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CNN Live At Daybreak
Discussion with Chief Palestinian Negotiator
Aired April 08, 2002 - 05:18 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 COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to get the Palestinian perspective on the Middle East crisis now from Saeb Erakat. He's the chief Palestinian negotiator and he joins us live by phone from Jericho.
Good morning.
SAEB ERAKAT, CHIEF PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATOR: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Ariel Sharon addressed parliament, the Israeli parliament. He said the Israeli Army has not finished its mission, it will not withdraw until it does. And the goals here, Palestinian militia needs to be crushed and the murderers that are hiding are arrested. That's the only way the Israeli Army will withdraw.
Your response to that, sir?
ERAKAT: Carol, I think today will be marked in history as a dark day for Palestinians and Israelis. I think Sharon is leading Palestinians and Israelis in a disastrous path. I really call upon the Israeli people to stop and to stop this madness, to show more responsibility. Because I think what he's doing now, I think in a few hours time the world will be shocked when they realize that Sharon in the last 10 days has killed and wounded 2,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children and civilians.
I think Sharon has established value for his revenge of those 26 Israelis who were killed in Netanyahu and which we condemned their killings, and the ratio now he's saying is that one Israeli life will be equivalent to 100 Palestinians lives.
I think what he announced today was the destruction of the peace process, the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority, the end of the peace process as we know it. I think he has done a wonderful job at destroying our livelihood, our streets, our schools, our ambulances, our water systems, our resist systems. I think today he is really telling the whole world that the peace process that began in Oslo is over, that he no longer...
COSTELLO: Well, well...
ERAKAT: ... recognizes President Arafat. He no longer recognizes the Palestinian Authority. He wants "responsible Palestinians," those who will accept his Israeli occupation, those who want to live under Israeli occupation. I think he is defying President Bush's call to immediately, to have an immediate withdrawal. I think he sabotaged Secretary Powell's mission before it began. I think Sharon...
COSTELLO: Sir, I'm sorry to interrupt. Mr. Sharon has agreed to meet with responsible Arab leaders to talk about peace. Does that give you any hope at all?
ERAKAT: Well, I think this is, he wants to fool the world. He wants to use the good-hearted Westerners who want peace and say moderate Arabs. His problem is not with Arabs. His problem is with the Palestinians. He should have made peace with President Arafat, but in 1998 when he was in Wye River with President Clinton, just to show his real intentions, he even refused to shake Arafat's hand.
This man wants to maintain occupation. This man wants to sustain occupation. I think he has succeeded in hijacking both Palestinians and Israelis toward the path of darkness, disaster. And I really call upon President Bush to stop this madness, to stop him before it's too late. I'm sure by now President Bush would realize that Sharon fooled him. What he was doing in the West Bank for the last 10 days is not to fight terror. He was dismantling the Palestinian Authority. He was destroyed Palestinian livelihood. He was trying to maintain this occupation and today he declared that openly, that he will keep his occupation, he will not withdraw, defying President Bush's call.
He has destroyed everything that we built in the last 10 years and I believe the Israeli people, who really want peace, and I know they want peace and they're subjected now to this horror and fear export by Sharon...
COSTELLO: Mr. Erakat...
ERAKAT: ... I think they should seek to have responsible leaders...
COSTELLO: Mr. Erakat, let me interrupt for just a second. Colin Powell is headed to the region. Do you think he'll meet with Yasser Arafat?
ERAKAT: Absolutely, yes, I think he will meet with President Arafat. But I think Sharon today sabotaged his mission before it began. He declared that he will not withdraw, defying President Bush. He declared that he is creating buffer zones. He even called, when he called for the Arabs, you know what he offered them to have? What he called long-term interim solution, reorganizing the Israeli occupation, maintaining the Israeli occupation.
What I said today, Sharon has turned the light off for those who try to make peace. He's really hijacked Palestinians and Israelis and deepened the crisis of violence and counter violence. These policies of Sharon will not bring peace, will not bring security for Palestinians and Israelis. And all I can say at this stage...
COSTELLO: Mr. Erakat, to interrupt.
ERAKAT: Yes?
COSTELLO: I'm sorry to keep interrupting you, but what would you like the United States to do now?
ERAKAT: I would like the United States to have Sharon heed to the call of President Bush to stop these killing fields out there.
COSTELLO: How can the United States do that?
ERAKAT: Oh, I think they can. I think Secretary Powell can. I think we have all the ingredients found in the Tenet report, in the Mitchell report, which Sharon says he accepted, which he never did, only verbally. I believe Secretary Powell must come here immediately, meet President Arafat and then deliver, deliver what it takes to save the peace process, because Sharon today actually declared the end of the peace process. He is pushing the whole region down the path of darkness, chaos, confusion, chaotic way of life and this man must be stopped.
Today he's declaring a coalition of madness, a coalition of a disastrous path for Palestinians and Israelis. I think he is delegitimizing the Palestinian leadership that was elected to make peace with Israel. He's delegitimize us, who were elected, and we have recognized the state of Israel's right to exist. I believe it's very, very dangerous --
COSTELLO: Well, Mr. Erakat, let me ask you this. If Israel does withdraw from the West Bank, do you think that the suicide bombings would stop?
ERAKAT: Well, I think Sharon knows very well that today when he takes hope away from Palestinian minds, when he tells them today that you will continue to be under Israeli occupation and those responsible Palestinians must accept to live under occupation, what he is inviting? He's really destroying people like me, people who have recognized the state of Israel's right to exist. He's destroying people like Yasser Arafat, who have recognized the state of Israel's right to exist. And he's really establishing extremists and setting extremism on both sides because he wants to tell you, Carol, and CNN, tomorrow or the day after or in a month's time, I want to make peace, but I don't have Palestinian partners, after he had destroyed these partners and that's what he's doing now.
I believe the U.S. must assume responsibility. I believe President Bush by now realizes the extent of the damage Sharon has done to this peace process. I'm sure he would realize now that Sharon was fooling the whole world, was fooling the whole world by his destruction against Palestinian people and against the peace process.
This man has done nothing in his life but to sabotage every attempt to make peace. Sharon verdict against the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, against the Jordan-Israeli peace treaty, against all agreements signed between the Palestinians and Israel.
COSTELLO: Well, I mean no disrespect, but the other side could say the same of Yasser Arafat. And it just seems to be at a stalemate right now.
ERAKAT: That's why we need Secretary Powell to come here. We need him to put the agenda for an Israeli withdrawal, for a resumption of the implement of Tenet, to have international observers to carry out this.
COSTELLO: Right, well...
ERAKAT: Because if we leave it to Sharon, I think Sharon's end game is to maintain the occupation and all I can tell you now, Carol, just one last sentence, god help Palestinians and Israelis because Sharon had killed hope today and he pushed both people towards the path of darkness, violence and counter violence. God help us. God help us.
COSTELLO: All right, we'll see what happens.
Colin Powell is on the way. Maybe it'll help.
Thank you.
Saeb Erakat joining us live from Jericho this morning. We thank you.
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