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CNN Live Today

President Bush Reverses Middle East Policy

Aired April 04, 2002 - 14:34   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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We have more now on President Bush's decision to launch a new push for peace in the Middle East. With that, CNN's Andrea Koppel is at the State Department with more on that -- Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, it's really a dramatic about-face by the Bush administration. Last weekend President Bush put the onus for cracking down on terrorism squarely on the shoulders of Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader, and essentially gave what many people viewed as a green light to the Israeli government of Ariel Sharon, and said that he understood that the Israelis had to protect their own people, and that by moving into the West Bank they were trying to arrest terrorists.

But today, just listen to what President Bush had to say to the Israelis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOPPEL: And the list didn't stop there, Fredricka. President Bush also called for an immediate end to the closure of Palestinian cities. Israeli soldiers have been blocking Palestinian citizens from traveling from one Israeli -- excuse me, from one Palestinian city to the next. And President Bush also made clear that there should be a distinction made by the Israeli military, between someone who is suspected to be a terrorist and an average Palestinian citizen.

He did not let up, however, on Yasser Arafat. Strong words there. The president made very clear that the U.S. does believe Yasser Arafat can do more and should do more. But having said that, Fredricka, this really was quite a big difference between a week -- just in the span of one week, and there's some good reasons for that.

WHITFIELD: Andrea, I've heard you describe this as a gamble. What are the stakes for Colin Powell? KOPPEL: Well, this administration has made very clear that it didn't want to really make light of using the office of the secretary of state and his clout, or, for that matter, the clout of President Bush, unless they felt they were going to get results. And there is no guarantee that Secretary Powell will get what he is looking for. And while we don't know exactly what that is, we know he wants an end to the violence. He wants the Israelis to withdraw from the West Bank.

So he's got a really tough time ahead of him, which is one of the reasons why, I'm told, he's not going to be going to Israel and the Middle East until next week, because his aides need to lay the groundwork before he heads off.

WHITFIELD: So then, knowing those risks, what is it that tipped the scales, so to speak, for the Bush administration?

KOPPEL: A whole bunch of things. Everything from the pictures that we've been seeing on the television. The Bush administration has been seeing them as well, of massive and violent demonstrations in the Arab world. Hundreds of thousands of citizens out there, the most that have been seen in decades on the streets, which has put a lot of pressure on their leadership.

These are, in many instances, moderate Arab states who have diplomatic relations with Israel -- Egypt and Jordan among them. And they have in turn turned to the Bush administration and said, "you guys have got to do more. We're getting backed into a corner." So that's one thing. Another thing, pressure from a lot of U.S. legislators. And also from some European allies.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks very much. Andrea Koppel from the State Department in Washington, thank you.

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