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CNN Live Today

Church of Nativity Standoff Expected to End

Aired May 07, 2002 - 11:16   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 turn to the Middle East and the deal -- potential deal in Bethlehem. Thirty-five days gone, Palestinian holdouts inside the Church of the Nativity are expected to emerge soon. Some are going to face exile, others face trial.

Our senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers is in Bethlehem today.

Walter, this seemed like it was a done deal and now maybe not quite.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well you put it exactly correct, Daryn. The deal to end the five-week long standoff between Israel and the Palestinians at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity was indeed a done deal, but now it appears to be a deal that's coming undone.

Israel's Army Defense spokesman Colonel Olivier Raffowitz (ph) tried to explain.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLONEL OLIVIER RAFFOWITZ, ISRAELI ARMY DEFENSE SPOKESMAN: We have reached an understanding to resolve the crisis of the Church of the Nativity. We intend to implement the agreement. Implementation is being delayed because there is no country willing to accept the terrorists and we are waiting for progress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RODGERS: You're looking into Bethlehem's Manger Square now, and you can see that the preparations for the release of the 123 people inside were completed hours ago. Indeed everyone expected that the 123 would emerge from the church. The Israelis had set up police barricades for the Palestinians and the clergy who were inside the church to pass through. There are also metal detectors there to make sure the Palestinians, who the Israelis say are hardcore fighters, have forfeited their weapons.

The problem, of course, is that someone threw a spanner into the works, and in this case, the spanner has been thrown into the works by the Italians. According to the agreement negotiated by the Americans, the British, the Israelis and the Palestinians, the Italians were supposed to agree to take 13 of the hardcore Palestinian fighters who are inside the Church of the Nativity. Of course the Italians say they were not properly consulted. They're more than a little put off by the fact that they have not seen the details of the agreement nor the details of the confinement.

A short while ago, CNN was told by the Italian Foreign Ministry that they have yet to receive the particular documents they say they need before they can agree to accept the 13 hardcore Palestinian fighters. That being the case, of course the Italians say they cannot put anyone in jail who has not at least been formally charged in a court of law or who has not had a file -- a trial. And so far, the only people who have accused these people of being terrorists flat out are the Israelis.

Now the Israelis do say that they have evidence that the 13 men who were being deported, hopefully to Italy, are hardcore fighters from Hamas, the Islamic Jihad al Aqsa Brigades. The problem of course is that they have not received a trial, and in Western circles, these are alleged terrorists, not terrorists.

One final sticking point, very interesting, the Israelis, when this is all over, want to take reporters, television cameras into the Church of the Nativity to document what the Israelis say is widespread desecration and vandalism of the church, which is the traditional site of Jesus' birth. The problem there is the Greek Orthodox patriarchy is reluctant to let the television cameras in. They are not denying that the desecration and vandalism occurred when Palestinian Muslims were inside the church, what they are saying, however, is we've got to live with these Palestinian and the Muslims here in Bethlehem after the Israeli tanks and soldiers go home. So the -- some of the Christians are reluctant to let any cameras into the church to document the alleged vandalism.

Back to you.

KAGAN: Therein lies the problem, all these people living together in the same small piece of land.

Walter Rodgers, we'll be checking back with you for any progress on bringing this siege to an end. Thank you so much.

Well nowhere are they watching the progress or lack of progress any more closely than they are in Washington, D.C. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will meet this afternoon with President Bush.

Let's check in at the White House with our correspondent Kelly Wallace.

Kelly, good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

Well President Bush's spokesman, Ari Fleischer, telling reporters just a short time ago that the goal of this meeting trying to make progress on the path to peace, but there are big obstacles and big challenges for the president. No. 1, he must try to convince Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that he must deal with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Now this is difficult for Mr. Bush, who we saw a short time ago this morning here on the grounds at the White House at a formal dedication ceremony naming the old executive office building in honor of President Eisenhower, because Mr. Bush has said that Yasser Arafat has not yet earned his trust. Still, U.S. officials say his message to Mr. Sharon will be that Yasser Arafat is the recognized leader of the Palestinian people.

Now Mr. Sharon, for his part, we saw him meeting with U.S. officials yesterday, including Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. And his message to Mr. Bush is expected to be that future negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians cannot include Yasser Arafat. The Israelis releasing a 100-page document yesterday that they say shows that Yasser Arafat has been financing terror. U.S. officials say they have seen that document, but they say it is too early yet to make a judgment about it.

Now other items on the agenda for this, the fifth face-to-face meeting between President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Sharon, include Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank. This administration looking to see full withdrawal from those West Bank towns the Palestinians or the Israelis recently reoccupied. Making the International Conference this summer on the Middle East a reality. And, as we said, discussion about any potential terrorist links between Yasser Arafat and of course, any terrorist groups.

Another challenge, Daryn, is that Mr. Sharon is expected to be bringing a peace plan of his own here to the White House, one calling for an interim agreement with the Palestinians. But Arab leaders, including Jordan's King Abdullah, who will be coming to the White House tomorrow, want this administration to push now for political discussions about a final agreement.

So we are watching this administration having to maneuver between competing pressures, what the Israelis want, the Arab leaders want something else.

Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: Kelly Wallace at the White House. Kelly, thank you very much.

WALLACE: Sure.

KAGAN: And as always for our viewers, reminder that you can get the latest on the crisis in the Mideast right from your own computer. Log on to our Web site, CNN.com. AOL keyword: CNN.

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