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Marco Rubio Offers Europe Message Of Unity While Criticizing Continent On Values And Policies; U.S. Energy Secretary Visits Oil Facility With Acting President; Video Shows Israeli Police Entering Ultra-Orthodox Area With Batons And Stun Grenades. Resolving Differences Between Israel And Hamas On Demilitarization; Mladenov Previews "Significant Commitments" At Thursday's Inaugural Meeting Of Board Of Peace; Savannah Guthrie Pleads For Missing Mother's Safe Return. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired February 16, 2026 - 10:00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:32]

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome to the second hour of the show. I am Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi, where the time is just after 7:00 in the

evening.

And it is a crucial week for the White House's geopolitical agenda, particularly on the Middle East. The U.S. and Iran head into a second round

of negotiations in Geneva aimed at deescalating tensions and reviving a path towards a peace and more on Tehran's nuclear program.

In Washington, Donald Trump's new board of peace for Gaza will convene for the first time, even as Israeli strikes continue inside the Enclave. I'll

be speaking with the board's director general.

And artificial intelligence also in focus in a big way, a global A.I. summit underway in New Delhi, designed not just to showcase innovation, but

to shape what is fast becoming a new pillar of global power.

Well, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ended his trip to Europe after offering decidedly mixed messages to European leaders. His last stop,

a visit today to Hungary and a meeting with the Prime Minister there, Viktor Orban, whose far right policies have drawn effusive praise from U.S.

President Donald Trump.

Rubio told his host, this is a golden era in U.S. Hungarian relations, and he said the U.S. is still working to bring an end to Russia's war on

Ukraine with a new round of trilateral talks set to begin tomorrow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The United States' interest is to see the war end, and we want to do what we can to make it and we're the only

nation on earth that apparently can get both sides to the table to talk. I'm not here to insult anybody, but the United Nations hasn't been able to

do it.

We think it's a war that's incredibly damaging. We think it's a war that's incredibly destructive. We think it's a war that never should have happened

and should end as soon as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, this all follows Rubio's weekend speech at the Munich Security Conference, where he talked up the importance of long-standing

ties between the U.S. and Europe, but warned Europeans bluntly that they need to change some of their cultural attitudes and certain policy planks

or risk losing U.S. support.

Let me bring in CNN State Department Reporter Jennifer Hansler. Good to have you, Jennifer. Rubio wrapping up his trip then with a pivotal week

ahead of him. Did he make strides with his European allies? What's the perspective from Washington's point of view?

JENNIFER HANSLER, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT REPORTER: Well, Becky, certainly, his speech to Munich was received much more warmly than that of Vice

President J.D. Vance last year, when he sort of berated his European allies for free speech violations, as he claimed. Rubio's speech was a much softer

touch, which is what we expected. We expected him to come at this saying he wanted to be honest with European allies.

However, there was a striking moment in that speech, and that he did not call out key issues that are affecting both the U.S. and Europe, namely the

war in Ukraine. This was not something he brought up heavily in that speech in Munich. He was asked about it right afterwards, but in that speech, he

really focused on these key issues that the administration has prioritized when it comes to Europe, these ideas of facing against what he calls mass

migration, focusing on Western civilization, Christian faith and values, these things that they are calling unalienable rights. This has been

something the State Department has been the tip of the spear on pushing Europe to embrace these so called first rights.

And this is something that has very mixed reviews in Europe. This is something that a lot of Europeans see as embrace of the far right there.

You have seen State Department officials meet with far-right politicians there.

So, Rubio's message very mixed, as you said, coming out of Munich, and then for him to travel on to Slovakia and Budapest to meet with Prime Minister

Orban right ahead of those elections in Hungary, after we've seen President Trump give this bear hug to Orban, saying that he needs to be the one to

continue to lead Hungary.

Hungary, of course, is an ally of -- not an ally, excuse me, but they have backed Russians in the past. They have not cut off in the way that other

Europeans have.

[10:05:01]

And so, this is, you know, a mixed time for D.C., but it's clear that their priorities are not what they used to be. These are to focus on these key

social issues in Europe, Becky.

ANDERSON: That's fascinating. Thank you, Jennifer.

And squarely in focus Iran, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says President Trump is focused on diplomacy with Tehran, even as the U.S. moves

more military assets into this region. The Iranians expected to hold indirect talks with Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in Geneva on Tuesday

via Omani mediators.

Now, during the Munich Security Conference, CNN Christiane Amanpour sat down with Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran's last Shah, who has tried to

position himself as the de facto leader of Iran's fragmented opposition. He's calling for global powers to intervene to topple the regime in Tehran.

Have a listen to part of Christiane's conversation with him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REZA PAHLAVI, SON OF IRAN'S LAST SHAH: People are continuing the struggle. They're continuing to chance slogans. You see, an unprecedented solidarity

of Iranians in the four corners of the world demonstrating their support for them. We've seen millions of people on the streets of Iran that are

doing it.

Does Liberty have a price? Of course it does. Are we prepared to die for this cause? Of course we are.

Our whole point is that we don't have a choice but to fight. We don't have a choice but to liberate ourselves. And the only way you can minimize the

struggle in terms of time and loss of human life is not to be alone in this fight. There's too much blood between us and this regime. There's no

turning back for us.

So, the question is, is the world this time going to be on the right side of history and support the Iranian people in their struggle for liberation?

Are we going to go back to business as usual and consider another movement that hasn't panned out, and I think a lot of it depends on the policy of

straightening (PH) the fence and not committing to one side or the other.

This is a choice to be made, because the circumstances exist right now as we speak, there's an opportunity, there's a window that exists right now

that could be the game changer for the whole world.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN HOST: I can really hear you trying to call on something, and that's something, I think, is intervention.

PAHLAVI: It is intervention only because the Iranian people realize that this intervention will eliminate the main -- the most important stumbling

block between them and liberation, which is the regime's mechanism of repression and its killing machine.

What does it mean? It means IRGC. It means any other instrument of repression. It means further economic sanctions. It means cutting economic

-- the regimes means to basically pay the checks of their mercenaries at the end of the day. It means putting more diplomatic pressure, expanding

their diplomats, shutting their embassy, repurposing the frozen assets that belong to the Iranian people to, in fact, help the Iranian people fund

their campaign of labor strikes, help us with the internet and access to the -- to the world.

And you know, we had specific demands on that as to where the world can take steps that will be helpful to this campaign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, my next guest is Dina Esfandiary, the Middle East Lead for Bloomberg Economics. She's joining us from Geneva, where the next round of

talks is taking place, I want to talk about those.

Before we do, let's start with Pahlavi. How seriously does the United States take him at this point?

DINA ESFANDIARY, THE MIDDLE EAST LEAD FOR BLOOMBERG ECONOMICS: I think it's difficult to say. He clearly has a certain amount of support outside of

Iran, I think probably a certain amount of support inside Iran, but he's not necessarily positioned himself that well in terms of leading a

transition. He appears to have a bit of a plan, but you have to realize he's been out of the country for 40 years, so he's really a divisive

figure.

ANDERSON: He was talking intervention there. That is not where we are at, not yet at this point. So, let's talk about where we are at. I want to play

a bit of what Secretary of State Marco Rubio had to say about the negotiations ongoing. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: We're dealing with people who make political, geopolitical decisions on the basis of pure theology, and it's a complicated thing. I mean, no

one's ever been able to do a successful deal with Iran, but we're going to try.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: What makes this round of talks, Dina, to your mind different, and do you think a diplomatic solution at this point, diplomatic off rank, as

we often call it, is possible?

ESFANDIARY: I think it's possible, but I think it's a bit of an uphill battle to get there. I think both sides don't necessarily want to go to

war. They don't want escalation, but they are so far apart right now that I find it hard to believe that they're going to find any overlap in terms of

what they're willing to concede.

[10:10:14]

ANDERSON: That's fascinating. Let's talk about where we are at and where we might see concessions on either side. Certainly, let's start today with the

Iranian foreign minister meeting with the head of the IAEA out of these talks with the U.S., the U.N. nuclear watchdog is expected to play a major

role in these negotiations.

The Iranians, though, have accused the organization of working on behalf of the U.S. Can trust be restored so that this organization might actually

monitor Iran's nuclear activities? I guess in short, what's the significance of this meeting today?

ESFANDIARY: I think it's very significant. I think the Iranians shut the IAEA out as the country was facing greater pressure from the U.S., and

following the war in June. Letting it back in is key to finding a resolution to the -- to the nuclear issue.

And then you get to the second question, which is, you have the IAEA. That's one component, but it's actually right now, the secondary component.

The main component, of these nuclear talks, is enrichment, and that 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium, which no one knows, you know, really,

where it is, not least of all because the IAEA hasn't had access to it.

So, I think what's critical is, what is the United States going to ask of Iran? Is the United States going to ask Iran to cease enrichment

completely, or will Iran be allowed to continue that? And I think that will determine whether you see a deal or not.

ANDERSON: Long time U.S. Hawk Lindsey Graham had this to say in Munich. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): There's no negotiating with these people. In my view, they're hell bent on an acting agenda based on religion that teaches

them to lie, teaches them to destroy in the name of God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: There will be no surprise to hear Lindsey Graham speak like that, but I just wonder, from your perspective, just how much pressure is this

current Trump administration under from hard liners in the U.S. who want regime change in Iran?

ESFANDIARY: I think they'll be facing a great deal of pressure internally. They are also facing a great deal of pressure on the part of the Iranian

diaspora outside that's also pushing for a change in government and many other governments that are uncomfortable with the Islamic Republic.

And President Trump really finds himself in a tough spot. He's been calling for, or at least preparing for military action, and really has ramped up

U.S. military presence in the region. So, it's going to be very hard for him to walk back from that. There has to be a good reason for him to walk

back from that.

ANDERSON: And we've got satellite imagery of the USS Abraham now near Oman. Trump announcing Friday he was sending another carrier strike group to the

region.

So, very simply. I mean, when I talk to sources around this region, those who are in Munich, there is a real sense that an attack may be forthcoming,

may be imminent at this point, what's your sense?

ESFANDIARY: Absolutely, I have to say, I agree. I do think that this next round of talks in Geneva is a -- is a bit of a turning point. If the talks

go well, if they make progress, then again, Iran will have bought itself a certain amount of time.

If they don't, however, and things like enrichment become a problem, or, for example, the U.S. administration pushing on curbing the range of

Iranian missiles, which is a big no go from Tehran's perspective, then the talks are going to get stuck, and then I think we're squarely back in the

area of airstrikes on Iran

ANDERSON: Yes, and data from the commodity Intel firm Kpler shows that Iranian oil exports are at their lowest level in years, amid increased U.S.

sanctions.

The squeeze is on. We know that the U.S. administration, the Trump Administration, has threatened a further squeeze targeting potentially

Iranian oil exports. We also know this is a U.S. administration that is keenly focused on cutting deals, particularly those associated with energy

and key supply chains on things like critical minerals and rare earths.

There are opportunities for this Trump administration. Aren't there with this administration? So, in closing, if you can just step back for a moment

and sort of weigh where both sides are at, we talked about the potential for concessions on both sides. What might that look like in order to get a

deal across the table?

[10:15:17]

ESFANDIARY: Certainly from Iran's perspective, this is probably the moment where they've been the most squeezed, but it's also the biggest opportunity

for the very reasons that you've outlined.

And I think the Iranian officials are kind of waking up to this idea of speaking Trump. So, they've offered potential economic deals to the

Americans as part of these negotiations in the energy sector, for example, in order to entice the Trump administration to perhaps ask less of Iran and

to really take advantage of the moment.

And on President Trump's side, the situation is a little different. They may view Iran being at its weakest point, perhaps in the last two three

years, as an opportunity to squeeze Iran even further and get more. That's where the issues arise.

ANDERSON: Dina, it's good to have you. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. We continue to monitor what is going on. An important day in

Geneva today with the Iranian foreign minister and the head of the IAEA peace talks, we are told, will kick off in direct talks between the parties

will kick off tomorrow in that same city. Thank you.

The U.S. military says it has apprehended another oil tanker linked to Venezuela in the Indian Ocean. The Pentagon says the vessel was trying to

defy President Trump's quarantine on Venezuelan oil being shipped out of the country.

Now, this comes days after Trump praised Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodriguez, saying he rates their relationship at 10.

CNN Stefano Pozzebon has more on the increasingly cordial ties between the two countries.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): The threats, the pressure, the daring night raid, it all led to this. United States is getting what it

wants from Venezuela but it wants more of it. And this visit by Energy Secretary Chris Wright is conveying that message.

Now all of the oil that is stored in this massive tank already goes directly to the United States. It goes to Houston. But that is just a tiny

fraction of what this country could produce.

(Voice-over): Wright and acting president Delcy Rodriguez touring this facility, a partnership between U.S. major Chevron and Venezuela's PDVSA.

It pumps out 40,000 barrels a day and it could produce seven and a half times more. But obstacles remain.

CHRIS WRIGHT, U.S. ENERGY SECRETARY: Oh, it's just to get the political and economic arrangements as smooth as possible between our countries.

POZZEBON (voice-over): The arrangements the U.S. wants don't seem to align with those of student protesters in Caracas.

Oil is secondary here. They want the Trump administration to finish what he started and to see hundreds of political prisoners being released.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They can't release one, two, three. They must all be freed immediately.

POZZEBON (voice-over): Six weeks since the U.S. forces stormed Caracas, capturing and taking President Nicolas Maduro, things have changed in

Venezuela. Relations with the U.S. are on the mend and the new hydrocarbon law was passed to attract investment. Prices are dropping and the country's

national assembly is discussing an amnesty bill for political prisoners.

At Miraflores, where Maduro used to live, another sign of change. The Stars and Stripes now hoisted on the doorstep.

WRIGHT: We want to set the Venezuelan people and the economy free.

POZZEBON (voice-over): But as time goes by, many wonder if the U.S. is actually interested in change or just wanted a more cooperative leader in

Caracas.

Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Caracas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, coming up, a big week for Donald Trump's goal for peace in the Middle East. Thursday sees President Trump's inaugural meeting with his

board of peace.

Ahead of that, I spoke with a man who is overseeing plans for Gaza's governance and reconstruction.

And in Israel, ultra-orthodox rioters attack police vehicles. Why they are so angry, and what the Prime Minister is saying about it.

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[10:21:46]

ANDERSON: The European Union is condemning Israel's move to designate large swathes of the West Bank as state land. The Israeli government said this

new measure is meant to bring order to the land registration process, but several ministers have made it clear that the intent was actually to

increase settlement and Israel's hold on the land.

Jewish settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law. Palestinians are calling the move, "De facto

annexation."

Meantime, Israeli police say two female IDF soldiers were rescued from a city near Tel Aviv after a group of ultra-orthodox men clashed with police.

Turning over -- overturning a vehicle and torching a motorcycle.

Police say it happened after the two soldiers entered the area to conduct welfare related activity on Sunday, the video shows large numbers of

Israeli security forces in the area wielding battens and stun grenades. The religious Haredi community is long protested against mandatory military

service.

Jeremy Diamond is in Jerusalem. And Jeremy, Israeli police say there were two soldiers conducting welfare related activity. The video does seem to

show something else. Can you clarify it and just explain what you believe this is about.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, according to the Israeli military, these two female Israeli soldiers were visiting a recruit who was

preparing to enlist in the Israeli military when they were surrounded by a mob, it seems, of hundreds of individuals who believe that they were there

in relation to trying to serve draft notices, which has of course been a long simmering and increasing tension between the Israeli military and this

community of ultra-orthodox Jews in Israel who have largely refused to enlist in the Israeli military.

And so, as a result, it seems that Israeli police and border police went into Bnei Brak to rescue these two female soldiers who came under attack.

It resulted in a riot that saw one police car overturned, another police motorcycle appeared to have been torched by these rioters in this city of

Bnei Brak, which is majority composed of religious, ultra-orthodox Jews.

And really, this is part of this kind of broader story of these tensions between secular and religious society in Israel in particular, over this

issue of recruiting and conscripting these ultra-orthodox Jews who for decades have effectively been exempt from military service, but we've seen

the Israeli military following orders by Israel's Supreme Court ramp up its efforts to enlist some of these ultra-orthodox Jews into the Israeli

military.

And so, while this riot was not, in fact, a planned protest or anything against this conscription issue, it does seem to have been at the center of

some of these tensions.

In response to this, we've heard from Israel's Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, who said any harm to Israeli soldiers constitutes a severe crossing of a

red line. The Israeli prime minister tried to downplay some of these violent riots, insisting that this was not representative of the ultra-

orthodox community as a whole, but said that these actions are severe and unacceptable.

[10:25:17]

We've seen other Israeli political figures be far more critical, saying that this also has to do with the leadership in the ultra-orthodox

community, which they say, which some of those figures say, have incited violence or political speech against the Israeli military over once again,

this issue of ultra-orthodox recruitment.

So, again, a fairly nasty incident that we saw in Bnei Brak yesterday that is rippling across Israel today, but really emblematic of a much larger

division and tensions inside Israeli society at this moment, Becky.

ANDERSON: Jeremy, while I've got you, I do just want to discuss the Israeli government's approval of West Bank land registration as, "State property"

despite President Trump's opposition to annexation, which is what Palestinians are calling this, de facto annexation. What more can you tell

us on this? And just how significant is this?

DIAMOND: Well, the Israeli government is basically creating a mechanism that would allow it to take over large swaths of land in the West Bank and

make those state land with the expressed intent to turn some of that state land into Israeli settlements.

Now, this is as it relates to Area C in the West Bank, which, under the Oslo Accords, is where Israel has both security and civilian control, but

it's still an area that's home to some up to 300,000 estimated Palestinians who live in Area C of the West Bank.

And what we're hearing from anti-occupation groups and from Palestinian officials is the fear is that this new mechanism will make it very

difficult for Palestinians to prove their property rights in this part of the West Bank, and could effectively lead to them being displaced from

their lands in the coming years.

This is a process that is expected to take years before we actually see some real movement here in terms of, you know, land rights being

distributed, whether to the state or to Israeli settlers, taken away, potentially from Palestinians. But it is being seen as kind of the latest

effort by this far right Israeli government, the most right-wing Israeli government in its history, to enhance Israeli control over the West Bank,

to try and foreclose the possibility of a Palestinian state. And that's exactly how Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is deeply involved in

these kinds of decisions, is describing this as another effort by the Israeli government to entrench its claims to land in the West Bank and to

try and prevent a Palestinian state from ever coming to fruition, Becky.

ANDERSON: Jeremy Diamond is in Jerusalem for you. Jeremy, always a pleasure. Thank you very much.

Look folks, up next, as President Trump's board of peace prepares to meet in Washington later this week, I'm going to bring you my conversation with

a man trusted by all sides to implement the plan for Gaza's future, that is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. You are watching CONNECT WORLD, with me, Becky Anderson. Your headlines this hour.

It's been over two weeks since 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie was reported missing. But her family say they are still holding out hope.

Her daughter, NBC "Today Show" host Savannah Guthrie, addressed her mother's abducted directly on Sunday. In her latest social media post, she

said it is never too late to do the right thing.

Well, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Hungary's hard right prime minister in Budapest, as he ended his trip to Europe.

Rubio praised Viktor Orban, who faces a tough election challenge in April. He's also hailed what he called a new golden era of U.S. Hungarian

relations. European Union is calling on Israel to reverse course after the government moved to designate large swathes of the West Bank as state land.

Several ministers have made clear their intent is to increase settlement and Israel's hold on the territory. Palestinians calling it a de facto

annexation.

Well, meantime, Donald Trump's plans for Gaza's future are coming into a sharper focus this week, with the inaugural meeting his Board of Peace,

which is slated for Thursday. The U.S. president posting yesterday that member states have pledged more than $5 billion for reconstruction and

humanitarian efforts in the enclave, and have committed thousands of troops towards a U.N. authorized international stabilization force. No further

details, so, as of yet.

Well, this is an enormous undertaking involving several unresolved issues, not least, disarming Hamas and demilitarizing Gaza, which is still a major

point of contention between Israel and Hamas.

I spoke with Nickolay Mladenov, the veteran diplomat trusted by all sides to find a solution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICKOLAY MLADENOV, HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR GAZA, BOARD OF PEACE: You have to also understand that Israel's perspective on this is to make sure that

Gaza is never a threat to Israel the way it was on October 7th. And therefore, the focus on weapons and who controls the weapons as Gaza is

there certainly their priority.

And from Hamas's perspective, obviously, you know the risks that they are facing is that if they continue under the current situation, they will be

left with governing 50 percent or around 50 percent of Gaza, in an impossible situation.

Everything in Gaza has been destroyed. The water system is not working. There is no electricity. Everything is running on generators. Nobody wants

to do that. So, obviously, for them, handing over the civilian side of the authority is the priority4.

From our perspective. You know, these are not two contradictory measures, but these are two measures that need to happen pretty much simultaneously.

And obviously, the timelines may vary, because the issues are different and the challenges are different.

And when you talk about weapons, you know, there are different categories of weapons, and their weapons that are unexploded ordinance and other

things in Gaza that need to be handled.

But when you hand -- talking about also about civilian governance, I think it's very important to understand that whoever takes on that challenge in

Gaza now, and to -- this is the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza as a temporary transitional authority.

When they take on that responsibility, we in the international community need to give them more than a hundred percent of backing, because the

challenges they are going to be facing from day one, are going to be way above the extreme of what we can even begin to imagine.

And this is why, you know, we need to move -- that's why I keep talking about these different tracks that we need to move at the same time.

Hopefully, after the Board of Peace meeting next week in Washington, we will also be able to sort of put together, announce the formation of the

international security force.

We are looking forward to quite significant commitments to be made for the reconstruction of Gaza.

[10:35:01]

So that people see that if we take the third option, not the option towards war, not the option towards cementing the division now, but the option

towards reconstruction, there is real support for that.

And this is where all the Arab countries, the countries -- the Muslim countries, the Americans, the Europeans. That is where everybody is united,

because there is been no question by anyone right now whether we should or should not implement the resolution of the Security Council. It's just that

we need to get it all to work together.

ANDERSON: Can I push you on who would do this disarming? Who that international stabilization force is likely to be? Who it is who has

committed to getting on the ground in Gaza, and will they be disarming?

And the -- and the second question for you, quite frankly, is that Israel has said it is ready to go back in to Gaza. Should Hamas not disarm and

Gaza not be demilitarized. I mean, at this point today, as you and I speak, how long do you have?

MLADENOV: We don't have a lot of time, actually. We have quite a limited window to make sure that this process works, because otherwise the options

will become very, very grim for everyone.

But, I think, you know, your question on the ISF and who does the decommissioning of weapons, that process needs to be Palestinian led. It

can be supported and should be supported by the international security force, but it needs to be Palestinian led.

And that is why, you know, in my mind, I always think of what -- you know, in terms of priorities, the priority is obviously for the committee to go

into, to begin taking over government. But they cannot do that without having a strong Palestinian security force right next to them, taking

control over gather, you know, over time, you know, in different parts over time, so that they can actually secure the ground with the support of the

international security force, and jointly engage in the decommissioning of weapons.

And I think this is sort of a framework that has already been agreed by the mediators back in December, and I think, it was previewed in Davos at the

announcement of the -- of the Board of Peace. We have more meetings coming up in the next days on finalizing this approach.

So, yes, you know, the threat of returning to hostilities is there, and it is a very significant risk, because obviously, you know, Israel is very

anxious to make to see that this works.

And, you know, you know far better than me, that many people around the world, including in on the ground, are skeptical who this process will

work.

But you know, skepticism doesn't get us anywhere. What gets us somewhere is actually making sure that the plan is as it's been laid down in the

resolution, and the 20-point plan is broken down in stages in a reasonable and professional manner, and that we all agree to move forward with it.

And I think in this sense, we do have Israel's support of this. We do have Egypt support. We do have the support of Turkey, and Qatar, and the rest of

the Arab countries, the Gulf countries. I -- the last week, I toured a number of them, and everybody agrees that this is the only reasonable way

forward.

Everything else, Becky, everything else gets us back, either into war or into this unsustainable and tragic situation, which is -- which is right

now, and this is what everybody needs to understand. There is no other option except going forward with implementation of the Security Council

Resolution.

ANDERSON: The World Bank estimated last year that costs to rebuild would be more than $70 billion, and I've heard costs which are far north of that.

Who is going to pay that bill? I mean, what have been the pledges to date? In the past, we've had pledges on Gaza, and those ended up being, you know,

unfunded. What do you know? What can you tell us?

MLADENOV: Well, the World Bank is one of our critical partners in this enterprise, and it is already moving forward and creating a trust fund to

be able to facilitate this. But before we even begin the discussion of this large-scale reconstruction that needs to happen in Gaza for people to have

some normal life going forward, is that we need today to deal with what I call stage one, if you wish. And that is the reality of today.

It is very difficult to imagine what Gaza will look like at the end of the reconstruction process, or to convince countries to put money into that if

we still have what we have today, which is, you know, Hamas in control of Gaza, the risk of an escalation again, with Israel, the division of the

Gaza Strip by a yellow line, half controlled by the IDF, half not.

We need the legitimate Palestinian government in Ramallah working with us, and we're talking to them very, very intensely. We are looking at ways how

we can cooperate, because at the end of the day, Gaza should be returned back to their -- to their control once reforms take place in Ramallah, of

course.

[10:40:05]

ANDERSON: You are arguably one of, if not the most critical figure in this phase. You serve five years as the U.N.'s top envoy to the region. Your

reputation stands before you. And I've heard you described as a firefighter in the region. You can open doors, you've got the confidence of both

Washington and Israel and the confidence of the region, and rightly so. You get things done, well, you certainly have done in the past. How confident

are you that you can get this done?

MLADENOV: I'm fairly confident that this can be done. And part of the that confidence comes from the fact that everything else is such a terrible

alternative, both for Palestinians and Israelis. There is no other plan on the table. There are no other options of how we move forward, except what

has been put in the 20-point plan and the U.N. Security Council Resolution.

And I think, you know, we have hit really, really rock bottom and Gaza, not just with the humanitarian tragedy, but with the whole way that this issue

of the Palestinian question has been approached over the years, that we've got to start going up and rebuilding something.

This is in the interest of Israel, this is in the interest of the Palestinian people, and let no one tell you -- let no one tell you that

what the Board of Peace and what the National Committee for the Administration in Gaza are doing inside the Gaza Strip is aimed at

separating Gaza from its legitimate place within the -- within the Palestinian Authority. We are doing exactly the opposite. We are empowering

the conditions.

But when the political leaders of Israel and Palestine are able to sit together and discuss how to resolve this question in a political manner

that they do actually have a reality on the ground that supports such a decision. Because as long as you have what you have in Gaza today, or even

before October 7th, that political solution is going to be very, very elusive.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Nikolai Mladenov, speaking to me late on Friday. The Board of Peace meeting, of course, is this Thursday. A crucial week in Washington.

Well, still to come, a new message from NBC host Savannah Guthrie, as the FBI analyzes DNA found from a glove near her mother's home. We'll have the

very latest in the search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, there is still a hope, and it is never too late to do the right thing. That is the message from the NBC host Savannah Guthrie, as

authorities continue to search for her mom.

[10:45:06]

In a new social media post, Savannah made a direct appeal to whoever is holding 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie,

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, HOST, NBC: I wanted to say to whoever has her or knows where she is, that it's never too late, and you are not lost or alone, and

it is never too late to do the right thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, her plea comes as authorities await the DNA results from a glove they found in a field about three kilometers from Nancy Guthrie's

home. The FBI says it appears to match the gloves worn by a masked person seen here outside her front door. The light that she vanished from her

Arizona home. The suspect's identity and motive in this case still unknown.

Well, for more, let's bring in CNN, senior national security analyst, Juliette Kayyem.

I have to just start by asking just how unusual a case is this? 16 days in, it seems authorities have so few leads.

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: It's beyond for two reasons, but with one, you know, with one caveat for you, though, which is,

you know, this could turn in a moment, we could, there could be a press conference that there was a break in the case. But the two things that are

unique about it are, first, the kidnapping aspect to it.

We don't keep numbers in the -- in the United States on sort of kidnapping. It's not -- honestly, it's not part of the culture. Political kidnappings

don't generally happen. Business leaders, leaders don't generally get kidnapped. There are databases for children. Those tend to be family

members, right? So, good kids don't even get sort of snapped up all the time. And then, children that go missing or often in a -- in a horrific

trade or something illegal, drugs, or prostitution, and those numbers are still relatively small given our population.

Elderly, kidnapping, I can't find any data on it. It's just -- it is so rare. So, then, that turns to the second part of the rareness, which is, of

course, Savannah Guthrie. She is a known person here, her rawness in these videos. Her way of speaking as if she has some connection to them, either

through this process, or maybe she thinks before. And that this is being played out through the victim's family, rather than through law enforce --

enforcement, as you know, this is just quite unique.

ANDERSON: All right. Well, let's just have a look at this, this glove that we have been reporting on.

(CROSSTALK)

KAYYEM: Yes.

ANDERSON: What exactly can you pull from what we are hearing, and walk us through the different types of DNA you can extract, and what this really

will tell us.?

KAYYEM: Yes. So, if someone -- this is a great news, this is a great break, and we will probably get this information, because this can be expedited in

the next 24 hours.

So, there is two types of, you know, one would be, are there any blood markings on the gloves that would tie it to either Nancy Guthrie, because

we know that she was bleeding. There was blood found at the home. Or, of course, did she -- was she able to pierce the skin of the person taking her

and that there might be gloves, DNA on the gloves.

The second would just be skin. Would just be -- are there -- is there any identifiable skin, hair, whatever else that then could tie it to a match

that's already in a database. Right? And that would be if the person had a previous experience, or if they believe that it's a family member or some

worker or someone, to get that person's DNA and see if there is a match. So, this is going to be huge.

I think there's a third piece to this, of course, which is like, why is the glove missing? So, I'm very curious about what was happening in that place

where the glove is -- glove is picked up, not on the property, but further away. That might give us a clue to what could have occurred. Did they

switch cars there? Was someone -- did they meet someone there? And so, also, the glove is not just about the DNA. It may also go to what happened

that evening, and therefore, tying to hopefully someone who knows something.

ANDERSON: I'm wondering about the narrative here. I mean, you use of the term kidnapping. Suggests that, that was the intent of -- you know, that

was the motive here.

[10:50:08]

I mean, as opposed to, you know, a robbery, for example, that has gone wrong and, you know, and that something has happened to the 84-year-old off

the back of that robbery. What do you make of the language that split being used? And again, does that suggest where authorities may be, may not

suggest where they land ultimately, but what does that tell you about the investigations?

Because, you know, I said at the beginning of this, you know, 16 days in and no leads. I mean, frankly, we can't know if they, I mean, obviously

they're chasing leads.

KAYYEM: Yes.

ANDERSON: We can't know the extent of those leads, but certainly, at this point, there is no evidence that they have, you know, found the culprit.

KAYYEM: That's exactly, right. So, and exactly, your question is perfect, because this is -- this is an important case for what it's not. So, in a

robbery, generally, robbers, do not want to be near people. They come into a home when people are sleeping or they are out of town.

This is not a murder, right? If they were going after Nancy Guthrie directly, they wanted her dead for whatever reason. We would know that as

well. This is different. This is something that is absolutely unique. It's a kidnapping, and because of its rarity, in terms of an elderly person,

whose daughter is famous, and they may have known she had -- she has access to resources, but who is not, you know, she is not like a leading business

figure. She is not obviously a leading political figure. So, they will be looking at any ties that others may have had to Nancy or Savannah Guthrie,

people that they know are people in the orbit, or any evidence that someone was tying them together. In other words, they don't like Savannah Guthrie,

and therefore, Nancy is, is, is implicated in it. So, all of those are leads. But as I said earlier, you know, the kidnapping part makes this a

whole new ball game in terms of who they are looking at.

ANDERSON: Yes. It's always good to have you. Juliette. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.

KAYYEM: Thank you.

ANDERSON: And folks, you are watching CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN. A lot more ahead. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Some of the world's most powerful tech executives and heads of state are descending on New Delhi as India hosts this year's A.I. impact

Summit. This year, the event comes at a pivotal moment, as A.I. reshapes economies, disrupts labor markets and intensifies debates around

regulation, security, and ethics.

It all comes as A.I. heavyweight, Anthropic announced the opening of its first India office and new partnerships, a signal of accelerating global

investment in A.I. in India. Watch this space.

Well, for tonight's "PARTING SHOTS", we celebrate the work of the late Ramesh Shukla, whose lens was a witness to the UAE's history.

It all began with a Rolleicord camera, a birthday gift from Shukla's father. It was one of the few possessions he carried with him when he

sailed from Mumbai to Sharjah back in 1965.

[10:55:05]

Three years later, one picture changed everything. At a camel race, Shukla captured the leadership -- the Sheikhs alongside the side of the track.

Amongst them was the UAE's founding father, Sheikh Zayed, who loved the shot and even called Shukla, fannan, meaning artist in Arabic.

Well, I spoke with the longtime UAE resident back in 2018. Here is how he described the leadership.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAMEN SHUKLA, LATE ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHER, UAE: Man dancing, education on very simple.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, over the years, Shukla captured the history of a young nation on the rise, one that very few have documented.

One of his most iconic works is this picture of Sheikh Zayed signing the document that formalized the creation of the UAE that we know today. A

picture so famous, it made its way onto the 50 Dirham note a few years ago.

Dubai's Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan paid tribute to the photographer on X, writing that he "Captured the early journey of the UAE and preserved

defining moments in our nation's history and visual memory. He devoted six decades. the Emirates and its people with deep loyalty and love." May he

rest in peace.

That's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN. "ONE WORLD" is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END