'This Week' Transcript: George Clooney

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2, 2010 -- TAPPER: ONE WEEK FROM TODAY, SOUTHERN SUDAN WILL VOTE WHETHER TO BREAK AWAY FROM THE NORTH, A VOTE MANY FEAR COULD RESULT IN MASS ATROCITIES AND EVEN GENOCIDE.

ACTOR AND ACTIVIST GEORGE CLOONEY HAS A NEW PROJECT TO USE SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY TO TRY TO DETER THAT FROM HAPPENING. HERE'S HOW HE HOPES THE SATELLITE SENTINEL PROJECT WILL WORK.

AT ANY GIVEN TIME, THERE ARE A HALF-DOZEN COMMERCIAL SATELLITES OVER THE NORTH-SOUTH BORDER OF SUDAN. THE PROJECT WILL GET HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPHS OF SUDAN FROM THOSE SATELLITES AND POST THEM ON THEIR WEBSITE. THAT WAY YOU AT HOME CAN MONITOR WHAT'S GOING ON, ON THE GROUND IN SOUTHERN SUDAN.

BUT WILL THE WORLD WATCHING MAKE A DIFFERENCE? OUR EXCLUSIVE GUESTS THIS MORNING, GEORGE CLOONEY, JOINING US FROM LOS ANGELES, AND JOHN PRENDERGAST OF THE ENOUGH PROJECT, HERE IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

THANK YOU BOTH FOR JOINING US, GEORGE AND JOHN.

PRENDERGAST: THANKS FOR HAVING US.

CLOONEY: HAPPY NEW YEAR, JAKE.

TAPPER: SO, GEORGE -- HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU -- SO, GEORGE, I'LL START WITH YOU. SO LET'S SAY, IN THE FIRST REPORT, WHICH IS GOING TO HAPPEN, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THIS WEEK, YOU SEE PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE OF WAR CRIMES, OF PROXY MILITIAS CROSSING THE BORDER AND KILLING OTHER INDIVIDUALS. WHAT DO YOU DO?

CLOONEY: WELL, THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS YOU CAN DO. FIRST OF ALL IF YOU SEE ACTUAL EVIDENCE OF THOSE KIND OF ATTACKS, THAT'S SOMETHING YOU CAN DO -- THAT THE U.N. CAN ACTUALLY WORK WITH.

BUT FOR THE MOST PART, OUR JOB IS TO SAY THAT THESE THINGS HAVE BEEN HAPPENING IN THE DARK FOR A LONG TIME. WHAT HAPPENS WITH THAT IS THAT THE OTHER ARAB COMMUNITIES, THE CHINESE, THEY ALL HAVE THE ABILITY TO DENY IT, TO SAY IT DIDN'T HAPPEN.

WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, NOT SHOW IT AFTERWARDS, BUT SHOW IT BEFOREHAND, THAT THERE WERE PLANS, THERE ARE TANKS LINED UP, THAT THERE ARE HELICOPTERS ONLINE, THAT ARE GOING TO -- THAT ARE ABOUT TO COMMIT ATROCITIES.

TAPPER: JOHN, THE REFERENDUM IN WHICH THE SOUTH WILL VOTE ON WHETHER OR NOT IT WANTS TO BREAK AWAY FROM THE NORTH, THAT WILL TAKE PLACE ONE WEEK FROM TODAY. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT REFERENDUM WORKS?

PRENDERGAST: WELL, THIS IS ALL ABOUT DETERRENCE AND ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY. YOU KNOW, THE HISTORY OF THIS GOVERNMENT IN KHARTOUM THAT'S BEEN IN POWER FOR 20 YEARS NOW IS THEY'VE USED DIVIDE-AND-DESTROY METHODS TO STAY IN POWER, SO WE FIGURE THAT AT THIS CRITICAL TIME IN HISTORY, WHEN THEY'RE ABOUT TO LOSE A THIRD OF THE COUNTRY, THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE COUNTRY, WHICH HAS MOST OF THE OIL, THAT THEY'RE GOING TO USE SOME OF THEIR TRIED AND TRUE TACTICS, MOSTLY RELATED TO GROSS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES, TO UNDERMINE THE REFERENDUM AND NULLIFY THE RESULTS.

SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE WATCHING IN THE SKY AND ON THE GROUND TO DETER THE GOVERNMENT IN KHARTOUM FROM UNDERTAKING THESE KINDS OF METHODS TO TRY TO UNDERMINE THIS HISTORIC MOMENT IN SUDAN.

TAPPER: GEORGE, A COUPLE MONTHS AGO, WHEN YOU THOUGHT OF THIS IDEA, THE BIGGEST RISK AT THAT POINT IN TIME SEEMED TO BE THE NORTH SENDING IN ARMIES TO SWEEP ACROSS THE BORDER AND SEIZE CONTROL OF THE SOUTH'S OIL FIELDS. BUT RIGHT NOW, THE SITUATION IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT, AND ACTIVISTS ON THE GROUND ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE WORRIED ABOUT THESE PROXY MILITIAS CROSSING THE BORDER FROM NORTH TO SOUTH OR FROM SOUTH TO NORTH. IS THERE ANY FEAR THAT THIS TECHNOLOGY, THE SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY, WILL NOT BE AS EFFECTIVE IN TRACING THOSE SMALLER INCURSIONS?