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CNN Live At Daybreak
President Bush Determined to Keep Peace Process Going
Aired June 11, 2003 - 06:30 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: We've been talking about the recent violence in the Middle East and Hamas vowing that more violence is to come against the Israelis. And we have President Bush insisting he will "ride herd" over both the Israelis and the Palestinians.
So, what exactly will that mean in light of the new violence there?
Let's head live to Washington and our senior White House correspondent, John King.
Good morning -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.
As for riding herd, that's a cowboy term, and that's the president's way of saying that when necessary he is prepared to pick up the phone and speak to Prime Minister Sharon of Israel and Prime Minister Abbas of the Palestinian Authority to try to get them to move a little more quickly if he thinks they are not keeping the promises they made to him. Now, in this case riding head meant a public rebuke from the Bush administration to the Israeli government over that attempted assassination of a Hamas leader yesterday.
Now, the Israeli government says that it is giving the United States intelligence information that it says shows the attack was justified; that the Hamas leader was indeed planning more attacks against Israel. But the president believes the attack was a setback to his efforts to get the peace process back up and running, and Mr. Bush made that quite clear yesterday in the Oval Office.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I regret the loss of innocent life. I am concerned that the attacks will make it more difficult for the Palestinian leadership to fight off terrorist attacks. I also don't believe the attacks helped Israeli security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Now at the White House, the chief concern is that this recent violence and more mistrust will set away the momentum Mr. Bush thought he had generated at the Mideast summit last week in Aqaba, Jordan, when he brought Prime Minister Sharon and Prime Minister Abbas together. Both leaders promised to implement the early steps called for in the so-called road map for peace. Israel has been dismantling some illegal settlements even as this latest attack and the controversy about it plays out. The concern here at the White House is to try to end the violence, get the parties back on the path to peace as part of that effort. The president's new special envoy, Ambassador John Wolf, should be leaving Washington. Officials here, Carol, say he should be in the region by Sunday, the beginning of next week at the very latest.
COSTELLO: All right, John King live from Washington, live from the White House 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 June 11, 2003 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We've been talking about the recent violence in the Middle East and Hamas vowing that more violence is to come against the Israelis. And we have President Bush insisting he will "ride herd" over both the Israelis and the Palestinians.
So, what exactly will that mean in light of the new violence there?
Let's head live to Washington and our senior White House correspondent, John King.
Good morning -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.
As for riding herd, that's a cowboy term, and that's the president's way of saying that when necessary he is prepared to pick up the phone and speak to Prime Minister Sharon of Israel and Prime Minister Abbas of the Palestinian Authority to try to get them to move a little more quickly if he thinks they are not keeping the promises they made to him. Now, in this case riding head meant a public rebuke from the Bush administration to the Israeli government over that attempted assassination of a Hamas leader yesterday.
Now, the Israeli government says that it is giving the United States intelligence information that it says shows the attack was justified; that the Hamas leader was indeed planning more attacks against Israel. But the president believes the attack was a setback to his efforts to get the peace process back up and running, and Mr. Bush made that quite clear yesterday in the Oval Office.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I regret the loss of innocent life. I am concerned that the attacks will make it more difficult for the Palestinian leadership to fight off terrorist attacks. I also don't believe the attacks helped Israeli security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Now at the White House, the chief concern is that this recent violence and more mistrust will set away the momentum Mr. Bush thought he had generated at the Mideast summit last week in Aqaba, Jordan, when he brought Prime Minister Sharon and Prime Minister Abbas together. Both leaders promised to implement the early steps called for in the so-called road map for peace. Israel has been dismantling some illegal settlements even as this latest attack and the controversy about it plays out. The concern here at the White House is to try to end the violence, get the parties back on the path to peace as part of that effort. The president's new special envoy, Ambassador John Wolf, should be leaving Washington. Officials here, Carol, say he should be in the region by Sunday, the beginning of next week at the very latest.
COSTELLO: All right, John King live from Washington, live from the White House 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.
