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CNN Live At Daybreak
Arafat Grants First Interview in Two Months
Aired January 20, 2003 - 05:15 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Developing news now out of the Middle East. Yasser Arafat has just granted his first interview in two months.
CNN's Michael Holmes has just returned from that interview, where the Palestinian leader talked about Iraq, the Palestinian elections that were never held and his own political future.
Michael joins us now live from Ramallah with that -- Michael, tell us, what was the high point of this interview.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we covered a range of issues in what turned out to be a very lengthy interview, as you point out, his first interview, sit down interview in some time. He covered everything from denying allegations of corruption -- there have been claims that he has hundreds of millions of dollars, a couple of billion dollars squirreled away in bank accounts around the world. He said, "No way." He said, "The IMF has looked at my books," he said, "that's not true."
He denied that he has not done enough to stop suicide bombers. He points out that Israeli troops are in the West Bank and he can't control security.
Now, it's interesting, on another issue, in Israel in recent months, both in the public and in politics, as well, there are those who want Yasser Arafat, in fact, expelled completely from Palestinian territories.
Here's what he had to say about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YASSER ARAFAT, PRESIDENT, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY: Expel me only? They are speaking about the transfer for the Palestinians openly, openly. Can you believe it?
HOLMES: Do you think it would happen, it could happen?
ARAFAT: We hope not, but we have to put it in our consideration and I intend in this message to the quartet and especially to President Bush.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, there has been speculation -- and, of course, we need to point out that it's in no way official Israeli government policy -- but there has been speculation that such an expulsion, were it to happen, would happen in the shadow of any war with Iraq between the U.S. and Iraq. On the subject of Iraq, President Arafat said that he believes very strongly that nothing should be done militarily unless it came entirely under the auspices of the United Nations.
Heidi, as you point out, today was meant to be the day that Palestinians were going to go to the polls and elect new council members and also the president. Yasser Arafat said he was looking forward to that election and, he said, looking forward to worthy opponents to stand against him. Those elections logistically cannot happen because of the presence of Israeli troops in much of the West Bank. And Israel, of course, saying they don't want their troops there, they have to be there because of suicide bombers -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Michael, do you get a sense after speaking with him about where he fits in at this point with the overall Mideast peace and how he may affect that?
HOLMES: Yes, I've spoken to him several times in the last year and he was in a very feisty mood last evening when we did our interview. He very strongly feels that he does have a role to play. When I raised the issue, of course, of the U.S. and others, including Israel, saying that he's not a partner in any peace process and they don't want him involved, they want him sidelined, out of the picture with any negotiations, he said, he said if somebody came to the United States and said we don't like your leader, we want you to put another one in, would you do it?
He very much feels that he is the go to man in this, as he has said all along, and he said, his words, "I'm willing to extend the hand of peace, but only to a partner in Israel like Yitzhak Rabin," who, of course, he signed the Oslo Accords with many years ago. And he said, "If I had a partner like that, we could solve security issues and we could have peace in the region" -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Michael Holmes with that exclusive interview with Yasser Arafat coming to us today from Ramallah.
Thank you, Michael.
And we want to let you know next hour we'll be talking to our Jerusalem bureau chief Kelly Wallace about suicide bombings in Israel and how officials there foil hundreds of bombing attempts every year.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 20, 2003 - 05:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Developing news now out of the Middle East. Yasser Arafat has just granted his first interview in two months.
CNN's Michael Holmes has just returned from that interview, where the Palestinian leader talked about Iraq, the Palestinian elections that were never held and his own political future.
Michael joins us now live from Ramallah with that -- Michael, tell us, what was the high point of this interview.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we covered a range of issues in what turned out to be a very lengthy interview, as you point out, his first interview, sit down interview in some time. He covered everything from denying allegations of corruption -- there have been claims that he has hundreds of millions of dollars, a couple of billion dollars squirreled away in bank accounts around the world. He said, "No way." He said, "The IMF has looked at my books," he said, "that's not true."
He denied that he has not done enough to stop suicide bombers. He points out that Israeli troops are in the West Bank and he can't control security.
Now, it's interesting, on another issue, in Israel in recent months, both in the public and in politics, as well, there are those who want Yasser Arafat, in fact, expelled completely from Palestinian territories.
Here's what he had to say about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YASSER ARAFAT, PRESIDENT, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY: Expel me only? They are speaking about the transfer for the Palestinians openly, openly. Can you believe it?
HOLMES: Do you think it would happen, it could happen?
ARAFAT: We hope not, but we have to put it in our consideration and I intend in this message to the quartet and especially to President Bush.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, there has been speculation -- and, of course, we need to point out that it's in no way official Israeli government policy -- but there has been speculation that such an expulsion, were it to happen, would happen in the shadow of any war with Iraq between the U.S. and Iraq. On the subject of Iraq, President Arafat said that he believes very strongly that nothing should be done militarily unless it came entirely under the auspices of the United Nations.
Heidi, as you point out, today was meant to be the day that Palestinians were going to go to the polls and elect new council members and also the president. Yasser Arafat said he was looking forward to that election and, he said, looking forward to worthy opponents to stand against him. Those elections logistically cannot happen because of the presence of Israeli troops in much of the West Bank. And Israel, of course, saying they don't want their troops there, they have to be there because of suicide bombers -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Michael, do you get a sense after speaking with him about where he fits in at this point with the overall Mideast peace and how he may affect that?
HOLMES: Yes, I've spoken to him several times in the last year and he was in a very feisty mood last evening when we did our interview. He very strongly feels that he does have a role to play. When I raised the issue, of course, of the U.S. and others, including Israel, saying that he's not a partner in any peace process and they don't want him involved, they want him sidelined, out of the picture with any negotiations, he said, he said if somebody came to the United States and said we don't like your leader, we want you to put another one in, would you do it?
He very much feels that he is the go to man in this, as he has said all along, and he said, his words, "I'm willing to extend the hand of peace, but only to a partner in Israel like Yitzhak Rabin," who, of course, he signed the Oslo Accords with many years ago. And he said, "If I had a partner like that, we could solve security issues and we could have peace in the region" -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Michael Holmes with that exclusive interview with Yasser Arafat coming to us today from Ramallah.
Thank you, Michael.
And we want to let you know next hour we'll be talking to our Jerusalem bureau chief Kelly Wallace about suicide bombings in Israel and how officials there foil hundreds of bombing attempts every year.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
