will come to the "journal." the anti-gaddafi coalition meeting in rome pledges millions for the rebels. mahmoud abbas takes the palestinian initiative for an independent state to berlin and talks to chancellor merkel. and president obama plays a -- lays a wreath at ground zero in new york city. western and arab countries opposed to muammar khaddafi have

pledged hundreds of millions of dollars to help help the libyan rebels. ministers have made the pledge at work today. among them, the u.s., france, britain, qatar, and jordan. the aid is ak boost to the disorganized rebels who failed to capitalize on the nato bombing campaign against khaddafi. >> they're trying to support a transfer of power from the gaddafi regime to the rebels. >> the first is the implementation of a temporary financial mechanism in order to deliver money to the national council. the second out, is the determination -- the second out, is to maintain pressure on gaddafi. >> they stressed the money made

available was not to be used for weapons. that this will be used for salaries, medication, medicine, and food. and then also, the plan which has already been announced, to start rebuilding or reconstruction of the schools, hospitals, from the damage that has happened. >> u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton said washington would try to unblock some of the billions of libyan assets frozen and accounts it so that money can also go to the rebels. >> we asks the our correspondent in rome to phyllis and on where the international funding was coming from. >> the leader of the executive of the rebels said earlier in the day that he was asking for

$3 billion u.s. so far, they have $250 million, $180 million of which has come from kuwait. it is not clear where all of this money is coming from, but he said the figure of $3 billion was an estimated amount that the rebels would need for the next six months to keep going. he insisted that basically the rebel movement is a peaceful protest. it is not an armed struggle. he tried to put an attractive spin on the thesis that they are trying to make plans, he said, it used the phrase, a road map for what would happen in libya once the gaddafi regime falls perr. >> what do they want from the rebels? >> the coalition wants to see

the possibility and the ability to organize the country. at the moment, they seem disorganized, althoug they gave a very logical road map as to what would happen when the regime falls. he said setting up an interim government and using some of the facilities from the old regime. germans chancellor angela merkel has played down differences with france on recognition of an independent palestinian state, saying that they share theoals of a quick lunch for the mideast peace process. the comments came after nicolas sarkozy said paris would consider such a move. after talks with mahmoud abbas, merkel said berlin was skeptical of any unilateral steps towards an independent state. the top and hamas are now working towards the

international -- photog and hamas are now working towards the international recognition in september. >> mahmoud abbas flew directly from cairo to berlin. that is seen as a potential boost for the peace process, but the german chancellor has made her r sition clear, peace in the middle east will only come if the radical hamas movement follows the lead. that means renouncing violence, recognized israel's right to exist, and a willingness to hold peace talks. >> we want a two state solution, and we have to work at this to state solution. we don't believe that unilateral steps will help. that the palestinians are considering declaring statehood within the next few months. some european countries have given such a move cautious backing. germany is flatly opposed. mahmoud abbas is lifted by the cairoeal, saying it is a step

to bring hamas back into the fold, and that can only help. >> reconciliation of the palestinian groups will strengthen the peace process and help advance the two state solution. >> chancellor merkel now wants israeli and palestinians to break the stalemate and start talking again. she says germany would help but stopped short of making concrete pledges. pakistan's military has threatened to reconsider its cooperation with the united states if it carries out another rate like the one to kill osama bin laden. they said it was a violation of national sovereignty. pakistan at security forces and intelligence services are facing mounting criticism at home and abroad, questions about the raid, how bad layton could hide out for years close to a major military base. officials have admitted that shortcomings have been made it and have launched an investigation.

u.s. president barack obama paid a symbolic visit to new york city to honor those killed and injured in the september 11 attacks. he held a moment of silence after laying a wreath at ground zero, visiting a fire station near the world trade center, meeting with family of the victims of the attacks which killed nearly 3000 people. it is his first visit to ground zero as president, organized after the raid that killed osama bin laden pe. joining us from washington, max hoffman. just days after the killing of osama bin laden, the u.s. president is at ground zero. what is behind the visit? >> it brings america c cser to what they have been talking about all week, closure. they want to turn the page and move on. it is very important for them to have their president there

today. closure was not achievable with the mastermind of 9/11 being ou+ there, some of the laden. the americans are deeply divided. a lot of issues, a lot of fighting in politics, abortion, the economy, the debt issue, and this is one of the r re occasions where they stand together as a unified country and where they are proud of their country, something they have not had occasion to be in the last couple years. for the white house, this is an occasion to say to their enemies, we have not forgotten about this, we have kept our promise, and you could say the u.s. has come full circle with this visit by obama. concerns about inflation, a very subdued at the ecb? >> a bit of a surprise about their lack of movement, a week of surprises. the european central bank has left the benchmark lending rate unchanged at one point to 5%.

the ecb president caught market watchers off guard by signaling the bank will wait until after june to raise interest rates again. many were expecting a quicker moves to fight surging inflation and the eurozone's koger economies. >> central bankers often make cryptic statements. if ecb president jean-claude trichet had used vigilance, it would expected a rate hike, but he said they were not pre- committed to any future moves. >> we will monitor closely all developments with respect to it upside risk and price stability. >> analysts expect the benchmark interest rate to rise in the summer because of inflationary pressure in europe. in april, prices and eurozone jumped 2.8% compared with a year earlier. >> the ecb faces a dilemma.

on the one hand, i would like to raise interest rates and keep a lid on inflation, but they cannot do so because seven countries would not be able to refinance their debt. >> it benefits the booming german economy because investors have access to cheap loans for investments, but european consumers are concerned about rising prices. >> negotiations over portugals bailout deal have wrapped up in lisbon. they have announced a total of 78 billion euros of financial aid. in return, portugal has to cut spending, reform its labor market, and open up the country to more international competition. >> in exchange for financial assistance, portugals creditors are demanding that list and cut spending to get its budget deficit down to less than 3% of gdp by 2013. >> the deficit is program to

come down by more than 6% in just three years. during those three years, the economy will face significant headwinds in the form of contraction in gdp and a reduction of the tax base. >> the government has indicated it understands the need for austerity measures. >> this is a robust and ambitious plan and is the appropriate response for the problems the country is facing an has faced. that not many portuguese are disappointed and fear that drastic budget cuts will affect them personally. >> i want to have a child, and i cannot because i do not have any money to pay for the care, health care. >> we are going to receive international help. it should have happened a long time ago.

>> portuguese voters are set to choose a new parliament on june 5. to whoever wins the election will have to fulfil -- whoever wins the election will have to fulfil the obligations. >> it was a bumpy ride in frankfurt thursday, but the dax closed almost unchanged, 7376. euro stoxx 50 lost almost 1% on the day, 2926. the dow industrials dropped 1.1%, and the euro lost ground after the ecb announced an interest-rate hike is off the table, trading at $1.4529. fast-growing emerging economies are trying to become less dependent on the weakening u.s. dollar. one way is to increase gold reserves. mexico, which traditionally holds all of its reserves in the greenback, has also been getting

into gold in a big way, purchasing almost went under metric tons over two months, increasing its reserve by about 16 times. the mexican peso is at its strongest level in the u.s. dollar since 2008. mexico earns most of its currency revenue from oil revenues. the gap between popular opinion between nuclear power and corporate policy is getting wider. one company has warned they may have to cut their profit forecast because of a drastic shift in the nuclear energy policy. two power plants have been closed after receipt to review because of the reactor accident in japan. >> they told shareholders that accelerated exit from nuclear power makes no sense nor is it feasible. even if nuclear energy is viewed as a transitional technology or bridge to new technologies, a phase-out would require time.

>> to make it perfectly clear, the point cannot be and the point is not to shorten or narrow the bridge of nuclear energy. the essence is not whether a short or long, wide or narrow, but it is capable of bridging something. >> they argue that nuclear energy is necessary until germany's national grid is expanded to transport electricity from renewable energy sources. the expansion would require not just time but money. eon claims the government mandated three-month closure of two nuclear plants has arctic cost the company 215 million euros and may have to cut its 2011 profit forecast of the plants remained offline for good. >> a lot of companies facing angry shareholders. officials in japan say that

workers had entered the reactor building at the fukushima nuclear power plant that for the first time since the explosion from the earthquake anan tsunam. radiation levels inside the complex are still extremely high. tepco said that it sent in workers with protective clothing to set up a ventilation system in a reactor number one. >> remote-controlled robots captured these pictures from inside reactor block one. the team of technicians is preparing to begin work there. they are the first people to enter the building since the earthquake and tsunami struck nearly two months ago. the radioactivity is still dangerous, but it is dropping. that is why tepco decided to send a team. >> the engineers will spend 15 minutes in the building. they will be exposed to three milseverts of radiation there.

>> there are working in groups of four. their job is to install a new ventilation system and they expect that will take thrhr, four days. the system will filter radioactive material from the air. they hope this will reduce radioactivity in the building, allowing work on a new cooling system to begin. the old cooling system was knocked out by the march earthquake and tsunami. >> our ultimate goal is to cool down the reactor, which means that the temperature of the fuel rods should blow below -- should fall below 100 degrees celsius. amoco to restore cooling to the six reactors and six months. in nine months, they're hoping to have the situation at the plant under control. palestinian president mahmoud abbas and chancellor angela merkel have wrapped up their talks in berlin. we will be looking at what they had to say coming out, as well

as the new palestinian efforts to gain independence. stay with us for that.

thank you for staying with us. after talks in berlin, chancellor merkel and palestinian president mahmoud abbas stressed the need for swiftly resuming negotiations over the middle east peace process. at the same time, the chancellor warned against any unilateral recognition of an independent palestinian state, which france says it may take if negotiations fail. for their part, the palestinians have ended four years of division between hamas and fatah and say their unity government could declared independence in september. >> for abbas, the reconciliation with hamas is just a first that predicts a could lead to the

united nations recognizing an independent palestinian state. but a palestine with hamas and the government would be unacceptable to israel. hamas does not recognize israel's right to exist. >> for us, this is a red line that cannot be crossed. we want an interim-palestinian dialogue, but whoever questioned israel's right to exist with the violence is no partner, and our view. >> for their part, the palestinians are angry that israel continues to build the jewish settlements in occupied palestinian territories despite document -- despite international criticism. israel's concerned about attacks by palestinian militants. german opposition politician thinks that bebein should keep an open mind dealing with a

united palestinian leaderships. >> if a unity government consisting of hamas and fatah is ready to renounce violence and negotiate a cease-fire, there is a chance to negotiate about how to state coalition to be achieved. if hamas would accept that, it would indirectly except israel. >> but german chancellor angela merkel made it clear in her last meeting with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu in april that berlin would only take knowledge a palestinian state if it intern recognized israel. -- if it, in turn, recognized israel. >> they are in favor of a two- stage solution, and that is why any one-sided recognition does not contribute to this goal, which i consider to be indispensable. >> but the recent uprisings and the arab world have changed the region and could give fresh

battista the mideast peace process. it remains to be seen in which direction. bridget it could give fresh impetus to the mideast " peace process. >> it has put pressure on the palestinians to settle their differences. some analysts say both hamas and fatah understand that time is working against them and they risk losing the support of the palestinian people. those in gaza and the west bank are of the mist that -- those in gaza and the west bank are optimistic they will gain independence. >> the west bank city of ramallah is one big construction site. international aid has sparked a building boom and a new government district is to be built by september. but the workers here have only one thing on their minds, the reconciliation deal between hamas and fatah. after four years of intense

political rivalry, many are still skeptical. >> reconciliation as a beautiful word, but it does not necessarily mean everyone will be honest with each other. >> reconciliation is the basis for everything. people need to understand each other so we could build a state. >> but the palestinian authority remains cautiously optimistic. the agreement paves the way for national elections next year, but first the sides need to iron out several thorny issues. >> this split has been going on for four years, and reconciliation is going to be an extra process. our problems will not be solved totally by signing the reconciliation, but the signing of it is the beginning of a new era, hopefully. >> in the gaza strip, the deal

is the main topic of conversation. stagnation dominates gaza, according to these people. the students recently organized a large demonstration to urged unity. the march was violently broken up by security forces. he says it is now up to the people to take action and affect change. >> i think the people have to seize the initiative themselves and bury their differences. as palestinians, which should reach out to each other and visit each other. that is why we have been going on the streets, to show how important unity is for us. >> the leaders of hamas said they are aware of the dissatisfaction among young people and take it seriously, as seen here in a meeting with hamas representatives. >> at least now we can sit and

talk to each other and put some positions on the table and everything will be taken by reconciliation. >> but the path to reconciliation will nobe easy. the words by leaders now have to be backed by real action before that could be any talk of establishing a palestinian state. >> we are happy to be joined by the palestinian general delegate to germany. welcome. the chancellor says a unilateral declaration of independence is not the best way forward. are you disappointed? >> no, not at all, because we are not intending to have a lateral declaration of a palestinian state. we're going to the u.n. to have the recognition of the palestinian state based on the borders of 1967. in over 100 countries in the world, it will recognize the palestinian state. this is not unilateral, this is

international. >> you are prepared to make your declaration of independence in september, as planned? >> we are not going to declare independence. we're going to ask for the recognition of a palestinian state. let me clarify something else, we say there is enough time until september to reach agreement with israel through negotiations. if we fail to reach an agreement through negotiations, what other alternative do we have? the alternative is to go to the un. this is what we're planning to do. >> not can germany played a role in helping you arrive -- >> can germany played a role in helping you arrive in the reconciliation? >> absolutely, germany is a big ally of israel, secured about -- concerned about the security of israel.

that is why we think of limiting the to-state solution is in the interest of the whole region. that is why we eat think germany to play a constructive role in this process. -- that is why we think that germany to play a constructive role in this process. germany is a very important member of the european union. germany is a very important member of the international community. germany has very close ties to israel. and germany has declared its support for the two-state solution. germany has been very active supporting the palestinians in the process of state building, and that is why we think germany is well-positioned to play that role. >> germany has a lot of concerns about hamas. >> the reconciliation with hamas is about building a government were no members of hamas are going to be represented in this government this government will not have a political mandate. president abbas will lead the

political process based on negotiations and peace with israel. >> thank you so very much for joining us. >> thank you. >> thank you for being with us.

which foot was it? best make that "best wishes." we don't want them getng their hopes up, do we? no, i suppose not. have always done it. why should she watch the flowers? nobody really remembers,