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CNN Live At Daybreak
Wake-Up Call: Mideast Peace
Aired April 30, 2003 - 06:09 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 long-awaited road map for Mideast peace will be presented this afternoon, and for many in the region it cannot come soon enough.
Elise Labott, our State Department producer, joins us for a "Wake-Up Call" now.
Good morning -- Elise.
ELISE LABOTT, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: So, is the bombing going to complicate the peace process? I mean, what does this do to the road map for peace?
LABOTT: Well, Carol, certainly some senior officials in the Bush administration believes the strike was a signal to Abu Mazen. Yesterday, he called in his acceptance speech for an end to terror attacks and for a negotiated settlement with Israel. And this is just a reminder of how difficult the challenge is going to be for the new prime minister.
The White House condemned the bombing in the strongest terms, and said the U.S. will be undeterred. They will be rolling out the road map as planned, and moving forward with their efforts to get the parties toward a path for peace.
We're expecting Secretary Powell to make some comments later today on the road map when he testifies on Capitol Hill. And, as Kelly said, the Israelis and the Palestinians will be receiving a copy, too -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Understand. Mr. Powell is expected to go to the region soon. Will he push up his plans since Abu Mazen is now prime minister of the Palestinians?
LABOTT: No, the plan is to still make a few stops in Europe, Spain and Albania. And then, he'll travel to Lebanon and Syria, where we know he'll be addressing U.S. concerns about Syria's alleged support of terrorist groups and its actions during the war in Iraq.
But as early as next week, he will return to the region for a road map-focused trip, travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories, maybe a few other stops in Arab capitals to meet with allies there.
And Secretary Powell will have his first meeting with Abu Mazen as prime minister, and he is expected to invite him to visit the White House, an offer which was never extended to Arafat since President Bush took office.
But the goal is, Carol, to wait awhile, let Abu Mazen get settled in office before visiting. Secretary Powell certainly wants to support the new prime minister, but he doesn't want to appear to be too much in control of him.
COSTELLO: Understand. Elise Labott, thanks for waking up early with DAYBREAK.
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 30, 2003 - 06:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The long-awaited road map for Mideast peace will be presented this afternoon, and for many in the region it cannot come soon enough.
Elise Labott, our State Department producer, joins us for a "Wake-Up Call" now.
Good morning -- Elise.
ELISE LABOTT, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: So, is the bombing going to complicate the peace process? I mean, what does this do to the road map for peace?
LABOTT: Well, Carol, certainly some senior officials in the Bush administration believes the strike was a signal to Abu Mazen. Yesterday, he called in his acceptance speech for an end to terror attacks and for a negotiated settlement with Israel. And this is just a reminder of how difficult the challenge is going to be for the new prime minister.
The White House condemned the bombing in the strongest terms, and said the U.S. will be undeterred. They will be rolling out the road map as planned, and moving forward with their efforts to get the parties toward a path for peace.
We're expecting Secretary Powell to make some comments later today on the road map when he testifies on Capitol Hill. And, as Kelly said, the Israelis and the Palestinians will be receiving a copy, too -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Understand. Mr. Powell is expected to go to the region soon. Will he push up his plans since Abu Mazen is now prime minister of the Palestinians?
LABOTT: No, the plan is to still make a few stops in Europe, Spain and Albania. And then, he'll travel to Lebanon and Syria, where we know he'll be addressing U.S. concerns about Syria's alleged support of terrorist groups and its actions during the war in Iraq.
But as early as next week, he will return to the region for a road map-focused trip, travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories, maybe a few other stops in Arab capitals to meet with allies there.
And Secretary Powell will have his first meeting with Abu Mazen as prime minister, and he is expected to invite him to visit the White House, an offer which was never extended to Arafat since President Bush took office.
But the goal is, Carol, to wait awhile, let Abu Mazen get settled in office before visiting. Secretary Powell certainly wants to support the new prime minister, but he doesn't want to appear to be too much in control of him.
COSTELLO: Understand. Elise Labott, thanks for waking up early with DAYBREAK.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
