By Lucky Gold

President Abdullah Gul of Turkey attended the NATO Summit in Chicago this week and appeared Friday on Amanpour.  He was asked about the presidential elections in Egypt and whether Egypt’s military would willingly relinquish its power.

“The military is well aware that they cannot continue forever,” said President Gul.

“I went to Egypt,” he added. “I talked to all the military leadership, and they know that it is not their job to run the country.  They are going to hand off the authority to the civilian government - but I think it needs some time.”

How much time, remains to be seen.  However, he added, “I think the Egyptian army is ready to hand over the authority when the time is preferred.”
FULL POST

Part 1: UN has no Plan B for Syria U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon tells CNN's Christiane Amanpour that the U.N. has no plan B in Syria. Part 2: U.S. plan for Afghanistan The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan tells CNN's Christiane Amanpour how the U.S. plans to scale back in the country.

Part 1: UN has no Plan B for Syria

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon tells CNN's Christiane Amanpour that the U.N. has no plan B in Syria.

Part 2: U.S. plan for Afghanistan

The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan tells CNN's Christiane Amanpour how the U.S. plans to scale back in the country.

Episode #27: Thursday, May 24, 2012

By Mick Krever

(CNN) – Despite U.N. monitors’ struggle to contain violence in Syria, the U.N. Secretary General told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour Thursday that there was no fallback.

“At this time, we don’t have a Plan B,” Ban Ki-moon said.

The nearly 300 monitors deployed across five Syria cities are making “all possible efforts to stop violence” and have had “some dampening effect,” Ban said.

But, he conceded, “We were not able to completely cease the violence.” FULL POST

By Samuel Burke

(CNN) - The White House has been scaling back both troops and expectations in Afghanistan as it scales down the war there. General John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, confirmed specifics of the drawdown, announcing that a quarter of American troops will be home by the end of September. But in an exclusive interview with Christiane Amanpour he said he'll need strong combat forces there for the foreseeable future.

The change of in the U.S.’ definition of success in Afghanistan has even resulted in the national security advisers’ publicly saying that the U.S.’ goal is to provide a modicum of stability for Afghanistan. Even though previously, the stated goal had been to defeat, prevent, and to have high expectations for a secure Afghanistan.

The New York Times reported that aides to President Obama informally called this strategy, “Afghan Good Enough.” General Allen firmly rejected this prescription to Amanpour. “I don't use the term, ‘Afghan good enough,’ he said. “Because we're all sacrificing way too much for something that's ‘Afghan Good Enough.’ I think that term understates or undersells the commitment that we've all made to this.  Afghanistan is an important country in an important region. And the outcome of our investment  – this global investment of 50 nations and ISAF and many other nations who've been involved for a long period of time with great generosity – is not about being good enough.”

FULL POST

Part 1: Egypt military handover An Egyptian General tells CNN's Christiane Amanpour the military might hand over power sooner than planned. Part 2: Iran nuclear negotiations A former member of the Iranian National Security Council discusses the sticking points for an Iranian nuclear deal.

Part 1: Egypt military handover

An Egyptian General tells CNN's Christiane Amanpour the military might hand over power sooner than planned.

Part 2: Iran nuclear negotiations

A former member of the Iranian National Security Council discusses the sticking points for an Iranian nuclear deal.

Episode #26: Wednesday, May 23, 2012

By Lucky Gold

(CNN) - As meetings took place in Baghdad in hopes of ensuring that Iran isn’t producing a nuclear weapon, and thereby heading off an Israeli strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, two insiders with knowledge of the negotiations appeared Wednesday on Amanpour.

Ambassador Hossein Mousavian, a former spokesman for Iran’s nuclear negotiating team, put the onus on the P5Plus 1 countries (U.S., Britain, Russia, China, France and Germany):  “I’m afraid the P5Plus 1, they ask too much from Iran.  They ask Iran to give diamonds in return for peanuts.”

The diamond in question, he said, is Iran’s nuclear enrichment program.  “The issue is political, not technical.  For the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) Iran would have no problem to cooperate to all questions.   But…asking Iran to stop twenty percent (uranium enrichment), to implement additional protocols, to give access beyond additional protocols – this is practically the diamonds the P5 Plus 1 wants.”

He added, “And if they are going to propose Iran spare parts for airplanes (in exchange), these would be the peanuts.”
FULL POST

By Samuel Burke

(CNN) - Even as Egyptians head to the polls for a second day Thursday, there are still very real questions about whether the military – which has been running the country since the revolution – will easily give up power.  The military has massive wealth, and deep institutional control.  Tuesday, retired General Sameh Seif Elyazal, a key Egyptian military figure, told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that the military is ready to handover authority to a civilian power and maybe even sooner than planned, but with caveats.

“There is no hesitation. They will do it on June 30,” Elyazal said.  The general, who is a close adviser to Egypt's de facto ruler, General Hussein Tantawi, said that the military might even let go of the reins sooner if the new president is elected in the first round. “They will give up [power] immediately after that and they will not even wait until June 30,” he said. “I have no doubt whatsoever that they will hand over power to the new president at the right time.”

When Amanpour pressed him on whether the military would attach strings to its handover of power, he said, “I don’t think they want be involved directly or indirectly with political life,” but he added that the military does want certain conditions to be met.
FULL POST

Egyptians in Cairo step up to CNN's Open Mic to explain what they want from their new president.

Part 1: Eurozone and Syria Italy’s perspective Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi gives Christiane Amanpour his perspective on the crises in the Eurozone and Syria. Part 2: Ahmed Rashid: ‘Pakistan on the Brink’ Pakistani journalist and author Ahmed Rashid says that paralysis is gripping Islamabad

Eurozone and Syria: Italy's perspective

Italy's foreign minister gives Christiane Amanpour his perspective on the problems in the eurozone and Syria.

Ahmed Rashid: 'Pakistan on the brink'

Pakistani journalist and author Ahmed Rashid says that paralysis is gripping Islamabad.

Episode #25: Tuesday, May 22, 2012

A new video provided by the United Nations shows monitors negotiating the release of prisoners, meeting with opposition forces, and paving way for the Syrian Red Crescent. Hopeful, albeit small, signs from Syria.