Kerry Calls Moscow On Syria Build Up Concerns; U.N.: 2,000 Migrants Arrive Daily in Hungary
SETH JONES, RAND CORPORATION: It's created friction within governments and then among them in Europe. And I think as ISIS looks at this, it's chaos in Europe right now. And it's being played out hourly around the clock on television shows. So this is -- it's a psychological and it's an information victory at least in the short run for ISIS.</s>BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A victory for ISIS and possibly another opportunity. Analysts say with so many migrants streaming into Europe, it's easier for ISIS to infiltrate these groups, possibly smuggle their sympathizers or maybe even operatives into Europe with them. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.</s>DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Deborah Feyerick in for Poppy Harlow. U.S. officials are very concerned this weekend that something is happening overseas that could escalate the conflict in Syria. Here's the concern, that Russia is building up its military presence in Syria. Secretary of State John Kerry has already spoken by phone to his counterpart in Moscow. The U.S. and Russia have very different ideas about dealing with Syria. When it comes to the civil war there and also about how to fight ISIS. The U.S. State Department says, more Russian involvement in Syria means more people will die and the desperate refugee crisis will only get worse. On that subject, a little while ago I spoke to the senior U.S. Senator from Minnesota who says that the United States needs to step up, open its doors and do more to help the displaced people fleeing Syria in such great numbers.</s>SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D), MINNESOTA: I think everyone has to share in the solution. Certainly Europe must take the lead because of their proximity but also the U.S. has really only taken less than 1,000 refugees and that's why before this current crisis erupted, Senator Durbin and myself, we wrote a letter at 14 senators asking the State Department to take in more refugees to our country, obviously spread out across the country, vetted, legal refugees.</s>FEYERICK: And another development from Syria. This weekend, word that President Bashar al Assad is going to hold early elections and that he's willing to share power with some of his opponents. The Syrian and Russian governments are positioning that decision as one that will create a broader coalition to fight extremist groups like ISIS. Well, let me get Michael Weiss in here with all his knowledge, he is a CNN contributor, writes on global affairs for "The Daily Beast," also the co-author of the book "</s>ISIS: Inside The Army of Terror." So, Michael, the U.S. State Department saying, they believe Russia that there's no military buildup inside Syria. What do you find?</s>MICHAEL WEISS, SENIOR EDITOR, THE DAILY BEAST: Well, the evidence has been mounting, especially over the last week or two, it was an Israeli newspaper that came out with the report about two weeks ago saying that Russia plans to send an expeditionary force to Damascus which will include actually Russian Air Force pilots who will engage in combat missions. In other words, fly Russian -- and MiG jets not just to bomb ISIS but possibly also to bomb other rebel groups, including those that might be backed by the west. Now, this evidence has been, you know, added to the following. A video was posted actually by a pro-Assad militia group showing a BTR, that's an infantry fighting vehicle operating in Latakia, the coastal province from which the Assad family hails. The people inside the VTR (ph) were speaking Russian. They were taking instructions from Russian soldiers. So, this indicates that Russia may already have an active combat role on the ground. I just published a piece today in The Daily Beast quoting Syrians, including one family that has fled from Aleppo, went to Damascus and then flew out of Damascus to Turkey, saying, they were stopped at a military checkpoint in Damascus and at the check point there weren't just Syrian soldiers but also Russian soldiers imbedded. This comes amid of flurry of other corroborating bits of evidence, including citizens in Damascus saying, we see Russian officers all over the place here. They are liaising on a daily basis on restaurants and cafes with not just Syrian military brass but also Iranian military officers. So, it seems like we are almost reaching a point of, if this is a big conspiracy or a myth, somebody is manufacturing a lot of disinformation and false evidence about it because everyone is talking about this.</s>FEYERICK: And when you think about it, you have Russia, Syria, Iran, all of them now in that country.</s>WEISS: Right.</s>FEYERICK: Meanwhile, the eyes of the rest of the world are on every other country because you have this flood of refugees, so many of them from Syria. Is Putin simply making a move right now at this moment because nobody's watching what's going on in Syria too closely?</s>WEISS: It's very interesting, isn't it? He came out yesterday and said, as you mentioned, let's have early parliamentary elections, there will be some kind of power sharing government in Syria but one that will consist with what he termed the healthy opposition. He didn't dame to describe what he considers the diseased opposition but I can bet you a lot of that will include people that the Pentagon and CIA have been supporting. Also, what has happened in the last two weeks. Another unsuccessful and instantly violated cease-fire in Ukraine where the world's attention has now been taken off that conflict. Again, another Russian invasion in Eastern Europe in this case, amidst, of course, the geopolitics of the Middle East. There's an Iran nuclear deal that's been inked and it will be implemented in late July, Qasem Soleimani, he's the commander of course of the Quds Force of the revolutionary guard core of Iran traveled to Moscow, violating an international travel ban, meeting with top Russian officials to discuss, I am sure, a joint proposal for increasing security and defending the Assad regime. So if what the Russians are looking to do is essentially ring-fence those areas of Syria that they consider the so-called strategic corridor, namely from Damascus into Lebanon to secure the resupply lines for Hezbollah and also into the coastal regions such as Latakia where I mentioned earlier, evidence has emerged of Russian combat missions, that would make perfect sense. The Russians and the Iranians will work cheek by jowl to make sure that Assad's regime survives.</s>FEYERICK: So, very quickly. Just --</s>WEISS: Yes.</s>FEYERICK: Is Russia going in in order to either crush ISIS, crush the bad opposition, or simply to gain an intractable foothold that everyone else in Europe, in the United States, will have to deal with when it comes to trying to find some sort of negotiated solution?</s>WEISS: Well, this is the thing. U.S. intelligence official told The Daily Beast in this report I put out today that, you know, that if the Russians were coming in just to fight ISIS that would be one thing but we suspect not. They are coming in to prop up the regime and also as I mentioned earlier, probably to take the fight to rebel groups that frankly the U.S. still relies upon to recruit from. You know, in terms of building up the so-called train and equip program of Syrian, Sunni, Arab rebels that will then fight ISIS. You know, the Russians do not consider any opposition other than that which they have approved. In other words, an opposition that exists only in name that is really actually loyal to Assad to be worth talking to. And this has been the case for the last four years.</s>FEYERICK: So an incredible humanitarian crisis, these people likely will not get back to Syria for a very, very, very long time. Michael Weiss, thank you so much. And of course, you can all go and see his article on The Daily Beast. We appreciate it. Thanks, Michael.</s>WEISS: Sure.</s>FEYERICK: And now to the unprecedented migration of people pouring into Europe from the Middle East. The logjam of stranded refugees and migrants in Budapest, Hungary, has finally been broken. Most if not all are finally on their way west. Some by train, others by bus. Still others by foot. But many more are coming in behind them. The wave of people they just keep arriving. These colonies of people are following rail tracks through Serbia into Hungary. The U.N. estimates that 2,000 are crossing the border each day. UNICEF says, one in four are children. Well, the crisis has touched a nerve across Europe. People in Paris turned out for a very large rally today to show empathy and support for the migrants. CNN's senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen is at the Austrian border as the weary travelers stumble across by the thousands.</s>FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was Saturday in the early morning hours when the standoff between the refugees and the Hungarian government ended. Budapest provided dozens of buses to take thousands of asylum seekers to Austria. Once they crossed the border, their fatigue and frustration turned to elation. Some like this man who lost a leg in Syria's civil war finding strength for the final walk into Austrian territory. I left about a month ago, he says. The journey across the sea was very hard, and so was the border with Macedonia. Everything was hard. Nothing was easy.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know. I'm very happy. All people, very happy. Thank you, Austria. Thank you, Germany.</s>PLEITGEN: As more and more buses arrived, the lines of people kept moving west towards the Austrian border guards. (on camera): Even though these people are obviously absolutely exhausted, many of them have been on the road for months, have endured horrible things while they were trying to make their way over here, you can still see smiles on almost everybody's faces, simply because they are so happy to finally have made it to Austria. (voice-over): The small town of Nickelsdorf launched a massive aid drive on very short notice. Clothes, food, drinks, supplies kept arriving throughout the day, making sure the busloads of refugees received a warm welcome. "I had to wake my colleagues up this morning and get them out of bed," the police officer in charge says. I think in light of the circumstances, we have done quite well. Austria says it received thousands of asylum seekers this day and the people in Nickelsdorf made sure they were taken care of. Austria's rail company launched a special train service that will bring many of the refugees to other places in Austria or to Germany and a chance to begin a new life. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Nickelsdorf, Austria.</s>FEYERICK: Leaving because so many had no option to stay. Well, switching gears, police say that they want any tips that the public can offer. Coming up, a community seeks help raising reward money to find a cop killer.