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Assad Gives No Assurance of Reining in Hezbollah

Aired April 15, 2002 - 13:09   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: Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem now, Andrea Koppel is back from that trip with the Secretary of State. Want to pick her brain a bit now about the mission itself and also going forward.

Andrea, you were talking earlier about Damascus possibly giving some assurance that it would speak with Hezbollah, but there are clear links also that many claim and allege that Syria not only supports Hezbollah but also Iran as well. Were you able to gain any insight into whether or not there was a message sent back to Tehran?

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, you're absolutely right. The Secretary of State did get an assurance from President Assad to speak with Hezbollah, but he didn't give him any assurance that he would use his influence with Hezbollah to rein them in and stop those cross-border attacks. The United States has been, through third parties, in touch with the Iranian government which supplies Hezbollah, at least the U.S. says it does, with heavy arms and other weapons.

As far as the Syrian link there is concerned, the Syrians allow the weapons to pass from Iran into Lebanon. So that's really the link there, but both of these governments, the Iranians and the Syrians, have a lot of sway with Hezbollah. And at least early indications are right now, Bill, that the Syrians, and the Lebanese for that matter, are saying what is of most concern to them is that the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, no surprise there, must end before anything else really can be discussed.

HEMMER: It's late in the evening here, Andrea, well after 8:00, let's look forward to tomorrow right now. We do know that Palestinian negotiators sat down with other U.S. negotiators. Do we know anything that came out of that and what is tomorrow shaping up like at this point for Secretary Powell?

KOPPEL: There are a lot of people that would like to know. We are hearing from Palestinian officials, Bill, that there will be a meeting with Colin Powell. But I can tell you he, Secretary Powell, came back and spoke with reporters on the plane on our way back from Damascus to Tel Aviv this evening, and he said he had made no decision yet. In fact, when he got off the plane, he was going to go straight into a meeting with Israel's Defense Minister and said that he still needed to get briefed by his peace team which remained back here in Israel to have meetings with Yasser Arafat's peace team. So still no word, but obviously the Palestinians are -- seem to think that the meeting's going to go forward. Secretary Powell, however, not giving any indication that's the case just yet.

HEMMER: Yes, Andrea, a little more insight, too, and I'm not sure how and if you can answer this question, we're well into basically three-and-a-half days right now since there has been any explosions here in Israel. We know on Saturday after the suicide bombing on Friday that that meeting was put off by about 24 hours. Do you get any sense from the State Department officials you're talking to that a future meeting may hinge on the possibility of more violence and whether or not that happens will determine whether or not Colin Powell meets Yasser Arafat?

KOPPEL: I don't think that is the determining factor for the following reason: there was this -- there was this follow-on meeting today between American officials and Palestinian officials with the idea that they were going to try to get into more detail as to how they could coordinate, really, a potential Palestinian call for a cease-fire and movement on the political side of things where there would be the guarantee of a Palestinian state, an end of Israeli settlements and things of that nature which would come about or at least be discussed in the -- in the context of an international Middle East peace conference, Bill.

So I don't think they would be talking that seriously about getting into details if they were just sort of waiting for another terrorist attack to kind of sideline this potential meeting. It is, after all, in U.S. interests to try to make progress on this very, very difficult issue right now.

HEMMER: It is not your typical diplomatic mission overseas. Nothing is set in stone on this trip.

Andrea, thanks. Andrea Koppel, again, with the Secretary of State Colin Powell and his movements throughout the day on Monday.

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