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CNN Live At Daybreak

Palestinian Power Play: Arafat, Abu Mazen Standoff

Aired April 23, 2003 - 06:38   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: Turning now to the power play in the Middle East between two Palestinian leaders: Yasser Arafat and Abu Mazen. Tonight is the deadline for the two to agree on a new cabinet.
Jerrold Kessel is in the West Bank town of Ramallah. He joins us live now with an update on their progress.

Any progress at all to report -- Jerrold?

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, they're talking about progress, but if it's real or not, not quite clear yet. But certainly, the heat is being turned up on Yasser Arafat, the man in the building behind me here, his Muqata headquarters, rather battered headquarters. Remember, Mr. Arafat's been beleaguered here for more than a year, and there's been times when he's had some very difficult days under the pressure of Israeli tanks, under the pressure of the international community.

Today, a very difficult day for Mr. Arafat. He has to make some critical decisions as that pressure builds up on him from all quarters.

The Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, sent a special envoy, his top intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, who was here for an hour with Yasser Arafat. And a short while ago his motorcade sped away from here. He said he'll be back. He went across town just a couple of miles, even less than that, about a mile-and-a-half away from here, where Abu Mazen, Mahmoud Abbas, the prime minister-designate, has his offices.

The two men, Yasser Arafat and Abu Mazen, have not met, they have not even spoken since Saturday night, and the stalemate between them, the standoff over the powers, really who has what powers in the Palestinian Authority, remains intact.

And despite this enormous pressure that's been building up over the last 24 hours, particularly, in the words of Colin Powell, Secretary of State Colin Powell saying it's time for Yasser Arafat to back off.

Other top international leaders have been phoning Yasser Arafat, telling him exactly that. Time to back off, important for Abu Mazen to be able to form a cabinet so that the international roadmap to peace can be presented, and the first chance, the very first chance of moving Palestinians and Israelis back from confrontation and the negotiation gets on the road.

But for the moment, it's all stuck in this very, very, very hot Palestinian power struggle -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And the reason this is important, Jerrold, that they get this done is that the United States' roadmap for peace can't happen until they get it together there, right?

KESSEL: Absolutely right. That's the point. The United States and Britain said quite bluntly that they would only issue that roadmap to peace, which is supposed to set in motion these efforts to get the Palestinians and the Israelis back into a peace mold, away from confrontation, towards negotiations, only once there have been these first tangible reforms in the Palestinian Authority, which means a new cabinet under a new prime minister.

Reluctantly, Yasser Arafat agreed to Abu Mazen, his longtime deputy, taking the post of prime minister. He's had five weeks to form a cabinet, but when he came back to Yasser Arafat with a cabinet, Mr. Arafat wasn't pleased. He wants to maintain a lot of the powers, doesn't like the fact that Mr. Abu Mazen is going to take some of those powers from him.

COSTELLO: Understand.

KESSEL: Standoff intact, but there's still 10 hours to go.

COSTELLO: Still 10 hours to go. We'll see what happens.

Jerrold Kessel reporting live from Ramallah this morning.

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 April 23, 2003 - 06:38   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Turning now to the power play in the Middle East between two Palestinian leaders: Yasser Arafat and Abu Mazen. Tonight is the deadline for the two to agree on a new cabinet.
Jerrold Kessel is in the West Bank town of Ramallah. He joins us live now with an update on their progress.

Any progress at all to report -- Jerrold?

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, they're talking about progress, but if it's real or not, not quite clear yet. But certainly, the heat is being turned up on Yasser Arafat, the man in the building behind me here, his Muqata headquarters, rather battered headquarters. Remember, Mr. Arafat's been beleaguered here for more than a year, and there's been times when he's had some very difficult days under the pressure of Israeli tanks, under the pressure of the international community.

Today, a very difficult day for Mr. Arafat. He has to make some critical decisions as that pressure builds up on him from all quarters.

The Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, sent a special envoy, his top intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, who was here for an hour with Yasser Arafat. And a short while ago his motorcade sped away from here. He said he'll be back. He went across town just a couple of miles, even less than that, about a mile-and-a-half away from here, where Abu Mazen, Mahmoud Abbas, the prime minister-designate, has his offices.

The two men, Yasser Arafat and Abu Mazen, have not met, they have not even spoken since Saturday night, and the stalemate between them, the standoff over the powers, really who has what powers in the Palestinian Authority, remains intact.

And despite this enormous pressure that's been building up over the last 24 hours, particularly, in the words of Colin Powell, Secretary of State Colin Powell saying it's time for Yasser Arafat to back off.

Other top international leaders have been phoning Yasser Arafat, telling him exactly that. Time to back off, important for Abu Mazen to be able to form a cabinet so that the international roadmap to peace can be presented, and the first chance, the very first chance of moving Palestinians and Israelis back from confrontation and the negotiation gets on the road.

But for the moment, it's all stuck in this very, very, very hot Palestinian power struggle -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And the reason this is important, Jerrold, that they get this done is that the United States' roadmap for peace can't happen until they get it together there, right?

KESSEL: Absolutely right. That's the point. The United States and Britain said quite bluntly that they would only issue that roadmap to peace, which is supposed to set in motion these efforts to get the Palestinians and the Israelis back into a peace mold, away from confrontation, towards negotiations, only once there have been these first tangible reforms in the Palestinian Authority, which means a new cabinet under a new prime minister.

Reluctantly, Yasser Arafat agreed to Abu Mazen, his longtime deputy, taking the post of prime minister. He's had five weeks to form a cabinet, but when he came back to Yasser Arafat with a cabinet, Mr. Arafat wasn't pleased. He wants to maintain a lot of the powers, doesn't like the fact that Mr. Abu Mazen is going to take some of those powers from him.

COSTELLO: Understand.

KESSEL: Standoff intact, but there's still 10 hours to go.

COSTELLO: Still 10 hours to go. We'll see what happens.

Jerrold Kessel reporting live from Ramallah this morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.