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CNN Exclusive Sheds Light on Iran-Russia Weapons Trade; Analyst: Iran & Russia Closer than they've been in Centuries; Voters Preparing for Presidential Runoff; Voters in Turkey Preparing for Presidential Runoff; Thousands Have Been Arrested Since May 9 Protests; First SeaWorld in 30 Years Opens in Abu Dhabi. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired May 26, 2023 - 11:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Welcome, this hour has CNN exclusive investigation shows how Iran has shipped drones to Russia,
circumventing sanctions. But first your headlines this hour, an airstrike on a medical facility in Dnipro has killed at least two people and wounded
two dozen more. The attack comes after missile strikes in the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions overnight.
In Turkey incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces the fight of his political life and a runoff election this weekend the first in the
country's history. White House officials and Republican lawmakers are getting closer to an agreement to raise the U.S. debt ceiling.
The time is running out by Thursday they may not be enough money to pay all the government bills. And later this hour it's dubbed the richest game in
football. The Championship playoff final is this weekend and will the tiny club Luton Town pulls off the fairytale ending?
Hello, I'm Lynda Kinkade. Welcome to the show. We start with an extraordinary report shedding light on one of the murkiest questions
surrounding Russia's war on Ukraine. Who is helping Moscow with its weapons supply and how?
Well, it turns out many are coming from Iran along what might be the perfect corridor for illegal arms trade. It's according to experts who
spoke with CNN's Salma Abdelaziz she explains how it's happening with impunity in this exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): These calm waters are home to a secret Russia doesn't want you to know. Experts say Iran is quietly
sending weapons on ships like this one across the Caspian Sea to replenish arms for Moscow's war on Ukraine. Concealing movement at sea is considered
nefarious and potentially a violation of international law.
But in the Caspian Sea, there are a growing number of gaps in vessels tracking data known as AIS, with a more than 50 percent increase in ships
hiding their movement between August and September of 2022. According to maritime trafficking data, most of the vessels going dark are Iranian or
Russian flag tankers.
The timing is suspicious too, this practice picking up the last summer, just as White House officials revealed that Russia had purchased hundreds
of drones from Iran. So why would these ships want to hide their movements? Maritime Security Analysts Martin Kelly tells us it is likely because of
what these vessels are carrying.
MARTIN KELLY, LEAD INTELLIGENCE ANALYST OF EOS RISK GROUP: There's a correlation between Russia requesting drones from Iran, dark port calls in
the Caspian Sea and an increase in dark AIS activity. And that to me was a key indicator of these three aspects combined. That something was going on
probably the export of Iranian drones to Russia.
ABDELAZIZ (on camera): This heat map from Lloyd's list shows were most of those gaps in AIS are concentrated mostly near Iran's Amirabad port and
Russia's Astrakhan port, where ships appear to be turning off their data on approach and going dark for extended periods of time.
Now, using data like this and expert analysis, CNN was able to identify eight vessels that exhibited suspicious behavior in the Caspian Sea. This
is one such vessel. It's a Russian flag tanker that was seen in early January, leaving Iran's Amirabad port making its way across the Caspian Sea
to Russia's Astrakhan port.
Now, we cannot independently verify what this tanker was carrying. But experts tell us the shipment was likely linked to the arms trade.
ABDELAZIZ (voice over): And there are signs that Tehran could be air mailing arms too. The U.S. and Ukraine both accused Tehran of sending
supplies to Russia by plane. CNN analyzed the tracking data of four Iranian cargo planes flagged by the U.S. Commerce Department for potentially
carrying drone shipments.
Collectively, the aircraft made at least 85 trips to Moscow airports between May 2022 and March 2023. Iran has admitted that it sold a small
number of drones to Russia, but it says the sale was a few months prior to the war in Ukraine.
[11:05:00]
CNN has reached out to Iran and Russia for comment, but has yet to receive a response. But given the much larger volume cargo ships can carry the
Caspian Sea corridor is likely the primary conduit and experts say it is the new frontier for weapons trade between Moscow and Tehran tucked away
from Western interference. It provides an easy avenue for sanctions evasion, Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi says.
ANISEH BASSIRI TABRIZI, SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW AT RUSI: I think the perception in Moscow is that Iran can teach a lot to Moscow about how to go
and how to still have a significant economy, even when sanctions are imposed.
ABDELAZIZ (voice over): And there is very little the U.S. and its allies can do to stop it. And more could be on the way. Intelligence officials
warned in November, Iran plans to send ballistic missiles, ammunition and more sophisticated drones to Moscow. A bustling corridor potentially
providing a much needed Arsenal critical to Russia's land grab in Ukraine. Salma Abdelaziz CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Salma joins us now from London, a really remarkable reporting there Salma and good to have you on the story. You spoke about how
difficult it is to police that corridor in the Caspian Sea. So what can the West if anything does about this?
ABDELAZIZ: The answer really Lynda is not much. If you take a simple look at that map right around the Caspian Sea there is absolutely no footprint
there for the United States. There is no footprint there for NATO. And that's exactly why it is such an easy avenue for Iran and Russia to evade
sanctions.
And what is highly concerning to authorities is that this relationship between Iran and Russia only appears to be coming closer and closer. For
Russia this is an opportunity to revamp re-up its arsenal, which has been severely depleted.
Of course in Ukraine for Iran, this is a chance to rebalance the relationship with Moscow on a more equal footing. Now we did give our
reporting or asked questions about our reporting to U.S. officials, they did not acknowledge the Caspian Sea route. But what we did find out is that
there appears to be a very timely visit that took place just last month.
A U.S. Navy Commander making a visit to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, a spokesperson telling us to discuss maritime security. You can of course,
assume that the U.S. and its allies are very much focused on the weapons trade to Russia and how to stop it. But the options are very few Lynda.
KINKADE: All right, Salma Abdelaziz some great reporting that much appreciate it. Thank you. Well, now the expert says Russia and Iran now
have numerous areas of mutual interest Emil Avdaliani is a Professor at the European University and the Director of Middle East Studies at the Georgian
Think-tank Geocase.
He writes that at no point since the late 16th century, when Muscovy, and Safavid Iran shared opposition to the expanding Ottoman Empire had the two
Eurasian States have such close ties. And that's from a piece he wrote for the stimson.org, Professor Avdalian joins us now from Tbilisi, Georgia.
Good to have you with us, Professor.
EMIL AVDALIANI, PROFESSOR AT THE EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY: Thank you for having me. Thank you.
KINKADE: So I want to start by talking about what Iran and Russia have in common. I mean, both are isolated by the West, both under sanctions both
want to evade those sanctions, and both have worked together as military allies in the past in Syria, in Afghanistan. Has the relationship between
the two been fortified since Russia invaded Ukraine?
AVDALIANI: Yes, I think the invasion of Ukraine by Russia was a defining moment in Iran, Russia relations, before that, Russia was always hesitant
to throw its full support for Iran, where they'd seen regional politics on international arena, but with the wall with the sanctions against Russia.
Now, in certainly with isolation of Russia from the West, you see the gradual expansion of ties alignment in essentially almost every sphere
between the Islamic Republic and Russia and one of those areas surely the transportation corridors, which run to the south on Russia, from Eastern
side of the Caspian Sea through the Caspian Sea, and the western part of that basin.
[11:10:00]
So essentially, you see the alignment not only in political matters, but also in infrastructure. You also see how two countries align on how the
future world should look like, from their perspective. And you haven't really seen such an alignment such cooperation between these two Eurasian
States for the past several centuries,
KINKADE: Yes. So as you're saying, we are seeing this growing military alliances and political alliances, but also these economic ties. Talk to us
more about the critical investment we're seeing Russia and Iran and Iran and Russia.
AVDALIANI: Yes, the investment part two has grown over the past year. Essentially, Russia, as I said, earlier, Russia has been -- was always
hesitant to invest significantly into Iran, due to Western sanctions. And then, after Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear treaty, because of the U.S.
sanctions, but with the war, you see the progress in that field, too.
And Russia pledged to invest tens of billions into Iran, gas and oil industry. But I think that more important is an agreement between the two
countries reached more than a week ago, on the construction on the completion, essentially all the railroads from Ostrava to Russia.
And that is the still missing link in the north south transportation transport corridor between these two countries. With the completion of this
link, we will essentially see the full operation of the corridor running from the southern part of Iran to Russia's Baltic or Black Sea port.
KINKADE: Talk to us more about the implications for the region of this growing Alliance. There's no doubt that Russia has become more alienated as
a result of its invasion in Ukraine. What are the pros and cons for Iran? What is strengthening this relationship with Russia mean for the Middle
East and nuclear Non Proliferation? Sanction, evasion? What are the implications?
AVDALIANI: Yes, I think that Iran, which due to its own isolation from the West, for the past several decades, I would say, was always trying to get
closer to Russia. But as I said, because of the Western sanctions, Russia was always hesitant. And with this war, Iran grasps the opportunity to have
Russia closer to itself, and essentially, use Russia's isolation to its own benefit.
So for Iran, closer ties with Russia, it's a critical component in the Islamic Republic strategy of looking eastward towards Asia, towards other
markets than the West and to balance the pressure emanating from the U.S. and at times from the European Union. So Russia, in that sense, plays an
essential role in this nascent strategy of Iran.
KINKADE: For us, I want to read a quote from a piece you wrote recently, you said for Tehran, closer ties with Russia, he's seen as ushering in a
truly multipolar Eurasian order with increased maneuverability and a bigger pool of foreign policy choices. So aside from Russia, what are the ties are
we beginning to see develop and how does that compare to Iran's recent history?
AVDALIANI: Well, I think these two Eurasian States they've been always championing the idea of multipolarity, and multi vector, essentially, in
foreign policy. It's been growing. I mean, this sentiment has been growing since the 90s since then, to the Cold War.
But we see the real progress on over the past couple of years and essentially since the war in Ukraine began last year. So the for them
cooperation between the Eurasian States essentially is not a military alliance as many people see it in the West for then simply closer
cooperation in economic terms.
[11:15:00]
But also competition in many other areas such as political matters at times means that they essentially balanced the pressure from emanating from the
west. And they need each other simply to have numerous options, numerous possibilities when it comes to foreign policy choices.
So for them, it's not really important to sign the military alliances or political alliances, they don't really need that. And this assumption,
which at times is dominant among Western scholars, that we are not really seeing a true alliance between Iran and Russia.
My opinion is that they simply do not really need an official Alliance. They are quite comfortable with each other in this sort of, in this in the
effort essentially to build a multi polar, Eurasian or order.
KINKADE: It's really good to get your perspective professor of Emil Avdaliani a good to have you on the program. Thanks so much.
AVDALIANI: Thank you very much.
KINKADE: Well, Iran and Belgium have conducted a prisoner swap in Oman. Officials say Tehran has released it Belgium aid worker Oliver van der
Castile as seen here, he is on his way back to his home country.
It comes in exchange for Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi, who was convicted of attempting to bomb a meeting of exiles in France. A man helped
facilitate that exchange. And you can read more about Iran on our Middle East newsletter, you can find out why its rising diplomatic style was
replaced.
Ali Shamkhani was a recognized across the Middle east and in diplomatic circles in Washington and Europe. So why did he step down? Head to
cnn.com/mideast newsletter, I'll get out your Smartphone and scan the coin at the bottom of your screen.
Well, at least two people are dead children among those wounded after Russian strikes on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. A hospital was among the
sights hit. Rescue crews rise to put out the flames and save lives.
The man says it's a miracle doctors were changing shifts when the attack happened. It means fewer people were working at the time of the strike. And
the U.S. has sanctioned ahead of the magnet private military group in Mali.
It believes Wagner may be working through Mali in other African nations to support Russia's war against Ukraine by hiding its efforts to secure
military equipment. All that is happening as Wagner says they've begun their pull out from the City of Bakhmut Frederik Pleitgen reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Just as the Ukrainian military saved their forces are retaking ground on
the outskirts of Bakhmut, Wagner boss says his mercenaries are moving out. That's it.
Moving out in 10 to 15 minutes he tells these tankers everyone leaves before June 1st will rest prepare and then get a new task. Wagner's exit
could mark a turning point in one of the bloodiest battles in Europe since World War Two. The mercenaries assaulted Bakhmut for months often using
human waves to try and storm Ukrainian positions.
Progression trying to prove to Putin his hired guns can get the job done where regular Russian units fail. Even during the withdrawal. A swipe at
Russia's Defense Minister Progression joking he'll leave to scrawny fighters behind to help the army when they take over Wagner as positions
whether they are better.
That is Bieber and that's Dietrich (ph) he says the moment the military are in a tough position. They'll stand up and block the Ukrainian army guys
don't believe the military. While the Ukrainians tell CNN they cannot confirm Wagner is really pulling out of Bakhmut.
They believe withdrawal could give them a boost in Kyiv ifs quest to retake the city. Compared to other units of the Russian army Wagner did fight
better and conducted more offensive actions but this was literally due to bloody discipline and threats of execution.
PLEITGEN (on camera): While Moscow's army struggled in Ukraine Russians clearly feel threatened on the home front as well. The Intelligence Service
FSB releasing dramatic footage of arrests from earlier this month of what they claim were Ukrainian intelligence operatives plotting to attack two
nuclear power plants in northwestern Russia?
While the Ukrainians haven't commented Russia blames Kyiv of Moscow also lashing out after a U.S. intelligence assessment saying Ukraine may have
been behind a drone attack on the Kremlin in early May.
OMITRY PESKOV, KREMLIN SPOKESMAN: Behind this is the Kyiv regime. We know this and we are carrying out our work based on this.
PLEITGEN (voice over): Russia using the incident to justify its war against Ukraine where Putin is top mercenary is regrouping his forces and vowing to
return Frederik Pleitgen, CNN, Kyiv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, still to calm take his most critical President Central Election in decades heads to a runoff a look at what's at stake in this
weekend's vote plus a mere as scare for plane flying above South Korea as it gushes of air fill the cabin.
[11:20:00]
What happened next on this frightening international flight, we'll have the details? And the government of Pakistan is cracking down on former Prime
Minister Imran Khan and his supporters. I'll speak to the government's planning Minister about why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back. Well the stakes are high as Turkish voters prepare to vote in the country's first ever presidential runoff election. Neither
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan nor his challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu has reached the 50 percent threshold needed to win outright in the general
election forcing Sunday's runoff.
It comes amid an economic crisis in Turkey. And as many say the government botched its response to the earthquake earlier this year. Our Nada Bashir
is in Istanbul and joins us now live, Nada, good to have you with us. I understand you are at that campaign rally. Give us a sense of the momentum
and just a couple of days before this runoff.
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, Lynda, we've got less than 48 hours until those polls open here in Turkey, despite the fact versus the second round,
a run up the campaigns have not led up they have not, in fact, they are gaining momentum just where we are now. We've got two opposing rallies.
You can see behind me this is the CHP rally that is the opposition nominee Kemal Kilicdaroglu, on the opposite side, we have an AKP rally in support
of an incumbent President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. We've just had the interior minister, actually speaking to those attending that rally.
And neither rally is taking place across the country as we need that all important voting day on Sunday. Now, of course, we did see last time around
the first round of the vote, President Erdogan taken away 49.5 percent of the vote. But the opposition here the nation Alliance, which has to be
said, is a remarkable alliance of six very different opposition groups managed to secure just under 45 percent of the vote.
And when you speak to people here in support of the opposition, they are hopeful that they could still stand a chance to secure victory in this
election. Their hope is that this will be a change for Turkey after more than two decades of the AKP being in power under the rule of President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
KINKADE: And so, we know that that the third, the person who finished third in the presidential election has thrown his support behind Erdogan. What
impact could that have and what are the consequences if the opposition loses?
BASHIR: Look, the opposition loses this will be a disappointment for those in support of this alliance. It has to be said we have never seen the
opposition this unified behind a single candidate.
[11:25:00]
So this will be a significant blow to them. Of course, you mentioned that we saw the third party the Nationalist Party, the leader of that party
throwing his support behind President Erdogan. But other political figures will not party; it also expressed support for Kilicdaroglu.
Now basically 5 percent of the vote in the first run, so that could certainly be a game changer, but of course, it all depends on where these
voters cast their support on Sunday, and that remains to be seen.
Of course, the AKP President Erdogan's party is hopeful they did secure 49.5 percent of the vote just under that 50 plus 1 percent needed to get
across the threshold and to declare a victory.
But if the AKP does win, if President Erdogan does secure yet another victory, there are some significant challenges ahead. Lots of answer of
course, many of you look. But there are some huge pledges that he has made not least to be economy that is a primary concern, this country facing a
severe cost of living prices, soaring inflation.
The currency here, the lira really weakened as a result of President Erdogan's unorthodox monetary policies. Many will be looking to see who he
appoints as his finance minister, if he does secure a victory this time around.
And of course, there is the aftermath of the devastating February earthquake. President Erdogan has made some huge pledges when it comes to
rebuilding the affected areas in the southeast. And there are still many questions around the liability, the responsibility of the government when
it comes to having from head adequately for a disaster of that scale.
But also, crucially, their response, many criticizing the government for what was seen as a chaotic and delayed response to that emergency. So
certainly some significant challenges ahead for President Erdogan and the key focus for those supporting the opposition like these are the rally
behind me is the fear the concern that another term for President Erdogan could lead to an erosion of democracy here in Turkey.
Real concern around President Erdogan teetering ever closer towards autocracy and one man at rule with real concern for freedom of expression,
the freedom of the press, and of course, those poor democratic values here in Turkey, Lynda.
KINKADE: Nada Bashir for us. We will be tuning in to listen to your coverage on Sunday. Our thanks to you and please, he was doing "Connect the
World" runoff coverage starts at 1 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, with our Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi.
Nada will be there in Istanbul that is at 6 p.m. in London, 9 p.m. in Abu Dhabi. I want to get you up to speed on some other stories on our radar
right now. Aid workers tell CNN that Eritrean forces stopped a UN led humanitarian mission from entering a village in northern Ethiopia on
Thursday.
The alleged action in the Tigray region would mark a violation of a peace deal ending fighting in the area and withdrawing all foreign troops in the
north. Police in central Japan say they've arrested a local farmer after four people including two police officers were killed in a gun and knife
attack Thursday.
Guns are very hard to get in Japan. So police are now investigating how the man obtained the weapon and what may have triggered that rampage. Typhoon
Mawar has moved away from Guam after the -- passed over the northern part of the island.
Thousands of residents are still without power, and authorities are trying to solve water supply issues. Mawar is now on track headed towards the
Philippines and Taiwan amid air -- nearly 200 passengers aboard an Asiana on a flight. Police say a man in his 30s opened a cabin door as the plane
was minutes from landing in South Korea.
Passengers were seen holding onto their seats as gushes of air filled the cabin. The flight landed safely but about a dozen passengers suffered minor
injuries, including hyperventilation. Paula Hancocks is standing by for us in Seoul, South Korea. I consider myself Paula a pretty calm traveler, but
that looks completely unbelievably very frightening. What are the passengers saying about it?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lynda, it would have been absolutely terrifying and that is what we are hearing from passengers. And
what we're also hearing is many questions not only about why this individual would want to open the door, but how he was able to open the
door while the plane was still in the air.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS (voice over): It is every traveler's worst nightmare, an emergency door opening while the aero plane is still in the air. Asiana Airlines says
two to three minutes before landing, while the aircraft was about 700 feet from the ground. A man in his 30s sitting in the emergency seat opened the
door.
A less than one hour long flight from Jeju to Daegu in South Korea turned into a nightmare for 200 passengers and crew.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe the man tried to get off the plane. A flight attendant said, help, help and about 10 passengers stood up and pulled them
in.
[11:30:00]
HANCOCKS (voice over): Police arrested the man saying he confessed to opening the door but gave no reason.
KIM JONG-CHAN, DAEGU POLICE OFFICER: We weren't able to talk properly with him. He was not in a good mental state. He cannot even hold himself up.
HANCOCKS (voice over): Jeju's Education Office says 48 students were also on board traveling to a junior Sports Festival. But for aviation experts
the most pressing question is how is it even possible for the door to open while still in flight?
GEOFFREY THOMAS, AIRLINERATINGS. COM: It seems implausible that the door could be open in the first place. And then against the airstream
technically impossible, but somehow rather, it has happened.
HANCOCKS (voice over): Airbus said in a statement, we are looking into the circumstances of this incident. Aircraft doors can usually only be opened
upon touchdown. Asiana says the cabin was automatically depressurized before landing. 12 People were treated for hyperventilation, nine of them
in hospital. Officials say all injuries were minor, a relatively benign outcome, considering the obvious danger.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS: And investigations are underway as to what exactly happened, how it was able to happen and also a government and police investigation into
the individual himself. Now we understand that a violation if found guilty of the Aviation Security Act can lead to a maximum 10 years in prison,
Lynda.
KINKADE: Wow. All right, Paula Hancocks for staying across that story from Seoul. Thank you. Well, you're watching "Connect the World". Still ahead
it's getting harder and harder to ignore that ticking clock on the U.S. debt ceiling. We'll have a live report from Capitol Hill as a potential
deal starts to take shape.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back to "Connect the World" with me Lynda Kinkade filling in for Becky Anderson. I have your headlines this hour. Ukraine reports at
least two people have been killed by Russian stripes in Dnipro. A hospital and a vet clinic are reportedly among the sites hit.
At least two children are among the 30 wounded. The man says it's a miracle the doctors were changing shifts at the hospital, means that fewer people
were in the building when the strike happened. Turkish voters head to the polls Sunday for the country's first ever presidential runoff election.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan know his challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu reached the 50 percent threshold needed to win outright in the general
election, forcing the runoff. It was a frightening flight to nearly 200 passengers of border Asiana plane when a door was opened above South Korea.
Police say they arrested a man in his 30s who appeared to have opened the door. The plane landed safely but some hasn't just suffered minor injuries
from hyperventilation. At least nine was sent to hospital.
[11:35:00]
News on the U.S. economy now JP Morgan Chase has told about one thousand First Republic bank employees that they will lose their jobs. JP Morgan
acquired most of First Republic's assets earlier this month after the San Francisco backed regional bank collapsed and was seized by regulators
marking the second biggest bank failure in U.S history.
Thursday's job cards affect about 15 percent of First Republic employees. In Washington, sources say U.S. President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin
McCarthy are little by little nearing a deal that would raise the debt ceiling for two years.
White House officials and Republican negotiators have until June 1, that's less than a week from now to find middle ground. Otherwise, the U.S. could
default on its debts, which economists warn could be disastrous both for the U.S. and global economies.
For the latest on this, I want to go to Capitol Hill and Reporter Melanie Zanona who joins us live, Melanie, good to have you with us. So the U.S.
has never defaulted before this would be the first time if it happened. They have to get a lot done in the next five days to reach a deal. Just
talk to us about where both sides are making progress. And what are the sticking points right now?
MELANIE ZANONA, CNN CAPITAL HILL REPORTER: Right so there is no deal as of right now lawmakers have left for the Memorial Day recess. But the
negotiators are still here. And they are saying they're going to work around the clock to try to make it happen potentially a deal as early as
today or over the weekend. Now they have started to make some progress.
So they are getting closer. One area where they have started to make some progress is on spending cuts. They're floating a compromise that would
exchange two years of spending cuts in exchange for lifting the debt ceiling for two years. That is not finalized.
But there is some paper being exchanged back and forth, which is a good sign there. But there are still a number of other issues that have yet to
be resolved in particularly one of the biggest sticking points is tougher work requirements for social safety net programs. That is something that
Republicans have been particularly pushing for.
And they said it's a must have for them in any package. Take a listen to Republican Congressman Garret Graves on the state of the negotiations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. GARRET GRAVES (R-LA): -- continues to prioritize, continues to prioritize paying people to not work over, over paying Social Security
benefits and Medicare as they consider their efforts actually put in jeopardy. Those very benefits to senior citizens like Medicare and Social
Security because they're refusing to negotiate our work requirements.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZANONA: Now the White House has really dug in against those work requirements, in part because Democratic members here up on Capitol Hill
have made clear they would revolt if something like that was included in a package.
In fact, there was a closed door meeting yesterday where a number of lawmakers expressed their concern about the direction of these negotiations
and said their support is not guaranteed. And remember, their votes are going to be needed in any Biden backs deal.
Because speaker Kevin McCarthy, there are already signs that he's going to be losing members on his right flank who don't think that the package, at
least the deal that's starting to come together now is conservative enough. So there is still a long way to go here. And you can see why a deal like
this is just so incredibly complicated.
KINKADE: Yes, as suddenly is, Melanie Zanona, we are hoping for that deal soon. Good to have you on the story for us. Thanks very much. Well, Imran
Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan has been placed on a no fly list alongside 600 other members of his PTI political party. Earlier this
month Khan was arrested on corruption charges.
The Supreme Court ruled the arrest unlawful, and he has since been released on bail. But his arrest set off a wave of protests against the military
that have turned deadly. You can see his supporters marching on army headquarters in Rawalpindi. The army has been deployed across the country
and thousands of Khan Supporters have been rounded up. Khan spoke with CNN's Fareed Zakaria, about the recent violence on Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IMRAN KHAN, FORMER PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER: In order to keep me out, the whole democratic system is being dismantled. So when you're, you don't, the
government does not listen to the Supreme Court and doesn't follow the Constitution. When the way they have used the pretext of arson, they blamed
us for the arson when I was grabbed from the High Court by the army. And the way I was grabbed, there was a reaction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, Imran Khan was ousted in a no confidence vote last year and has led a popular campaign against the current government led by Prime
Minister Shahbaz Sharif. I'm joined now by Pakistan's Planning Minister and member of the ruling PLMN party Ahsan Iqbal, Minister, thank you for your
time.
[11:40:00]
AHSAN IQBAL, PAKISTANI PLANNING MINISTER: Thank you.
KINKADE: So Imran Khan was ousted as Prime Minister about a year ago, just over a year ago. He has since been arrested and released. Thousands of his
supporters have been taken into custody, and he, his wife and many supporters, and now on a no fly list. Why is he considered such a threat?
And why are we seeing such an extreme and brutal crackdown?
IQBAL: Well, first of all, let me clarify Mr. Imran Khan was ousted almost one year ago. And since he was ousted, he's the first prime minister in the
history of the country, who's democratically ousted through a vote of no confidence instead of accepting his defeat. He went on to incite violence
amongst his followers, and he has been campaigning for full one year, and government has never arrested him or arrested any of his supporters.
But on Ninth May, Mr. Imran Khan and his supporters crossed the red line that no democratic country would allow. And I would also humbly like to say
that would United States pardon all those Arsenals who attacked Capitol Hill and carried out hooliganism and kind of terrorist activities on the
streets of Washington DC.
Similarly, on May 9, Mr. Imran Khan's followers under a very pre planned strategy attacked very critical, vital national buildings, military
installations, military air bases, they burned schools, they burned ambulances, they burned public infrastructure.
Now this kind of arson, no society would permit and all those people who were involved in burning or doing loot and plunder or arson at Capitol
Hill, they were arrested in thousands. And they were also punished. Likewise, in UK when there was arson on the streets, thousands of people
were arrested by British authorities.
The criminal justice system was put to work 24 hours, they were caught during nighttime. They were punished so that there is a deterrence of law
people do not indulge in such behavior. So Mr. Imran Khan was free to do all his opposition activities for almost one year in which he carried out
number of long marches, protests and all sorts of activities. No one touched him, but on ninth May, he has crossed the Red Line which no society
or democracy would allow.
KINKADE: Minister, dozens of those people are accused of a damaging military property on May 9 are being tried in a military court. Amnesty
International has condemned that. They said these people should be tried in a civilian court. We know that Armed Forces have now been deployed across
various parts of the country. Imran Khan is calling this undeclared martial law. Right now, is there an undeclared martial law in place?
IQBAL: First of all, I want to clarify that the ruling coalition government which is in power right now, comprises of all the legitimate and genuine
democratic forces who have withstood martial laws in the past and who have a long history of making huge sacrifices to uphold the principles of rule
of law and democracy in the country.
So I think no one can expect from this government that we would be allowing any attack on democracy. Secondly, what you know, Mr. Imran Khan and his
followers have done as they said, they have attacked very critical military installations.
Now, the law of the land of Pakistan's constitutional system has laws that when there is an attack within military jurisdiction, it is covered by an
army law. And when there is damage or crime against civil institutions or within civil territories, there are anti-terrorist laws in the civil
courts.
So these laws are not new. They exist from 1952. And mind you, many civilians were tried under Imran Khan's own government under the same
military act, and through military courts, which now Imran Khan is saying is some kind of a martial law. No, there is no martial law.
We believe in rule of law. And under the army act, any trial that will take place, it will have an overview of the High Court and the Supreme Court. So
there is a process, due process of judicial review. So this is perfectly according to the law.
KINKADE: Minister, over 4000 people of Imran Khan's supporters have been arrested. Human Rights Watch have put out a statement condemning this
brutal crackdown and this violence. Will the government heed their call to end the arrests of opposition activists?
[11:45:00]
IQBAL: As I said that, you know, Imran Khan has been indulging in anti- government protests for almost one year and not a single worker was arrested. And we believe in democracy, we believe in freedom of expression,
we believe in freedom of movement.
But in on Ninth May, in order to save him from a corruption case, in which 190 million pounds, which were returned by UK government out of money
laundering by a private person, Mr. Imran Khan entered into a deal with that private person.
And instead of depositing that money in government account, he deposited that money in an account where that individual was supposed to pay fine to
the Supreme Court. And in return, he got famous from him. So now what we are telling him that he has to justify why he did so, why he did not
deposit that money into government official account and how he's siphoned off 190 million pounds.
And earlier Financial Times ran a story in which it was alleged that he has been also using the charity money for his political party. It has been
eight months, he has not challenged that Financial Times story in any UK code.
So there are questions which Mr. Imran Khan has to answer, and he himself has been arguing that there should be one law, everyone should be
accountable. And we hope that Mr. Khan, who actually put a lot of false cases against us when we were in opposition, and we all face law courts, we
did not indulge in any violence on the streets.
Mr. Nawaz Sharif, the current Prime Minister, Mr. Shahbaz Sharif, all the leadership in opposition at that time was put in jails by Mr. Imran Khan,
but we never burn buildings.
KINKADE: Minister, while we have time, I want to move away from the political crisis for a moment and ask you about the economic crisis, one of
the worst in Pakistan's history. In April, 13 people were killed in a crash waiting for food donations, people are desperate. You're the planning
minister, what is the government doing to fix that?
IQBAL: Yes, first of all, let me say in 2018, when we left our government, Pakistan was in high growth trajectory. Pakistan's CPAC program was a
global brand, Investors were coming to Pakistan and accord and we had single digit inflation. But in four years of Mr. Khan, there was miss-
governance as a result.
KINKADE: So, what are you doing now, sir? What are you doing, I have to address this.
IQBAL: Yes, so what we are doing is, we are stabilizing the economy. We have implemented the IMF agreement which Mr. IMF signed with IMF, but he
refused to implement it. Now we have taken all those harsh decisions. We are minimizing the subsidies, we are controlling the expenditure.
So we are trying to stabilize the economy and we have a fight we framework to put the economy again on a stable growth bar through promotion of
exports, through promotion of Information Technology for our young people, by making Pakistan secure against climate change disasters, as we
experienced one last year, and also promoting green energy and promoting education, health and equity in our society.
So government has worked out a stabilization strategy. And we hope in next two to three years, Pakistan will turn around come out of this crisis, and
will be on a fast track growth trajectory.
KINKADE: And just quickly, yes or no, will the government hold elections in October? And will Imran Khan's party be able to participate?
IQBAL: Yes. So, we are committed to holding elections. We are all Democrats. As I said, this is a coalition government which comprises of the
all legitimate democratic forces who have a history of 75 years. We will have elections and we will face Mr. Imran Khan and elections in four years.
He has put Pakistan to this mess. And we have a track record where 2013 and 18 in those years, we put Pakistan, we eliminated terrorism from Pakistan,
we put away the energy crisis, we put robust growth, and we control inflation. So the next election will be contested on the basis of
performance.
KINKADE: All right, we look forward to covering that. Ahsan Iqbal, we hope you can bring the situation in Pakistan under control right now. Thank you
so much for your time.
IQBAL: Thank you.
KINKADE: We're going to take a quick break. Stay with us. You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back. It's been two years, two and a half years rather since Beirut's port explosion ripped through the city killing at least 215
people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless and fueling the country's economic collapse. Today the city is still putting its pieces back together
brick by brick.
But in a sign of hope and cultural resilience, one of the world's oldest and largest fine art institutions is preparing to reopen its doors. The
Nicholas Abraham Sursock Museum, which houses modern art from the local and internationally acclaimed artists, was nearly destroyed by that blast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARINA EL HELOU, DIRECTOR OF THE SURSOCK MUSEUM: The explosion was the most difficult period ever for the Sursock Museum, which has been open in Beirut
for 62 years and made it through the Civil War. But the destruction that was caused by the Beirut port blast was the worst we've ever seen.
70 percent of the Sursock Museum space was damaged, including ceilings and stained glass. But we were able to rehabilitate and restore it in just two
and a half years. And that's an accomplishment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well over 50 pieces of artwork have been restored and now curators are putting in the final touches before the museum opens its doors to the
public next hour. Well still ahead hold your breath as we take you to Abu Dhabi's latest attraction, a first outside the U.S.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Well in tonight's parting shots bringing the sea to the desert to see well to open its first park outside the U.S. in Abu Dhabi and it is
huge. The 183,000 square meter park features the world's largest multi species aquarium, home to over 68,000 animals and with 25 million liters of
water.
These Aquariums are so huge that certified divers will soon get a chance to see them from the other side of the glass.
[11:55:00]
With residents such as dolphins, sharks and Puffin seabirds, this is the first SeaWorld Park to open in 30 years. And while the SeaWorld brand has
been criticized for its treatment of animals in the past, this park wants to focus on conservation efforts.
Its -- Research and Conservation Center is connected to every animal enclosure in the park with the aim of shedding light on marine life in the
region. In the years to come, the Center hopes to become a hub for researchers who want to do the same. Well stay with us, we'll have much
more news ahead on "One World". I'm Lynda Kinkade that was "Connect the World". Thanks for joining us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
