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CNN Live Today

President to Meet With British Prime Minister

Aired April 05, 2002 - 13:29   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: In the meantime, President Bush plans to meet with key ally in the war on terror, British Prime Minister Tony Blair. They're going to talk about the Mideast crisis to be sure. CNN White House correspondent Kelly Wallace is at the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas, a nice place for these two men to be getting together this weekend, Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That is right. We are close by, not exactly right there, but a few miles away. And, yes, it will be a nice place for the two men to get together, Carol. As you just said though, the Middle East definitely to dominate the agenda.

This meeting was scheduled weeks ago and was going to focus on the war on terror and what to do about Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, but clearly the two men to discuss the situation on the ground in the Middle East. President Bush, in fact, arrived here in Texas late Thursday evening. He is expected to be enjoying some down time on his ranch today before greeting Prime Minister Blair and his wife, Cherie, later today.

As for the Middle East, Carol, the administration definitely monitoring the reaction to President Bush's statement yesterday. In the words of one senior administration official, Mr. Bush, quote, "expects results." He's expecting the Palestinians to crack down on terror and also expecting the Israelis to begin to withdraw from those Palestinian areas. The hope is that there will be some withdrawal before Secretary of State Colin Powell departs for the region next week.

Now, Prime Minister Blair will be arriving a little bit later this evening. President Bush and the prime minister definitely enjoying a close relationship. They were together at the White House just back in November. In fact, Mr. Bush, the first leader that he telephoned yesterday before coming out to the Rose Garden to deliver his statement on the Middle East was, in fact, Prime Minister Blair. The prime minister has been basically supportive of the administration's policy when it comes to the Middle East while many other European leaders have been very critical, have been calling on this administration to get much more engaged in the region. Of course, the president definitely responding to some criticism by stepping up the engagement and sending Secretary Powell to the region.

And then of course, Carol, the two men, as I mentioned at the top, definitely to discuss Iraq. There is a lot of concern in Great Britain. Lots of lawmakers speaking out, very concerned that the United States is gearing up for some imminent military action against Iraq to wipe out Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. So the prime minister coming here, facing some domestic pressures at home. U.S. officials continue to say that President Bush has not made up his mind, that there is no imminent military action expected in Iraq. The British prime minister's spokesman saying that this is really going to be a time for the two men to discuss options. It won't be a "counsel of war."

And Mr. Bush, in fact, Carol, in an interview he did with an international journalist yesterday, reiterated he hasn't made up his mind what to do other than he's decided that Saddam Hussein must go -- Carol.

LIN: Kelly, I want to pick up on that point just a quick second. But I want to explain to our viewers why they are looking at two different pictures. You over in Crawford, Texas and video of this military plane taking off, this plane. Onboard, 22-year-old Yasser Hamdi, who is apparently American born, but was fighting with the Taliban. He the second American to be found fighting for the Taliban. Of course, you remember 21-year-old John Walker Lindh. The American officials still don't know what to do with Yasser Hamdi. They haven't quite figured out what charges to charge him with and they are not even sure if he ever renounced his U.S. citizenship. But if he is still an American citizen, then he has all of the legal rights of an American citizen. And the clock starts ticking and the pressure is on for the administration to come up with some charges if they want to keep him behind bars.

If we still have Kelly Wallace with us live with us from Crawford, Texas. Kelly, I'm just wondering, as that conversation goes with Prime Minister Tony Blair, I mean, it might have been a very different conversation, say a month ago, before the violence in the Mideast erupted, as to what to do about Iraq.

Do you think that there is going to be serious discussion about any sort of a timetable, how to balance out the violence in the Middle East, whether a cease-fire can take place there, and then therefore, whether any sort of bombing campaign or attack on Iraq should or might take place? I mean, how does the Mideast complicate any plans as to what to do about Baghdad?

WALLACE: Well, it certainly does complicate the situation and, as you said, definitely changes the dialogue between the two men. Administration officials really try to say that there is no linkage here, that the Israeli Palestinian conflict is really separate from what do with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. But, of course, they know that in order to really get any Arab support for any action against the Iraqi leader, a lot of Arab allies want the administration to step up and do much more when it comes to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. So, Mr. Bush knows that. The prime minister knows that.

What their focus likely to be -- will be, Carol, is discussing what Secretary Powell will be doing next week, what sort of game plan he will be taking to the Israelis, to the Palestinians, to again try to broker that cease-fire, to get the Israelis to start withdrawing from those Palestinian areas, and again, to move forward on the political process, discussion of political issues such as a Palestinian state.

And the other thing we have been talking about, you and I talked about it last hour, a strategy here also, and the prime minister, Mr. Bush will ask his help as well, really encouraging, almost pressuring the Arab allies, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan to do more, to crack down more on terror, to send a message that suicide bombers really aren't martyrs, in the words of Mr. Bush, they are murderers, and also to really get them to put more pressure on the Palestinian leader and send the message that if Mr. Arafat is not going to do it, well then these Arab leaders should engage with other leaders within the Palestinian Authority in order for the Palestinians to one day have a state -- Carol.

LIN: All right. Many diplomatic fronts today. Thank you very much. Kelly Wallace at Crawford, Texas, traveling with the president.

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