Republican Presidential Candidate Ben Carson Visits Syrian Refugee Camps in Jordan
PARKER: Pope Francis has been celebrating mass in the capital of the Central African Republic, Bangui. You're looking at live pictures of the mass right now. It's the final stop on his Africa tour and an active war zone. Earlier, he opened the holy door at the cathedral in Bangui. It symbolizes the start of the new holy year, which actually begins on December 8. He's urged people not to give into fear. This in a country that's seen two years of sectarian bloodshed. You're watching CNN. And this is Connect the World. I'm Nick Parker. Welcome back. Thanks for joining us. U.S. presidential candidate Ben Carson says the U.S. could do more to those fleeing ISIS in Syria. He's been visiting refugee camps in two spots in Jordan on Saturday. But he also says bringing refugees to the United States will not solve the crisis. Speaking with our Brianna Keilar just a short time ago, he said many of the refugees he talked to say they don't want to come to the United States.</s>BEN CARSON, 2016 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTAIL CANDIDATE: No desire. Their true desire is to be resettled in Syria. But, you know, they are satisfied to be in the refugee camps if the refugee camps are adequately funded. Recognize that in these camps they have schools, they have recreational facilities that are really quite nice, and they are putting in all kinds of things that make life more tolerable.</s>PARKER: Our Oren Liebermann is in Amman with more on the politics of the presidential candidate's trip.</s>OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ben Carson's trip to Jordan could be boosting credentials on two major issues here: foreign policy and national security where he's seen as being particularly weak. So, this is a surprising, fairly secretive trip to two Syrian refugee camps here, the Azrak refugee camp (ph) and the Zaatari refugee camp where he met with Syrian refugees, visited the facilities and met some of the workers there. He released what seems to be a very carefully worded statement after visiting these camps. He said the U.S. taking in 25,000 Syrian refugees isn't enough. But in the statement, he doesn't say the U.S. should take in more refugees, instead its seems he says the U.S. should help other countries like Jordan that are taking in refugees. He promises in the coming days to tell more about his foreign policy plans. He also blames the current Syrian refugee crisis on the Clinton and Obama administration. So it seems from his statement that this trip had an impact on him, but it could also be Carson trying to distance himself from some very controversial comments he recently made where he compared some Syrian refugees to rabid dogs. He's tried to put that in the past, he's tried to backtrack a bit. And this visit to the Syrian refugee camps and his call for helping them could be seen as a way of pushing himself passed that and getting past that comparison that he made, also again trying to boosting his credentials on foreign policy and national security. Oren Liebermann, CNN, Amman, Jordan.</s>PARKER: Now to a story that brought worldwide attention to Europe's migrant crisis. You may recall the 2-year-old Syrian boy who drowned off the coast of Turkey in September along with his mother and brother. A photograph of his body washed ashore and caused global outrage. The world came to know him as Aylan. Now his aunt says that pronunciation and spelling came from Turkish officials, but his given name is Allen. His aunt lives in Canada now where she says the extended family will soon be granted asylum. She spoke with our Paula Newton.</s>TIMA KURDI, AUNT OF ALAN KURDI: So far what I know on the application from Canada, from here, it has been approved and being sent to Ankara in Turkey. And it's been in the process. And they did like the regular medical exam, both the family in Turkey and my brother in Germany. And they are going through the security check and all that. So so far I'm waiting for either an email or a phone call to tell me on the date when they are arriving. So, I'm hoping before Christmas, but I'm not sure at this moment.</s>PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've just had a very dramatic couple of weeks, three weeks really when you count the bombings in Lebanon and Beruit and those terrible attacks in Paris. You know, Tima, it's turned some people, especially in the United States and Europe against accepting refugees. They think it's too much of a security risk. What would you tell them, people who are afraid to grant asylum to thousands of refugees?</s>KURDI: First of all, I don't blame them. They have the right to concern about security. I always say take your time, make sure you do the security checks. We don't want any terrorist to come to any country. But please open your heart and your arms and welcome those desperate refugees. Those refugees, they fled from the rubble, from ISIS. It doesn't mean they are a terrorist.</s>NEWTON: Yeah, and yet it is difficult for people to try and recognize the fear, the terror that these refugees are running from, and then perhaps they feel risking the national security. Tima, I can't let you go without asking you how Alan's father is right now. Where is he? Do you have any hopes that he may be able to come to Canada?</s>KURDI: Abdullah, he's in Kurdistan IRbil. What he's doing volunteer work in a refugee camp to helping refugee children with their needs. And he's hoping to open a charity under his son's name, also to help the refugee children. And -- but so far he refuse -- he doesn't want to come to Canada or anywhere.</s>PARKER: That was Tima Kurdi, Aunt of Alan Kurdi, the 2-year-old boy who drowned off the coast of Turkey in September. She was speaking with CNN's Paula Newton. You're watching Connect the World. Stay with us, we'll be back with more after this short break.