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CNN Live At Daybreak

Israeli Officials Deny Release of Report Linking Saudi Arabia to Suicide Bombers Timed to Influence Summit

Aired May 07, 2002 - 05:02   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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Israeli officials deny the release of a report linking Saudi Arabia to suicide bombers was timed to influence today's Israel-U.S. summit.

As CNN's Andrea Koppel explains, the reported Saudi link is a new chapter in Israel's book on Yasser Arafat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Israel's prime minister arrived in Washington armed with fresh ammunition in his campaign to further discredit Yasser Arafat and end any talk of the Palestinian leader as Israel's partner for peace.

LIMOR LIVNAT, ISRAELI EDUCATION MINISTER: Arafat is not only the Palestinian Authority leader that have been initiated, financed and terror attacks against the state of Israel in the last 19 months, but that he is always also a liar.

KOPPEL: In a 100 page report widely distributed to the American media even before it reached the White House, Israeli officials offered what they say is new evidence gathered during recent raids of Arafat's Ramallah headquarters linking not only Arafat, but also the Saudi government, to terrorist activity.

LIVNAT: If, indeed, the Saudi Arabia policy is to finance and fund suicide bombers, then they probably cannot be part of the peace coalition.

KOPPEL: But at the same time Saudi Arabia's foreign minister was also in Washington, pushing Secretary Powell to keep up the pressure on Israel.

PRINCE SAUD AL-FAISAL, SAUDI FOREIGN MINISTER: We hope that the efforts that are being expended to complete the Israeli withdraw are finalized so that we can move towards the next steps.

KOPPEL: At almost every turn, the Bush administration finds itself pushed and pulled, as it navigates a complicated maze of competing Middle East agendas, from Arab leaders worried the U.S. may give up on Arafat to Prime Minister Sharon, who worries the U.S. will pressure him to accept a final political settlement before he's ready. ROB MALLEY, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: He wants to slow things down and bring things back to what he's more comfortable with, which is a very long-term interim plan which doesn't threaten what he sees as his red lines in terms of control of the territory, control of the borders, basically control over the Palestinians.

KOPPEL (on camera): When Ariel Sharon sits down with President Bush Tuesday, it'll be the first time the two leaders will have met since Sharon ignored the president's demand to withdraw immediately from West Bank towns and cities. And Israel's prime minister won't likely be in the mood for compromise this time either, considering last week's vote of support for Israel in the U.S. Congress and confident of the support of many in the president's own cabinet.

Andrea Koppel, CNN, at the State Department.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: All right, to Bethlehem now. You know, we've been hearing those reports that a deal has been struck to end the stand-off at the Church of the Nativity. But people inside the church have not come out yet.

CNN's Walter Rodgers is live in Bethlehem to bring us up to date -- Walter, are there any signs that this thing may be over?

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there are very real and concrete signs this morning. The Palestinians told CNN that an agreement has definitely been reached between Israel and the Palestinians to end the stand-off, now beginning its fifth week. But the most definitive sign we've seen is a short while ago Israeli technicians were walking across Manger Square and they were setting up metal detectors, the kinds of metal detectors you and I have to walk through at airports. Those metal detectors are, of course, for the Palestinians inside the church to walk through when they emerge through the Door of Humility. There's one very close to the Door of Humility, just to the right of it from where we're standing, another one closer to the police barricade.

So the Palestinians emerging from the church will have to walk through two separate metal detectors when they come into the square.

Rough outlines of the agreement, the Palestinians caved in to Israeli demands for the deportation of 13 of the hard core gunmen inside the church. These are fighters who belong to Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and the Al Aqsa Brigades. The Palestinians said they would only deport six of their people. In the end, American pressure on the Palestinians forced them to accept the Israeli number. Those deportees are supposed to go to Italy.

Most interesting now, however, the Italians are objecting. They say they were not properly consulted in this and a senior Italian official quoted on Reuters, a government official, said the Palestinian deportees are not welcome in Italy at this time, until the Italians know more details of the final agreements here at the Church of the Nativity. The Italians are very, very disturbed. At one point they said they were going to close their air space to the British air carrier which was supposed to bring the Palestinian deportees to Italy. Again, the Italians saying they were kept in the dark, shamefully treated. They said that the British particularly were arrogant, not informing a fellow European Union member.

So, again, the Italians are very upset. That's the latest wrinkle. But then again, of course, this is the Middle East -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Mike, a question for you. Why don't some Arab nations open up their borders and accept these people -- I'm sorry -- Mike?

RODGERS: Well, I suppose the person you should ask of that would be one of the American negotiators. Remember, the Europeans are always keen to be players in these Middle East negotiations because they always feel eclipsed by the United States. The British were involved in this and it was a joint British-Israeli and Palestinian decision. That was what the Israelis, the Palestinians, the Americans and the British came up with.

As to why the other Arab countries don't take these 13 hard core Palestinian deportees, I suppose you should ask them. But remember, there are not many countries in the Arab world who are all that supportive of the Palestinians despite their rhetoric to the contrary. The Palestinians' best friends over the years, in recent years at least, have been the Americans -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Walter Rodgers. And I apologize for calling you Mike. I don't know what I did. It's early. Thank you.

Walter Rodgers reporting live for us from Bethlehem this morning.

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