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CNN Live At Daybreak

Wake-Up Call: 'Roadmap for Peace'

Aired April 28, 2003 - 06:05   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: The king of Jordan says establishing democracy in Iraq is crucial to stabilizing the region, but resolving the Iraqi-Palestinian conflict is also a key component.
In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, King Abdullah says action on the so-called road map to peace must come sooner rather than later to calm Arab suspicions about U.S. motives in the region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING ABDULLAH, JORDAN: People throughout the Middle East are very skeptical. The only way that you're going to make the right impression on the Arab street and throughout the whole region is to show that there's going to be some transparency and an effort to solve the Israel-Palestinian one. So there's a lot riding on the road map and how the American administration deals with it. If we don't move quickly, then everybody in the Middle East will say, well, this is just part of an agenda, and there's a list of who's next.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, let's talk more about that U.S. road map to peace in the Middle East.

Our State Department producer, Elise Labott, joins us live on the phone for this morning's "Wake-Up Call."

Good morning -- Elise.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: OK, so, tell us about the road map for peace, and when it's going to be announced and implemented.

LABOTT: Well, in fact, Secretary of State Powell will be meeting this morning, Carol, with the Jordanian foreign minister, Marwan Muasher, and that road map to peace obviously very high on the agenda now that the military action seems to be winding down in Iraq.

And you have the Palestinian prime minister, Abu Mazen, about to be confirmed. You have what leaders see in the region as a good climate for movement on the Israel-Palestinian conflict. And they're looking for the U.S. to make good on its promise to get more involved.

And we think we'll see the road map introduced this week after Abu Mazen is confirmed. But... COSTELLO: Well, let -- I'm sorry to interrupt, but let me ask you this. We just had word from Jerrold Kessel that Yasser Arafat may still be very much in the mix. How might this make a difference?

LABOTT: Well, certainly U.S. officials acknowledge that Yasser Arafat is always going to have a role to play, and he has maintained control over the negotiations. He does have final say on any settlement between the Israelis and Palestinians.

But the U.S. hopes that with the building of a democratic Palestinian institution that they'll need more transparency, more accountability, and they'll be able to do business with Abu Mazen and his cabinet, and thereby marginalizing Arafat -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Understand. And quickly now, Colin Powell plans a trip to the Middle East?

LABOTT: Yes. Well, it's still up in the air which day he'll go, which country he'll see first. But he'll be leaving within the next week or so. He'll be stopping in Syria, as you said, to meet with President Bashar al-Assad, and talk about U.S. concerns there. And he'll also be making another few stops to key allies in the region.

But the main focus of the trip is to follow up with the Israelis and Palestinians on the rolling out of that road map, which is expected this week. This will be Secretary Powell's first meeting with Abu Mazen as the prime minister, and they know that he has a lot of work to do, Carol, moving ahead the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

COSTELLO: Yes, no easy task. Elise Labott, thanks for waking up early with DAYBREAK 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 28, 2003 - 06:05   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The king of Jordan says establishing democracy in Iraq is crucial to stabilizing the region, but resolving the Iraqi-Palestinian conflict is also a key component.
In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, King Abdullah says action on the so-called road map to peace must come sooner rather than later to calm Arab suspicions about U.S. motives in the region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING ABDULLAH, JORDAN: People throughout the Middle East are very skeptical. The only way that you're going to make the right impression on the Arab street and throughout the whole region is to show that there's going to be some transparency and an effort to solve the Israel-Palestinian one. So there's a lot riding on the road map and how the American administration deals with it. If we don't move quickly, then everybody in the Middle East will say, well, this is just part of an agenda, and there's a list of who's next.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, let's talk more about that U.S. road map to peace in the Middle East.

Our State Department producer, Elise Labott, joins us live on the phone for this morning's "Wake-Up Call."

Good morning -- Elise.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: OK, so, tell us about the road map for peace, and when it's going to be announced and implemented.

LABOTT: Well, in fact, Secretary of State Powell will be meeting this morning, Carol, with the Jordanian foreign minister, Marwan Muasher, and that road map to peace obviously very high on the agenda now that the military action seems to be winding down in Iraq.

And you have the Palestinian prime minister, Abu Mazen, about to be confirmed. You have what leaders see in the region as a good climate for movement on the Israel-Palestinian conflict. And they're looking for the U.S. to make good on its promise to get more involved.

And we think we'll see the road map introduced this week after Abu Mazen is confirmed. But... COSTELLO: Well, let -- I'm sorry to interrupt, but let me ask you this. We just had word from Jerrold Kessel that Yasser Arafat may still be very much in the mix. How might this make a difference?

LABOTT: Well, certainly U.S. officials acknowledge that Yasser Arafat is always going to have a role to play, and he has maintained control over the negotiations. He does have final say on any settlement between the Israelis and Palestinians.

But the U.S. hopes that with the building of a democratic Palestinian institution that they'll need more transparency, more accountability, and they'll be able to do business with Abu Mazen and his cabinet, and thereby marginalizing Arafat -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Understand. And quickly now, Colin Powell plans a trip to the Middle East?

LABOTT: Yes. Well, it's still up in the air which day he'll go, which country he'll see first. But he'll be leaving within the next week or so. He'll be stopping in Syria, as you said, to meet with President Bashar al-Assad, and talk about U.S. concerns there. And he'll also be making another few stops to key allies in the region.

But the main focus of the trip is to follow up with the Israelis and Palestinians on the rolling out of that road map, which is expected this week. This will be Secretary Powell's first meeting with Abu Mazen as the prime minister, and they know that he has a lot of work to do, Carol, moving ahead the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

COSTELLO: Yes, no easy task. Elise Labott, thanks for waking up early with DAYBREAK 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.