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There Could be Progress in Standoff at Church of Nativity in Bethlehem

Aired April 29, 2002 - 11:12   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: We want to focus on the Mideast now. It looks like there could be some progress in the standoff at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

For more on that, let's bring in our Mike Hanna who is standing by on the phone in Bethlehem -- Mike.

MIKE HANNA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, at the moment, I'm standing in Manger Square. It's strangely deserted in the early evening here. It has been quiet throughout the afternoon, although there was an exchange of gunfire earlier on in the day, in which a Palestinian gunman who was inside the Church of the Nativity was shot and killed by Israeli forces.

An Israeli officer close to the ongoing negotiations says that progress is being made. He says the fact that 50 people have been brought out of the compound where they have been holed up for nearly more than three weeks now, he says indicates progress. The officers says that the negotiations are ongoing. He wouldn't comment on reports that another 15 people are due to be released in the course of the day.

However, he said the negotiations will continue until the end is achieved. That end, he says, the arrest of those inside the compound, who are on Israel's wanted list, and a number of estimated about some 20 people, and the release of the innocent, who are also inside that compound -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And, Mike, does it sound like these two are still very far apart on what should be happening to those men?

HANNA: Once again, there was no real characterization of the tenor of the negotiations. The sense of what we were told is that they are ongoing. The fact that they are ongoing is in itself progress. The exact details of the negotiations were not discussed. That's the simple point that there have been people released. There have been people who have come out of the compound is, at least to the Israeli officer who was beating on the matter, signs of progress. And to repeat his absolute contention that there will be end to this, he believes that there is the real possibility of achieving a peaceful resolution, and that he says is what he intends to do, and that he says is what the negotiators on the Palestinian side intends to do as well. KAGAN: Mike Hanna in Bethlehem, thank you very much.

One place that it does appears there could be a little bit of progress, a deal brokered between the Israelis and Palestinians that would bring some increased movement, not complete freedom, but some increased movement for Yasser Arafat. There's also something in this deal for Israelis. And for more on that, let's go to Ramallah and our Matthew Chance, who's standing by with that story.

Matthew, hello.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Daryn, that's right, a lot of anticipation around the region, and of course around the world about the possibility that Yasser Arafat could soon walk out of his besieged Ramallah compound. You already, know, of course both the Israeli and the Palestinian leadership have signed up effectively to the U.S. proposals to, effectively, bring an end to the siege by placing British or U.S. personnel to oversee, or to guard the six men wanted by Israel currently holed up inside the compound alongside Yasser Arafat.

What we've been told by Palestinian officials is that those men are likely to be taken to the West Bank town of Jericho, where they will be stood guard over.

What we don't know, though, is something quite considerable, which is exactly how the team will be made up, whether it will military or civilian personnel and exactly what their mandate will be, whether they'll be guarding those six Palestinians 24 hours, or whether it will simple be some kind of process of verification.

Well, the Palestinian leader of the delegation to meet the security officials later today is Yasser Abez Rabbo. Earlier, we spoke to him.

Here's what he had to say:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YASSER ABEZ RABBO: We expect they will come here today in the afternoon, and they will discuss with a team of our experts, the technical issues related to the location of the prison, and the guarantees for the safety of the prison, because in the past, most, if not all our prisons, were attacked by Israeli planes, and many prisoners as well as police officers, were killed in these attacks. So we are really interested in the safety of the prison and the guarantees that the United States and Britain will give to this effect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: Those are of course the guarantees the Palestinians are looking for. For its part, Israel wants of course to ensure that any kind of resolving door scenario doesn't emerge, where as soon as their troops leave the outskirts of Yasser Arafat's compound, those six wanted Palestinian are allowed to simply walk free. So the point of these negotiations, which as I said, are scheduled to take place within about an hour or so from now here in Ramallah, is to make sure both sides get what they're looking for in order for this siege to come to an end -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Matthew Chance in Ramallah, thank you very much.

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