Return to Transcripts main page

NEWS STREAM

Erdogan Wins Narrow Referendum to Reshape Presidency; U.S. Vice President Visits South Korea, Warns North Korea; Russian Interference in French Elections? Aired 8-9a ET

Aired April 17, 2017 - 08:00   ET

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


[08:0:14] ROBYN CURNOW, HOST: Hello. I'm Robyn Curnow in Atlanta.

IVAN WATSON, CO-HOST: And I'm Ivan Watson in Seoul.

Welcome to a special edition of News Stream.

The U.S. vice president visits South Korea and says the Trump administration will take a

different approach with Pyongyang warning the era of strategic patience is over.

CURNOW: And Turkey's president claims victory in a controversial referendum giving him increased powers. But his narrow triumph has

protesters crying foul.

Vice President Mike Pence is here in South Korea to deliver a message to the north: the era of strategic patience is over. He's warning Pyongyang

not to test President Trump's resolve or the strength of the U.S. military. It's been two days since North Korea held its annual military parade

showing off an arsenal of weapons rattling the nerves of the international community, but a day later a humiliating defeat when its missile launch

failed.

So, now the question is, what is North Korea capable of? And just how far is it willing to push to become a nuclear state?

Mike Pence visited the Korean demilitarized zone, that's the buffer between the North and the South. And standing just he spoke exclusively with CNN's

Dana Bash.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Mr. Vice President, I was watching you watch what was behind you earlier. What was going through

your mind looking at North Korea.

MIKE PENCE, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: This is a frontier of freedom. Now for more than six decades U.S. forces and forces of South Korea have held the

line for freedom here at the DMZ. And it's inspiring for me to see the resolve of these soldiers, to see the alliance that we have forged with the

people of South Korea throughout the generations, and it gives me great confidence as we go into the future that we will achieve our objective of a

secure and prosperous South Korea, but that we will - that we will see a Korean peninsula free of nuclear weapons.

BASH: You said that the era of patience, strategic patience, is over. What does that mean in real terms?

PENCE: It was the policy of the United States of America during prior administrations to practice what they called strategic patience, that was

to hope to martial international support to bring an end to the nuclear ambitions and ballistic missile program of North

Korea. That clearly has failed.

And the advent of nuclear weapons testing, the development of a nuclear program, even this weekend to see another attempt at a ballistic missile

launch all confirms the fact that strategic patience has failed.

BASH: But what does it mean to end it in practical terms? It's either use military force or find a diplomatic solution that has eluded all of your

predecessors.

PENCE: Well, I think as the president has made clear that we're going to abandon the failed policy of strategic patience, but we're going to

redouble our efforts to bring diplomatic and economic pressure to bear on North Korea. Our hope is that we can resolve this issue peaceably. And I

know the president was heartened by his discussions with President Xi.

We've seen China begin to take some actions to bring pressure on North Korea, but there needs

to be more.

BASH: You know, this is real for you. You know there are estimates North Korea could have a missile ready that could hit the continental U.S.,

Seattle, by 2020, which is going to be on your watch.

I mean, is that weighing on you? And is that a deadline that you all have in mind?

PENCE: I know the president of the United States has no higher priority than the safety and security of the American people. The presence of U.S.

forces here in South Korea, our long-standing commitment to the Asian-Facific, and ensuring the security of the continental United States will remain the priority of this administration.

But look, we want to be clear. Our hope, and frankly our prayer, is that by Marshaling the resources of nations across the Asian-Pacific, not just

South Korea and Japan, other allies, and China, to bring renewed pressure to bear will achieve our goal of a nuclear-free Korean peninsula.

But the people in North Korea should make no mistake that the United States of America and our allies will see to the security of this region and see

to the security of the people of our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: And the U.S. Vice President speaking exclusively to CNN's Dana Bash.

Now, one of the strategies the Trump administration has pursued is pressuring North Korea's biggest trading partner, China, to turn up the

heat on North Korea. And CNN's Paula Hancocks is here with me now. And Paula, Great to see you in person here.

You've reported on Korean peninsula for years and years, based here in Seoul, but you've also report from North Korea, from Pyongyang. Help

explain to us the justification. Why does North Korea cling to its nuclear weapons program despite the fact that it's banned by multiple United

Nations Security Council resolutions?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the simple answer to that, Ivan, is one word: survival. It's the survival of the regime.

Kim Jong-un sees this as his insurance policy, as his father did as well, the late Kim Jong-il. But

it's more than for Kim Jong-un, it seems, according to many observers. He has almost staked his personal credibility on this nuclear program. It is

part of his state ideology. He's written it into the state constitution, which of course makes it very difficult to see how the U.S. or anybody can

convince him to give it up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS: Don't push President Trump too far. He's already bombed Syria and Afghanistan. A remarkable warning from Vice President Mike Pence to

North Korea's leader, a more direct approach to convince Kim Jong-un to give up the nuclear weapons.

PENCE: North Korea would do well not to test his resolve.

HANCOCKS: But is it doomed to fail?

JOHN DELURY, TONSEI UNIVERSITY: The nuclear capability for Kim Jong-un is primarily about his security. It's an insurance policy. So long as he has

that, he knows that even the United States, the world's only superpower, has to not just think twice but these, four, five times about taking any

kind of military action.

HANCOCKS: Few countries show their hand by showing the world what they have or what they are working on, say experts, unless they are using them

as deterrents.

North Korea's consistently said the only reason they need this missile and nuclear program is

because of the hostile United States. A state run media commentary last January, published just after nuclear test number four read, history proves

that powerful nuclear deterrents serves as the strongest treasured sword for frustrating outsiders' aggression.

Over the last year there's been a tendency for some to dismiss Kim Jong-un as young, unpredictable, even crazy, a dangerous dismissal, according to

some.

CHUN YUNG-WOO, KOREAN PENINSULA FUTURE FORUM: He may be an evil person, a reckless, cruel, yes, but it doesn't mean he doesn't know what he's doing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS: That's really the crux of the problem. How do you convince a maybe who

does not want to give up his nuclear weapons to give them up? And Ivan, observers say I mean, that's the tricky part of this. He's not going to

give them up willingly.

WATSON: OK, so President Trump has repeatedly threatened to go it alone to try to convince North Korea to give up its weapons presumably warning China

on this. But how do people in South Korea react when they hear these threats coming from the new U.S. president?

HANCOCKS: Well, certainly when he first tweeted about that, I'm going to go it alone, there was some concern here. But then when the dust settles,

many experts I spoke to, South Korean officials as well, said he can't go it alone

There is a U.S.-South Korean alliance. It is a very strong alliance. The sort of procedure is the Joint Chiefs of Staff on both sides will come up

with a plan. They have to present it to both presidents. Of course, you've only got an acting president here at the moment, so that would be

tricky. And then presidents have to decide act together, sign together to do this. It's not something that President Prump can do alone.

And bear in mind he's also got 28,500 U.S. troops here, although interestingly Vice President Pence did mention at the moment there's

37,500, so certainly showing they have built up military strength recently.

WATSON: And he also mentioned cruise missile strikes against Syria, and that massive airstrike in Afghanistan and tied it in with North Korea as if

it were a warning, perhaps ominous.

What about, as this saber-rattling is going on, as that U.S. aircraft carrier strike group is steaming towards the Korean peninsula and military

parades in North Korea, what about people on the ground here? It does not look like people fear an imminent

conflict, a reignition of the Korean War, does it?

HANCOCKS: That's the thing. Every time there is tension increasing in South Korea, I'm

often asked how do the South Koreans feel about it. You can see, everyone goes about its business as

usual. It's been decades that South Koreans have dealt with this threat from their northern neighbor. Of course, they are still technically at war

with them. There was never a peace treaty signed in 1953, just an armistice.

And people here have always had that sort of - that fear of conflict. They know the threat of conflict is there, but it is distance. No one I've

spoken to truly believes there that will be a second Korean War. For most people here it's business as usual. It's a little tenser than it usually

is but they assume that it will calm down again.

WATSON: There doesn't seem to interfering with cherry blossom season here in thank you very much, Paula Hancocks, our Seoul correspondent.

Now, the other key player here is China. And in just a few minutes, we'll look at how the situation with North Korea is changing the relationship

between Beijing and the Trump administration, but first let's go to Robyn Curnow for more developing news that we're following - Robyn.

CURNOW: Thanks so much, Ivan.

And, yeah, we're going to go let's go to Turkey now. A seismic shift taking place as voters

choose to give vast new powers to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Now, he's claiming victory in Sunday's referendum, though official results haven't been announced yet. Ultimately, the vote was won by a small

margin, but the changes it will bring will be vast.

New reforms will strip power from the parliament and handed directly to the president.

Opposition leaders claim the victory may have been through foul play, though. They are vowing to challenge its results.

Well, let's go straight to Ankara, Turkey's capital. Becky Anderson is standing by. This is certainly seismic shift, a significant change and of

course sweeping new powers for the president.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONENT: Robyn, not since the dawn of modern Turkish politics has there been a leader with such power and

authority. As you pointed out, it was a triumphant President Erdogan who congratulated his supporters at a rally late on Sunday night, claiming

victory in what was an historic vote which will turn the way this country is run on its head and hand a lot more power to a man who has dominated

Turkish politics now for more than two decades.

The opposition parties are calling for a recount in what was this once in a lifetime decision saying they don't recognize the result amid what is a

dispute about a late decision to accept ballots without official verification stamps.

But given that it is highly unlikely their objections will be upheld and the vote rerun, there is a

new reality, Robyn, in Turkey today. There are some fascinating parallels to be drawn here just like in the UK with the Brexit vote and U.S.

presidential election. It was voters in the rural heartland and not the urban elite who delivered Erdogan his victory. The three big cities here,

Istanbul, Ankara where we are, and Izmir all voted it, albeit marginally.

But it's the provinces, what's known here as the Anatolian firewall that once again provided him the platform for his support.

And just like in both the U.S. and UK, this was a win with the very slimmest of margins. This result underscoring a deeply divided nation.

It's no secret that Erdogan and his supporters were looking for upwards of 55 percent. That was a figure they considered would provide them a real

mandate and they haven't got that. And that's worrying some who think this result could actually exacerbate things here with Erdogan's critics

concerned he could look for opportunities for those you voted against him to really have a go at them.

So, that's what - effectively critics saying here could deprive the country with the sort of

economic stability, security and freedoms that so many crave - Robyn.

CURNOW: And what are the immediate ramifications of this? I mean, what are we going to see now? What next?

ANDERSON: Well, it's very unclear at this point. There were 18 reforms. That doesn't sound like a lot, or certainly that's what President Erdogan

said at the rally last night, but they are significant, sweeping.

Now, it's not clear as of yet just how quickly those reforms will be enacted. There will be a national election in 2019, and that will be

effectively the start of this official new process giving President Erdogan the opportunity for two terms. And that is as we've been pointing out now for weeks would allow him potentially, were he to win the

vote again in 2024, giving him the opportunity to lead here for another 10 years.

So it's not as yet clear. Will he suspend what is this state of emergency? I'm being told by sources it is likely when he meets his counsel of

ministers at the presidential palace today they will vote to continue that.

But again, that is not clear. So, at this point we know have vote ushers in a new era. It will become clearer in the hours, days and weeks just how

quickly this new era will be affected.

[08:15:09 CURNOW: OK, Becky Anderson there in a windy Ankara. Thank you very much for that perspective there on the ground.

I'm going to hand back to our colleague Ivan Watson. I mean, Ivan, you were based in Istanbul, You were our Turkish correspondent for many, many

years. And you also have a deep understanding of how this might play out.

WATSON: Well, there's certainly a very polarized society. And I think there's a fair amount of despair and fear from one side of society, while

celebration on the other.

This referendum result is the culmination of an extraordinary year in Turkish politics, Robyn. And it's seen President Erdogan tightened his

grip on the country following a failed coup. And to understand more about this, I'm joined by Henri Barkey. He's director of the Middle East program

at the Woodrow Wilson center, that's a U.S. policy institute.

Good to see you, Henri.

Now,k we initially hoped to talk to you about the referendum and then found out that you are part of news. The Anadolu News Agency, a semi-official

news agency in Turkey a day before the referendum announced that you were among a list of about 17 American dignitaries, academics, former officials,

that are being investigated for colluding in the coup attempt, the deadly failed coup attempt

of last July.

Henri, among those people that are being investigated are the former CIA Chief John Brennan and the standing U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer.

First of all, your reaction to this investigation.

HENRI BARKEY, DIRECTOR, MIDDLE EAST PROGRAM AT WOODROW WILSON CENTER: Look, it's a joke. It's not serious. This is an attempt at trying to

demonstrate to the Turkish public that somehow the west, and specifically the United States, was involved in the coup. And the reason they did it,

the announced the indictment a day before the referendum was to again remind the Turkish public, look, the foreigners were trying to undermine

Erdogan, therefore you have to vote for Erdogan.

In fact, Erdogan in his speech last night, one of the things he talked about was, look, the west

tried to stop us and we beat the west.

So, this is all part of a game trying to convince the Turkish public of some ludicrous conspiracy. It includes other people as well and has no

merit obviously.

WATSON: Henri, why was this referendum seeing almost as an existential moment for Turkey?

BARKEY: Well, look, this is - Turkey is not going to be the same Turkey that we have known all these years. This is not to say that Turkey was a

paragon of virtue or democracy, but after this referendum, when goes into effect, especially in 2019, what you will see is essentially a one-man

show.

Erdogan is going to control all the levers of power. There will be no divisions of powers in Turkey, separation of powers in Turkey. That is to

say he's going to control the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. And as a result, nothing will happen without his assent or his consent.

So in many ways, politics as we know it will die in Turkey. And the reaction, we still don't

know how this is going to play out. But in fact, one way of looking at this is also, this is maybe the second worst outcome for Erdogan as Becky

also said in her talk earlier, she said he wanted a much larger mandate and he didn't get it. But for Turkey this is a worst outcome, because there

are suspicions about the conduct of the elections. And the one institution in Turkey since 1946, since Turkey has had free elections, the

one institution that has held up all these years was the notion of a free vote. With this referendum, that has gone away, because in the run up

to the referendum, the people who are opposed to the changes in the constitution could not get access to television, could not have meetings.

They were harassed. A lot of journalists are in jail, more than 150 journalists are in jail on ludicrous charges. News agencies have been

closed down. So there was no room for real debate.

If you really had a debate in Turkey, this result would have been different. What is very surprising is despite the fact that there was this

enormous barrage from the government and his affiliates to push people to vote yes, the margin was very, very narrow. It's a razor slim margin.

So Erdogan comes out of this as a diminished person. Turkey is the biggest loser because one institution, as I said, that people had enormous

confidence in is no longer there, so - but for Erdogan, too, this is not a great victory.

He's diminished every leader in the world that he's going to be interacting with, will know that he almost failed in this referendum. He already had

very antagonistic relationship with Europe. Thge Europeans are very angry at him.

So where does he go from here is actually a very interesting question. And in many ways I suspect -- yeah?

WATSON: Sorry, Henri, did you get a sense there's traditionally been opposition to Erdogan and the ruling AK Party from urban, secular liberals,

from ethnic Kurds in the country, (inaudible) as well. Did you get a sense that his traditional conservative, pious base, that not everybody was on

board with this proposed constitutional change?

BARKEY: I think that's true. I think he made an alliance with the extreme right, but when you look at the results, he should have gotten a much

larger yes vote had everybody stuck to him.

Look, there are a lot of people who really like Erdogan who still voted against because they were uneasy about the sweeping powers he will have.

Nobody in any part of the world should have these kinds of sweeping powers for the good of the country. It has nothing to do with whether you are in

order to do with whether you're on one side or another.

WATSON: All right. That's Henri Barkey, head of the Woodrow Wilson Middle East Center. Thank you very, very much for speaking with me, Henri.

Now, still ahead on News Stream, President Trump is changing his tune when it comes to China.

CURNOW: He certainly is. Why he's backing down from months of harsh criticism about the country's trade practices.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: Welcome back. You're watching a special edition of News Stream. I'm Robyn Curnow in Atlanta.

WATSON: Ii there, Robyn.

And I'm Ivan Watson in Seoul where the U.S. vice president is visiting just a day after North Korea's latest missile test failed. The U.S. is out

weighing its options on how to respond, but one critical factor in the equation is China. President Trump has been softening his tone towards

China in the hope that Beijing will help.

Our Matt Rivers reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: China, which is what been ripping us off, the greatest abuser in the history of this country.

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That was candidate Trump. But there's been a stark about-face from President Trump in just the last week on one of his

favorite campaign targets, China.

Remember when he said he'd label China a currency manipulator on day one of his presidency? Didn't happen. And now he says they're not manipulating the

Renminbi.

And then there's North Korea. Trump consistently blasted China for failing to stop Kim Jong-un's nuclear weapons program. Now this.

[08:25:23] TRUMP: We have a very big problem in North Korea, and as I said, I really think that China's going to try very hard and has already started.

RIVERS: So what changed?

TRUMP: I have really gotten to like and respect, as you know, President Xi, is a terrific person, spent a lot of time together in Florida. And he's a

very special man.

RIVERS: The new detente appears to have started in the sunny confines of Mar-a-Lago at the crucial first in-person meeting between Trump and Chinese

President Xi Jinping on April 6th. Trump said talking with Xi helped change his mind on China's ability to handle North Korea.

"After listening for 10 minutes I realized it's not so easy," the president told the Wall Street Journal. Trump went on to praise China for banning

North Korean coal imports, a move China actually made back in February.

TRUMP: The vast amount of coal that comes out of North Korea going to China, they've turned back the boats.

RIVERS: The apparent ability of Xi Jinping to connect with Donald Trump is unexpected if not remarkable. Given that both men appeared to be polar

opposites.

One is the brash, attention-seeking New York media personality. The other, a scripted, enigmatic leader who has never given a face-to-face interview

as president. Someone who steadily rose through China's communist party ranks, consolidating power in a way not seen here since the days of

Chairman Mao.

Speeches like this one at the world economic forum in Davos helped give Xi the air of an international statesman. And China's economic prowess has

forced many a world leader to pay homage.

Xi's global charm offensive seems to have at least temporarily worked on Donald Trump but there are signs it won't last. Trump's strike against

Syria and threats of military action against North Korea have alarmed China.

Xi even called Trump this week asking for a peaceful solution to the crisis. And despite that coal import ban, China's total trade volume with

North Korea is actually up nearly 40 percent in 2017, figures sure not to sit well with the Trump administration.

But a nuclear North Korea appears to have bridged the divide for now. Two very different leaders with budding cooperation over a common threat.

Matt Rivers, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: OK, now, President Trump, he defended his about face on China as a strategic move. In a tweet over the weekend, he said, quote, why would Is

call China a currency manipulator when they are working with us on the North Korean problem. We'll see what happens.

CURNOW: And you're watching News Stream. Still ahead, tensions are rising over North Korea's nuclear program. Why a top U.S. security official says

the situation is coming to a head.

WATSON: And growing concerns Russia is trying to mettle in France's presidential election as the country prepares to go to the polls. Stay

with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:32:02] WATSON: Here in Seoul, the U.S. vice president is on the second day of a three-day visit. And the focus is on escalating tensions

with North Korea.

Take a listen to this concern from the U.S. national security adviser.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

H.R. MCMASTER, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: And I think it's really the consensus with the president, our key allies in the region, Japan and South

Korea in particular, but also the Chinese leadership that this problem is coming to a head. And it's time for us to undertake all actions we can

short of a military option to try to resolve this peacefully.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: OK. For more I'm joined now by Jean Lee, a journalist and global fellow for

the Wilson Center. Thanks for joining this evening here.

I want to ask you what - how you view these statements that first came from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and now the vice president here in South

Korea that the era of strategic patience is over.

What does that mean? And what real alternative options are there when it comes to North

Korea?

JEAN LEE, WILSON CENTER: We have heard this phrase several times now really underlining that they no longer want to continue Obama

administration policy when it comes to North Korea.

One thing that both of these men have pointed out is it's been 20 years since the U.S. has tried to negotiate with North Korea. They have come up

with some landmark deals to freeze North Korea's nuclear program in exchange for food aid and for other concessions, but what they say - and

vice president pence referred to that today when he talked about broken promises is that they have backed off of those. They have gone ahead and

violated those agreements by continuing to build nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

So they are saying we're not going to go easy on you anymore. We're not going to be taken advantage of. We're going to be tough.

WATSON: Which other administrations have kind of suggested in the past, Vice President Pence also mentioned the recent cruise missile strike on

that air base in Syria and the Mother of all Bombs, so-called, that was used against an ISIS target in Afghanistan and

used that as an example of how this administration could use action, could use force.

But I think it's worth reminding our audience this is a very difficult possible opponent compared to those other previous targets, isn't it, North

Korea?

LEE: Certainly this is a region, this is a country that has been in a state of technical war since 1953. It's important to remember that the war

never fully ended. They signed a cease-fire rather than a peace treaty. So, this region knows full well there are 28,500 U.S.

troops here on South Korean soil. As we know the USS Carl Vinson is steaming its way to the waters.

There is so much military equipment stationed in the region. And North Korea knows, China knows, the U.S. and South Korea know, Japan knows that

if there's any kind of conflict or provocation that it could spark another conflict.

Now, one of the things is that North Korea really loves to push it. They want to push it as far as

they can. They are going to test all of these neighbors in the region and that's what they are doing

right now. And I suspect that this is Pence and Trump want to make it very clear, do not push us. We are not doing to sit back, because there have

been so many times that North Korea has just pushed it that much further and South Korea and the U.S. have sort of sat back as part of this

strategic patience.

And also understanding that conflict can be devastating on the Korean Peninsula.

[08:35:39] WATSON: And the other part of this equation is South Korea, which is in this very delicate political situation right now at a time of

international crisis. Can you explain that?

LEE: So, South Korea is in political transition. Actually, the former President Park Guen-hye was indicted today on a number of charges. She was

impeached not too long ago. They - this country has been just enveloped by protests calling for her dismissal for months. So, South Koreans are

actually more concerned about their political future right now than They are about North Korea, I would say.

But what this does is leave South Korea in a vulnerable position. This is a time when Washington has developed -- White House developing its North

Korea policy. They really want to be at the table. And this is one of the things South Korean leaders are very concerned about. Do not leave us out

of the loop. Do not talk about a unilateral strike, because we're the ones who are going to deal with this. We're the ones who are going to bear the

brunt of any kind of a conflict.

So, I'm certain that was one of the things that the vice president discussed today with the acting

president and the president probably had to explain some of that tough language that's

coming out of Washington.

And in fact, a White House official with Vice President Pence suggested that final negotiations about the THAAD missile defense system, which is so

controversial here in some circles, probably the final decisions about it would need to be discussed

with the future South Korean administration, which suggests that Washington recognizes this kind of transfer of power that's imminent.

LEE: exactly. So, it's a very sensitive time to have this transition of power for South Korea and also it's a sensitive time, because it's quite

possible that we're going to have a liberal president in the Blue House after ten years of conservative hard line on North Korea.

WATSON: Who might want to take a much more diplomatic approach to Pyongyang.

LEE: Exactly.

WATSON: Jean Lee, it was a pleasure talking to you, fellow from the Woodrow Wilson Center. Thank you so much.

LEE: Thanks for having me.

WATSON: All right, now still ahead on News Stream. Fake news? Russian interference?

CURNOW: And no, we're not talking about the U.S. election, these claims are also happening in France in the run up to the presidential vote there.

Our Paris correspondent takes a deeper look. That's next. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WATSON: Welcome back to the program. You're watching a special edition of News Stream. I'm Ivan Watson in Seoul.

CURNOW: And I'm Robyn Curnow in Atlanta.

And I just bring you up to date on some other stories we're covering here at CNN. In just a few days, France decides its political future. And

there's a familiar theme developing: what to do with Russia. The presidential candidates all have vastly different approaches on how to deal

with Moscow. and just like in the U.S. election, we're seeing claims of meddling and fake news.

Melissa Bell now reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[08:40:05] MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The choice facing French voters is stark. Eleven candidates with radically different visions

of what the future should be.

Of them the two front-runners have almost diametrically opposed proposals. On one hand, a stronger relationship with Europe and a tough approach to

Russia. On the other, a referendum on leaving the E.U. and a closer relationship with Moscow.

It's (inaudible) that Marine Le Pen has already started working on with a visit to Moscow. Vladimir Putin took the opportunity to state Russia's

position.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We do not want to influence events in any way.

BELL: But inside Emmanuel Macron headquarters the fear is that Moscow has been trying to help Marine Le Pen. His campaign manager says they are being

targeted by both cyber-attacks and fake news.

RICHARD FERRAND, SECRETARY-GENERAL OF EN MARCHE (through translator): Emmanuel Macron wants a strong European Union. And we know that the

strategy of those countries that don't want a strong Europe means making him lose the election.

BELL: So is Russia interfering in France's presidential campaign as it is alleged to have done in the American poll? France's internet watchdog has

warned of the danger of cyber interference. We asked an expert on French cyber security whether he thought Russia was involved.

FABRICE EPELBOIN, CO-FOUNDER, YOGOSHA: Yes, probably. Just like the United States has been interfering in many, many presidential elections around the

world for the past, I don't know, 50 years at least.

Just like France has been interfering in almost every African presidential election since, well, the last 60, 70 years. It's the way democracy works

around the world.

BELL: The trouble, says Fabrice, is that it is impossible, given the sophistication of the technology, to determine where a particular hack

originated.

CNN reached out to the Kremlin to get their response. A spokesman said, we strongly disagree with these accusations, they are groundless, Moscow was

not involved in any cyber-attacks and can't be involved. So what about fake news?

At the French daily Le Monde a special unit was set up in which 12 journalists worked to identify and debunk fake news.

Adrien Senecat tells us the French presidential campaign has seen partisan news from Russian media but not fake news, that his news stories that are

entirely made up. They have tended, he says, to come from inside France.

ADRIEN SENECAT, JOURNALIST, LE MONDE: Stories the last couple of months under French internet where mostly being made up by far right web sites or

far right partisans or far right Facebook pages. Mostly targeted migrants are media of Emmanuel Macron.

BELL: For those inside Emmanuel Macron headquarters, fake news stories targeting their candidate are although more worrying because of the nature

of his electorate. It is untested because he has never stood before and the polls suggest much more volatile than Marine Le Pen.

In short, he has many more people to convince, and the fear here is that some may be all too easily put off.

Melissa Bell, CNN, in Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Well, thanks to Melissa Bell for that.

You've been watching this special edition of News Stream. I'm Robyn Curnow in Atlanta. But stick around, World Sport with Alex Thomas is next.

Enjoy.

END