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Powell Briefing Bush on 10-Day Mission

Aired April 18, 2002 - 10:05   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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go ahead and check in on the Middle East. Secretary of State Colin Powell put U.S. clout on the line, and came away from the region pretty much empty-handed from his trip. He is at the White House this hour briefing President Bush on his 10-day mission.

Our senior White House correspondent, John King, is at his post this morning. And, John, as I understand it, that meeting is taking place as we speak.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That meeting, Daryn, under way now in the Oval Office. We expect to hear from President Bush and perhaps Secretary Powell in just a few minutes. Reporters were brought in at the top of the meeting for the president to make a statement, take a question or two on Secretary Powell's mission.

Of course in the region, much criticism of this trip as a failure. Secretary Powell went to the region last week seeking a cease-fire. There is no cease-fire in place. He went to try to impress upon Prime Minister Sharon that President Bush meant it, more than a week ago now, almost two weeks ago now, when he urged the Israelis to end the military offensive in the Palestinian territories. That continues -- the military offensive.

The administration also has hoped for more of what it calls "tangible steps" from the Palestinian Authority to crack down on terrorism. Vertical few of those demands met as well.

Still, the administration suggesting some modest progress was made, and what we will hear most of all from the president this morning, we are told, is that he is committed to pressing ahead with more diplomatic initiatives in the days and weeks ahead.

And we also know, Daryn, that this morning, very early this morning, 7:45 a.m., the president took a phone call from King Abdullah of Jordan. The two leaders spoke for seven minutes, we are told, again swapping notes on the continuing problems in the Middle East.

We look to hear a little bit more from the president in just a few minutes on his meeting, his update with Secretary Powell -- Daryn.

KAGAN: John, let's talk about one of those initiatives, the talk out there of putting together some kind of summit perhaps, but President Bush not wanting to go to that summit level with too many ties to what President Clinton tried to do that didn't exactly have positive outcomes.

KING: Summit is certainly a term that is not held in great favor here at the White House, because the White House believes it would unduly raise expectations. They say right now, you get no sense from either the Palestinians or the Israelis that there can be a peace process because of the distrust between the two leaders, Yasser Arafat and Prime Minister Sharon. So the hope in the short term is simply a cease-fire and increased security cooperation.

There is talk, though, of some sort of a regional conference. Prime Minister Sharon wants a meeting of the leaders from the region. He says he would sit down with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, the king of Jordan, the president of Egypt. But Prime Minister Sharon says he would not include Yasser Arafat at that meeting. That, of course, causes objections among the Arab world.

So what Secretary Powell has floated as a compromise is perhaps a meeting of the foreign ministers. That way Secretary Powell could convene a meeting or the Egyptians or other Arabs could convene a meeting, and the foreign ministers would meet. And at such a meeting, the Israelis could send their foreign minister, Shimon Peres, and the Palestinians could send someone from their negotiating team.

Perhaps that is one way over this obstacle. But still no agreement even on such a conference, because, again, the Palestinians say there can be no progress, no diplomacy until the Israeli troops are out of the Palestinian territories. And the Israelis say that operation must continue until they are confident they have dismantled what they call a terrorist infrastructure.

So very different perspectives from the Israelis and the Palestinians as to the situation on the ground, obstructing any major progress when it comes to diplomacy.

KAGAN: John, give us an idea of what happens now to the tug-of- war, the debate that has been taking place within the Bush administration in terms of what this administration and this country's role should be in the Mideast peace process? It was very spirited and divided before Mr. Powell's trip. What happens to it now that we know the results?

KING: Well, the administration would argue it has been involved from day one. Others would argue that the involvement has not been at a high enough level to convince the Israelis and the Palestinians that this president takes the conflict seriously. That is in the past now, if you will.

After Secretary Powell's mission, there are a great number of questions about U.S. influence, U.S. pressure in the region, U.S. credibility in the region, but no questions at all, at least in the short term, that this administration will be involved at a very high level. Secretary Powell himself says he could go back to region as early as next month. We are hearing from several senior administration officials that the next step is likely to be sending the CIA director, George Tenet, a man held in high regard in both the Palestinian and the Israeli camps.

One of the big issues, remember, in the next week or so, if Israeli keeps its promise to pull its troops out of the Palestinian territories, much too late in the view of the White House, but if that promise is kept, the issue then will be can there be security cooperation between the Israelis and the Palestinians to try to prevent future attacks. That is, in the words of one senior administration official, George Tenet's area. He would be the man the White House would want in place to work on that security cooperation.

No word as to whether we will get an announcement today or tomorrow, but most believe the CIA director the next senior administration official to head to the region.

KAGAN: John King at the White House -- John, thank you.

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