Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

White House Calls New Mideast Agreement Hopeful

Aired April 29, 2002 - 13:13   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: The White House today says an agreement to break the standoff at Arafat's compound is a, quote, "real note of hope." Our senior White House correspondent, back with us once again, traveling with the president further west now than Texas, Albuquerque, New Mexico is the stop now. John, good afternoon.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Bill. As you were just exploring with those guests, though, the question now is where do we go from here? The White House trying to do what the diplomats call confidence-building measures, trying to portray the Ramallah breakthrough as a ray of hope, trying to get the parties optimistic that even more progress can come in the days and weeks and months ahead.

You noted the meeting with Prime Minister Sharon. The president is hoping that over the next week to 10 days, things go well. The Ramallah breakthrough is implemented, the Church of the Nativity crisis in Bethlehem is solved, and that by the time of that meeting, he can explore with the prime minister where do we go next? Can we have any discussions about a comprehensive peace?

And you asked about the role of the Saudi Arabian crown prince. What the Saudis fear and the Arabs fear is that under U.S. pressure, yes, Ariel Sharon might pull out of Ramallah, might pull out of Bethlehem, might even negotiate a cease-fire. But they do not believe he will go much further. They do not believe he will enter into negotiations for a comprehensive peace. They do not believe he will give up settlements. They do not believe he will negotiate a Palestinian state. So they want the president to keep up the pressure and go for the whole ball of wax, if you will, try to move from any short-term progress into comprehensive peace negotiations. No indications Prime Minister Sharon is ready to talk to Yasser Arafat, very hard to envision any peace negotiations even if there is progress on the ground over the next several days until the two leaders agree to meet with each other and speak with each other -- Bill.

HEMMER: John, let's go to the West Bank town of Jericho. I'm fascinated by this idea that U.S. monitors would be on the ground, essentially, to guard a jail. Do we know any more specifics about what the mission would be if indeed this happens?

KING: We know that it is to keep them in jail. One of the complaints the White House has used repeatedly is that under pressure, Yasser Arafat rounds up suspects either identified by the CIA or by the Israelis, and in the words of Ari Fleischer over and over again, there are bars on the front of the jail, a revolving door in the back of the jail.

This is an assurance to the Israeli government that CIA operatives, other security experts likely to be brought in, contractors, by the United States and Great Britain will assure the Israeli government that those six Palestinian suspects will be jailed and will be kept in jail for as long as they are sentenced to be in jail. Once receiving that assurance, the president was able to pressure the prime minister to pull out of Ramallah and to allow Mr. Arafat to travel freely.

The question is is this an isolated agreement, more U.S. direct involvement, just to negotiate this specific breakthrough in Ramallah, or is it a sign that President Bush will have to do this over and over again to negotiate further agreements. That is the issue facing the president. Then, it's not only about the unarmed monitors or the reasonably modestly armed monitors in this case. It will, if there is any progress, open up to the whole question of peacekeepers, as you were just discussing. That is an issue the president doesn't want to broach. He doesn't want to put armed U.S. military personnel in the Middle East as peacekeepers.

HEMMER: John, thanks. John King again in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com