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CNN Live Today
President to Meet with Arab Leaders After Return from Michigan
Aired July 18, 2002 - 11:11 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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Turning now to the crisis in the Middle East. Israel has backed off its plans to ease restrictions on Palestinians in the West Bank. This decision follows yesterday's double suicide bombing in Tel Aviv.
CNN's Chris Burns reports on the aftermath of the latest violence.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Near the yellow spray paint, marking off where the bomb fragments lay, life goes on. In this working-class district of Tel Aviv, immigrants and ex-patriot workers from Eastern Europe, Asia and elsewhere shop and live and died. Two guest workers and an Israeli were killed in a double- suicide bombing. The bombers were packed with explosives and nails to cause as much injury as possible.
Vladimir (ph), a Russian-Israeli, says the blast threw him up against this tree, which he says saved him from injury. He came back today to water it.
(on camera): Is he afraid of more attacks?
"Here in my own country, I am not afraid of anything," he says.
The blasts happened right outside this sex cinema and moments after, a newspaper says, a prostitute approached one of the bombers, offering him her services.
"I didn't come here to have fun," he said. "I came here to die."
(voice-over): The bombers hit what's called a soft target. Shops and cafes in this area don't have the money to hire private security guards, as in other parts of Tel Aviv.
The bombings came as Israelis were already in mourning, mourning for eight killed when Palestinian militants attacked a bus near the West Bank Jewish settlement of Emmanuel on Tuesday.
Israel had just begun loosening its month-old grip on the West Bank, easing curfews in some cities, and starting talks with some Palestinians. But the fresh attacks have hardened the Israeli position, and plans for higher-level talks have been put on hold. Chris Burns, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Well, not all the talking is on hold right now. The U.S., in fact, is pressing ahead with diplomatic efforts to end the bloodshed in the Middle East. For the latest on what the Bush administration is doing, we check in now with our Kelly Wallace who has been travelling with President Bush. She's in Rochester, Michigan this morning -- hello, Kelly.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon. The diplomacy to continue later this afternoon. When President Bush gets back to the White House, he will be sitting down with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. A goal, according to White House aides, is trying to move forward in this peace process. Aides concede there continue to be setbacks, but they say the president still sees what they are calling "avenues of progress."
The focus, though, Leon, this administration trying to see that the terrorism comes to an end. President Bush, in fact, issuing a written statement Wednesday night. In that statement he said, -- quote -- "Once again, terrorist violence directed against Israelis has taken innocent life. Peace cannot be built on a platform of violence against innocents."
The first order of business, though, for the president on this day acting as, well, shall we say, host in chief. The president, along with Polish President Kwasnieski leaving the White House bright and early this morning. They first got an aerial tour of the White House, and then they headed here to the politically important state of Michigan, where 9 percent of the state's population is Polish- American.
In fact, at this very hour, the president is speaking to a group of students and other members of the community gathered here at a local university. This visit, part of President Bush's way to reward the Polish president for his support in the war on terror. But again, it's also about politics. President Bush lost this state to Al Gore in 2000, and his aides are already planting the seeds for 2004.
But, again, Leon, back to the Middle East, so the president, as soon as he returns to the White House later this afternoon, he will have that meeting with the Arab foreign ministers. We are told the goals of that meeting, focusing on humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people, reforms of the Palestinian community, and also restructuring the Palestinian security forces. We know that the CIA has put together a new plan, Secretary of State Colin Powell unveiled earlier this week. That would involve restructuring those Palestinian forces, and would involve some American involvement, not U.S. troops or monitors, but potentially some experts on the ground, and we also understand, Leon, the Arab leaders likely to present their own plan to bring about new Palestinian leadership, creating a parliament, a prime minister, so lots of plans. The hope is, Leon, this White House hoping to move the process forward, and hoping these two days of violence don't turn out to be another setback -- Leon. HARRIS: And also hoping there's that there is not that big of a difference between the Bush administration's plan and that Arab world plan that is going to cause even more stumbling blocks down the road. Kelly Wallace, reporting live this morning on the road with President Bush. Thanks much, Kelly.
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