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White House Pressing Israel to End Arafat Travel Ban

Aired March 26, 2002 - 13:03   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: Ari Fleischer at the White House, his daily briefing there with reporters. We are going to keep our focus here on the Middle East situation. The target on the ground apparently still moving at this time. Again, it was a few -- just about 30 minutes ago, when Ariel Sharon went on television saying that the conditions are, quote, "... not yet right for Yasser Arafat to travel to the Arab summit." The White House saying, in Ari Fleischer's words here, "It's time to advance a good idea when a good idea is on the table." This, in reference to the Saudi proposal moving Israel back to the pre-1967 borders in the Middle East.

"The president believes..." - Ari Fleischer, again, quote, "... all nations must seize this moment in the path to peace." Now I mentioned Ariel Sharon's comments. I'm going to play those again for you now. A short time ago -- about 30 minutes it got played in the Middle East -- his position right now on whether Yasser Arafat will be allowed to travel to the Arab summit starting tomorrow in Beirut.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARIEL SHARON, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Unfortunately, the conditions are not yet right for Chairman Arafat to leave for Beirut.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Ariel Sharon, again, a short time ago. Apparently, there was another condition that was broadcast, too, during that statement. This, in regard to the potential return for Yasser Arafat to Ramallah, if indeed he were to head off to Lebanon starting tomorrow.

Michael Holmes is tracking all of this. It is nighttime, the evening there in Jerusalem. He now joins us live with an update of what's happening on the ground.

Michael, I mentioned it's a moving target still breaking, still developing at this time -- good evening.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Good evening to you, Bill.

Yes, it is evening here, it's just after 8:00 PM in Jerusalem. That was a -- there were a couple of significant points to come out of Ariel Sharon's interview there on Israel television. The first condition he laid down -- he said there are two conditions that Yasser Arafat needs to fulfill. The first one was not new. It was that he needs to go on Palestinian television speaking in Arabic and declare that the Palestinian Authority is willing to commit itself to an immediate cease-fire and also to prevent any form of violence.

Now it was the second condition that's interesting. He has said before -- Ariel Sharon -- that -- or raise the possibility that Chairman Arafat wouldn't be allowed to return to Ramallah, to the occupied territories from Beirut, were there to be significant violence. Now there was a new line on this in this interview that was just on. He said that he wants the U.S. to state to Israel that it understands this condition. That -- making it very clear that were Yasser Arafat to travel to Beirut and there be some sort of significant terrorist activity or, he just said, terrorist act here in his absence, that the U.S. understands that Israel is able to consider the possibility that Arafat would not be allowed to return.

So he's making it very much in the lap of the Americans to acknowledge this as a condition, if you like, or -- yeah, a condition that Arafat not go unless they understand that this is very much a possibility were terror to take place. All of this predicated, of course, on whether Yasser Arafat now wants to go to Beirut. Anything can happen in the next 12 to 14 hours or so. Anything can change.

But Yasser Arafat already has set up teleconferencing facilities in Ramallah to allow him to address the Arab summit in Beirut via those facilities. Technology stepping in there. He may not now want to go under any conditions set by Israel -- Bill.

HEMMER: Yeah, and Michael, quickly here, just to keep the glimmer of a window open here, when he says, not yet right, and you mentioned this window of 12 to 16 hours, it is still a possibility -- perhaps remote, we don't know -- but still a possibility he may attend.

HOLMES: Yeah, things change here every hour, Bill, let alone day to day. So, yeah, I think there is a possibility. I would say it's not a very bright hope given these conditions. Let's remember that it was only yesterday there was speculation that the Israelis would drop the requirement for Yasser Arafat to declare a cease-fire before he goes to Beirut. Now that cease-fire is back on the table, as well as the added condition that the U.S. recognizes Israel's right, if you like, to refuse readmission were there to be violence -- Bill.

HEMMER: Michael, thank you. Michael Holmes, evening there in Jerusalem.

I want to get you the White House now. John King listening in on the briefing. We were listening too a short time ago with Ari Fleischer -- and, John, good afternoon again to you. Ari Fleischer indicating the president believes this is the correct path to piece and that all countries in the region should unite on this. But Fleischer steering clearly away from talking or discussing any comment about the developing situation on the ground until he has more information. JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Bill.

The press secretary telling reporters all this developing and breaking even as he was walking into the White House briefing room. So he did not want to say anything that perhaps would complicate the situation even further. But we do know the administration has asked Prime Minister Sharon to let Mr. Arafat go to the summit. Israel reluctant now, unwilling, at least at this moment, to do that.

We also know the administration has made clear, in the words of the State Department spokesman, Richard Boucher, just yesterday, that the assumption always was it would be, quote, "A round trip." Meaning that if you let Mr. Arafat out, you have to let him back in. That it would be certainly counterproductive to send him -- allow him to go to the Beirut summit, with the idea being to discuss a new Saudi peace proposal and then not let him back in. Any atmospheric improvement you got would, of course, immediately be destroyed by not letting Mr. Arafat return.

So a very sensitive diplomatic situation for the Israelis and the Palestinians. The United States in the middle, as this all develops. Not a surprise at all, the White House trying to say nothing that might complicate it even further.

HEMMER: And, John, we know Anthony Zinni still is in the region. Do you know of high level contacts between the White House and Ariel Sharon as we come down to this -- what really is a countdown at this point, the hours before that summit begins?

KING: Well certainly General Zinni is in constant contact with the Israeli government, including Prime Minister Sharon. Secretary Powell spoke to the Prime Minister over the weekend. No indications of any direct communications today, but the ambassador was on the scene as well. General Zinni has State Department people, assistance with him. There is a constant back and forth -- sometimes hourly communications back and forth between Washington and General Zinni -- General Zinni and the parties. That's why it's such a confusing situation.

As Michael Holmes noted, it changes sometimes minute to minute, not just hour to hour. So of course the administration will try to get a handle on the latest conditions here. It very much wanted Mr. Arafat to go, because it believes if he does not go, instead of focusing solely on that Saudi peace initiative, there will be a great deal of criticism for Israel for keeping Mr. Arafat, in the view of the Arab world, hostage in isolation. The United States doesn't want that. It believes slow progress is being made toward a cease-fire. It does not want any political debate that distracts attention from that.

HEMMER: You know, John, I want to look at a poll number quickly and show our viewers. In the recent "USA Today"-CNN gallop poll about reflections across the country about whether or not they can (ph) blame for violence in the Middle East. Whether or not at this point it's Israelis or Palestinians. A moderate amount shifting there in the middle between both.

But even a more telling poll number was what Americans believe. A majority of them believe now it is important to get a solution there in the Middle East, not only for the future of that region, but also for the current war on terror, which is front and center, too, at the White House.

John, thank you. John King, at the White House there on the front lawn. Interesting poll numbers there.

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