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CNN Live Saturday

Powell Will Meet Arafat Tomorrow

Aired April 13, 2002 - 12:02   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.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: The stage is now set for that meeting between Secretary of State Colin Powell and the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in Ramallah tomorrow.

Let's bring in our Michael Holmes. He's in Ramallah. Michael, tell us how the Palestinian leadership came up with this latest statement that apparently has satisfied the U.S. delegation -- Michael.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Wolf. Yes, last evening here we were told by a variety of sources that there could well be a statement released today condemning terrorism, condemning the bombing that occurred in Jerusalem and other similar attacks. But we were told that there was a great reluctance by Yasser Arafat to put his name on that statement. Those sources saying that they wanted to see a withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied territories. First they also wanted to see a condemnation of Palestinian civilian deaths.

First they said there probably would be a statement but it would come from Palestinian leaders. What we saw today was a result of U.S. pressure and Yasser Arafat's name is indeed on the statement.

Now, there came at the end of a two-hour meeting attended by senior Palestinians including the chief negotiator Saeb Erakat. It was a two-hour meeting, as they say, but Saeb Erakat tells not all that much time was spent on this statement. He says we've made similar statements in the past and this was not problem in his words. He said that most of the meeting was actually setting up how the tomorrow's meeting, if it indeed does go ahead with Colin Powell, would be conducted.

So the Israeli government, in the meantime, of course, has said that it doesn't rate this statement very highly. I can give you a Palestinian response to that. Saeb Erakat says we did not make the statement for Israel -- Wolf.

BLITZER: What about the internal pressures within the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian Authority led by Yasser Arafat to appear that they're not caving in to pressure from the visiting secretary of state? I take it, Michael, that's a serious concern they have given what's going on involving Palestinians facing the Israeli military operation still very much underway? HOLMES: Yeah, indeed that's right, Wolf. And the way they're handling that pressure is by in this statement making it very clear that I think one of the lines says, I'm just reading from notes here, that this statement comes from the principle of rejecting violence and terror against civilians that we have repeated several times since 1988. So in a way they're responding to that pressure by not looking like they're being pressured because they're saying we've done this before, it's not a problem.

As for the continuing Israeli forces presence in towns and cities around the West Bank, they're still very firm on that and they say they want to see a withdraw of those forces as soon as possible, immediately. In fact, they also said what they want is a quid pro quo for this statement. They want a statement by the international community, the U.N., the United States, pretty much everyone condemning also the loss of civilian life on the Palestinian side, which according to Palestinians is in the hundreds -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Michael Holmes reporting live from Ramallah on the West Bank where that meeting will take place tomorrow, Sunday between Secretary of State Powell and Palestinian leader Arafat.

Let's go to the White House now. Our White House correspondent Kelly Wallace is standing by. Kelly, Israeli officials are clearly less than enthusiastic about this meeting, although they say they will allow it to go forward. What are you hearing from White House officials?

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we're really hearing very little so far. No formal White House reaction, number one, to the statement by the Palestinian authority, and number two, to word that Secretary of State Colin Powell will in fact be meeting with Yasser Arafat on Saturday.

No surprise there really, because U.S. officials have been stressing that President Bush is really giving maximum flexibility, carte blanche, if you will, to Secretary Powell to carry out this mission as he sees fit. That he is the person on the ground talking to the parties, that ultimately it would be his decision whether or not to meet with Yasser Arafat. So it does appear so far White House officials are wanting the State Department to take the lead so far in responding to the statement and announcing that the secretary will in fact meet with Yasser Arafat on Sunday.

Of course, Wolf, you know that the administration was getting heavy pressure, as you said, from the Israelis, who felt that such a meeting would really be only rewarding an act of terror. You had Secretary Powell and President Bush, through a spokesman yesterday, calling for Arafat to condemn terrorism. It appears, it appears the administration; the secretary is somewhat satisfied by what Mr. Arafat is saying -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Kelly, I take it the president is spending the weekend, as he often does, at the Camp David retreat out in Maryland. Do you get the sense that this issue, this crisis in the Middle East is dominating everything else at the highest levels of the Bush administration?

WALLACE: It certainly is, Wolf. You know the president, of course, at Camp David, at the presidential retreat. He started this day as he starts really almost every day with a briefing with his national security advisers. You see Mr. Bush leaving the White House yesterday afternoon heading to Camp David. Condoleezza Rice, the president's national security adviser, CIA director George Tenet, Andrew Card, his chief of staff, all with him this morning at Camp David and certainly number one on the agenda discussing the situation in the Middle East.

Wolf, you know this White House, nine days ago Mr. Bush came into the rose garden dramatically stepping up the engagement, sending Secretary Powell to the region saying he wants results. So far he hasn't really seen results and so this administration definitely looking for action from all parties right now -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Kelly Wallace at the White House, thank you very much. And let's bring in our State Department Correspondent Andrea Koppel. She's been traveling with the secretary of state. She joins us now from Jerusalem. Andrea, give us the behind the scenes developments within the Powell delegation setting this stage for this meeting tomorrow, 24 hours behind schedule, this meeting with Yasser Arafat.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Wolf.

Well, when the announcement was made, when it came out of the West Bank today from -- issued in Yasser Arafat's name condemning terrorism and condemning all acts of violence against civilians, that was what the secretary needed to hear, Secretary Powell needed to hear in order to make the decision as CNN has learned he has. That his meeting to Ramallah would go ahead tomorrow, 24 hours later than it was supposed to.

As you know, there's been a lot of pressure on Secretary Powell from the -- within the Arab world to make sure that this meeting did go ahead as it had been expected it would. The Israelis have actually been strongly opposed to the meeting going ahead and have made no secret of their attempts to try to isolate Yasser Arafat and deem him irrelevant. So the Arab world had told Secretary Powell repeatedly, over the past week, that he had to meet with Yasser Arafat to show the international community that the U.S. still viewed him as a player.

Also Wolf it was important and it will be important for this meeting to go ahead (UNINTELLIGIBLE) because Secretary Powell needs to hear directly from Yasser Arafat what has been happening to the Palestinian people over the last more than two weeks since the Israeli incursions there began. And that the Arab world believes that Secretary Powell's presence there could perhaps shed some more light on what they believe has been the random and irrespective killing of Palestinian civilians as Israeli soldiers seek out suspected terrorists there.

Earlier today, Secretary Powell did have some meetings. After all, he was supposed to be meeting with Yasser Arafat today and then that was canceled so he filled most of his morning with meetings with humanitarian workers both from the Red Cross and the United Nations. Wolf, heard a lot about their concerns for the very severe living conditions that are existing right now in the West Bank. So Secretary Powell expecting to get a firsthand look when he goes there tomorrow -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Andrea Koppel, she's traveling with the secretary of state covering his mission, very delicate sensitive mission here in the Middle East, once again setting the stage for tomorrow's meeting, Sunday between Yasser Arafat and Colin Powell. Andrea Koppel, thank you very much.

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