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CNN Live Today

Peace on Agenda at Arab Summit

Aired March 26, 2002 - 11:24   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: Yasser Arafat has been in an argument with the Israeli government over whether the Israelis are going to allow him to attend the Arab League Summit in Beirut, which starts tomorrow. No decision on that, but now some Arab leaders are urging Yasser Arafat not to attend the summit, and they're vowing to send a message to Israel that they want peace. Confusing messages, indeed.

Christiane Amanpour joins us live from Beirut, to explain all of this -- Christiane.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, today is the day that all the heads of state from the Arab countries are coming here to Beirut to take up that much-talked-about Saudi peace initiative. On the table, the offer for the Arab world as a block to recognize and give normal relations to Israel.

Also, of course, is the thorny issue of is Yasser Arafat coming or not? Somewhat defensively, the foreign ministers here have said of course it would be much better if he came, but whether he comes or not, the foreign ministers know the Palestinian cause, the leaders here know what is best for the Palestinians, there is a Palestinian delegation, and this resolution will be adopted whether Arafat comes or not.

Now, in terms of whether this, in fact, is a turning point in the Arab world's views and relations with Israel, the Jordanian foreign minister told us this is important because it is offered precisely by Saudi Arabia with its preeminence in the Islamic world, that it's timing is important in that it comes in a time when really everybody, including the United States, is in a state of desperation about how to end the violence between the Israeli and the Palestinians. And of course, most importantly, says the Jordanian foreign minister, this is the Arab world as a block for the first time ever offering normal relations to Israel in return for a withdrawal to the '67 borders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARWAN MUASHER, JORDANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Saudi Arabia is not offering this alone. This is going to be converted to an Arab initiative. And whereas in the past we talked about the Arab neighbors of Israel signing a peace treaty with Israel, this is the whole Arab world coming on board. This is a huge opportunity that should not be missed. And it is not (UNINTELLIGIBLE) our campaign; this is a serious initiative which we have every intention of following through in order to get it implemented.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: Now, one of the main aims, say the foreign ministers, to us, of this summit, is to reach out to Israeli public opinion. What they are really keen to do here is to tell the Israeli people that the Arab world wants to live in peace in return for Israel's conforming to and abiding by the resolutions that are on the books in terms of land for peace.

Having said that, the Egyptian foreign minister was quite fiery today when asked why his own president, Hosni Mubarak, had advised Yasser Arafat not to come here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AHMED MAHER, EGYPTIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: The Israelis have been playing games with this matter of whether Arafat will attend here. They were trying to pose conditions, unacceptable conditions. And the honorable way is for Arafat to say that he's not coming because it does not depend on the decisions of the Israelis, which are illegal, which are unjustified. And Arafat, whether he comes or not, will be represented by all the rest of the Arab states.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: Now, the host country, of course, is Lebanon; this is the city of Beirut, which was once almost leveled by civil war and has now really risen like a phoenix from those ashes. The Lebanese prime minister hopes that the symbolic presence of this summit in Lebanon, which has emerged from years and years of conflict, will give some push to this initiative. He, basically, says that the majority of the people in the Arab world are for peace, and they want a peace between Israel and the Palestinians, but only on conditions that the UN resolutions are abided by.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAFIK HARIRI, LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER: In the Arab world, the majority of the people are for the peace. And there is a minority, there are others who are against -- this is for sure. The governments who are governing and leading the country, the Arab countries, they are presenting the majority, and they are for the peace. But the problem that -- in Israel today, the government which has been elected by the people is a government anti-peace. This is a problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: Now, again, Hariri and the other leaders who we've spoken to say that this resolution, the Saudian Arabian initiative, will be adopted unanimously by all the countries here. But of course, it remains to be seen what happens if the parallel track in Israel fails, and that is the track in which the U.S. envoy, Anthony Zinni, is trying to broker a cease-fire between the Israelis and the Palestinians and has yet not managed to achieve that -- Carol. LIN: Thank you very much. Christiane Amanpour, reporting live from Beirut, Lebanon, where the Arab League Summit will be getting started tomorrow.

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