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White House Lowering Expectations for Powell's Mideast Mission

Aired April 11, 2002 - 12:05   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: Today, the White House is seeking to lower expectations for Powell's daunting mission. Let's check in there with CNN White House correspondent Major Garrett. Hi there, Major.

MAJOR GARRETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Fredericka. For all of the reasons and more, some that Andrea touched on, others that are very familiar to White House officials, the Bush administration is trying to manage, I would dare say lower, expectations about Secretary of State Powell's achievements due ahead when he meets with the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat.

Right now, the White House is saying that his principle mission in the region is to create an environment for peace. But when Ari Fleischer, the White House press secretary, was asked this morning what does that mean, he should achieve a cease-fire and do so before he returns to the United States, Ari Fleischer simply would not take the question, saying it was too much of a hypothetical. The White House did not want to get into those levels of details.

Well, clearly, when Secretary of State Powell left on this mission, certainly at the top of his agenda was trying to obtain a cease-fire, but even he himself in Madrid and other stops has said, basically we try to get people back to the negotiation table and end the crisis.

What is the crisis? Well, as far the Bush administration is concerned, the crisis is one where this military confrontation between the Israelis and Palestinians, very intense, very bloody, many casualties on both sides, spills over into surrounding areas such as Lebanon and Syria. That is the key issue for the Bush administration right now, So it is essentially a mission of containment first, Fredericka, possibly a cease-fire. But the administration is in no way trying to elevate expectations that before the secretary of state returns, he will have a cease-fire in hand -- Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: Well, Major, if the expectations are being lowered, does this mean that there is any expression from the White House that there is any level of regret in having sent Powell on this very daunting mission?

GARRETT: No, because when your first priority is containment, making sure things do not get worse, and the means by which you achieve that is to send Secretary of State Powell to the region, then by that definition, you have already achieved limited success. If a cease-fire is achieved, of course, the administration would say that was a great breakthrough. But they are not expecting that to happen. At least if they are expecting it, they are giving no indication of it here at the White House.

And on a couple of other things that's worth pointing out that came out of this morning's briefing with reporters, Ari Fleischer was asked about the pace of Israeli withdrawals from the West Bank. He said they are continuing -- his words -- and he stressed that from his point of view, that was a neutral assessment. But then he also said Arab nations that Andrea Koppel referred to have not done enough to denounce terror, have not done enough to discourage future martyrs from committing suicide bombings against Israeli civilians. So, on balance, the administration says though withdrawals are continuing, though they say that's a neutral assessment, it is clearly more positive than what they are saying has clearly not happened in the Arab world or with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, which is denouncing terror as a means of achieving political ends -- Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Major Garrett at the White House.

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