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CNN Live Today

Despite Attacks, Middle East Talks Continue

Aired March 22, 2002 - 10:10   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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Israeli authorities say a Palestinian suicide bomber has struck at an army blockade on the West Bank. For more on this latest flash point, and the ongoing peace efforts, we turn to CNN Jerusalem Bureau Chief Mike Hanna. Mike, how is this likely to impact the ongoing talks between Israeli and Palestinian security forces?

MIKE HANNA, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Carol, this particular incident likely to have no impact whatsoever on the ongoing cease-fire negotiations. According the Israeli Defense Force, a man detonated an explosive device near a military checkpoint in the West Bank. He killed only himself, at two Israelis were lightly wounded in the blast, but the fact that this taking place in the West Bank rather than in an Israeli city certainly a determining factor in the point of its impact, or lack of impact on these ongoing cease-fire negotiations. Now these negotiations are ongoing.

Early this morning, the U.S. envoy, Anthony Zinni, held a meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the West Bank city of Ramallah. There, an intense discussion took place, according to various sources. Afterwards, Zinni said that Arafat was not doing enough to cut down or clamp down on ongoing acts of terror against Israeli civilians.

However, the cease-fire talks which had been due to take place Thursday night, went ahead in the course of today, Palestinian and Israeli security chiefs sitting down with Anthony Zinni. Their intention: to flesh out a cease-fire plan, to get a truce in place on the ground.

While all of this placed in jeopardy by a major suicide bomb attack in Jerusalem Thursday, in which three Israelis were killed, dozens were wounded, when a 22-year-old Palestinian police officer detonated an explosive device right in the middle of the city of Jerusalem. The man has been identified. The Al Aqsa Brigades have claimed responsibility for the attack. The Al Aqsa Brigades is an off-shoot of Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement.

Details emerging, too, that the suicide bomber had, in fact, been arrested by the Palestinian Authority in February. He had been in a prison in Ramallah, and he had been released by the Palestinian Authority during the Israeli siege of that city earlier this month.

But, despite ongoing argument, ongoing debate, ongoing apportions of responsibility for the acts of violence, the cease-fire talks are still going ahead. Palestinian and Israeli security chiefs meeting in an attempt to get a truce in place -- Carol.

LIN: All right. Thank you very much. Mike Hanna reporting live from Jerusalem.

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