliban again saying that if that is not the
decision not to leave by May 1st is in violation of that Doha agreement and the Taliban might take countermeasures, suggesting what many fear here we
could see further violence possibly directed toward American targets, just to get this process that Joe Biden seems set upon underway.
We also heard earlier on from some people on the streets. Here are their reactions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The Americans have not fulfilled their responsibility to Afghanistan. Their responsibility is to ensure a
strong government. The rule of law and democracy in Afghanistan. I think the U.S. should not leave until it has fulfilled its responsibilities.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They failed to fulfill the promises they have made to the Afghan people. These forces are not useful
to Afghanistan because their presence has not changed the country's security situation.
So what does it mean if they stay here?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALSH: It's a tough one to accuse America of not being responsible in Afghanistan after 20 years of frankly trying everything they possibly can.
But Antony Blinken has a tough job here frankly. They tried to push the Afghan government towards peace talks. They've simply said, well, we're
leaving.
But it is true to say, too, that the relationship will remain. There will be a diplomatic presence here, with security around it. And within the
small print, reading between the lines of President Biden's speech, in the months ahead, if the Americans attacked, as they're leaving and if their
partners are attacked, he said they would respond.
That possibly means further military confrontation with the Taliban and it really comes down to the essential equation in the Taliban's mind.
Is it better to have a peace settlement that brings you diplomatically into a transitional government with which you might get more international aid
coming into the country, essentially helping you govern it successfully?
Or is it better to appease your rank and file, who want to see you, after two years of war here, claim a decisive military victory?
Regardless, though, none of this means this decision is anything frankly than ugly for many in Afghanistan. I don't really feel frankly, listening
to Joe Biden, he sees anything other than that.
He knows it's a bad decision whatever one he makes but one essentially that means that he's come to because there's no logic in his mind that means
America should stay on here further, Becky.
ANDERSON: There are competing narratives in the U.S. and indeed around the world on whether or not this is a sensible idea, this U.S. and NATO
withdrawal, and whether it will indeed benefit Afghanistan in the long term.
I just want you to take a listen to what senator Lindsey Graham, for example, had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): What do we lose by pulling out?
We lose that insurance policy against another 9/11. We lose a listening post in the backyard of some of the most radical movements in the world.
Afghanistan has been a platform where we can monitor what's going on in Iran and other places. We lose all that.
What do we gain?
We gain the idea that the war is now over and Joe Biden ended the longest war in American history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Look, it doesn't matter what you think about Lindsey Graham, one thing is clear, he does have extensive experience in U.S. foreign policy. I
guess this decision is being seen by supporters through the prism of U.S. national security.
So the question really is, at the end of the day, does Afghanistan still pose a national security threat?
WALSH: To the United States, at this point, it's hard to find officials who can tell you convincingly that there are attacks against the United
States being plotted here in Afghanistan.
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WALSH: But you will also hear people who could be plotting attacks are here and they're talking to each other and are doing well, growing in
strength, to quote a Treasury report from just in January, under the protection of the Taliban here. So it is potentially bad.
But Lindsey Graham is a man who changes his opinion about people quite regularly, so it'll be interesting if he retains this. Counterterrorism in
2021 is not what it was 20 years ago after 9/11. You don't have to be sat here all the time in order to go after these people.
The Afghan Special Forces, part of the NDS, their intelligence services here, do a very good job of going after the Al Qaeda still in Afghanistan
here as well. They get a lot of intelligence passed on, signal intelligence from the Americans, too.
The Americans don't have to be sat here in Afghanistan. They can fly over it with drones to collect that information, too, or be in neighboring
countries. So many other options here as well.
But all of this aside, yes, there is no imminent national security risk you can see here today that we know of. But still it doesn't mean that the
months ahead are not going to be exceptionally messy.
ANDERSON: Yes. Nick Paton Walsh on the ground for you in Kabul, Nick, appreciate it. Thank you. Good reporting, mate.
Well, I want to reset one of the core tenets against the Taliban, their horrible treatment of women. My colleague, Christiane Amanpour, saw that
firsthand reporting for "60 Minutes" reporting back in 2002.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN HOST (voice-over): But when the Taliban were in power, they subjected women to a brand of barbarity more cruel and
oppressive than we had witnessed anywhere else in the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I have to say that was probably the least of it. I want to talk more about this with Fatima Gailani, she's an Afghan women's rights
activist, one of the four women on the Afghan government's negotiating team with the Taliban. She and I have talked on this show a number of times.
And we very much appreciate your time once again today. Let's start with your thoughts on the announcement by the U.S. and indeed other NATO members
to withdraw troops from Afghanistan starting on May 1st.
Is the country ready for this full troop withdrawal?
FATIMA GAILANI, AFGHAN WOMEN'S RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Well, when the U.S. troops came to Afghanistan we knew and the NATO together, we knew that one day
they will withdraw.
But I mean, a responsible withdrawal without having a peace settled in Afghanistan is, in my opinion, irresponsible. So now we have time that we
work, that puts every effort behind the peace negotiations.
So before the September date we have to have something tangible for the people of Afghanistan, that they have some peace of mind, that peace is
coming. We don't want to be at war. This war has been imposed upon us long, long time ago, 43 years ago. And we have been living through this.
Generations were born through this. Now we want peace. And an irresponsible withdrawal without having peace in place, in my opinion, is not a very good
idea.
ANDERSON: You've called it highly immoral. You said a withdrawal is irresponsible without a known future. It is not only dangerous it is highly
immoral. Mr. Biden said he didn't want to pass the buck to another president, which perhaps you can understand and you made the point that, 20
years ago, you knew these troops would eventually go.
But what are they leaving -- what are the challenges they leave behind?
And what are your greatest concerns at this point?
GAILANI: My greatest concern is that this bucket will be left in the Afghanistan with a civil war. This is what we don't want. What we want in
Afghanistan is peace so the peace negotiations started here in Doha.
Every effort, every international effort, regional effort, it has to be put behind it. And, of course, we inside Afghanistan, under the umbrella of the
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, we have every obligation to honest to it and put every effort from our side. But we can't do it alone. We have to do
it together.
I, on behalf of all people of Afghanistan, especially women of Afghanistan, we expect peace before the September date.
And this is not a very big thing to ask, is it?
ANDERSON: Well, you've been one of the few female representatives involved in the Afghan government's peace talks with the Taliban, the peace talks in
Qatar, where you are, have faltered.
[08:15:00]
ANDERSON: And the Taliban have all but backed out of the next round of talks in Turkey. So frankly, from where I'm sitting, it is not looking
promising.
What's the state of the peace process at this point?
And how concerned are you that these troops will draw down and that the future that you talk about will not be organized in any fashion?
GAILANI: I'm not worried about the withdrawal of troops. I'm worried about the withdrawal of troops without peace intact. This is our worry.
This has started. I don't think that the region has put their heart properly behind it. You can see that, around Afghanistan, countries are
trying to play. This is not time for that. This is the time that, internationally, all the NATO presence in Afghanistan, we want each one of
these countries to put their efforts towards peace, too.
Whatever strength they have, they have to work towards peace. And we want a proper negotiation. Start here in Doha and continue in Istanbul and come
back with a framework and a timetable.
ANDERSON: But that's not going to happen without a Taliban, is it?
GAILANI: Of course not. Taliban are part of Afghanistan. We want Taliban to be with us in the future. Look, the mistake which was made in Bonn (ph),
we should not repeat that mistake. We want every single Afghan to live in Afghanistan in peace. We want every single Afghan to have the right of one
vote.
And then we will decide for our future. Of course, we want them also with us. And, of course, we are very committed to this peace, men and women in
Afghanistan.
But what peace means to us, as I told you, Becky, several times, inclusive peace, a sustainable peace, a peace which is fair for every single Afghan.
And, of course, that includes the Taliban, too. We welcome them. We have to have a future together.
ANDERSON: You have sat across the table and looked the Taliban negotiators in the eye. You say you want -- you need an inclusive peace.
Is that their position?
Do they share that hope and aspiration?
GAILANI: It's very difficult for me to read their mind but what I understood, majority of them, yes, they do want peace. Imagine all those
young people that we are losing from this side or the other side.
(INAUDIBLE). Every trigger which is pulled, an Afghan is dying. We have lost count of how many Afghans are dying. And when I say Afghans are dying,
I'm not saying this side or that side. This simply has to stop before the September date. It has to stop.
And we have to -- I have every faith in my heart and in my mind that, if the region and if big powers, they will want to help us for peace, they
will succeed. And we will succeed. And this is what we deserve really. We deserve this. This baggage should not go to the hand of another president
but not left in our backyard either, for God's sake.
ANDERSON: There will be U.S. members of the administration, likely watching this today, that are -- Antony Blinken is in region. The Defense
Secretary is in region.
So what are you asking of the U.S. and other NATO members that would help convince you that there is a possibility for peace before September?
What do you need from the international community at this point to help shore up your confidence?
GAILANI: I want efforts to be put and properly talked and properly negotiated within the people. Look, I mean, every blame is put on Afghans
that we are not united.
Are our friends united?
Do their make their decisions together?
We saw that they don't. So we have to work this together. We have to. We simply -- otherwise Afghanistan will go through a sheer hell. We have to
have peace no matter what effort it's taking, talking to the neighbors.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Just how concerned are you --
GAILANI: Sorry?
ANDERSON: How concerned are you about Afghanistan's women and girls at this point?
[08:20:00]
GAILANI: Look, women of Afghanistan are not just a small thing anymore. Whether it is in quantity or quality, they are a huge force in this
country. They cannot be ignored. And they will not be ignored.
Yes, we need support. But if -- I mean, it comes to a desperate situation, don't think that they will be defeated. They will stand for themselves and
they will fight for their rights. And I will be one of them. So we deserve help from everyone and we deserve an understanding from our Taliban
brothers and sisters, too.
This has to be one united country, with all of us, all women, all men and especially the youth of Afghanistan, who are the majority, who are the hope
of us, that they deserve to live in peace for the future.
ANDERSON: Do you have concerns that your country is on the brink of becoming a safe haven for terrorist groups once again?
Those are concerns shared by critics of this administration. It could be a haven for another 9/11-type attack.
Does that --
(CROSSTALK)
GAILANI: You heard the people in the streets just a few minutes ago. This is not a concern of some intellectual. This is the concern of people of
Afghanistan.
If peace is not signed and just put in the hand of Afghan people before the big changes, the possibility of the civil war is very high. And a country
with civil war is the best haven for all the bad doers, wrongdoers. They will take that.
Afghanistan is not an exception. It's happened in Afghanistan before. It's happened now. So peace is the only answer to all the problems of
Afghanistan. But I just told you what kind of peace we want.
ANDERSON: Fatima, we'll leave it there. We thank you indeed for your time once again on what is an important day for the country. Your insight is
invaluable. Thank you.
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ANDERSON: I want to take you the home to British royalty for nearly 1,000 years Windsor Castle, where preparations are underway for Saturday's
funeral for Prince Philip. A short time ago in central London the Duke's eldest son, Prince Charles, and his wife, Camilla, were out about to see
the floral tributes left by the public. The flowers initially left outside Buckingham Palace but were moved over to the road to Marlborough House. The
queen expected to view them as well.
Anna Stewart is in Windsor, connecting us to more of what is planned over the weekend.
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Becky. Yes, we're excited to get perhaps a little more detail today on the funeral itself. I think the most
important nugget of information will, of course, be the guest list, who can attend.
Only 30 people will be able to be in the service in St. George's Chapel on Saturday, due to COVID-19 restrictions. Now currently we believe Prince
Philip's children, his grandchildren will all be there, including, of course, Prince Harry.
You add some spouses in there as well, that brings the total up to around 20, so only around 20 seats really left there. Perhaps some other members
of the royal family, some cousins of Prince Philip or the queen, perhaps some close friends and, of course, it could be that we see some of Prince
Philip's staff attend as well.
So we should get more information on that. More information as well actually on some of the ceremonial detail that we'll see on Saturday,
including more information about the Land Rover, which Prince Philip himself designed to carry his coffin through the procession.
In the next few minutes we're expecting a rehearsal to get underway for the military in Windsor. Hundreds of members of the armed forces to take part,
from the Royal Navy, from the Marines, armed forces, from the RAF.
It's going to be a spectacular procession and a really fitting tribute for Prince Philip. So you'll have all the pomp and the pageantry in the minutes
up to the service and then just 30 people for what will feel like a very intimate, private affair. Becky.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Anna.
We'll be right back.
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[08:25:00]
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ANDERSON: The White House has announced new sanctions against Russia over what is known as the SolarWinds hacking attack. The U.S. is slapping a host
of financial sanctions against Moscow and expelling 10 Russian personnel from the diplomatic mission in Washington.
Now the Kremlin is already promising to reciprocate. Let's bring in CNN's international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson.
The stakes couldn't be higher.
What are the details as we understand them, Nic?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: So the Treasury is going to be issuing directives that will in essence make it harder for
Russia to do business in dollars and that's the anticipation there.
We understand that the six digital tech companies that were directly involved in the hacking, the SolarWinds hacking, they are being sanctioned,
32 entities and individuals that are involved in hacking and providing false information and false narratives during the U.S. elections 2020, they
have sanctions.
Eight individuals who are involved in abuses in Crimea are being targeted. Those 10 individuals you talked about, Russian diplomats currently serving
in Washington, D.C., to be expelled.
And we're also -- it is being sort of formally announced, something that's been understood all along, that the organizations behind the SolarWinds
hacking are government organizations.
The SVR, which is the foreign intelligence service behind Cozy Bear, The Dukes and so-called APT29. So this is the Biden administration if you will
going very clearly and saying, look, we're sanctioning these six tech companies that were involved in the physical hacking. But this was
something that was managed and directed at government level.
ANDERSON: Yes. This is a significant move coming as it does only, what, 24, 46 -- 24, 36 hours after the U.S. president spoke to his Russian
counterpart. I wonder whether this was a conversation that was had during that call.
You rightly point out that U.S. -- the U.S. has formally named Russian foreign intelligence service SVR as the culprit in the SolarWinds hack. I
just wonder just how consequential this action might be.
ROBERTSON: Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman of the Kremlin, earlier today said it was too soon to speak about the sanctions because they hadn't been made
public and he talked about them as leaks to journalists.
But he did say that, you know, that they are, A, wrong, that they won't work. However, he said, this is normal practice; that there will be
reciprocal actions from the Russian side.
We heard that earlier in the day in a tweet from one of the Russia senior diplomats at the United Nations, saying that this was last opportunity --
you know, putting the sanctions on was losing the last opportunity to avoid superpower confrontation. He said it wasn't Russia's choice.
Of course, sanctions are Washington's response to decisions that Russia had taken in terms of hacking because they had been broadly and specific
warnings. Russia having hacked, tried to unsettle and undermine the U.S. presidential elections in 2016.
The warnings were there and had gone ahead and done it in 2020. Biden promised to be tough on that.
[08:30:00]
ROBERTSON: So this is his first sort of concrete actions in that they -- toward the fact that he has offered face to face discussions, Biden will
have clearly known when he made that offer to Putin that he was planning to release these sanctions.
And so perhaps is providing a way for the two to deescalate this further down the road. As we heard from the White House yesterday, saying, we've
got to be clear and transparent and honest when it comes to where we have disagreements but work together where we can work together.
But undoubtedly, we're going to hear back from Russia probably quite soon on how they'll respond.
ANDERSON: The scope of that SolarWinds hacking extremely widespread. I mean, had the U.S. not responded to this, I think many people around the
world would have been extremely surprised. Nic, thank you.
Still ahead, Europe's immunization campaign hits a snag after Johnson & Johnson pauses its vaccine rollout. A live report from Paris is just ahead.
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ANDERSON: A grim milestone for Europe. The World Health Organization says that Europe has surpassed 1 million deaths due to the pandemic.
Well, this comes after the E.U.'s vaccination campaign hit another snag. Johnson & Johnson, as you will likely be aware by now, has paused its
vaccine rollout to investigate a potential link to blood clots. Now the European Medicines Agency is expected to issue a recommendation on that
vaccine next week.
For now, regulators say the benefits outweigh the risks. Still, Sweden pausing its J&J vaccine until the investigation is done.
Meanwhile, for example, France says it will administer the 200,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine it has received. Let's bring in CNN's Melissa
Bell, who is live for you in Paris.
You know, another snag, another bump on what has been an extremely bumpy road as far as this E.U. vaccination rollout is concerned.
Just how concerned do you believe the EMA is at this point?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we will hear its recommendation next week, Becky. It is looking into those remarkably similar issues we had
seen with the AstraZeneca, with very small number of patients affected by these unusual blood clots. We await to hear what they say.
Until then, 200,000 doses will be given out in France on the same basis as the AstraZeneca, for people over 55 because of those fears the blood clots
it can have in people who are slightly younger.
[08:35:00]
BELL: Many other European countries, though, pausing their Johnson & Johnson roll out as they await that decision. And really it's going to be
an important one because you have to understand how important the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be to the overall rollout of the European vaccination
programs.
This was a long awaited vaccine, the fourth one recommended for use in the E.U. by the European Medicines Agency and one on which European countries
were relying, Becky. It was 107 million doses of vaccine that were received by the European Union in the first quarter.
We have seen all the delays that were caused, the slow vaccine rollout in so many countries as a result. Finally, the European Commission said we'll
get 360 million doses in the second quarter; that will fix everything.
Of those 360 million doses, Becky, 200 million are the Johnson & Johnson. That's how heavily reliant on this particular vaccine the E.U. vaccination
rollout program is. All eyes on what the European Medicines Agency has to say for the time being.
It's saying, much as it did for the AstraZeneca initially, that the benefits outweigh the cost. But clearly the importance is that it comes up
with a verdict that allows countries to roll out these vaccines as planned.
Otherwise, these vaccination programs that have already been so painfully slow at a time when you say when the European figures are alarming and
continue to rise in many countries, it is crucial that they're able finally to get these vaccines into arms.
ANDERSON: Yes. And a clear explanation of who may or may not be at risk from this vaccine as well. I think so many people are so concerned about
the lack of information as we report on a sort of daily basis, it seems, about the issues that surround some of these vaccines. Many questions
really do remain unanswered at this point. Melissa Bell, thank you.
The delay in the J&J vaccine is not what Germany wants right now. The COVID-19 numbers there keep heading in the wrong direction. Germany's death
toll nearing 80,000. And health officials reported more than 29,000 new cases today. That's the biggest increase since early January.
Dr. Janosch Dahmen has worked on the COVID front lines in Germany before becoming a member of parliament and he joins us now via Skype from Berlin.
Thank you for joining us. This is a very worrying, aggressive third wave of coronavirus in Germany.
As both doctor and a politician, can you explain how dire the situation is right now and why?
DR. JANOSCH DAHMEN, GERMAN MP: Well, not only as a politician but as especially as a doctor I'm very concerned. We see nowadays not only rising
numbers, we see a rising number of people who need intensive care treatments, more actually than in the second wave.
We now have the situation where we face a lack of intensive care beds, which was never as big as at the moment. About 90 percent of the people who
are treated on our intensive care units are infected by this new variant, B.1.1.7, which was first discovered in the United Kingdom.
And we see those patients are much younger. They are much more sick and the staff on our intensive care units and hospital in general is really, really
facing another huge struggle and a very, very difficult situation.
ANDERSON: So the country's health minister, Jens Spahn, is calling on Germany's states to impose further restrictions immediately to try and curb
these new infections. Federal states in Germany are in charge of creating their own lockdown rules.
Is enough being done across the country as a whole to keep people at home and safe?
DAHMEN: Absolutely not. To my opinion, it is really frustrating and all my colleagues in the hospital they are really, really frustrated now because,
in the third month in a row, all scientists, all doctors are calling on politicians to implement more stricter measures.
And actually in fact, we face a mobility rate which is up to normal. People are going to work like in a normal daily life. And we do have much
situations where people are not effectively protected, not due to masks, not because they are not getting tested enough.
And this is really keeping the numbers on a very, very high level and people are really expecting that the federal government should now take
action and bring in strict and more effective measures.
ANDERSON: The E.U. vaccine rollout meantime has been a disaster.
[08:40:00]
ANDERSON: What does a Johnson & Johnson pause mean for Europe's roll out now and more specifically for Germany?
Just explain where Germany is at when it comes to trying to get these jabs into people's arms, just one tool in the tool kit. We understand that. It's
not a panacea.
But it's important, isn't it?
DAHMEN: Absolutely. And we really need much more speed. Germany is really behind, not like in a worldwide view but also compared to other European
countries. Johnson & Johnson was supposed to deliver about 10 million jabs to Germany in the second quarter. So that would have been another
cornerstone.
And if we see the trouble we already had with AstraZeneca and in combination, we really, really face more difficulties to implement our
national vaccination strategy over here.
It is basically not only a fact about communication and struggle about side effects, which are really rare and, to my opinion as a doctor, should stand
behind, but it is also a problem that the organization is far too complicated and too centralized. So we need more mobility and more speed in
our vaccination campaign to face this pandemic.
ANDERSON: I think that's the bureaucracy around the entire E.U. vaccination program, has been unwieldy at best. European officials say they
intend to vaccinate 70 percent of the E.U.'s adult population by the end of the summer. Sir, you're there. You're on the ground. You worked in public
health.
Is that timeline realistic, do you think?
Or is this European politicians clinging at straws?
DAHMEN: If we would come to an effective crisis management and if we would speed up our campaign, yes, I think that could be a realistic target. But
seeing like all the things which are happening at the moment and seeing that everybody is more afraid of making a mistake and putting more speed
into action, I think we really are, yes, on a bumpy road, as you said before.
And we really are getting behind and it could mean that, in the end, by the end of the summer, it is not only a problem that everybody got a jab but
maybe we already face mutations, which makes the available vaccination over here ineffective.
ANDERSON: Yes. That is a real concern at present. The Robert Koch Institute says 15 percent of Germans have received their first dose of the
coronavirus vaccine. It does pale in significance when you look at numbers in the U.K. and Israel and elsewhere; here in the UAE, for example.
Sir, thank you very much indeed for joining us. It's a pleasure having you on. It's important to get your insight and analysis on exactly what is
going on in Germany at present.
Well, problems tackling COVID goes beyond any one region. The virus has placed tremendous strain on almost every aspect of our lives, including our
health care systems, of course.
But what do we actually mean when we say a health care system collapses?
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: COVID-19 has ravaged healthcare systems the world over. Even countries with supposedly robust health care services have been
reported as close to collapse. Collapse: it's a term we've heard a lot, conjuring up imagery of victims with no help to turn to, hospitals with no
beds, staff with no equipment.
But different people mean different things when they say a health care system has collapsed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So collapse is not necessarily a term we would use outside the humanitarian setting. So we would say, for example, that the
health systems in Syria or Yemen have collapsed.
If I were to put it in laymen's terms, I would say that collapse really referred to the inability of the health system to be able to respond to a
crisis like COVID-19 and is not able to meet the needs of people that they serve.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Sadly in many places around the world, that is the reality. You can see that full video with a country by country breakdown, along with all
the latest COVID-19 news at cnn.com. Do use the digital site.
Well, ahead on the program, one woman's mission to help resolve India's growing tensions between humans and wildlife.
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[08:45:00]
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ANDERSON: "Call to Earth" now. This is CNN's initiative to promote a more sustainable future. Welcome aboard.
Today's piece brings us to India's western region, where growing human populations are expanding further into wildlife habits, leading to
increased conflict with rebounding species like tigers, elephants and leopards. Conservation scientist Krithi Karanth is finding ways to help
rural communities live alongside wildlife.
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KRITHI KARANTH, CONSERVATION SCIENTIST: People who live in cities tend to romanticize living alongside big animals like tigers and elephants. But the
reality is very, very different.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For these farmers, life on the edge of India's national parks is a fight for
survival.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You live in constant fear of your crops being destroyed, your livestock being killed and, occasionally, even being
injured due to confrontations with wildlife. It is not an easy life.
STOUT (voice-over): On average, one person or more is killed by a wild animal every day in India, according to the environment ministry.
KARANTH: India is a high wildlife, high conflict country. One of the biggest challenges is the fact that we have less than 5 percent of land set
aside for wildlife and there are millions of people who live adjacent to our protected areas or inside.
Every time your crops are destroyed, you're pushed further into poverty. It becomes harder for your family to survive that year. We absolutely have to
figure out ways that people and wildlife can coexist.
STOUT (voice-over): Conservation scientist Krithi Karanth has spent 15 years studying human-wildlife conflict in India, looking for ways to lessen
the impact on rural communities.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): They shouted, "A tiger has attacked your bull in the field. Come quickly."
When we got here, we cried in despair. We earned our living with those two bulls.
STOUT (voice-over): While the government offers compensation for losses, like damage to this well by elephants, Karanth says it remains out of reach
for many.
KARANTH: The process to get compensation can be bureaucratic, slow and frustrating, which is why most people don't file for compensation today.
STOUT (voice-over): She started The WildSeve Program in 2015 to help communities overcome those hurdles. Farmers call a toll-free number. And
Karanth says WildSeve staff respond within 48 hours, assessing the damage and helping them submit the documentation needed to make a claim.
KARANTH: We submitted almost 18,000 claims. People have received almost $800,000 in compensation from the government.
STOUT (voice-over): Her work also helps protect animals from those pushed to the limit.
KARANTH: We've had families who called us 50, 60 times.
[08:50:00]
KARANTH: And they rarely retaliate. They retaliate when a sense of frustration builds and they don't get the help they need in time.
STOUT (voice-over): Finding new ways for people and wildlife to coexist has become more urgent in the face of a global pandemic. Last year Karanth
and her team started teaching communities how to protect themselves from zoonotic disease.
KARANTH: I think the pandemic is a deep wake-up call for every human on the planet. It shows that you can't endlessly take over nature. We need to
do more to save wildlife and wild places.
STOUT (voice-over): Karanth's passion for wildlife began at a young age.
KARANTH: I had the most amazing childhood. My dad is a tiger conservationist and biologist. So I had seen my first tiger and leopard by
the time I was 2 years old.
STOUT (voice-over): She hopes to share that passion with the next generation through her education program, which she says has reached over
20,000 children.
KARANTH: To me, they are the stewards of the environment. If we don't get them to understand the value of this, we're going to lose the wildlife. I
have two daughters. What I hope I can do is move the needle a little bit in how people and wildlife learn to coexist. I hope to leave a better planet
than I inherited from my father to my children.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: We will continue showcasing inspirational stories like that as part of our initiative here at CNN. Let us know what you are doing to
answer the call with the #CallToEarth.
We will be right back.
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ANDERSON: The U.S. climate envoy John Kerry is in Shanghai as we speak, trying to find common ground between the world's two biggest carbon
polluters. This caravan was carrying Kerry to a state guest hotel and they say climate change is a key area where Washington and Beijing can come
together.
And that could be vital right now. Another U.S. delegation is in Taipei to meet with the president of Taiwan following Beijing's show of military
strength this week. Well, we're in Shanghai, where those high level meetings are taking place and David Culver joins us now. David.
DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, how often do you and I talk about rising tensions between the U.S. and China?
And no doubt that's playing out in some of the unofficial visits that are happening right now in Taiwan. But perhaps what will distinguish this
administration from the prior, from Trump administration, is that, despite the disagreements, there might be a route for common ground. And here in
Shanghai the focus is on climate.
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CULVER (voice-over): Two sets of American diplomats, one group to Shanghai on the Chinese mainland, the other to the self governed island of Taiwan,
both visiting the same country, China's government would say.
For the United States it's more complicated than that.
BONNIE GLASER, CSIS: The U.S.-China relationship is quite fraught but no issue is more dangerous than that of Taiwan because it is the one issue
that the two countries could go to war over.
CULVER (voice-over): In Shanghai Thursday, John Kerry, President Joe Biden's climate envoy, engaging with China on what Washington insists is a,
quote, "free standing issue."
The fate of our planet not linked, the White House says, to the fate of Taiwan, where an unofficial delegation, including former U.S. Senator Chris
Dodd, arrived Wednesday.
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CHRIS DODD, FORMER DEMOCRATIC SENATOR: We're here today at the request of my longstanding friend, President Joe Biden, to reaffirm the U.S.
commitment to this partnership.
CULVER (voice-over): Thursday's meetings come just one month after high- level talks between Beijing and Washington broke down in Alaska. Observers fear that U.S.-China relations are at an all-time low.
That's partly over Taiwan, now facing increased Chinese pressure militarily, economically and diplomatically, all designed by Beijing to
nudge Taiwan and its people toward reunification and to prevent independence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Biden administration for reiterating on numerous
occasions the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
CULVER (voice-over): Like much of U.S.-Taiwan relations, this trip is considered unofficial. It's been carefully staged to appear that way.
Underneath, an unequivocal message of support.
DODD: This administration will help you expand your international space and support your investments in self-defense. The Biden administration will
also seek further deepening of our already robust economic ties.
CULVER (voice-over): That help could make it harder to get Beijing to back Biden's climate agenda.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): China has already made stern representations to the U.S. side over its sending of personnel to Taiwan.
CULVER (voice-over): On climate, China is the world's largest producer of greenhouse gases by a long way. The U.S. is second, making the two
countries crucial partners in any effort aimed at reducing emissions around the world.
RUDD: The challenge for both John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart is to create this special climate change collaboration lane in the midst of a
highway which, frankly, all the rest of the traffic is blocked or engaged in collisions.
CULVER (voice-over): Whether he will be able to keep climate separate from sticking points like Taiwan remains to be seen.
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CULVER: No question, Becky, we consider this to be a really delicate diplomatic dance that's playing out right now. Not a lot of details have
emerged from today's meetings with Kerry and his counterpart here in Shanghai.
But those continue for the next two days. So we'll be closely monitoring those. Meantime, Chinese state media pointing out that the U.S. was invited
here and that China will not be forced into anything.
ANDERSON: David Culver is in Shanghai for you. Always a pleasure, David. Thank you very much indeed.
Thank you, folks, for joining us. I'll be back in about an hour's time for what is the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. I toss you over to my
colleague Julia Chatterley before that.
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END
