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CNN Live Today
Pressure Mounts on Freed Arafat to Make Peace
Aired May 03, 2002 - 12:13 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: In the meantime, let's shift our focus right now to the Middle East in Ramallah, where Yasser Arafat tasted freedom again yesterday, and there is more talk today right now, pressure on the Palestinian Leader from a number of different corners, pressure to make sure that the peace can be obtained.
Matthew Chance is in Ramallah and joins us with more from there.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Bill, that's right. Here in Ramallah, it's been a day of relative calm, the second day after, of course, that siege by Israel was lifted around Yasser Arafat's presidential compound.
Having said that, there was a demonstration that went through the center of Ramallah earlier today that we stood by and watched. These people demonstrating, showing their support for the Palestinian leader, but also holding up posters of the wanted Palestinians, the men of course wanted by Israel and now transferred to that Palestinian prison facility under international guard in the West Bank town of Jericho.
That was the deal that Yasser Arafat struck, of course, to get that siege lifted. Despite that though, relative calm in Ramallah. That was not the case in the West Bank town of Nablus, where we've been witnessing yet more Israeli military incursions there, reports of Israeli heavy armor moving into Nablus, firing shots at Palestinian buildings.
The Israeli army saying they're acting on intelligence reports that a suicide bombing was being planned out of Nablus. Of course, we've got no way of confirming that right now. What we do know is, of course, the Israelis say at least one of their soldiers was killed in this offensive. Two Palestinians are also confirmed dead.
Elsewhere in the West Bank in Bethlehem, the siege around the Church of the Nativity continues. Negotiations for today have, we hear, now been now come to an end. Palestinian negotiators were permitted by the Israeli authorities to take in food to the people, the nuns, the priests, the civilians, the Palestinian militants inside.
Four Palestinians have been allowed out. One of them was carried out on a stretcher. The others walked out, the other three, looking extremely weak. There's also other developments as well, a lot happening here in the Middle East, word from both the Israelis and the Palestinians greeting the U.S. proposals, Colin Powell's proposals for a peace conference on the Middle East this summer, greeting that, welcoming it.
It's not clear though, Bill, yet whether both sides, the Israelis and the Palestinians will be attending, or indeed more importantly, whether they share the vision of peace.
Of course, the Palestinians will be working on the basis of land- for-peace deal, the basis of the Oslo Peace Accords, in accordance with the Saudi proposals whereby Israel dismantles its illegal settlements in the West Bank and the Gaza strip, in exchange for full diplomatic ties of the Arab World.
Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, has his own vision. In fact, he says he intends to present his peace plan to President Bush next week in Washington. That plan involves building, in his words, a physical barrier between Israel and the occupied territories in the West Bank, in other words, Bill, a fence.
HEMMER: Matthew, thank you, Matthew Chance live in Ramallah. As always, to our viewers online, 24 hours a day, cnn.com, the very latest developments from the Middle East, AOL keyword is CNN.
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