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CNN Live Today

U.S. Makes Adjustments to Handling Middle East Crisis

Aired April 01, 2002 - 11:06   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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to go from Jerusalem and Bill to Major Garrett at the White House. Major joins us with some breaking news in the last hour, some announcements from the White House, some changes, perhaps, or some adjustments on how they plan to handle the Middle East crisis -- Major.

MAJOR GARRETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, startling news from the Bush administration this morning. White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer making clear something that has sort of been implied over the last couple of days, but even the clarity there I'm sure will startle many in our audience.

The Bush doctrine against global terrorism simply does not apply to the ongoing violence between the Israelis and the Palestinians, so said Ari Fleischer. The reason it doesn't apply, and this has many different ramifications -- I'll get to the ramifications in a minute -- but the reason it doesn't apply, Ari Fleischer says, is because there is an ongoing peace process that the Palestinians and the Israelis have committed themselves to. And as a result, Ari Fleischer said the Bush administration will not leave open the option of treating the Palestinian Authority, led by chairman Yasser Arafat, as a terrorist organization. Of course, the Bush doctrine says anyone who harbors a terrorist or gives any aid and comfort to terrorists is in fact a terrorist and will receive the full justice of the U.S. military. That simply not going to apply in the case of the Palestinians.

Ari Fleischer said because of the ongoing negotiations toward a cease-fire and a possible political settlement, the Palestinians are therefore exempted from the Bush doctrine. Another key factor that the Bush administration outlined this morning is that despite persistence calls, some of them coming from Capitol Hill, some of them coming from capitals around the world, Anthony Zinni will remain the president's personal envoy and representative on the ground in the Middle East. The White House will not elevate the rank status of the administration's representatives there, meaning there's no active consideration currently to sending Secretary of State Colin Powell to the region, as many in the Senate and many around the world have requested or at least urged the administration to consider.

Right now, the president is meeting with his national security council. Key members of that team arrived here at the White House just a few moments ago. Among them, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell. Many others will be involved. Vice President Cheney, the national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, all of them going over the options, dealing with the situation in the Middle East.

As for the Israeli defense forces incursions into Ramallah and other places, Ari Fleischer said the White House believes Israel has every right to defend itself, but also said that the administration fully supported a U.N. Security Council resolution passed early Saturday asking for Israel to withdraw from Ramallah -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Major Garrett, looks like windy day at the White House today.

GARRETT: Very much so.

KAGAN: We'll let you go recoup from that. Thank you so much for that report.

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