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U.S. Envoy Zinni Returns on Third Mission Aimed at Brokering Peace Deal

Aired March 14, 2002 - 12:07   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Overseas now, where the stakes are incredibly high, as U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni returns now on his third mission aimed at brokering a peace deal. His visit comes days after Israel launched its largest military offensive in the region, dating back to 1982. From Jerusalem, there is a lot to track.

Mike Hanna brings us up to date from there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE HANNA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Violence continue on this day, as it has in previous ones. In the Gaza Strip, three Israeli soldiers were killed when the tank in which they were traveling was hit by an explosive device planted either under the tank or alongside the road. The tank was escorting a convoy settlers. The two soldiers who were inside the tank were killed.

This is the second talk on an Israeli MacArthur (ph) tank, a tank that in the past had been regarded by the IDF as indestructible.

In the West Bank city of Ramallah, Israeli operations continue through the morning. Israeli forces have reoccupied the city for the past couple of days. There at least three Palestinians were killed over the course of the day by Israeli forces. However, toward the afternoon, an announcement from the Israeli prime minister's office that the tanks and the Israeli forces will be redeploying in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Diplomatic sources indicate that what is intended here is some kind of phased withdraw from the positions that the forces have taken up over recent days.

Earlier, the Palestinian authority had said that there would be no negotiations of any kind while Israeli forces remained in Ramallah and in other West Bank cities. These negotiations are the aim of special U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni, who arrives in the region to commence some kind of cease-fire negotiations. However the violence on the ground continuing, Palestinians dead, Israelis dead, Zinni's task to get sides to agree to a cease-fire or even begin to discuss implementing a cease-fire still very difficult indeed.

Mike Hanna, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: A challenge for certain.

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