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Colin Powell Visits Lebanon and Syria in Search For Peace

Aired April 15, 2002 - 13:02   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: As for Colin Powell, his mission of peace continues, however, very difficult to gauge whether or not Secretary Powell is making any headway at this point. Earlier on Monday he went north to Beirut, also east to Damascus, Syria. And on that note, we go to Beirut ourselves.

Here is Brent Sadler right now standing by live with us in the Lebanese capital for more on Secretary Powell's visit earlier today -- Brent.

BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: Thanks, Bill.

It wasn't a very long visit to either of the two capitals, Beirut here and Damascus in the Lebanese capital here, about three hours. He began at the presidential palace there behind me where he met Emile Lahoud, the president, and really heard a very defiant tone from the Lebanese president who told the Secretary Powell that Lebanon was not going to be able to respond positively to U.S. demands that Hezbollah guerrillas should be reined in for their activities, their cross- border attacks against Israeli troops occupying positions at the foot of the Golan Heights on a parcel of land known as the Shebaa Farms.

Now of the past couple of weeks, a lot of attention has been focused on that volatile Lebanese-Israeli border because of Hezbollah attacks and other renegade Palestinian attacks firing rockets and machine guns towards Israeli settlements in the northern border area. The commander of Israeli forces in the north said in the past couple of weeks 15 Katusha rockets fired by Hezbollah towards Israel. Israel's commander there warning the Lebanese, as well as the Syrians whom Israel holds responsible for Hezbollah actions, that if these go on again, if they restart these cross-border attacks, then Hezbollah, Lebanon and perhaps Syria will pay an even higher retaliatory price than what we've seen over the past couple of weeks when Israel used warplanes and artillery bombardments in a limited fashion along the line -- the borderline between the two countries.

Now while he was here, Secretary Powell did make it quite clear that in addition to trying to urge calm along the Lebanese-Israeli border, he was also now widening his scope of the mission, if you like, by trying to pick up interest in both these capitals towards the idea of an international conference, trying to find a comprehensive solution for peace in the middle east.

And this is what Secretary Powell had to say at one of the meetings earlier today -- after one of those meetings when he referred to the instructions he'd been given by President George W. Bush before setting out on this very crucial mission here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I know that he will say to you that he is committed to finding a political solution to bring peace to this region and that is why he sent me here to talk about ending terror and violence but with the clear understanding that that in and of itself won't be enough. Just as you've said, all the cease- fires in the world will not solve the problem until there is a political solution. And that is our commitment, and we will devote all of our energies to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SADLER: Well, Secretary Powell and the Lebanese president may not be on the same page regarding Hezbollah attacks over the border, but they do agree, so does Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, who meets with President George Bush in Washington Wednesday, that there has to be, aside from a cease-fire between the Israelis and the Palestinians, a real U.S.-led effort to bring about a comprehensive peace settlement. Security alone, said Prime Minister Hariri is not enough to stop this turmoil in the middle east.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAFIQ HARIRI, LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER: I want to say publicly that what happened in the recent weeks in the West Bank, a clear assault of feeling and among the Arab world, among the people in the Arab world and among the leaders of the Arab world, and this is why we need strong efforts from United States and a strong commitment from President Bush and the secretary. And we believe strongly that security is important, very important, but it is not a replacement of the peaceful agreement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SADLER: Now some of that anger and resentment showed itself on the streets of Beirut. Many thousands of protesters trying to make their protests seen by Colin Powell as he headed to the presidential palace here. But security switched routes and the secretary did not see those protests, some of which were burning, we understand, reported here, Lebanese -- sorry, Israeli (INAUDIBLE).

So we know there have been demonstrations in Palestinian camps here. About 37,000 (ph) Palestinians, according to U.N. officials, in camps spread out across Lebanon. They, of course, want to see as part of this talked about comprehensive peace settlement a return of Palestinians to what they still call their homeland.

After Beirut, Secretary Powell headed straight to Damascus. He met the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and really touched base there with both the Syrian leadership and the Lebanese heading very quickly back to your part of the world in Jerusalem -- Bill Hemmer.

HEMMER: OK, Brent, thank you.

Brent Sadler reporting live from Beirut.

Indeed that trip was one of diplomacy and one that was critical. A lot of people concerned about the possibility of a widening conflict throughout this entire area.

Our Beirut bureau chief Brent Sadler, again, thanks to you.

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