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Brussels At Highest Terror Alert Level; 21 Arrested In Anti- Terror Raids In Belgium; Obama To Meet With Hollande Tomorrow; Belgian Prime Minister Live; Paris and Brussels on High Alert. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired November 23, 2015 - 13:00   ET

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


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WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer. It's 1:00 p.m. here in Washington, 7:00 p.m. in Brussels, 9:00 p.m. in Irbil, Iraq. Wherever you're watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us.

We start in Brussels where the city remains on partial lockdown right now under their highest threat level. As many as 21 people were arrested in a series of raids over the past few days. But so far, there has been no sign of one of the suspected Paris attackers who is still believed to be at large in Belgium. They also haven't found any weapons or explosives in all these raids which leaves the threat of a Paris style attack intact.

Our CNN International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen is on the scene for us in Brussels right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The E.U.'s administrative capital under a de facto state of lockdown. Cops and soldiers patrol through empty streets as the subway system, schools and many shops remain shut because of the terror alert. Many parents keeping their children indoors.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are trying to go out just in the mornings and do the shoppings in the mornings. And after that, after the night arrives, we just stay at home.

PLEITGEN: Belgian authorities continue to conduct raids hoping to catch Salah Abdeslam believed to have fled here after participating in the Paris attacks. But authorities are also trying to foil what the government believes could be an imminent terror plot.

Many business owners are shutting down, heeding the government's advice to prevent larger gatherings of people which could be vulnerable to attack.

(on camera): The police and the military certainly are making their presence felt here on the streets of Belgium's capitol. There are military vehicles patrolling the area, and also soldiers on the ground standing guard especially in places frequented by tourists. (voice-over): Management of the AB Concert Hall has decided to cancel all shows for the entire week, also because a music hall is one of the places hit by terrorists in the Paris attacks, the man in charge says.

DIRK CECLIPPELEIR, MANAGER, AB CONCERT HALL: We shouldn't take any risks, not for the public, not the people working here and not for the artists themselves. PLEITGEN: Soldiers on the streets of a European capital. Unthinkable

for most only a few weeks ago. But now, a harsh reality for the residents of Brussels who are carrying on as best they can hoping this scare will end soon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And Fred's joining us now, live from Brussels. Fred, what do we know about the 21 people who have been detained in these anti- terror raids?

PLEITGEN (live): Yes, it's interesting, Wolf, because there's some new information that actually just came to us about a couple of minutes ago. There was a new press release that was put out by the federal prosecutors' office here. And many of the people in those raids that have been detained have since been released, some of them remain in custody. But there's one person in particular, and we're not sure as to the identity yet, that said that one of these people is charged with participating in activities of a terrorist group and with the terrorist attack in Paris.

So, certainly, they do seem to have something substantial there. We're still waiting to get additional information. But certainly these raids did net a lot of people. As you said, no explosives were found, no weapons were found in those raids. But, certainly, they did cause a commotion here in Brussels. I can tell you, I was on the scene here last night as they were cordoning off one area. And the police and the military, they were certainly on high alert -- Wolf.

BLITZER: I know we're waiting to hear from the Belgium prime minister, Charles Michel. He's been meeting with his top national security advisers in Brussels where you are. Do we anticipate, Fred, he will make a statement about how much longer this emergency state will continue?

PLEITGEN: Well, we certainly do anticipate that he's going to make a statement and that he will at least give some indication as to how things are going to proceed. Look, quite frankly, people here are not sure how much longer all of this can still go on.

I want to show you something. We're right in the middle of Brussels, and there's an enrapt (ph) standing here on the main square. And, Wolf, if I pan to the other direction, you'll see right here, that is the Belgian national Christmas tree. So, this is the heart of the capitol of Belgium. This is the heart of the administrative capital of the European Union.

And as you can see, there are very few people out on the streets. The subway systems aren't working. The schools aren't open. Many shops aren't open either. So, certainly, while the Belgian authorities say and continue to say that the safety of the citizens here is obviously paramount to them, many people are asking how much can this go on?

[13:05:00] And it's certainly something that the authorities here are confronted with and the authorities are saying that on the day-by-day basis, they are evaluating whether or not to keep the terror threat level where it is.

BLITZER: We'll have live coverage of the prime minister's statement once he emerges from that national security meeting. Fred Pleitgen in Brussels, a pretty empty Brussels, at least on the streets where he is. Thanks very much.

We're also, by the way, waiting for the White House press secretary, John Earnest, to be giving a briefing over at the White House. Reporters getting ready for that briefing want to hear what the -- what the White House has to say now that the president is back in Washington.

Meanwhile, Paris is also on a very high state of alert right now, fearing another possible attack by ISIS. The city hasn't shut down completely like Brussels, but they are still searching the backpacks of children as they go the school.

Today, the British prime minister, David Cameron, he was in Paris meeting with the French president, Francois Hollande, visiting the sites of one of the attacks and vowing to help France fight ISIS.

Our Senior International Correspondent Ivan Watson is joining us from Paris right now. Ivan, what kind of assistance is David Cameron offering?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, I want to get to that but let me just tell you something that Paris police have just told CNN. And that is that an area in a Parisian suburb of Montruse has been sealed off after the discovery in a garbage can of something that resembles a suicide vest and a bomb disposal team is onsite to remove this suspect item. And they're going to be investigated that and we'll bring you updates as we learn more about that.

Now, as to the visit of the British prime minister, yes, he crossed the English Channel to meet with the French president in a show of solidarity. Take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Yes, it's good to be back in Paris, a city whose people have shown such courage, determination and resilience. A city where millions came out on Friday night to live their lives and to send a very clear message to the terrorists that you will never win. You will never beat us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: The two leaders visited together at the scene of the Bataclan Theater where more than 80 people were killed, massacred at a rock concert by the terrorists. But David Cameron brought more than just a show of solidarity, he offered the use of Britain's air base on the island of Cypress in the Eastern Mediterranean to help bolster French air power. And now that French aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, is in the eastern Mediterranean, and French jets from that craft have begun carrying out sorties, (ph) bombing targets in Syria and bombing ISIS.

And he's also repeated an appeal that both the French and the British governments have made to the rest of the European union to try to crack down on illegal firearms trade to also push forward a system that would allow European governments to track the passengers on flights and trains. That's something that the European parliament has blocked in the past and something that both Britain and France want to push forward to prevent suspected terrorists from being able to slip through authorities' grasp, as has happened in the run up to the November 13th terror attacks.

BLITZER: And we know the British prime minister also seeking permission from his parliament to do what Britain has not been able to do so far, for political reason, actually launch airstrikes against ISIS targets themselves.

All right, Ivan, we'll get back to. I want to turn to the White House right now. Tomorrow, President Obama, he will welcome the French president, Francois Hollande, to the White House for talks about the Paris attacks and the anti-terror efforts against ISIS. The White House briefing, by the way, getting ready to start any moment. We'll have live coverage of that.

But let's go to Joe Johns. He's at the White House right now. What are we expecting from these discussions tomorrow, Joe?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, keeping it in context, first, Hollande is coming here in Washington, D.C. to meet with President Obama, then he's going to Russia to sit down and talk with Vladimir Putin.

So, the question really is whether Hollande can broker some type of a deal or get some type of agreement between the United States and Russia to put aside some of their differences and put up a united front against ISIS. The answer, of course, to that question is it's going to be tough because there are some very big differences, starting with Syria and the in gain for President Assad there.

Russia, the United States has said, hey, this is a guy Russia's been propping up. The United States doesn't like that. Let's listen to the president of the United States over the weekend in Kuala Lumpur talking about that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Even if I were to cynically say that my priority is ISIL and not removing Assad regardless of the terrible things that he has done to his people, the United States could not stop the fighting in Syria by those who are opposed to Assad's rule.

[13:10:09] And so, this is a practical issue, not just a matter of conscience. And I think that there are a large number of members of this coalition, including the president alone, who agree with me on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: There's also Russia's involvement in Ukraine which is a sticky issue for the United States as well. So, a lot to talk about and it's not just ISIS -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Joe, thanks very much. Joe Johns at the White House.

Coming up, we'll take a closer look at how the Paris attacks are actually changing the war against ISIS.

And later this hour, CNN gets extraordinarily close to the front line in the war just 20 miles away from the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa in Syria. We'll have a live report. Nick Paton Walsh is on the scene.

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BLITZER: Belgium's prime minister, Charles Michel, is speaking right now. Let's listen in.

CHARLES MICHEL, PRIME MINISTER, BELGIUM (translator) (live): -- means that the threat is considered as serious and imminent, so we remain in the same situation as was the case yesterday and the day before yesterday.

For the rest of Belgium, we remain at level three. And as you may know already as well, level three is a terror alert level that is possible and likely. The threat is the same as yesterday, as I said before, so we fear similar situation as we also thought yesterday.

So, we remain alert. We remain with the message that we call on everybody to remain alert and careful. The targets remain the same as yesterday as well. So, shopping centers, shopping streets, public transport. And that is the reason why today, again, we have -- we can only confirm the decision to take similar measures and further as -- messages as yesterday. Namely, in the next couple of days, we will see a reduction in large offense where great crowds gather for two reasons.

First of all, for the safety of the population, also for a matter of capacity. The capacity that our police forces can take and our military can take.

Secondly, we will continue with the reinforcement of police and military in Brussels, so we keep that at level four. But also, we keep level number three in the rest of Belgium, because there is also a serious threat level for the rest of Belgium. And we also keep our concentration and presence when it comes to public transport. [13:15:06] I informed you yesterday that we did everything possible with our security forces to try and go back to a normal situation as soon as possible. I also want to give you the information that these measures will remain valid until next week, Monday, which means that we can have a new evaluation every day. But, at the moment, we want to stick to these measures until next week Monday. And what is important for the schools and for the metro is that today the decision was made to revise a situation on Wednesday. So to reopen schools on Wednesday and additionally to also reopen the metro for the metro that can be on a sliding scale. So from Wednesday, which means for schools that in the next couple of hours, we will use that time that we have to sit together with our security forces to have a look at the level for tomorrow throughout our country, and for schools, while schools will get special attention and we will optimize presence and we will try and reopen schools starting on Wednesday.

This is a very strong signal. This means that we will progressively want to go back to the normal week, even with level three in Belgium and level four in Brussels. And I would also like to repeat yet again for Brussels that we would like to reopen the metro again on a sliding scale, but that would be at the earliest from Wednesday. That is a strong signal that we would like to send out.

I would furthermore like to add that the prosecutor's office is working very hard. They are doing their utmost. They are working under hard conditions. I am sure that everybody understands that. But we have to be able to continue our work. That is definitely our intention.

Together with all our security forces, I would like to repeat that the Belgium government and the Belgium population have been confronted with very difficult times, difficult circumstances, and I would one more time like to repeat that we would like to thank our population for the serenity and for their understanding. We are doing our utmost with the security forces to go back to a normal situation as quickly as possible. That is everybody's intention. We want to make sure that you know our intentions.

And also I would like to, once again, thank our security forces. They are doing a great job. It's not easy, and it's not evident, but they are definitely very much appreciated by us, and we support them under these difficult circumstances.

BLITZER: All right, so there you have the prime minister of Belgium, Charles Michel, giving the word that at least for several more days this high threat level will continue in the -- in Brussels right now. Other parts of the country, a little bit lower threat level. But, obviously, they are still deeply, deeply concerned there could be ISIS terrorists at large throughout Belgium, especially in Brussels right now.

We're also standing by momentarily the White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, we're told, he will be speaking. He'll be walking into the White House Briefing Room. We'll have live coverage of that. President Obama welcoming the French president, Francois Hollande, tomorrow to the White House. Francois Hollande meeting today with David Cameron. Tomorrow he'll be meeting with President Obama. Wednesday with the German chancellor, Angela Merkel. Then he'll go to Moscow to meet with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. Obviously there's a coalition that the French president would like to put together to take this war to ISIS right now.

As we await -- as we await the White House briefing, let's bring in our analyst to discuss what's going on. Phil Mudd is our CNN counterterrorism analyst, former CIA counterterrorism official, Kimberly Dozier is our CNN global affairs analyst, and CNN's military analyst, retired Major General James "Spider" Marks.

Phil, you hear the prime minister of Belgium say at least until next Monday they're going to stay on this high state of alert, which means people are going to be told basically, stay inside your homes. It's pretty extraordinary.

PHILIP MUDD, CNN COUNTERTERRORISM ANALYST: It is. There's a couple of things that strike me about this. First, the extent of the warning from the government gives me one clear indication that these are not just precautionary measures based on a concern that terrorists went back from Paris to Brussels. There's got to be specific intelligence for national and municipal officials to do this. You don't shut down a city just because you're worried that people might be traveling around. They've got some specific stuff.

[13:25:07] The second thing is, and I've been in this situation, the hardest thing here is not getting into the warning. It's determining if you don't get additional intelligence, how to get out.

BLITZER: All right. Hold on one second. I want to go to the White House right now.

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Well, Julia, I haven't spoken to him about those specific comments that you've just cited. I think the one thing that -- think there are two things, actually, that at least those two individuals are keenly aware of. The first is that both of them are aware of how challenging this particular problem is. When it comes to the situation in Syria, for years this has been a difficult problem to work through. And there's no denying how significant that challenge has been as the United States and our coalition partners have -- have worked through it.

The second thing is, we -- this is more important, each of them, to a person, is keenly aware of the priority that the president has placed on working through this problem in a way that it advances our national security interests. Both of them have been involved in extended conversations with the president about the policy options that are available and -- and, you know, the president certainly has valued the advice that they have given over the years. And certainly if they have additional ideas or suggestions, we're, you know, willing to take their call.

But the fact is, the -- taking a look at all of the resources that has gone into this is to understand that there is a comprehensive strategy that is being implemented by the United States and the 64 other members of our coalition. And I think that is a testament to the priority that the president places on this issue. It's also a testament to the American leadership that's at work here.

QUESTION: So does the president think that the resources he's devoted to this mission are sufficient?

EARNEST: Well, the president certainly believes that there is more that our coalition partners can do to contribute to this effort and --

QUESTION: Well, not coalition partners, the U.S.

EARNEST: Well, again, it sounds like you may have looked at their comments more closely than I did. But based on the way that you presented them to me in your first question, the question is, are enough resources being dedicated (ph) to the mission? The success of this mission is dependent on 65 nations coming together, recognizing the common interests that they have here, and dedicating significant resources. And we have seen stepped up contributions even over the course of the last weeks from members of that coalition. And we certainly welcome those stepped up contributions.

QUESTION: But are you saying that the U.S. resources are sufficient and it's additional resources (INAUDIBLE) coalition partners that's the issue here?

EARNEST: Well, again, the -- our point is that we have certainly been engaged in conversations and the president was of -- as he was traveling around the world over the last week, having conversations with leaders like President Erdogan, you know, met with our European leaders, our European allies in Turkey as well. And those conversations centered on what those members of our coalition can do to contribute more resources. I certainly wouldn't rule out that there might be additional resources that are contributed by the United States.

But when you consider the range of elements to our strategy, it's clear that the United States is making significant contributions. And whether that's the United States being the largest donor of humanitarian assistance to the significant problem of Syrian refugees, or when you consider, you know, the significant investment of our military resources to apply pressure to ISIL leadership and to support fighting forces on the ground as they regain territory from ISIL.

QUESTION: I just want to ask specifically about the situation in Brussels. What does the president make about the -- of the steps that officials there have taken to essentially put this city on lockdown for several days as they look for suspects in the Paris attacks. Does he believe that that is the right approach?

EARNEST: Well, we're certainly not going to be in a situation where we're Monday morning quarterbacking the, you know, the efforts that are underway in Brussels or anywhere, frankly, to ensure the safety of the citizens of that European city. The -- obviously the United States is committed to sharing information and assisting with that investigation as it is ongoing but --

QUESTION: Have you been sharing information with the authorities in Belgium? EARNEST: Absolutely. The United States, you know, since has long

standing information sharing agreements with countries in Europe. This is actually an area where we do believe that there is more that our European partners can do in terms of improving the quality and quantity of information that they share with one another, but also improving the amount of information and the way that information is shared with the United States. But that is certainly something that we are committed to. And, you know, and we're committed to helping our allies in Europe deal with this rather urgent threat.

[13:25:07] OK.

Julia?

QUESTION: Thank you, Josh.

While the president was away, a number of Republicans applauded what they said was a delay of the president's plan to close Guantanamo, meaning the plan that he was to be presenting to Congress. Does the White House --

BLITZER: All right, we're going to continue to monitor the White House press briefing, but you just heard Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, saying the president and the top U.S. officials, they are clearly anxious to try to form this coalition to fight and defeat ISIS, including this big meeting that's going to be taking place tomorrow with the visiting French president, Francois Hollande.

We're going to take a quick break. We are getting more information on these two developing stories we're getting. A suicide vest apparently found in a garbage can in the French suburb of -- in the Paris suburb of Montuge (ph), and Belgium now charging someone it picked up with -- it picked up last night in connection with the Paris terror attack. We're getting more information on that. Stay with us. Much more on the breaking news right after this.

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