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CNN Sunday Morning

Suicide Bombing May Derail Peace Process

Aired May 18, 2003 - 09:59   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: Hello, Jerrold.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Heidi. And clearly there are major political implications from this latest spate of attacks, but when the bomber struck this morning at an early morning Jerusalem commuter bus, those political implications were the last things on people's minds.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KESSEL (voice-over): As the bomber, disguised as a religious Jew, set off his explosives aboard the early commuter bus, the immediate concern was rushing the wounded to the hospital, then completing the grim business of clearing the aftermath of another harrowing attack.

(on camera) Whatever the claims of responsibility this does seem to be part of a concerted campaign. A campaign directed not only against Israelis, but in order to send a message to their own Palestinian leadership.

(voice-over) Hamas, the militant Islamic group, stopped short of taking responsibility but says the Palestinian people want action to end the Israeli occupation, not new talk about peace.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is reflecting that the people are not willing to waste their time by hoping that America or Israel will give us our demands.

KESSEL: But the political implications can't be disguised. This attack comes in the wake of another deadly one in Hebron on the West Bank, that just as the first meeting between Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, and the newly-installed Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen, was underway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's part of an effort by the terrorist organization to prove to the whole world and particularly to the Palestinian community that they the government of Abu Mazen is not in control.

KESSEL: Mainstream Palestinian leaders say the problem is Ariel Sharon, instead of helping their new prime minister, is undermining him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is unfortunately creating a fertile atmosphere for the increasing violence is the failure of the attempt to renew the peace process and part of that is the Israeli refusal to accept the Palestinian requests in the meeting between Abbas and Sharon to support the American proposal that is called the road map.

KESSEL: Israel, though, says the new plan leader should show his readiness work against the militants, not just declare it. And Ariel Sharon's government says Yasser Arafat is behind the new bombing campaign.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not saying that we are going to make any changes in the policy, but there is no doubt that the fact that Arafat is now the major obstacle to peace, the major obstacle to implementing the road map and also undermining Abu Mazen's rule.

KESSEL: At the very stop where the early morning bombing took place, soon buses are running again.

Are you afraid to get on the bus, we ask this woman. Hurrying off to work, she shrugs, "What can we do? Do we have a choice?"

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KESSEL: And now the world waits to see what choice Ariel Sharon will make, in which direction he will go after postponing his planned departure for the Tuesday meeting at the White House with President Bush. One action he might or might not take in the wake of the latest spate of Palestinian attacks, which have left nine Israelis dead -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Jerrold Kessel live from Jerusalem this morning. Jerrold, thank you for the update on all of that.

The attacks in Jerusalem have put the road map to peace on hold. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is postponing his trip to Washington in light of all of the unrest.

CNN senior White House correspondent John King Johns us now live with the Washington angle. Good morning, John.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Heidi.

The question here at White House is how long of a postponement? When will Prime Minister Sharon be coming? Also a question, what will President Bush do at this yet again delicate juncture in the Middle East? The president has promised to exert any time and any energy it takes to get the Israelis and the Palestinians back on the road toward a peace process.

The question now is will this be a serious setback or just a delay?

President Bush is up at Camp David for the weekend. He's due back at the White House a bit later today.

Prime Minister Sharon was to come on Tuesday and we are told President Bush was to urge him to release more financial money, resources and other tax revenues that have been frozen, kept away from the Palestinians. President Bush also was to urge Prime Minister Sharon to take other steps designed to build confidence in the Palestinian territories that he was committed to peace.

But what the president was not going to do was something that the Palestinians were demanding, that he urge Prime Minister Sharon to immediately pull back from the Palestinian territory. Senior officials tell us even before this latest bombing that they are convinced the Palestinians are not yet ready to assume full security, control of the Palestinian territories. In the wake of these bombings today, those questions will only intensify.

What the president wanted most from Prime Minister Sharon, Heidi, was something Secretary of State Powell could not get during his recent trip to the region, a firm public commitment to implement the key early benchmarks of the administration Middle East peace road map.

We are waiting for a White House statement condemning the bombings. We are told that will come later today.

Then, of course, the White House says it is waiting to hear from Prime Minister Sharon as to when he might reschedule that critical visit -- Heidi.

COLLINS: John, is there any talk, I'm wondering, about a possible presidential meeting with the Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, in the future?

KING: Well, Mr. Bush has opened the door here at the White House, if you will, to such a meeting. He refused consistently. President Bush has never met with Yasser Arafat. But once Mahmoud Abbas became the prime minister, the president said he would very much like to meet him here and he instructed Secretary Powell to invite him.

But it was always, because of the delicate politics, it was always envisioned that Prime Minister Sharon would come first and then after a few small steps of progress were made, perhaps the new Palestinian leader would follow.

COLLINS: Senior White House correspondent John king, live for us from Washington this morning. Thanks, John.

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 May 18, 2003 - 09:59   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, Jerrold.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Heidi. And clearly there are major political implications from this latest spate of attacks, but when the bomber struck this morning at an early morning Jerusalem commuter bus, those political implications were the last things on people's minds.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KESSEL (voice-over): As the bomber, disguised as a religious Jew, set off his explosives aboard the early commuter bus, the immediate concern was rushing the wounded to the hospital, then completing the grim business of clearing the aftermath of another harrowing attack.

(on camera) Whatever the claims of responsibility this does seem to be part of a concerted campaign. A campaign directed not only against Israelis, but in order to send a message to their own Palestinian leadership.

(voice-over) Hamas, the militant Islamic group, stopped short of taking responsibility but says the Palestinian people want action to end the Israeli occupation, not new talk about peace.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is reflecting that the people are not willing to waste their time by hoping that America or Israel will give us our demands.

KESSEL: But the political implications can't be disguised. This attack comes in the wake of another deadly one in Hebron on the West Bank, that just as the first meeting between Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, and the newly-installed Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen, was underway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's part of an effort by the terrorist organization to prove to the whole world and particularly to the Palestinian community that they the government of Abu Mazen is not in control.

KESSEL: Mainstream Palestinian leaders say the problem is Ariel Sharon, instead of helping their new prime minister, is undermining him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is unfortunately creating a fertile atmosphere for the increasing violence is the failure of the attempt to renew the peace process and part of that is the Israeli refusal to accept the Palestinian requests in the meeting between Abbas and Sharon to support the American proposal that is called the road map.

KESSEL: Israel, though, says the new plan leader should show his readiness work against the militants, not just declare it. And Ariel Sharon's government says Yasser Arafat is behind the new bombing campaign.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not saying that we are going to make any changes in the policy, but there is no doubt that the fact that Arafat is now the major obstacle to peace, the major obstacle to implementing the road map and also undermining Abu Mazen's rule.

KESSEL: At the very stop where the early morning bombing took place, soon buses are running again.

Are you afraid to get on the bus, we ask this woman. Hurrying off to work, she shrugs, "What can we do? Do we have a choice?"

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KESSEL: And now the world waits to see what choice Ariel Sharon will make, in which direction he will go after postponing his planned departure for the Tuesday meeting at the White House with President Bush. One action he might or might not take in the wake of the latest spate of Palestinian attacks, which have left nine Israelis dead -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Jerrold Kessel live from Jerusalem this morning. Jerrold, thank you for the update on all of that.

The attacks in Jerusalem have put the road map to peace on hold. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is postponing his trip to Washington in light of all of the unrest.

CNN senior White House correspondent John King Johns us now live with the Washington angle. Good morning, John.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Heidi.

The question here at White House is how long of a postponement? When will Prime Minister Sharon be coming? Also a question, what will President Bush do at this yet again delicate juncture in the Middle East? The president has promised to exert any time and any energy it takes to get the Israelis and the Palestinians back on the road toward a peace process.

The question now is will this be a serious setback or just a delay?

President Bush is up at Camp David for the weekend. He's due back at the White House a bit later today.

Prime Minister Sharon was to come on Tuesday and we are told President Bush was to urge him to release more financial money, resources and other tax revenues that have been frozen, kept away from the Palestinians. President Bush also was to urge Prime Minister Sharon to take other steps designed to build confidence in the Palestinian territories that he was committed to peace.

But what the president was not going to do was something that the Palestinians were demanding, that he urge Prime Minister Sharon to immediately pull back from the Palestinian territory. Senior officials tell us even before this latest bombing that they are convinced the Palestinians are not yet ready to assume full security, control of the Palestinian territories. In the wake of these bombings today, those questions will only intensify.

What the president wanted most from Prime Minister Sharon, Heidi, was something Secretary of State Powell could not get during his recent trip to the region, a firm public commitment to implement the key early benchmarks of the administration Middle East peace road map.

We are waiting for a White House statement condemning the bombings. We are told that will come later today.

Then, of course, the White House says it is waiting to hear from Prime Minister Sharon as to when he might reschedule that critical visit -- Heidi.

COLLINS: John, is there any talk, I'm wondering, about a possible presidential meeting with the Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, in the future?

KING: Well, Mr. Bush has opened the door here at the White House, if you will, to such a meeting. He refused consistently. President Bush has never met with Yasser Arafat. But once Mahmoud Abbas became the prime minister, the president said he would very much like to meet him here and he instructed Secretary Powell to invite him.

But it was always, because of the delicate politics, it was always envisioned that Prime Minister Sharon would come first and then after a few small steps of progress were made, perhaps the new Palestinian leader would follow.

COLLINS: Senior White House correspondent John king, live for us from Washington this morning. Thanks, John.

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