British Star Leaves Real Madrid for L.A. Galaxy
GORANI: Welcome back, everyone.</s>CLANCY: You're watching YOUR WORLD TODAY, where we bring CNN international and U.S. viewers up to speed on some of the most important international stories of the day.</s>GORANI: And one of the most important international stories, of course, U.S. President Bush and his announcement yesterday, admitting mistakes and carefully mapping out a new course to end the war in Iraq. That long-awaited speech is now over, of course, but the White House still has a lot of work to do to win support for the plan. Not just outside of the U.S., but inside. Let's bring in White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino. Thanks for being with us. One of the things that struck me in the president's speech yesterday, Dana, was the singling out of Iran and Syria, saying they're destabilizing forces in this whole process. Not at all recommending talking directly to those two nations. Where were threats really directed at them yesterday?</s>DANA PERINO, WHITE HOUSE DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: Surely the United States is not the one being threatening. And we are not the ones being meddlesome and troublesome in Iraq. The president was very plainspoken yesterday, as he should be, when he was talking to the American people about his new way forward in Iraq. And one of the most important things that people need to understand is what we are finding there with Iran's meddlesomeness in the region. And of course we are supportive of the neighbors getting along there in the region. And Secretary Rice is headed to the region tomorrow to help further that. But no, the president is not going to do one-on-one talks with Iran and Syria at this time.</s>GORANI: So, in other words, if Iran and Syria do not discontinue the kind of behavior that the president considers meddlesome or destabilizing, then what happens?</s>PERINO: Well, Secretary Rice said that she has been willing to meet with her Iranian counterpart any time, anywhere, if they stop the enrichment of uranium and the reprocessing of uranium. They know exactly what they need to do. And that's not just an American demand. That is an international demand. And so, Secretary Rice will be heading to the region, and we'll see, you know, what she's able to accomplish while she's there.</s>GORANI: All right. But the question is, or what? Or what happens?</s>PERINO: We're going to continue to move forward on this plan. What the president talked about last night is a new way forward in Iraq that will produce dramatically different results from what we were seeing before. The president was unsatisfied and the American people were unsatisfied, and rightly so.</s>GORANI: All right. Let me -- then let's move on to the plan itself. It relies a lot on the Iraqi prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, cooperating and being effective. The national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, in a leaked memo just last November said he either Maliki was ignorant or incapable. What has changed then in the last two months?</s>PERINO: I think the other thing that the Hadley memo said is that he believes that Maliki has the will to do it. And what he needs is some help with the capabilities. And that's what the president has said, that he believes that with this government, that is only nine months old -- now, being nine months old is not an excuse for inaction. The president said they must step up. But they need some support in order to secure the population, to make sure that the innocent people are protected. And that's what the president's going to do -- be able to do by providing more troops. But it's Prime Minister Maliki who came to the president in Amman, Jordan, that same meeting in November that you were talking about, and he provided this plan to the president, and then the president had his military and diplomatic experts review it. And they told him that with a little bit more American support in the capital city, we can secure the situation and allow for the political and economic reforms to take root and to grow into mature institutions.</s>GORANI: OK. So it's a question of will then. Perhaps that's changed. Thanks so much. Dana Perino, the deputy White House press secretary, joining us on YOUR WORLD TODAY -- Jim.</s>PERINO: Thanks.</s>CLANCY: I am reminded that sometimes international news makes for strange bedfellows. That is the case today. We're going to from the battlefield of Iraq to Beckham on the playing field. David Beckham, of course, creating a lot of hoopla now. The word is coming in that he is headed not for another contract with Real Madrid, but headed to Los Angeles. Let's bring in Pedro Pinto. He is in Madrid right now. Pedro, a bit of a shocker here, I think, for some people.</s>PEDRO PINTO, REPORTER: Definitely. A lot of people are thinking that this is too early for David Beckham, to head to the United States. He's only 31. He could have renewed for another couple of seasons with Real Madrid. He could have gone to another top European club. However, he decided that this was the right time. David Beckham apparently had already made up his mind. And I have to be honest with you, the read I get from what has happened here today in Madrid is, basically, David Beckham had already decided in the last days that he was going to move to the United States. There was a supposed meeting today between his representatives and club officials. I don't even really know if this meeting took place, because apparently everything was decided. How wouldn't it be decided if Beckham had already recorded an interview with Major League Soccer in which he explained why he was moving to the states right now?</s>DAVID BECKHAM, FOOTBALL STAR: I have played now for two of the biggest clubs in the world. I have played at the highest level for 15 years. And now I think that I need another challenge. I have enjoyed my time in Spain. It's been an incredible experience for me and the family. You know, the kids have loved the school. We only bought the house here a year ago. But I think, you know, another challenge has come up. And I think it's the right time for us to do it. I don't want to go out to America at 34 years old, and people would be turning around and saying, well, he's only going there to get the money. You know, it's not what I'm going out there to do. I'm going out there to -- to hopefully build, you know, a club and a team that has got a lot of potential. I that's what excites me.</s>PINTO: He may not be going out there for the money, but there's no doubt he's going to get a lot richer. The numbers I have been hearing about his contract is $250 million over five years. It's still unclear whether that amount, the $250 million, is going to be paid exclusively for his salary, or if it already includes some of the endorsement deals with Major League Soccer. Whichever way you look at it, it's a huge deal not only in Europe, also in the United States. There's no question David Beckham will be a poster boy for the sport. He really could give the sport a huge boost in the United States, considering that Major League Soccer has really been in a lull over the last seasons. You may remember, Jim, that a few years ago, a few decades ago, Franz Beckenbauer headed to the United States, Pele headed to the United States. And there was a huge buzz about the sport. Since then, really nothing. And Beckham is going change that.</s>CLANCY: You know, I'm reminded of Pele coming to the United States. And, of course, his career had already ended by the time that he entered here. And a lot of people said he was doing it for the money. What other figures come to mind, though -- $250 million?</s>PINTO: It's a huge contract. And obviously, he was not a poor boy here in Real Madrid. He was making a lot of money here as well. There were some talk about obviously his renegotiating contract over the next two weeks, that his earnings could decrease a little bit. A big issue also is his image rights. Real Madrid held a big percentage of his image rights. So every time he had an endorsement deal with a major company, Real Madrid would get a big chunk of that money. Obviously, now heading to Major League Soccer, Major League Soccer will also have a say in what Beckham can do and what he can't. But as far as personal endorsements, I think he'll be able to reap all the rewards. I think this is a huge story not only from a sporting perspective, because you have David Beckham, who is twice football of the year runner-up, but also commercially. You have to take a look at it from an European perspective, and also from an American perspective -- Jim.</s>CLANCY: All right. Pedro Pinto, as always, there in Madrid, thank you very much. We're going to take a short break.</s>GORANI: Absolutely.</s>CLANCY: When we come back, we'll tell you a story of a little girl who's had to face the recent death of her father.</s>GORANI: But with the help of her mom, this 8-year-old has managed to carry on with his work. And she's now embarking on a tour of America. We'll introduce you to Bindi coming up.