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CNN NEWSROOM

Christie, Fiorina Suspend Presidential Campaigns; State Department Expresses Disgust at Video of Iran Releasing U.S. Navy Soldiers; Kim Jong-Un Executes Another Top Military Official; New Reports of Zika Virus in China & Australia; Catholic Church is Brazil's Most Influential Voice; US Envoy to Anti-ISIS Coalition Says Russia Strikes Helping ISIS; Canada Will Reach Syrian Refugee Goal by End of February. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired February 11, 2016 - 00:00   ET

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


JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: This is "CNN NEWSROOM" live from Los Angeles. ahead this hour -

ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump boasting about a big win, while other Republicans call it quits.

VAUSE: After defying nuclear tests, a long-range rocket launch, now North Korea has executed one of its most senior generals.

SESAY: Plus, Zika and the Catholic dilemma. With the outbreak spreading, will the Church budge on its rules against conception and abortion?

VAUSE: Hello everybody, great to have you with us; I'm John Vause.

SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay; "NEWSROOM L.A." starts right now.

VAUSE: And we'll begin in the United States where the next stop in the republican presidential race is South Carolina. The state's republican primary is a week from Saturday, but already Donald Trump and Ted Cruz are blitzing one another with attack ads.

SESAY: Trump is riding high from his New Hampshire win on Tuesday. He is in South Carolina right now, touting one of his campaign's central messages.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The top person, President of Mexico, said we will never, ever pay for that wall. And the press called me up and they said, Calderon, the headman, top person, he said he won't pay. He won't pay for it. You know what I said? I said the wall just got ten feet higher.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Well, the Republican field is narrowing. Chris Christie has to suspended his campaign after a sixth place finish in New Hampshire.

VAUSE: And Carly Fiorina has also ended her bid. She finished seventh in New Hampshire.

SESAY: Well, conservative radio host and political analyst Mike Slater joins me from San Diego, here in California. Mike, great to have you with us.

Huge, huge win for Donald Trump in New Hampshire, and he is clearly feeling very, very confident. I want to play a little bit of sound from him from a little bit earlier on, and get your view on the other side.

MIKE SLATER, RADIO HOST & POLITICAL ANALYST, SAN DIEGO, CA, via satellite: Yeah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We did a good thing. New Hampshire, what a great place. What a great place.

[Cheering]

TRUMP: And we won it big. We won it big. You know, the networks, they called; they said we're going to be announcing at 8:00. 8:00 is when the final vote is cast. And I said I think that's a good thing. I hope that's, like, for us; and we won by a lot. Really, a lot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: So, Mike, as he said, we won by a lot. But on to South Carolina, very, very different state, Iowa and New Hampshire. Does he have the message or the ground game to win over the folks of South Carolina?

SLATER: Yes. He won by more than he was expected in New Hampshire and in South Carolina, he is already in double-digit leads, a commanding lead over the rest of the field.

I predicted a while ago that he would take the rest of the states, pretty much in a landslide everywhere he goes. I see no reason why he wouldn't do the same in South Carolina. This is what I always tell people who are skeptical of that because it may be hard to wrap your head around that: why wouldn't he? He has done some of the craziest things that any candidate has ever done running for president of the United States and nothing has slowed him down. The one moment I always point to, when I realized this, is when he said John McCain, people may not know, he is a senator here, a war hero, spent many years in the Hanoi Hilton as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, Donald Trump said that John McCain sat out the war. And I'm thinking wow, how is he going to recover from this? And a lot of people, a lot of Trump supporters said you know what? I never thought of it that way. He did sit out the war. That's the first time when I realized that Trump can do no wrong. I don't see him losing in South Carolina.

SESAY: You don't see him losing South Carolina but the question becomes is Carolina possibly the place where establishment Republicans coalesce against an anti-Trump? Could it happen here? I mean, is this the place or maybe a Kasich, Cruz or Bush or Rubio to really stand tall?

SLATER: They could all unite, but who would they unite behind to do that, that's the interesting thing, because Bush is still in it. People in the South, in general, really like George W. Bush. They still have a lot of respect for the man and the Bush name. So Jeb Bush has a lot of support in the state, a lot of ground game potential to do really well there. If he doesn't, then the support will go to Marco Rubio, but I think Jeb could surprise a lot of people. But I don't see them all uniting against Trump at this point because they're still bickering it out for each other for second and third place at this point.

SESAY: So Mike, let me stay with the issue of Jeb Bush because we're now hearing that the former President, George W. Bush, will be joining Jeb on [00:05:01] the campaign trail there in South Carolina. It's an interesting move, bearing in mind we are looking at an election cycle where the electorate is basically railing against old-school politics, old-school politicians. So the question becomes bringing out your brother, does it hurt or help you?

SLATER: No, it's interesting. In some states it would hurt, but in the South and in South Carolina, bringing out George W. Bush is a power move. It will be very well received by the people of South Carolina. I know what you're saying about the establishments, but for some reason George W. Bush doesn't -- he is not perceived that way by people in the South. So, you know, bringing out his mom in New Hampshire, like Jeb did, the former First Lady, that maybe -- that's not a power move, and Trump told him it wasn't, but bringing out George W. Bush is a smart move for Jeb in this stage.

This week is crucial for the rest of the field and it is going to get nasty on these campaign ads for the next week and a half. so I think George W. Bush is a smart move.

SESAY: well, we should be watching very, very closely as the fists go flying and the cage match continues for that anti-Trump pick. Mike Slater, it's always great to have you on the show. Thank you so much.

SLATER: Thank you so much.

VAUSE: And you can watch the PBS News Hour Democratic Presidential Debate on Friday at noon in London, 1:00 p.m. Central European Time. It will be simulcast on CNN, so you can follow along with all of the action all around the world.

The U.S. State Department is expressing disgust at the latest video Iran is of releasing of U. S. Navy sailors who had been detained last month. State television that appears to show one of the sailors in tears.

SESAY: The State Department said it's clearly being used for propaganda purposes. The ten sailors were released about a day after their boat strayed into Iranian waters. The incident happened just weeks after the U.S. and its allies reached a nuclear agreement with Iran. VAUSE: It's not clear why the American sailor was crying, nor is it

clear why the Iranians, released these images now, almost a month since all ten sailors were captured and released.

Michael Pregent is a former intelligence adviser to former General David Petraeus. He is Mideast expert as well and joins us now from Washington.

Michael, let's just talk the timing first up here. Why now? some have suggested it could be something as simple to coincide with the anniversary of the toppling of the Shah.

MICHAEL PREGENT, FORMER INTELLIGENCE OFFICER, GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS, via satellite: Yes, it could be that; thanks for having me, by the way. It could be that, but it's also something that we expected the Iranians to do after Implementation Day. We knew there was additional footage of the American military personnel and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard chose to release this video footage, and of course none of this get released without the Supreme Leader's approval.

VAUSE: So Implementation Day being the agreement day on the Iranian Nuclear Deal, just for people who may not be quite up with the language here.

PREGENT: Yes.

VAUSE: Okay, so let's get to the why now. What does Iran have to gain by doing something like this?

PREGENT: Well, we have to remember that Qassem Suleimani and the Supreme Leader actually gave awards to the Revolutionary Guard Navy that actually detained the Americans, and the awards, when they're actually given the awards, the plaque has the American military members on their knees with their hands behind their heads. So that's actually part of the award.

Also, we have to remember that Iran has to sell the Iran deal as a victory for the Supreme Leader, and something that shows that the Americans acquiesced and gave something up, and nothing better than to show an American on his knees with his hands behind his head, an American service female wearing the veil, and now an American service member crying.

VAUSE: I guess what the bigger picture here is a lot of people would like to know, apart from just a bit of cheap propaganda, what is the -- I guess what is the harm here, because there is a clear violation, though, of international law?

PREGENT: It's a violation of the Geneva Convention. Regardless of whether or not you're at war, Iran has said it's at war with the U.S., going back the 1979. So any time another military detains a military personnel you have to treat them in accordance with the Geneva Convention. So videotaping Americans where you can clearly identify them, videotaping Americans with their -- on their knees, with their hands behind their head, set to national music or propaganda music, and then now releasing this video; and if you watch the video, and you listen to it, there is propaganda music behind it. So this is a clear violation of the Geneva Convention. It should be condemned by the international community. It should it be condemned by U.S. presidential candidates and this Administration.

VAUSE: It has not been. So where do you think all this is now heading, because this is the kind of stuff which we've seen before from Iran? Do you see this as an indication that Iran's behavior is not changing?

[00:10:01] PREGENT: Well, it's not changing. If we look at what the Iranian expert council did with delegitimizing political candidates ahead of February's parliamentary elections and then letting a few of them come back in; if you look at these events that we hope that Iran is moderating, we're not seeing it. We're seeing Iran be more provocative. We're seeing Iran being more emboldened with what they're doing in Syria, what they're doing in Iraq, in Yemen, in Beirut, and now this clear -- this clear propaganda message showing that the West can be brought do their knees in a video by Iranians. It all ties in to the narrative that Iran will not be moderated. In fact, the Mullahs are stronger now post-Implementation Day with the Iran deal.

VAUSE: Yes, with hundreds of billions of dollars now in the bank.

PREGENT: Yes.

VAUSE: Michael, good to speak with you.

PREGENT: Thanks for having me; I appreciate it.

SESAY: Now CNN has learned from a South Korea source that a top North Korean military leader was executed.

VAUSE: That source says General Ri-Yong-gil has been executed for "misuse of authority and corruption and factionalism."

SESAY: CNN's Paula Hancocks joining us from Seoul, South Korea with much more on this. Paula, what more do we know about the man reportedly executed?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, via satellite: Well, Isha, he was effectively the head of the military. We understand from local media he was put into that position in about 2013. We understand, again, from local media that he may have been executed earlier this month, maybe even last week. Now we can't independently confirm this at this point, but last week was when Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, held quite a large meeting of the Workers Party and also of the military. His name was not mentioned during that and this is really the key, that we find out when someone has disappeared. They're not mentioned in an important event such as this. We know for many, many months and a couple of years before, that he accompanied Kim Jong Un to military drills. The last time that we see him mentioned in state- run media was January 5th, and he had gone to a firing contest for the Artillery Unit of the KPA at that point. Isha?

SESAY: Paula, there in South Korea, how are officials, how are analysts, reading what appears to be a repeated reshuffling of top military brass in North Korea? I mean, this execution is one in a series of executions and disappearances of purges, if you will.

HANCOCKS: Well, that's right; remember, just last May there was a report from the intelligence agencies here, briefed lawmakers, who briefed journalists saying that the defense minister had been purged, and there were reports that he had been publicly executed. Now the reason that was given for his purge was that he had failed to follow Kim Jong Un's orders on several occasions.

Now at this important meeting last week, that Kim Jong Un presided over, they were talking about how important it was to criticize those who were trying to misuse power, trying to seek privileges, abuse of power. So it seems as though Kim Jong Un is trying to justify many of these purges by saying he is cracking down on corruption and cracking down on abuse of power, but of course many experts just see this as cracking down on those who don't completely tow the line, or who maybe have other ideas of how the country should be run. Maybe they have questioned Kim Jong Un's methods of doing something, maybe, as we have heard from previous indications in state-run media, maybe they have factionalism and have their own ideas of who should be in charge. Isha?

SESAY: Paula Hancocks joining us from Seoul, South Korea; we appreciate it. Thanks for the analysis.

VAUSE: David Kang is with us now. He is the Director of Korean Studies Institute at the University of Southern California. David, thanks for coming back in.

SESAY: Welcome.

CAUSE: How much do these recent purges could be, essentially, Kim Jong Un clearing the decks? He is in his 30s. He is young. The generals who are being purge are older, part of the old guard. They're in their 60s. So could it be something as simple as that?

DAVID KANG, DIRECTOR of KOREAN STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: I actually think in some ways the debate is he doing this because of weakness or strength?

VAUSE: Yes.

KANG: And the weakness is, obviously, you know, he is getting rid of all these guys; but I think, in the larger context, it's more about -- I see it as more strength. He is now into his fourth year of rule. He clearly is in charge and he is getting rid of a lot of these guys. I think in part in the lead-up to this Worker's Party meeting in a couple of months. So in many ways, I think it's he is finding out who he works well with and who he doesn't work well with.

VAUSE: I was going to say, it's a pretty high price to pay if you don't work well with him.

KANG: Meaning, again, I think it's a little more straightforward. when they say it's factionalism and corruption, and he is finding out, like, these are the people that I'm comfortable working with at the top levels, and those aren't.

[00:15:00] SESAY: And I've got to ask you about the balance of power there in North Korea at present and how you interpret the relationship between the military and the Workers Party that Kim Jong Un is in charge of?

KANG: Again, we often view these as competitors, and in some ways they are, but in other ways the military needs a functioning government and it needs a functioning economy so it's more symbiotic than you think.

SESAY: So it's not a competition which would have led to their execution?

KANG: In some ways it's not. I mean, you have individual leaders or generals who might, but the military is the military and they're not going to run the government and so you need both and I think what Kim Jong Un is trying to do is figure out how he can keep control of both the military and the organs of the government itself.

VAUSE: You mentioned that the military needs the government and a functioning economy, which is barely functioning right now. It took another hit with the closing of the Kaesong industrial complex. Now the South Koreans say it generates about $100 million a year for the North Korean regime and that money essentially was going to the nuclear program. I mean, are they right with that assessment? Was this program bankrolling the nuclear testing?

KANG: Well in essence it doesn't have to be direct money because if they get money to spend on something else, then that other money can go to the nuclear program. So any sort of money helps the nuclear program.

I think the larger point is North Korea has not responded to any sanctions. The one jewel that nobody has really wanted to touch is this Joint Economic Zone. Clearly the South Koreans are fed up and they're willing now to take what is the biggest symbol of engagement and --

VAUSE: So the closing is symbolic.

KANG: Yes.

SESAY: To that point sanctions being considered here in the United States, as you know, and a vote happening in Congress today. As you look at the measures under consideration, impact the right road to go down? I mean, what will it achieve?

KANG: My sense is sanctions haven't worked in the past and what have we said? We need more sanctions. I doubt there will be much change.

VAUSE: David, good to speak with you -

SESAY: Really good to have you. VAUSE: -- and I think you're absolutely right. Thanks.

SESAY: Appreciate it. All right, now time for a quick break. Hong Kong stocks --

VAUSE: I think we'll check the stocks before we go to break. Okay.

SESAY: Hong Kong stocks plunge more than 4-percent at Thursday's opening.

VAUSE: Okay. The markets seem to be catching up with a global sell- off after a three-day holiday for the Lunar New Year. Let's take a look at those numbers. Hong Kong down by almost four-percent and Seoul Kospi down almost three-percent. Australia though bucking the trend. The ASX 200 up by almost one-percent. A quick note here, Shanghai and Tokyo markets remain closed for holidays.

SESAY: Is it time for a break?

VAUSE: I believe it's time for a break. Have a Kit Kat. Okay; the Zika virus is reaching more countries. up next in "CNN NEWSROOM" L.A. where the latest patients are and what officials have to say about controlling the outbreak.

SESAY: And we asked Catholic leaders in Brazil if they will bend rules on contraception now that Zika has changed the lives of so many babies. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:21:56] SESAY: Hello, everyone. China and Australia reporting new cases of the Zika virus in people who recently traveled overseas.

VAUSE: This is the first Zika infection confirmed in China but officials there are downplaying the risks, saying harsh winter weather would prevent mosquitoes from spreading the disease.

SESAY: In Australia, the woman who tested positive for Zika is pregnant. Officials are urging pregnant women to avoid traveling to areas hit by the infection.

VAUSE: another case has been confirmed in the U.S., this time in northern California. Earlier on Wednesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control director testified before a congressional subcommittee on Zika.

SESAY: Dr. Tom Frieden along with other health officials discussed how they plan to combat the virus. Frieden reiterated this warning for women.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. TOM FRIEDEN, DIRECTOR, U.S. CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: Right now the most important thing for Americans to know is this: if you're pregnant, we recommend you not go to a place where Zika is spreading and if you're pregnant and you live in an area where Zika is spreading, do everything you can to protect yourself against mosquito bites.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Here's the thing, the suggestion that women in Zika hot spots avoid getting pregnant goes against the rules of the Catholic church.

VAUSE: But given how far this virus has spread, could catholic leaders in Brazil new change their stance? Here's Senior International Correspondent Nick Paton Walsh reporting in from Rio de Janeiro.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In Brazil's modern cityscape, the Catholic church has been and is the most influential voice but now on Ash Wednesday, as the Zika outbreak spreads with its panics, can you catch it from sex? Does it give your baby microcephaly? The church's rules remain set in stone. No condoms, contraception or abortion, just Rio's top cardinal tells us, be sure you keep mosquitoes away; but you would still at this time tell people not to use contraception to prevent children being born with this awful deformity?

CARDINAL DOM ORANI TEMPESTA, ARCHBISHOP, RIO DE JANEIRO, via translator: the church doesn't address this with the congregation because the church believes that the people should be responsible and, for example, if they have this or any disease, they should be responsible and not transmit it to other people.

WALSH: But there has been comparison to this virus to HIV, and there was criticism at the time of HIV, that the response of the world was not fast enough to encourage safe sex. Haven't they learned their lesson? Should they not be pushing in this town only to use contraceptional condoms just to remove that risk?

TEMPESTA: There is just a probability and it hasn't been proven yet. I think that it still has to be proven and the church recommends that people take care of the environment, that they don't allow the mosquito to proliferate and take care of their house.

WALSH: So even if it is scientifically 100-percent sure that Zika can be sexually transmitted, there will be no change in the church's policy about the use of contraception?

[00:25:05] TEMPESTA: I think people are using this moment, this Zika issue, to try and use abortion to challenge the church.

WALSH: Lent is around the corner. Jesus' sacrifice, personal piety; but also around the corner, the Brazilian Carnivale goes on.

Just meters away, the party goes on and this is potentially where Zika could be spreading. In the face of this unprecedented outbreak, the Church's position, and it has been for decades, continues unchanged.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Rio de Janeiro. (END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: We'll take a short break. When we come back, Russia reportedly proposes a ceasefire in Syria, raising some questions about the government's assault on Aleppo.

SESAY: Meantime, tens of thousands of people are fleeing Aleppo but a safe haven remains elusive. Details just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Welcome back. You're watching "CNN NEWSROOM" live from Los Angeles. I'm John Vause.

SESAY: And I'm Isha Sesay. The number of Republican candidates in the U.S. presidential race is shrinking. Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina have decided to suspend their campaigns. This comes after Christie finished sixth and Fiorina seventh in the New Hampshire primary.

Meanwhile, Democrat Bernie Sanders isn't missing a beat after his big win on Tuesday. The Vermont Senator has been sitting down with civil rights advocate Al Sharpton in New York's Harlem District, part of his efforts to garner support among African-Americans.

VAUSE: Sanders is no doubt hoping to forge an alliance similar to one between Sharpton and U.S. President Barack Obama in 2008.

[00:30:07] We're watching for returns in New Hampshire on Tuesday. Sanders revealed something of a hidden talent; he shot a few hoops with the grandkids. Blowing of a bit of steam there. Not a bad jump shot.

Former frontrunner Hillary Clinton spent Wednesday off the campaign trail, following her humbling defeat in New Hampshire, a state she won eight years ago.

ISHA SESAY, CNN ANCHOR: Clinton must now find a way to demonstrate her message can still motivate voters, especially, especially young ones, who voted for her rival in droves. The next phase of the Clinton campaign begins later Thursday when she and Sanders meet again on the debate stage.

Now away from the campaign trail for a moment, a diplomatic source says Russia is proposing a ceasefire in Syria to begin March 1st. it could apply to all sides in the conflict.

VAUSE: The source says it's unclear whether rebel groups could agree to it. It's believed U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry wants an earlier ceasefire, so peace talks could resume February 25th.

Meanwhile, the U.S. envoy to the anti-ISIS coalition says Russia's air strikes in Syria are actually helping ISIS. The air strikes are on Aleppo, are part of the Syrian government offensive. Envoy Brett McGurk says they're helping the militant group by taking a toll on U.S.-backed opposition fighters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRETT MCGURK, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY: Assad cannot remain in power if we're ever going to get out of this incredibly difficult situation. As I mentioned, -- discussed with the Chairman, his question, what is going on north of Aleppo. My job on ISIL, in fighting ISIL, we had some real progress to push across what we call the Amar'e line and the Russian forces have hold those forces to fight the Regime, and they're ready to fight ISIL. So what Russia is doing is directly enabling ISIL.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: well, Syrian government forces backed by the airstrikes now have rebel-held Aleppo almost completely encircled.

Well the fighting near Aleppo has sent thousands fleeing for their safety. Refugees hoping to cross into Turkey find themselves stuck between a closed border and air strikes.

VAUSE: CNN International Correspondent Arwa Damon has their story; and a warning, her report contains some graphic images.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Air strikes are relentless. This is happening just a 15-minute drive from Turkey's border, as Russian jets soften targets for regime forces and their allies to move in on the ground.

In this graphic video posted to YouTube by activists, it shows what they say those air strikes left behind. people tried to coax this little girl to talk; her name is Mesa. The voice on the video sarcastically thanks the leaders of Turkey and Saudi Arabia, supposed allies of the Syrian opposition. But that friendship, like that of the U.S., is described as a farce.

Colonel Mohammed el-Ahmed, spokeswoman for the al-Shammia front says they are preparing for the worst.

MOHAMMED EL-AHMED, SPOKESMAN, AL-SHAMMIA, via translator: The support was very limited to begin with. We always calculate that's it is going to end. We compare the support the regime gets from its friends and what we get from our friends, and it's a massive stark contrast.

DAMON: The regime's friends extend from Russian air power to a bolstered ground force.

EL-AHMED: Iraqis militia are high in number. There are Iranian commanders in their fighters, some Afghan militia, Lebanese Hezbollah. Each militia has its area of operation but it's Iranian command and Russian air power.

DAMON: all of which has allowed the regime to take control back over land it has not set foot in for years, splitting opposition-controlled territory to the north of Aleppo in two, cutting off a vital supply line and is now expanding to besiege the city.

EL-AHMED: The danger is not a possibility, it's eminent because the regime is advancing towards the south to cut off the last route in.

DAMON: Tens of thousands from the Aleppo countryside have already fled. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are potentially in danger.

Turkey's open door policy, as you can see, still remains closed. The strikes in the last 24 hours were so close that one man we spoke to on the other side said that he counted at least 16 and that is absolutely terrified for the masses who just want to reach safety because they are only fully aware of how vulnerable they continue to be to the violence.

But no one seems to be listening to the pleas for help, whether it's military support for the rebels or mercy for those who are trying to flee.

Arwa Damon, CNN on the Turkey-Syria border.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Well, for those who try to escape the fighting, the future can remain uncertain for quite some time.

[00:35:01] VAUSE: Canada is resettling 25,000 Syrians. Drew Griffin traveled to Calgary to see what the refugees are facing after arriving in their new country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's quiet facade can barely contain the joy inside. This is Calgary's Margaret Chisolm Resettlement House, and its dinner time. Huge families, huge smiles. Cries, laughter, and everywhere children. They are all Syrians; refugees plucked from uncertain futures in Jordan and Lebanon. Selected under the Canadian Refugee Resettlement Program to be accepted as newly landed immigrants.

Anoush Newman helps run this center. In three years, she says, everyone you see will be able to become a Canadian.

They really have nowhere else to go.

ANOUSH NEWMAN, CALGARY CATHOLIC IMMIGRATOIN SOCIETY: No, they can't because the surrounding countries, such as where they were, they don't give them citizenship. So they'll remain as refugees for rest of their lives.

GRIFFIN: Zayed Andoui (ps) arrived just ten days ago. He and his wife and four children fled Aleppo, Syria.

NEWMAN: They left because there was a constant bombardment and they were worried. Many times they came very close to death. So that's when they decided let's leave before it gets worse and they -- he took his family and went to live and settle as a refugee.

GRIFFIN: Do you miss Syria?

NEWMAN: Of course, of course. From my heart. We're very, very happy and very, very relaxed.

GRIFFIN: For the first time in years, he feels his family is safe but there is a long way to go. They speak almost no English. They are new to just about every Canadian custom. You shake hands with men and boys but not with the women.

FARIBORZ BIRJANDIAN, DIRECTOR, CALGARY CATHOLIC IMMIGRATION SOCIETY: And we do a lot of parenting skills with them.

GRIFFIN: Fariborz Birjandian, the director here, says that too will change, and soon.

BIRJANDIAN: In three months, if you talk to these children that they just arrived, you won't recognize them as a refugee. Ten days ago they didn't even know they were coming to Canada; now they're here, obviously. So we realize that they have a lot of fears and a lot of hopes.

GRIFFIN: Most arrive in families. There are only a few single Syrian men; and just as in the U.S., the program has raised concerns about safety and terrorism.

I've got ask you, they don't look dangerous to me.

BIRJANDIAN: No, they're fantastic people. They've gone through hell.

GRIFFIN: While in the United States, there is still deliberation over just how many, or even if, Syrian refugees should be brought into the country, by the end of February, Canada will have reached its goal of bringing 25,000 Syrian refugees on to its soil, confident that its screening process can tell the bad guys from the good.

IAN HOLLOWAY, DEAN, UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY LAW SCHOOL: Most Canadians are not that worried about the security issue for these -- for the people we have selected.

GRIFFIN: Ian Holloway, the Dean of the University of Calgary Law School also works with the Canadian government reviewing its security intelligence operations. He says the refugees Canada brings in are screened and quite frankly, he sees them as no threat at all.

HOLLOWAY: We feel that we have been able to take reasonable measures to not guarantee, you can never guarantee these things, but to do everything we can to satisfy ourselves that the people we've taken in are not likely to be bad guys.

GRIFFIN: To make sure, Canada follows the progress of its newly arrived immigrants for two years. All the children will go to school. Families will be helped to find work, housing, and their ultimate goal, a permanent home in their new country. Canada.

Drew Griffin, CNN, Calgary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And it is striking how this issue has played out so differently on either side of the U.S.-Canadian border.

SESAY: It's very, very striking indeed, but one thing is consistent: the suffering goes on.

VAUSE: Absolutely. More on what is happening in Syria after a very short break. Stay with us. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:41:23] VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. We have more now on that Russian plan for a ceasefire in Syria, and CNN's Intelligence and Security Analyst Bob Baer is with us.

So, Bob, we have this Russian plan. It seems to be going hand in hand with the Russian air strikes on Aleppo. They all seem to be closely connected. If Aleppo falls is that the end of the so-called moderate opposition?

BOB BAER, CNN INTELLIGENCE & SECURITY ANALYST, via satellite: I think pretty much. and don't forget, John, that the Russians are attacking in the south around Dara and the Syrian forces are on the move. The Syrian, I've been in touch with the Regime recently and they are -- they are fairly confident they're going to win this now, with Russian support, and it

looks that way to me. If Aleppo falls, I think you're right, that does it for the friendly opposition.

VAUSE: So if the opposition is not there, we've got this ceasefire being proposed by the Russians in a couple of weeks. Does that effectively then rule out the opposition in having any say in the future of the country?

BAER: I think the opposition right now, if this continues, the Russians on the move, will be fairly irrelevant. That will leave us with ISIS in the east, which the Russians don't seem to be much concerned about, and neither does the Syrian regime. So the American- Saudi backed up opposition, I think it - it looks like it's finished.

VAUSE: Is anybody really concerned about ISIS here because it seems any of the other regional players here are more concerned about keeping Iran in a kind of a quagmire and Syria destabled, or unstabled rather, rather than fighting ISIS?

BAER: Well, exactly; the Russians have been talking about this but that's not what they've been hitting, ISIS targets. The Saudis don't care about ISIS one way or the other. They're worried about Iran. The Turks are worried about the Kurds, so they're not doing much. ISIS is just out there isolated, yes, contained, yes but nobody right now is making a move on taking Raqqa. They may at some point but not right now.

VAUSE: And those opposition fighters, the one who are in Aleppo and in the south, they were meant to be the foot soldiers in any battle against ISIS, especially if there are any plans to take Raqqa. So if they're not there, who is going to do the fighting?

BAER: That was -- exactly. We can put U.S. troops there. The Kurds are not going to take Raqqa. It's a bridge too far for them. I don't think -- I think the regime in Damascus is waiting for them to collapse in their own weight. So they can sort of live with ISIS there.

And, you know, this has turned out very, very badly for the Obama Administration. They thought we had an opposition. Democratic is a big word, but at least better than the Islamic State. So I think Putin is clearly won this.

VAUSE: Bob, we'll leave there it, out of time; but always, good to speak with you. Thank you.

SESAY: (Inaudible) from our own Bob Baer.

VAUSE: It's a mess.

SESAY: Yes, totally. Thank you for watching "CNN Newsroom" live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.

VAUSE: I'm John Vause. "World Sport" is up next, and then we'll be back with more news from all around the world; you're watching CNN.

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