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American Morning
George Mitchell Speaks on the Middle East
Aired February 04, 2002 - 09:10 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We now turn to a man up front this morning that knows more about this issue than just about anybody else. As we mentioned, the Bush administration is keeping up the pressure on Yasser Arafat to take concrete steps towards peace.
And joining us now is George Mitchell, the former U.S. Senator and former Chairman of the Mideast Commission.
Nice to see you in person for a change.
GEORGE MITCHELL, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: Thank you, Paula.
ZAHN: We usually have you by remote.
MITCHELL: Right.
ZAHN: Before we get into the serious Mideast stuff, go New England Patriots go. We should mention that...
MITCHELL: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ZAHN: ... you're one of the proud new owners of the Boston Red Sox.
MITCHELL: That's right, and a World Series for the Red Sox would make this a great year for New England sports fan.
ZAHN: Let's come back to the Middle East and what would make it a great year for the Israelis and the Palestinians. You of course have Yasser Arafat yesterday saying a lot of interesting things in a "New York Times" op-ed piece. I'm going to read a small portion of what he wrote yesterday:
He says -- when he described his vision for peace he said "... it is a peace based on the complete end of the occupation and a return to Israel's 1967 borders, the sharing of all Jerusalem as one open city and as the capital of two states, Palestine and Israel."
Is this realistic?
MITCHELL: Well, I think that the objective is realistic of two states, Israel and Palestine, and I think that's assumed by everyone in the process. I think that what will happen now, hopefully, is an intensification of the dialogue and action by Arafat to deal with terrorism.
ZAHN: Let's talk about what the U.S. role might be in all of that, because if you were to watch the Sunday talk shows, as many of us did, there seemed to be some sort of skepticism coming from the Bush administration. And I want you to analyze some of the remarks yesterday of Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice.
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We are asking nothing more of Chairman Arafat than we have asked of every other leader in the world. If he's going to be the leader of the Palestinian people and if he wants to achieve the vision that he is laying out here, he knows how to do it and it begins with dealing with the terrorists in its midst.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: There is a plan to move forward. All it takes to get started is for the violence to go down, preferably to end totally. And General Zinni has been trying to help in this process, but Chairman Arafat has to act. He has to do a lot more to get the violence under control.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: So my question is, if Arafat is capable of controlling the extremists, why hasn't he done so thus far?
MITCHELL: Well I don't think he's 100 percent capable of controlling them. What the secretary is referring to is our report in which we call for 100 percent effort, and that hasn't occurred because, obviously, of internal difficulties. What he needs is the ability to say there'll be something more than just an end to violence, that there'll be a process and negotiation, and I think that can happen.
ZAHN: What are these internal difficulties you're referring to?
MITCHELL: Well obviously there's division within the Palestinian community on how best to proceed, some don't agree with this peace process, some don't agree with Oslo, some want to continue to resist the occupation that they see of their land. So I think that you're going to see, however, now a real effort by Arafat, a real effort, because he's got to do it. There's no other way.
ZAHN: But what do these extremists stand to lose by continuing their assaults on Israeli citizens?
MITCHELL: Well,...
ZAHN: Is there any incentive for them to stop right now? MITCHELL: Well they're committed to a certain goal. It's not -- it's not attainable. The complete destruction of Israel is not attainable. They've got to accept some compromise. That's what they must do.
ZAHN: And do you expect them to?
MITCHELL: Not all of them. There won't be a complete end. He can't possibly control every single person.
ZAHN: So what does Arafat have to do then?
MITCHELL: A 100 percent...
ZAHN: If Colin Powell...
MITCHELL: A 100 percent effort.
ZAHN: A 100 percent effort. So that means...
MITCHELL: A 100 percent effort. That...
ZAHN: ... more arrest of...
MITCHELL: More arrests,...
ZAHN: ... these fundamentalists?
MITCHELL: ... more prosecutions, more preventing of gunmen acting against Israelis. It has to be a 100 percent effort.
ZAHN: And how has this shipment of arms that were coming in from Iran to Israel changed this whole equation?
MITCHELL: Well it's had a devastatingly negative effect. There was a period of calm that occurred as a very, very serious mistake.
ZAHN: It would seem that there's a split in the Israeli leadership, too, as to how to react to this appeal. You have Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon saying "Arafat, -- quote -- "you know it didn't persuade me and I propose that no one else be persuaded." At the same time, you got the Foreign Minister Shimon Peres saying that he viewed this as an olive branch.
MITCHELL: Well of course it's a coalition government and there is a division in the Israeli Cabinet on how best to proceed. There are some who want not just to isolate Arafat but to topple him, to expel him, to kill him, to get rid of him somehow. There are others who feel you can't do that because you don't know what would happen after that. And so the result is that Arafat is isolated but discussions are occurring with some of his closest and most-trusted aides. So you have on -- you have on both sides a division. I think that our report's recommendation of an immediate, unconditional cessation of violence, then a series of measures to rebuild confidence and then negotiations is the only way out of this.
ZAHN: And is the only way out of this for the United States to play a critical role? It seems that was what the...
MITCHELL: Yes.
ZAHN: ...King of Jordan was calling for over the weekend?
MITCHELL: It cannot happen without active intensive American leadership.
ZAHN: Do you see any signs from the administration they want to be that actively involved in the Middle East right now?
MITCHELL: Yes, I heard that in the Secretary of State's statement that we just listened to and in other statements.
ZAHN: And so you're encouraged by that?
MITCHELL: I am encouraged. I believe it's going to happen.
ZAHN: Meanwhile, there are people who view a part of Yasser Arafat's statement yesterday in the "New York Times" as a complete nonstarter when that comes to the issue of the return of hundreds of thousands of refugees to this Palestinian state. Is that a nonstarter that particular point that he made?
MITCHELL: I think in the end it will be, but if you accept the premise that you never negotiate if you have differences at the beginning, then you'd never have negotiations. It's a statement of his position. The Israelis state their position. Then you have a negotiation. I spent two years in Northern Ireland. If I took the position that when they differed at the beginning there's no point in holding a negotiation, we never would have gotten an agreement. So you have a negotiation for the purpose of resolving these differences.
ZAHN: Realistically, how long will it -- do you think it'll be before you see a cessation of violence in Israel?
MITCHELL: Well in Northern Ireland peace was obtained primarily because the people became sick of war. The conflict, the 30 years was devastating. I think the same thing's happening in the Middle East, both sides are suffering terribly.
ZAHN: But the public opinion shows that the average Israeli citizen is in favor of a Palestinian state.
MITCHELL: Yes, in favor of a Palestinian state and in favor of an end to violence. And a Palestinian poll show paradoxically that while they support this continuing of violence, they also want a peace process to go forward.
ZAHN: Senator, if you'd stand by, we're going to take a live shot of President Bush now. Has he -- is he -- he's arriving at Eglin Air Force Base? OK. This, of course, is at -- you can't tell this from the shot -- but the president has just arrived at Andrews Air Force Base. He's going to be flying off to Eglin Air Force in Florida where he will address a crowd and then sell his new military plan.
What about this boost to defense spending, Senator,...
MITCHELL: Well I think...
ZAHN: ... that he's talking about?
MITCHELL: Well I think there's going to be a boost to defense spending. I think there's no disagreement about that. The question is how much and in what categories? That'll be resolved between Congress and the president.
ZAHN: Are you concerned that some of this money will go towards this nebulous phrase of the "axis of evil" war?
MITCHELL: Well as some of it will obviously go for preparation for further conflict wherever it may occur, I don't think the money will be earmarked for a particular country or conflict.
ZAHN: How much of a fight we're going to see in Congress over this proposed increase?
MITCHELL: I don't think you'll see much of a fight over the amount. It won't be the exact amount the president asked for. I think the differences will be on where it should go.
ZAHN: Well I don't know -- have you been able to see the president yet? I have not. I guess he's going to be -- are we going to hang with this as he comes out of Marine One here? I think not, but CNN will be covering his speech at I think at close to 11:00 straight up as we can get.
We're going to take a short break.
Senator, very much of -- very good of you to stop by.
MITCHELL: Thanks, Paula, good to see you again.
ZAHN: Appreciate you covering so much territory.
MITCHELL: Great. Go Red Sox.
ZAHN: Patriots already won. He doesn't have to cheer them on anymore.
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