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CNN Live Today

Colin Powell to Visit Middle East

Aired April 04, 2002 - 13:01   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.
FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We begin with some very tough talk from President Bush and a very tough assignment for Colin Powell. Both are aimed at ending the Israeli occupation of numerous Palestinian cities and the series of Palestinian suicide bombings that prompted it all. For the latest on all of this, we turn to CNN's Bill Hemmer who is in Jerusalem -- Bill.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Fredericka, hello again. The latest word we have this hour and essentially the headline right now: Anthony Zinni will travel to Ramallah. He'll make the 10-mile drive north out of Jerusalem into the besieged town of Ramallah and into the compound where Yasser Arafat right now has been holed up and surrounded for the past seven days' time.

All this coming today, Fredericka, in a meeting that lasted a bit more than two hours between Anthony Zinni and the prime minister, Ariel Sharon. Apparently, during that interview, in that meeting rather, Sharon changed his mind. Earlier in the week, we do know the U.S. put out a strong request to try and get that meeting granted. But for four days' time now, the U.S. was denied that meeting with Yasser Arafat. But, again, we do know now that will take place later in the week.

The other thing taking place right now throughout the entire region is the military operation that goes under way right now in a little more than half a dozen towns throughout the West Bank. We're going to talk more about that in a moment, including the latest on what's happening inside Bethlehem.

But first, President Bush has made news. He is sending the Secretary of State Colin Powell to the region, sometime mid-week next week. And for more on that, first to the White House, then to the state department. Here's Kelly Wallace at the White House for more on President Bush's words today. Kelly, hello. Good afternoon to you back there.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Bill. Well, Bill, as you know, this administration definitely was facing a great deal of pressure, pressure from the Arab world, pressure from U.S. lawmakers, more pressure from other groups in the United States to get more involved and step up its engagement.

We learned that President Bush, in fact, made the decision earlier this week to, at some point and time, send Secretary Powell to the Middle East. He made the final decision last night. And a senior administration official intimately involved with the consultations said that the administration was growing very, very concerned, that all along it has said that Israel has a right to defend itself. But then, as it watched the events on the ground, it become increasingly concerned that events could spiral out of control, expand into a broader conflict, and again, threaten the long-term hopes for peace.

So it was Mr. Bush in the Rose Garden earlier this morning. Alongside him, Secretary of State Colin Powell, there the president made the news, made the announcement. And, again, he did announce a shift in U.S. policy. The president now calling on the Israelis to immediately end these military raids in the Palestinian areas. Senior administration officials are hoping these end as soon as possible. Here's what Mr. Bush said earlier this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I ask Israel to halt incursions into Palestinian-controlled areas and begin the withdrawal from those cities it has recently occupied. I speak as a committed friend of Israel. I speak out of a concern for its long- term security.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Now, the president also had strong words for the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat. Mr. Bush, senior administration officials as well, are saying that progress was being made, that that progress was derailed by acts of terror, those suicide bombings. Mr. Bush saying that the Palestinian leader still must do much, much more to end the violence, making it very clear that hopes for a Palestinian state won't come if the violence continues.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: The situation in which he finds himself today is largely of his own making. He's missed his opportunities, and thereby betrayed the hopes of the people he is supposed to lead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Now, lots of questions about who, in fact, Secretary Powell will be meeting with, if in fact he will be meeting with Yasser Arafat. The word from senior officials is of course, as you were reporting, Bill, Anthony Zinni will be meeting with Yasser Arafat, decisions made following that.

Powell has been working the phones. He talked with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon before Mr. Bush's statement. He also spoke with Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah of Jordan and President Mubarak of Egypt. Mr. Bush himself working the phones as well. And what we also saw the president do, and senior administration officials say the president felt this was the time to do it, is lay out his vision for the future for the Middle East, a vision where he sees an Israeli state and a Palestinian state living side by side. Also, the president calling for an end to Israeli settlements and for the Israelis to pull out from the occupied territories. Clearly, Bill, as you know, you've been reporting, this administration was facing increasing pressure to not only have discussions about a cease- fire and security arrangements, but to also be discussing these broader political issues such as Palestinian statehood, many believing that there's no way, based on the events on the ground to get the Palestinian to agree to anything unless you have sort of those hopes for a Palestinian state down the road. So again, Secretary Powell to be discussing those political issues as well when he heads to the region next week -- Bill.

HEMMER: Kelly, clarify a fine point here. It might be a bit more than a fine point too. The mayor of Jerusalem last hour, Ehud Olmert, when I asked him about immediately ending the action in the West Bank, he interpreted the president's comments not to mean immediately, as in today, this hour. More or less, he was suggesting a winding down of the operation. Is the White House in that address today saying get out now, this minute, tonight, this hour? Is that their request?

WALLACE: That's a very, very good question. I can tell you, a senior official, again, who is very involved in these discussions was asked that very question, asking for what kind of timetable is the administration looking for. This official saying as soon as possible, that the U.S. will await the Israeli response and reaction. But it's definitely looking for, again, to halt, to further incursions in these Palestinian areas and a withdrawal from the areas those defense forces are currently in as soon as possible. So clearly, some work between the U.S. and the Israelis about how quickly to achieve that end -- Bill.

HEMMER: Kelly, thanks. Kelly Wallace at the White House. And, certainly, we are working our way toward Israeli reaction. We do anticipate at any moment that we'll have a spokesperson from the government here give us their reaction to what we heard from the White House.

In the meantime, though, Colin Powell is headed here. Live to the state department now and Andrea Koppel for more on his eventual visit to the region. Andrea, hello.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Bill. I just spoke with a senior administration official who has sort of given us a little more insight into what this mission will be about. He tells me that President Bush's decision to send Colin Powell out to the region came after three days of intense discussions by the Bush administration.

He said that following last weekend's comments by President Bush, that the Israelis could pretty much do what they wanted to do because they were fighting terrorism, by Monday, it was very clear in the words of this official that that just wasn't working, that the reaction not only from the Palestinians, but also from, as Kelly outlined, the Arab world, Europeans, legislators here in the United States and others was just too intense and that the criticism was mounting. And so, they had to figure out a way out of this. And the way out in U.S. eyes is stepped-up U.S. diplomacy, really music to the ears of a lot of those who have been calling for it.

But it has been really a day and night change from what President Bush was saying last weekend in -- according to this official, what is going to happen now in the next number of days before Secretary Powell travels is that they are going to be having discussions with a lot of the people who have been criticizing the administration in the Arab world, Europeans, as well as the Israeli and the Palestinians, to figure out what package Secretary Powell will bring. Those were the words that he used. We need to figure out what the package will be to de-escalate the situation. I asked him if the U.S. had any idea how long Secretary Powell would stay out there. He said they have no idea right now.

I think they're really sort of flying by the seat of their pants at the moment, Bill. They're trying to send out strong signals that the U.S. is listening, and that the U.S. is going to react and that's what President Bush's comments were. And certainly, when Secretary Powell gets on the ground next week, they're hoping that he will be able to break through this current impasse to say the very least.

I should also add that worthy of note yesterday, in an interview that Secretary Powell gave to another U.S. network, he said something that this administration has never said, and that is basically that you don't have to have a cease-fire before you get into the political discussions. Now there can be two tracks. And this is something that the Palestinians have been calling for for a long time, but that the Israelis resisted. And until now, the U.S. had taken the Israeli position. But now there's daylight, Bill.

HEMMER: Got it. OK. I think we call this situation fluid, is the technical term. Andrea, thanks. Andrea Koppel live from the state department there in Washington. Kelly Wallace there at the White House as well.

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