Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Does Powell Plan to Get More Involved in Middle East Crisis?

Aired April 03, 2002 - 14:20   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: Andrea Koppel at the State Department right now. Andrea, as you know, the Bush administration under a lot of pressure to do more. Is Secretary of State Colin Powell interested in having more direct dialogue with the leaders in the region, or specifically Ariel Sharon or Yasser Arafat?

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Secretary Powell has had contact with both Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat by telephone, since this latest Israeli invasion into the West Bank. But having said that, the Arab world, actually, is -- you just heard from Amre Moussa, there -- is increasingly frustrated, deeply concerned and angry.

And an indication of that, CNN has learned that the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak sent President Bush not one, but two letters in the last week. And in those letters, according to one senior Arab diplomat that I spoke with, the president of Egypt says the continuation of the current situation will have serious and dire consequences on all of our interests in the region.

This diplomat went on to explain that what he meant, what President Mubarak meant, is that Israel may end up having diplomatic relations with Egypt severed. Egypt was the first Arab country to establish diplomatic relations with Israel back in 1979.

And today's action, Carol, was more of a symbolic shot across the bow. But what was contained in these two letters is extremely, extremely important. Because were Egypt to severe diplomatic relations with Israel, that would have ripples throughout the region.

This really is a wake-up call from the Egyptian government to the Bush administration that what it is doing now is just not satisfactory, and that if it doesn't, that is, the U.S., take more action, drawing red lines in the sand for the Israelis, then the Egyptian government may be forced to take steps it doesn't want to.

LIN: All right. Thank you very much. Andrea Koppel reporting the latest from the State Department. Cannot be underestimated, what the Arab nations' response is to the Israeli military action in the Palestinian territories, which as we just reported, is now growing. Activity in the city of Nablus, now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com