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NEWS FROM CNN

Slavery Lives; Massacre on Tape; Interview With Jaap de Hoop Scheffer

Aired June 3, 2005 - 11:59   ET

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

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: The State Department about to release its annual report on human trafficking. We'll go there live. The secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, will be speaking.
Also, there's new evidence of atrocities during the Balkan wars. We'll give you details on that. And our Brent Sadler will join us to recall his own coverage of the slaughter at Srebrenica.

Then, the future of NATO at a time of political uncertainty in Europe. The NATO secretary-general, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, he joins us to talk about the strength and the weaknesses of the Atlantic alliance.

First, some other headlines ""Now in the News."

At last word, as you just saw here on CNN, Canadian officials were preparing to board a diverted British airliner in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Security officials in the United States and Britain say the hijack signal the plane apparently sent was a false alarm. The officials in Canada want to make sure nearly 300 people remain on the plane, Virgin Atlantic Flight 45 from London to New York.

Canadian officials spoke out only moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CST. JOE TAPLIN, ROYAL CORPS OF MOUNTED POLICE: Just approximately 11:30 this morning, RCMP responded to an emergency situation at the Halifax International Airport. Halifax International Airport notified RCMP of a plane being diverted from Heathrow. It was en route to JFK Airport in New York.

The plane has landed in Halifax International Airport. The emergency situation is still ongoing. At this present time, we're trying to make contact with the pilot of the airplane, of Virgin's airline, to determine what the emergency is, and that's all the information I have at this time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And we'll go back to the scene shortly to speak with a reporter there.

Other news, the defense winding up its final arguments in the Michael Jackson trial. The case could go to the jury by early afternoon. The pop star facing 10 felony counts. If found guilty on all the counts, he could be jailed for up to 20 years.

Among the most popular stories we're watching this hour on CNN.com, a gruesome discovery in Austria. Police find the bodies of four newborns, two of them stuffed into a freezer at an apartment complex in the southern city of Graz.

You want to read more details about this gruesome story? Go to CNN.com.

Up first, a disturbing reminder of the evil of slavery, and the fact that it still continues until this day. The secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, about to report to the nation and the world on a continuing worldwide plague that includes forcing women into lives of prostitution and innocent children into combat.

As we await Secretary Rice's remarks, let's turn to our State Department correspondent, Andrea Koppel. She's joining us now live with a preview -- Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, this is the report. We can't actually tell you what's in it yet until Secretary Rice has come to the podium. But I can tell you that this problem of trafficking, the numbers are absolutely staggering.

The purpose of this report is really -- it's supposed to be a diplomatic tool for the U.S. to both coax and if necessary penalize countries that aren't doing enough to crack down on trafficking. And, in fact, the trafficking also happens here in the United States.

Here are some of the statistics. There are between 600,000 to 800,000 men, women and children who are smuggled against their will from one country into another every year, 14,500 to 17,500 are brought here into the United States.

They're victims forced into everything from prostitution to working in sweat shops, domestic labor, farming and even child armies. Eighty percent of the victims are women. We're talking about young women, mostly, and children. Up to 50 percent of them are minors, and 70 percent are used in the commercial sex industry.

Now, what the State Department has been doing, this is the fifth year they've come out with this report. And progressively, over the years, what they've been able to do is, the countries that are the worst offenders, they have the threat of sanctions, they have the threat that they're not going to get U.S. aid. And this actually, Wolf, they have seen tangible proof that these kinds of sticks that they hold over their heads of those countries are actually improving their records on the ground.

You have 35 -- 32 countries in the last five years that have put laws on the books to combat trafficking in children and sex crimes in the sex industry. And I've talked to people over the last several days who have been involved in going to -- going to these countries and seeing the tangible evidence on the ground that things have improved.

Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: All right. We'll stand by and get some more information, shocking information, from the secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice. Andrea Koppel reporting for us from the State Department. Thanks, Andrea, very much.

Shocking that these things still go on in this day and age.

For years, Serb leaders denied it. They no longer can after a video surfaces showing the killings of Bosnian Muslims a decade ago.

The footage shows executions in Srebrenica, site of the worst mass killings in Europe since World War II. It aired for the first time at the trial of the former Yugoslav president, Slobodan Milosevic.

Let's get some more now from ITN's Lindsey Hilsum.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LINDSEY HILSUM, REPORTER, ITN (voice-over): The Hague war crimes tribunal, more evidence against former President Milosevic of Yugoslavia. A video about the Serbian paramilitary group, the Scorpions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You see here a ceremony of the Scorpions.

HILSUM: And then a much more horrific video, showing the massacre of Bosnian Muslims at Srebrenica in 1995. The video shows six young Muslim men in the back of a military truck. They're hauled out by members of the Scorpions, the paramilitary unit.

The Serbs shout insults. And it seems the Muslims are about to be shot.

These horrific pictures were aired on Serbian television. The pictures were taken by a member of the Scorpions. Its existence has been rumored for years, but never before has it been shown in public.

A shot is fired over the heads of the Muslim victims. Faces of the perpetrators can be clearly seen. The paramilitaries wore a black uniform with a red beret. Dark green and camouflage were the uniforms of the Yugoslav army, the JNA, which was under President Milosevic's command.

The young men are led away to a clearing. They were amongst up to 7,000 who lost their lives at Srebrenica. We won't show the men being killed, but they did show it on Serb TV.

A poll last month suggested that half the Serbian population still don't believe there ever was a massacre at Srebrenica 10 years ago. Maybe this evidence will change some minds.

Two men are made to carry the bodies of their dead comrades. Even Serb TV found it too horrific to show the video of their torture and murder. President Milosevic conducts his own defense, denying responsibility, often denying that atrocities ever happened in Bosnia. Eight members of the Scorpions were arrested in Belgrade, but the direct link to the former president still needs to be proved.

U.N. troops failed to prevent the massacre. The Bosnians who survived want justice for those who died. And they want ordinary Serbs to acknowledge what happened at Srebrenica.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: That report from ITN's Lindsey Hilsum.

Among the journalists who braved the civil wars in the Balkans was our own Brent Sadler. He's now CNN's senior international correspondent. He's on assignment in Beirut.

But Brent, take us back 10 years. You were there at Srebrenica, you remember what was going on. What, about 8,000 Bosnian Muslims were massacred, at least the numbers that I've read?

BRENT SADLER, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. If we take you back almost a decade, in fact a decade next month, I can recall very vividly the events leading up to the stories about this massacre. Allegedly at that time, the worst massacre in Europe since the Second World War.

What really does stick in my mind from that period were pictures of the Bosnian Serb army commander, General Radko Mladic, who is an indicted war criminal for the Srebrenica massacre wanted by the war crimes tribunal in the Hague, coldly sifting out the men from the women and the children.

We journalists in Sarajevo at that time saw video of Radko Mladic telling women and children in a sickening way that they should board buses and trucks, leave the safe haven as it should have been of Srebrenica, that they will be reunited with their men later.

Mladic at that time must surely have known what was going on, that the men had been filtered out, had been taken away to other locations and were in a process of being systematically massacred, as many as 8,000. Those pictures, Wolf, will never, ever fade from my mind.

BLITZER: And these latest pictures that were released at the war crimes tribunal only yesterday, I suppose it's going to be almost impossible for these Bosnian Serbs, whether it's Mladic or Karadzic, or any of these guys who are still on the loose right now, to be able to deny they were engaged in these kinds of atrocities.

SADLER: That's right. This video that's come out in the Hague really does, as far as the Serbs are concerned, open a chamber of horrors, horrors of which there is now undeniable, cold, shocking evidence.

This video was shown, as we heard from that report, on Serbian television, on at least two stations there, and some of it in unedited form. And the reaction in Serbia is going to be very interesting. Why? Because those two war crimes suspects, the top two, General Radko Mladic and his political mentor, Radovan Karadzic, leader of the Bosnian Serbs during that Balkans conflict, are at large still.

They're wanted by the war crimes tribunal. And they have been able to find sympathizers in Serbia, it's said, in Montenegro, as well as in the Serb parts of Bosnia for them to be able to escape justice, to escape the long arm of the Hague war crimes tribunal.

This video, shown as it was on Serbian TV, will doubtless change many minds, and will put a lot of pressure both internationally and domestically on Serbian authorities to help to do the best they can to help the international community track down those two most-wanted men.

BLITZER: Brent Sadler reporting for us from Beirut. Brent, thanks very much. Thanks for your reporting now, and thanks for your reporting then.

This note, we'll have more on this coming up. The NATO secretary-general, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, is here in Washington. And I'll ask him why can't the NATO troops in the Balkans right now find those indicted war criminals still on the loose after 10 years.

Let's get back to that other story we're watching, that Virgin Atlantic flight that was diverted to Halifax. Reporter Tom Murphy from Canada's CBC TV joining us now live from Nova Scotia with more.

What have you been able to glean, Tom?

TOM MURPHY, HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA: Well, Wolf, we can tell you right now that the aircraft is still on the tarmac. And just moments ago, a S.W.A.T. team boarded the aircraft.

The RCMP are telling us this is standard procedure for this sort of thing. They'll be checking the aircraft out, looking to check the veracity, really, of this warning signal, this hijack warning signal that came out on this flight over the Atlantic earlier this morning.

Here is Joe Taplin of the RCMP.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CST. JOE TAPLIN, RCMP: Right now, that's what we're trying to determine, the exact -- the exact emergency which took place to make the beacon respond.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What will happen at this point? Will we see S.W.A.T. team members here?

TAPLIN: That's a normal procedure for us. It's a safety issue. So we're trying to determine exactly what the emergency is and why the plane was diverted to Halifax. And right now we're in the process of trying to contact the pilot, and then we'll -- should have an update later on exactly what took place.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What will happen to the passengers on board?

TAPLIN: They're still on board right now. And once they determine what the emergency was or not, the passengers will probably be cleared through Customs. That's all the information I have right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MURPHY: That's Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesperson Joe Taplin.

Now, we're told there are about 290 individuals on the aircraft, and we are told also from one of the media reports that the airline instructed or talked to the pilot over the Atlantic, and the pilot assured them that everything was fine, that the cockpit had been obviously reinforced, bulletproof. Those measures taken since 9/11, and that things were just fine.

They pulled into Halifax Airport here, being escorted by two Canadian fighter jets, and, again, that S.W.A.T. team that assembled on the ground and now has just boarded the aircraft -- Wolf.

BLITZER: We know that some planes are diverted to Canada or other locations in Bangor, Maine, for example, if there is someone suspected of being on a terrorist watch list. But this seems to be pretty unusual, that there was this supposed false alarm as a hijacking is concerned.

Do you know, or do authorities at the Halifax Airport know of previous incidents similar to this, or is this extraordinary?

MURPHY: Well, we're being told that it may very well be some sort of a technical malfunction. And if that's the case, I don't remember that happening here at the Halifax Airport before.

The Halifax Airport, of course, was the scene on September 11 of dozens of aircraft from North American airspace that were diverted here as a result of the attacks in the United States. So the airport itself does have experience with this, and lot of these protocols that we're seeing happening now, like the S.W.A.T. team in place, and so on, is a reaction to that training that has been built up since 9/11.

But really, in terms of exact details, and of this exact sort of incident happening before, no one here, certainly at the RMCP, can't really put a finger on that having happened here before.

BLITZER: All right. We'll continue to watch it. Tom Murphy of the CBC for us in Halifax. Tom, thanks very much for that report.

Proof positive of the massacre at Srebrenica. New visual evidence, shocking evidence of war crimes in the Balkans a decade ago. We'll have more on that story.

And a nighttime ride ends with a 14-year-old boy fighting for his life today in Arizona. We'll have details of that in our news "Across America." Much more NEWS FROM CNN coming up. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Human trafficking, it's shocking but true. Hundreds of thousands of people in this day and age around the world still forced into slavery, forced into warfare, forced into prostitution.

Only a few moment ago, the secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, released the State Department's annual report on human trafficking, and she explained why this issue is so important to the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: The United States has a particular duty to fight this scourge, because trafficking in persons is an affront to the principles of human dignity and liberty upon which this nation was founded. We estimate that up to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year. And millions more are trafficked internally.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And we'll have much more on this report coming up later today, 5:00 p.m. Eastern, on "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS."

One of our frequent guests here on NEWS FROM CNN is Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the secretary-general of NATO. He's visiting Washington once again, and just a little while ago we spoke with him on a range of important subjects, including the shocking new proof of atrocities by the Serbs during the Bosnian civil war.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

Secretary-General, thanks very much for joining us. Welcome back to Washington.

JAAP DE HOOP SCHEFFER, NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL: Thank you.

BLITZER: There is this horrible video that has now been released, showing the massacre of these young Bosnian Muslims, these teenage boys, and it has revived what happened there 10 years ago in Srebrenica.

NATO is now involved in dealing with this problem, but these war criminals, alleged war criminals, are still at large -- Radko Mladic, Radovan Karadzic.

DE HOOP SCHEFFER: It gives me, I can tell you, Wolf, a good sense of frustration. Apparently, they are protected, because otherwise it's impossible that one can't find them.

I must add that NATO is not in Serbia proper, of course. I mean, they seem to be able to travel from the republic of (INAUDIBLE) Bosnia to Serbia proper. NATO isn't there, but the hunt goes on. And I'm quite sure that they -- they will not be able to run forever. BLITZER: When you -- when you hear about this videotape, and it bring back the memories of what happened 10 years ago, as the secretary-general of NATO right now, what goes through your mind?

DE HOOP SCHEFFER: Well, it has a very personal element for me, because I was in the Netherlands then as a member of parliament. I was spokesman for foreign affairs. And I have been, let's say, rather closely involved in the Srebrenica massacre, which saw -- and we saw it on the video -- the horror of war, of civil war, religious war in Europe. In Europe...

BLITZER: There were Dutch troops on the scene at the time.

DE HOOP SCHEFFER: There were.

BLITZER: And I remember vividly they didn't do anything, even as the reports of the massacres were coming in.

DE HOOP SCHEFFER: They did what they could do. But there's an important "but." They were not supported, and they should have been supported by air strikes and the bombing of the Serb troops.

It would have been possible, it didn't happen. For political reasons it did not happen. That's the shame of Srebrenica.

And we should remember that it is the biggest massacre on European soil since the Second World War. And if I see that video, I can tell you many emotions are coming back with me.

BLITZER: All right. Let's go from that massacre to what's happening in Sudan and Darfur right now. NATO has not yet been involved, but you're about to get involved, at least indirectly, in dealing with the horrors that are going there.

DE HOOP SCHEFFER: Indeed. The African Union, which is running a mission in Darfur -- almost 10,000 people die every month, two million-plus in camps. The African Union -- the Africans have come to NATO, and that's a first, "Could you please help us, logistically? Could you lift, transport our troops, African troops into Darfur? Could you perhaps train our people, our headquarters staff?"

"Could you help with communication?" Could you help with transport, with the bands of (INAUDIBLE) on the ground?"

And I mean, it would, of course, be impossible if that question comes from the African Union to say, no, so we are in the process.

BLITZER: There's a consensus now that all the NATO members, the allies, have agreed that they will, at least logistically, help the African Union?

DE HOOP SCHEFFER: Well, formally, there is no consensus yet. We are in the process of preparing an answer to the African Union. But you can -- you can take it on my authority that NATO will help, that NATO must help. The European Union, by the way, will do the same, because the African Union had also gone to the European Union, "Could you help us?" And in coordination with the European Union, NATO will certainly help, and NATO must help.

But I have to point out to you, this is an African Union mission. It is not a NATO operation or a NATO mission. NATO is not going to put combat soldiers on the ground in Darfur.

BLITZER: From the African Union, as you point out, to the European Union, what's happening in Europe? Your country, the Netherlands, just rejected the European Union constitution days after France, the people of France, did exactly the same thing.

Is this European Union concept falling apart?

DE HOOP SCHEFFER: Well, it is clear that in France and the Netherlands, that people have shown that they do not want this constitutional treaty. I think there's more happening in Europe than just a vote on the European -- on the European treaty.

Let me say as NATO secretary-general that NATO needs a strong European Union, as the United States, I think, needs a strong partner in Europe in a strong European Union. Well, the end result of this will be -- is very difficult to predict, but the Dutch have said no in large numbers, so have the French.

I said yes, I can -- I can tell you, because I think...

BLITZER: You voted in favor of the constitution?

DE HOOP SCHEFFER: Yes, absolutely. I mean, I was a foreign minister, and I was involved in negotiating this constitutional treaty. So it will come as no surprise to anybody that I voted yes personally.

But now as NATO secretary-general, it is relevant for NATO. NATO needs a partnership with the European Union, that this European Union develops in a strong way. Well, one thing one can say, of course, after Sunday in France and Wednesday in the Netherlands, is that the European leaders now have to figure out how they want to proceed and then what direction.

BLITZER: Turkey has always been a very good ally of NATO. But there are a lot of people in Europe who don't want Turkey to b e a member of the European Union. This is a big problem, and it's one of the reasons why a lot of people in France and presumably in the Netherlands voted against this constitution.

DE HOOP SCHEFFER: Well, that is an element, as I have heard people saying, indeed, and read in European newspapers.

BLITZER: Is it because Turkey is a Muslim country?

DE HOOP SCHEFFER: Well, I don't know why it is exactly. It has to do with integration, immigration and different European countries. But the European Union has agreed that negotiations with Turkey are going to start in the beginning of October. I presume that they'll stick by that -- by that date.

But I can say as NATO secretary-general that Turkey is a very important country. Turkey is a staunch ally, and Turkey is in a geographical position which is very important for NATO and also for the European Union, I would say.

BLITZER: NATO is playing a very important role in Afghanistan right now. Not playing, necessarily, a very important role on the ground in Iraq right now.

Any changes? Because I spoke with the foreign minister of Iraq only yesterday, Hoshyar Zabari. He has a big meeting coming up in Brussels later this month with the EU, the U.S.. Many of the NATO allies will be there.

He needs your support. Is NATO ready to step up to the plate and help Iraq directly with its efforts to become a more stable democracy?

DE HOOP SCHEFFER: We are doing this, Wolf. We are doing this.

I also spoke to Minister Zabari not that long ago. What NATO is doing -- and we're stepping up that effort -- is training Iraqi security forces and equipping the Iraqi security forces.

BLITZER: Not in Iraq?

DE HOOP SCHEFFER: Training in Iraq.

BLITZER: How many NATO troops are in Iraq?

DE HOOP SCHEFFER: We're doing that now in the Green Zone, in the international zone. But we're going to set up a training center just outside Baghdad in the fall, and we're going to train 1,500 leaders a year in Iraq itself.

Some allies do train outside Iraq, as you know. All allies are financing the training mission. So all 26 allies are participating in this training mission, be it inside Iraq, be it outside Iraq, be it through financing the mission, be it through equipment donations to the Iraqi armed forces. So, I mean, NATO is doing what the Iraqi government is asking of NATO, and I think it's a very relevant role we're playing.

BLITZER: We'll leave it right there. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, thanks very much, the NATO secretary-general.

DE HOOP SCHEFFER: Thanks, Wolf.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And we spoke here in Washington just a little while ago. When we come back, job growth slowing. Numbers are down as employers cut back on new hires. We'll speak live with the treasury secretary, John Snow, about the latest job numbers out today and the overall state of the U.S. economy, information you need to know when the NEWS FROM CNN continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Let's check some other stories "Across America" right now.

An Arizona teenager is in critical condition after being shot during a bizarre police chase. Authorities say the 14-year-old stole a huge earth mover from a construction site in Tucson. Police chased him for about 15 miles before the shooting.

The search is continuing for a missing Alabama teen out of the Caribbean island of Aruba. Eighteen-year-old Natalee Holloway disappeared on the last night of a school trip to the resort island. She was last seen in the early hours of Monday morning.

New numbers out today showing the job market here in the United States not as strong as economists had hoped. Seventy-eight thousand people were hired last month. That's about half of what had been expected. Even so, the unemployment rate dropped to one-tent of one percent. It now stands at 5.1 percent.

A man constantly crunching all these numbers is John Snow, secretary of the Treasury. He's joining us now live from the Treasury Department.

Mr. Secretary, thanks very much for joining us.

Seventy-eight thousand new jobs last month. The month before, April, 274,000 new jobs.

What happened? Why the downturn? This is the lowest number in, what, almost two years?

JOHN SNOW, TREASURY SECRETARY: Well, Wolf, I wouldn't read too much into one month. Last month, you'll recall the numbers came in way above the forecast. This month they came in somewhat below the forecast. At the same time, the Household Survey numbers came in way at the high end of the forecast, well over 300,000, 370,000 or so.

I wouldn't put much weight on one month's numbers, but I will say I think the trend line continues to be very good for jobs and very good for compensation and good for growth

BLITZER: Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in the House, just issued a statement. I'll go to the computer and read it, just a line from it. She said, "Republicans remain in denial. On Tuesday, the president declared that he is satisfied with our economy and that our economy is strong, but Democrats are not satisfied, and, more importantly, Americans are not satisfied."

Are you satisfied in the shape of the U.S. economy right now?

SNOW: Listen, Wolf, we're never satisfied. There's a lot of work to be done, but I do think we should look at the fact that the American economy is performing well, creating jobs, compensation levels are rising, the economy is growing, enjoying the best growth we've seen basically in two -- in two decades. And all of this is happening in basically a non-inflationary environment.

So the American economy is performing well. We want to see it do even better.

BLITZER: One of the reasons that some analysts suggest the job growth didn't go up as significantly as many had hoped it would was the high energy cost, $54 a barrel for oil right now. It had been as high as $57 a barrel.

That's twice what it was only a couple years or so ago. How much of a drag is that on economic growth and job creation in the United States?

SNOW: Well, it's a drag. It's hard to quantify it precisely, but there's no doubt that it's hurting GDP growth. And if you hurt GDP growth, you're hurting -- you're hurting job creation.

But even in the face of these headwinds -- and they're real headwinds from these energy prices, they're way too high and unwelcome -- even in the face of those headwinds, the remarkable thing is that this American economy continues to plow right through and continued to turn in, in good results. But we need an energy policy. We need to take charge of our own energy future, and that's why the energy legislation the president sent forward is so -- is so important.

BLITZER: Interest rates, some economists say, well, there might be some positive silver lining from the sluggish job growth in that it might slow down the increases in interest rates that the Federal Reserve has been doing. What, eight times in recent months they've increased interest rates.

You think this is going to put a hold on interest rates right now?

SNOW: Well, I don't comment on what the Fed might do or might not do. But clearly, their job is to lean against the winds of inflation, and they do -- they do a good job of that.

The long end, the market determined end of the yield curve, is continuing to -- to show low interest rates. And that's clearly good for the housing market. It's clearly good for construction, clearly good for capital spending, and good for the overall performance of the economy.

BLITZER: Are you among those economists, Mr. Secretary, who's worried about a housing bubble? Because the real estate has been going crazy, especially in certain parts of the United States, like Washington, New York, Florida, California. Are you worried that this is going to burst this bubble? SNOW: No, I'm not particularly worried about that. We don't have a national market in housing. It's not like the market in equities or the market in bonds or the market in pig bellies or something, hog bellies. It's a different kind of market it.

It mainly reflects local conditions. And those markets that are particularly hot are markets that are growing, and where demand, supply conditions are producing that result. I would expect, though, in those markets some slowing of price rises in the future as a natural adjustment process.

BLITZER: One final question before I let you go, Mr. Secretary. Social Security reform, in the face of very strong opposition on the president's proposal for these private accounts, part of the Social Security system. Is he ready to walk away from that and deal with other -- other parts of Social Security reform, given the strong opposition that has emerged, certainly among Democrats, but even some Republicans?

SNOW: Well, we need to fix the system, and we're focused on solvency. The way to fix it that's fair to young people and future generations is to include -- include personal accounts.

The president's committed to that objective, and he's going to continue to press -- press with all the force he can to achieve that objective. And I'm confident that what comes out of Congress ultimately will reflect the president's strong desire to see personal accounts included in the ultimate -- the ultimate solution.

BLITZER: So he's not backing away at all from that?

SNOW: Not one bit.

BLITZER: All right. Mr. Secretary, John Snow, thanks for spending a few moments with us here on CNN. Always appreciate having you on the program.

SNOW: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: We'll take a quick break. When we come back, Operation Lightning so far billed a success by those involved, but has it been a success? Insurgent violence continuing across Iraq. We'll go Baghdad for the latest.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: In Iraq, U.S. troops escaped harm today when car bombs exploded near military convoys patrolling the streets of Baghdad. In one of two such attacks, six Iraqi civilians reportedly were wounded. Casualty figures today appear somewhat lower than yesterday, when nearly 50 people reportedly died in suicide bombings and other attacks.

Let's go straight to Baghdad. CNN's Jennifer Eccleston is standing by with more.

What's the latest, Jennifer?

JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, two days of violence demonstrated, and the insurgents still are able to keep up their attacks despite a weeklong security operation here in Baghdad called Operation Lightning, billed now as one of the most aggressive. And according it a senior U.S. military official, billed as the most successful operation by Iraq's new government and also by their new military.

Now, according to Iraqi officials, a number of checkpoints and raids that have brought all roads in and out of Baghdad are now under government control. The action meant to expose insurgents' hideouts and capturing those who have wreaked havoc on this country now for many, many months. And they also are saying that the security in Baghdad has improved 60 percent since the beginning of that offensive.

Now, that senior U.S. military official tells CNN that Operation Lightning is -- the number one priority for Operation Lightning is to stem the tide of vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, or VBIEDs, and said that Operation Lightning is making headway, and that it is a selection of small-scale operations which is to go on for a period of time, one that is sustained and not a single show of force.

Still, Wolf, the violence continues throughout the capital city. A car bomb exploded as a U.S. military convoy passed its way in western Baghdad, missing the convoy but wounding four Iraqis. And also, in Balad, which is north of Baghdad, late yesterday, a suicide bomber attacked a residence, killing 10 Iraqis and wounding 12 others.

But Wolf, we're beginning to see a clearer picture of the frequencies of such attacks in this country. According to that senior U.S. military official, the average weekly attack hovers around 60 attacks. And from the end of April to the end of May, there were 143 vehicle-borne explosives, IEDs, and suicide bombings -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Jennifer Eccleston reporting for us from Baghdad. Jennifer, thanks very much. Be careful over there.

One other note on Iraq. The impending trial of Saddam Hussein expected now within the next two months.

I put the following question to the Iraqi foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari: "Will Iraq send teams to its longtime rival, Iran, to gather information to prosecute Saddam Hussein for alleged war crimes dating back to the Iran-Iraq war of the '80s?" Here's his response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOSHYAR ZEBARI, IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER: I think we have plenty of evidence. I mean, the mass graves in Iraq, the many violations, the many atrocities Saddam and his entourage have committed in Iraq, every family has suffered from the rule of Saddam Hussein.

So there is no lack of evidence whatsoever. We don't need to go outside to Iran or to Kuwait. But what he has done, I mean, the damage, the pain...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Earlier in the week, Jalal Talabani, the president of Iraq, had said the trial would begin within two months.

The Iraqi foreign minister, by the way, had quite a few other things to say as well. We'll bring you his comments Sunday on "LATE EDITION," the last word in Sunday talk. That airs Sunday, noon Eastern, 9:00 a.m. Pacific.

Israeli officials say Syria tested three scud missiles last week, including one that broke up over a NATO member country, Turkey. The AP, Associated Press, citing an unnamed Turkish official who says Damascus reassured the Turks the missile had strayed. The other two missiles landed in Syria. Israeli officials say the Syrian tests were likely a show of defiance after Syrian troops were forced to withdraw from Lebanon amid forceful western demands.

When we come back, the jury getting set to go to work in the Michael Jackson case. Closing arguments wrapping up today in California. Will the jury acquit or convict? We'll get some analysis when NEWS FROM CNN continues.

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BLITZER: With closing arguments ending in the Michael Jackson trial, the focus shifting to the 12-person jury. Which way will this case go? Let's get a little assessment, what's going on. Our senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, joining us from outside the court - the courthouse.

What exactly is the status right now based on -- you just emerged from the session, right?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: I did seconds ago, Wolf.

We've had an hour and 15 minutes of Thomas Mesereau giving just about the end of his summation, and at that -- when he finishes, probably in about half an hour, then there will be about an hour of rebuttal from the prosecutors. So I think this case will probably go to the jury around noontime, Western time, 3:00 Eastern.

BLITZER: And then what happens? Do they sit in the jury all weekend, or do they take a break?

TOOBIN: No, they're going to take the weekends off. What's interesting is Judge Melville has a rather peculiar schedule. He sits from 8:30 in the morning until 2:30 in the afternoon with no lunch break.

The jury can decide whether they want to abide by that schedule or set some other time starting Monday. So it will be interesting to see whether if they keep this up or do something else.

BLITZER: Yesterday, you gave pretty high marks to both the prosecution and the defense in their summation statements. Are you sticking by that right now?

TOOBIN: I am. And Thomas Mesereau really I thought did a great job this morning with one very specific task. And there are four words that I am sure are seared into the jury's mind, which are con artists, actors and liars.

He over and over again used that this morning to describe the accuser, his mother, and his brother and sister. And what he spent his time this morning doing is taking transcripts from the trial, blowing up individual quotes on a projector, on a screen in the courtroom, and showing rather convincingly to me how all four of them, the accuser, the mother, and the brother and sister, had lied during this trial.

And it was very effective stuff, and he kept saying over and over again, "How can you believe this people? You can't. And if you can't believe them, you simply can't convict Michael Jackson."

It was powerful, I thought.

BLITZER: In your experience as a former prosecutor, now as a legal analyst, Jeff, how significant is the fact that the prosecution will get the last word to the jury in their rebuttal that's coming up later today?

TOOBIN: You know, it's always very helpful, because, you know, you get to answer, you get to answer what is obviously in the jurors' minds. And what good prosecutors do is they always save a couple little bombs to throw in that are unrebuttable.

And one thing I bet we will see during the rebuttal summation is the accuser's videotape which was played at the end of the trial. Very vivid, very moving, and I think that would be a good way for the prosecutors to end.

BLITZER: All right. We'll continue talking about this. Jeff Toobin, we'll watch, together with you. Thanks very much for joining us.

TOOBIN: OK, Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN "LIVE FROM" comes all of our way at the top of the hour. Let's get a little bit of a preview. Kyra Phillips is standing by at the CNN Center -- Kyra.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf. A number of stories we're working on.

Specifically, she took a graduation trip to Aruba, but she never showed up the at airport when it was time to go home. We're talking about 18-year-old Natalee Holloway from Birmingham, Alabama. She was celebrating with other high school seniors at a nightclub and last seen getting into a car with three men who say they just dropped her off at the hotel.

We're going to have more on the search for her and the investigation.

Plus, take a look at these pictures. Well, the video and the pictures, they're going to break your heart. The children of war-torn Sudan express their reality through art.

While most children draw animals and flowers, well, these young kids draw pictures of executions and rape. We're going to tell you about a new art exhibit that you will definitely never forget.

Wolf, it's all coming up at the top of the hour.

BLITZER: All right, Kyra. We'll be watching. That sounds heart-wrenching, but we'll want to see it. Kyra Phillips standing by at the top of the hour. Appreciate it.

We'll be right back with a final word, a very personal final word right after this.

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BLITZER: Finally, this personal note it. It seems like only yesterday, but it was actually September 2002, nearly three years ago, when we started doing this weekday, noon Eastern program.

At the time, you might remember we called it "Showdown, Iraq," our daily look at what we already knew was a buildup to the U.S. war against Saddam Hussein. In those early months leading up to the war, we often took our program on the road to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, elsewhere in the Middle East in the region. And then during the war in March and April of 2003, we reported live from Kuwait.

After returning to Washington, we continued this noon Eastern program, but we broadened it out to include all the news of the day and gave it an appropriate new name, NEWS FROM CNN.

Today we wind up a very nice run during this hour. I want to thank our executive producer, Eric Burns, and our entire staff for doing what they do, oh, so well, producing an excellent product, something all of us here at CNN can be very proud of.

Starting Monday -- this is an important note -- CNN will begin simulcasting during this noon Eastern hour CNN International's "YOUR WORLD TODAY." It's an excellent program devoted to all the important news of the day from around the world.

Please check it out. Our colleagues, Zain Verjee, Jim Clancy, will co-anchor that report, noon Eastern, weekdays.

I, of course, will continue to anchor "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS," weekdays, 5:00 p.m. Eastern, and "LATE EDITION," the last word in Sunday talk, noon Eastern on Sundays.

At the same time, I'll begin preparing for the launch later this summer of our new three-hour weekday program from here in Washington. It will air from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Eastern. Stay tuned for more exciting information on that new program. Meantime, thanks very much for watching NEWS FROM CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

LIVE FROM with Kyra Phillips and Tony Harris, they're standing by to come up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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