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CNN Live At Daybreak
Signs of Mideast Progress in 'Road map to Peace'
Aired May 26, 2003 - 06:07 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: While you're busy with your holiday weekend activities, huge steps are being taken on the road to peace in the Middle East. For the first time ever, an Israeli government has formally accepted the principle of a Palestinian state.
Jerrold Kessel joins us live from Jerusalem.
Good morning -- Jerrold.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Huge declaratory steps, it has to be said at this stage, but it's certainly a historic decision taken by the Israeli government yesterday to endorse the so-called "road map for peace." And that includes, of course, the idea of the creation of Palestinian state within the next three years.
But now come the really huge steps that are demanded of the two sides to translate their support and their endorsement of the peace initiative into action, and the first steps may be taken when the two prime ministers -- Mahmoud Abbas, the newly-installed Palestinian prime minister, and Ariel Sharon, Israel's prime minister -- meet for the second time within the next 48 hours to try to get a working patent established between the two sides.
But again, they may be at a difference. The Israel prime minister saying yesterday when he met with supporters in the wake of the government decision that he was prepared for what he calls painful compromises, painful concessions. That is thought to be Israel withdrawal from parts of the West Bank, if there is progress, said Mr. Sharon.
And one thing he won't compromise on, he said, is Israel security. The Palestinians are likely to go into that meeting with Mr. Sharon saying that they want, first of all, Israel to say it will stop its security measures and that could bring about a cease-fire from the Palestinian militants.
So, all in all, you still have this log jam of different agendas by the two sides. And perhaps the only way they can be broken up again is how the United States steps in and whether President Bush again becomes very assertive in demanding that both sides move from their acceptance of the road map to translating it into practice -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And, Jerrold, a question for you. I know the Palestinian president, Yasser Arafat, had a meeting in Ramallah with the French foreign minister. Did anything significant come from that?
KESSEL: I think the only thing significant about that is that that meeting happened. It really is a meanwhile, in diplomatic terms. Dominique de Villepin, the French foreign minister, arrived, was in town yesterday, met with Israel's foreign minister. Pointedly, Prime Minister Sharon did not meet him.
And the fact that he went to Yasser Arafat, and not only to Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian prime minister, is seen as a stick in Israeli eyes, and also in the American eyes, because both the Americans and the Israelis have been trying to sideline Yasser Arafat; this not likely to help the move down that peace road. That is entirely, it seems, in the hands of the United States -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jerrold Kessel live from Jerusalem, many thanks.
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 26, 2003 - 06:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: While you're busy with your holiday weekend activities, huge steps are being taken on the road to peace in the Middle East. For the first time ever, an Israeli government has formally accepted the principle of a Palestinian state.
Jerrold Kessel joins us live from Jerusalem.
Good morning -- Jerrold.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Huge declaratory steps, it has to be said at this stage, but it's certainly a historic decision taken by the Israeli government yesterday to endorse the so-called "road map for peace." And that includes, of course, the idea of the creation of Palestinian state within the next three years.
But now come the really huge steps that are demanded of the two sides to translate their support and their endorsement of the peace initiative into action, and the first steps may be taken when the two prime ministers -- Mahmoud Abbas, the newly-installed Palestinian prime minister, and Ariel Sharon, Israel's prime minister -- meet for the second time within the next 48 hours to try to get a working patent established between the two sides.
But again, they may be at a difference. The Israel prime minister saying yesterday when he met with supporters in the wake of the government decision that he was prepared for what he calls painful compromises, painful concessions. That is thought to be Israel withdrawal from parts of the West Bank, if there is progress, said Mr. Sharon.
And one thing he won't compromise on, he said, is Israel security. The Palestinians are likely to go into that meeting with Mr. Sharon saying that they want, first of all, Israel to say it will stop its security measures and that could bring about a cease-fire from the Palestinian militants.
So, all in all, you still have this log jam of different agendas by the two sides. And perhaps the only way they can be broken up again is how the United States steps in and whether President Bush again becomes very assertive in demanding that both sides move from their acceptance of the road map to translating it into practice -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And, Jerrold, a question for you. I know the Palestinian president, Yasser Arafat, had a meeting in Ramallah with the French foreign minister. Did anything significant come from that?
KESSEL: I think the only thing significant about that is that that meeting happened. It really is a meanwhile, in diplomatic terms. Dominique de Villepin, the French foreign minister, arrived, was in town yesterday, met with Israel's foreign minister. Pointedly, Prime Minister Sharon did not meet him.
And the fact that he went to Yasser Arafat, and not only to Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian prime minister, is seen as a stick in Israeli eyes, and also in the American eyes, because both the Americans and the Israelis have been trying to sideline Yasser Arafat; this not likely to help the move down that peace road. That is entirely, it seems, in the hands of the United States -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jerrold Kessel live from Jerusalem, many thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
