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Hamas Orders All-Out Assault on Israel

Aired June 13, 2003 - 10:01   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.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The White House is sending a diplomatic team to the region. It's headed by Assistant Secretary of State John Wolf, the Bush administration's new point man in the Middle East.
Our Senior White House Correspondent John King is standing by at his post. He's got more on this development for us. Good morning, John.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Leon. From the White House an urgent focus on diplomacy and even just in the past few minutes more evidence of the changing rhetoric, the shifting rhetoric from the Bush administration reacting to the violence of recent days.

Remember, earlier in the week a rebuke from the president to the Israeli government for using its helicopters to try to assassinate a Hamas leader, but since that suicide bombing in Jerusalem the other day, the deadly bus bombing, the administration's focus has changed significantly.

Just moments ago, Secretary of State Colin Powell telling reporters in Washington that yes it would be good if the Israeli military would stand down and stay out of the fray, but Secretary Powell saying the way to bring that about, the way to keep the Israeli military on the ground and not operating in the Palestinian territories is to put Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups out of business.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We all are anxious to see restraint and we understand that it's important to get the terror down and if the terror goes down then the response to terror will no longer be required. So, we have to get moving and bring the terror down. All of our efforts are focused on Hamas and persuading Hamas and Islamic Jihad and other terror organizations that this is the time to abandon terror.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: You see pictures of the president there, as Secretary Powell is here in Washington, Mr. Bush is up at his father's summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine. The president and the former president enjoying a round of golf this morning, Mr. Bush keeping track of developments and the administration's focus now is on diplomacy.

Secretary Powell making his comments today, also aggressively working the phones, urging Arab foreign ministers to cut off any political and financial support to Hamas, Condoleezza Rice, the National Security Adviser also involved in the telephone diplomacy and it will get more up close and personal in the days ahead.

The president's new special envoy, Ambassador John Wolf, leaves with his team of diplomats and security experts. They should be on the ground in Israel as early as Sunday. Secretary Powell at the end of next week will travel back to the region to meet with the so-called other members of the so-called quartet.

It is the quartet, the United States, the United Nations, the European Union, and Russia that wrote that roadmap to peace. That is the document the president is trying to get the Israelis and the Palestinians to follow. It is, of course, all in jeopardy right now, Leon, because of this violence. The administration is hoping that its diplomacy will ultimately bring about a break in the violence and some at least gentle, modest progress toward peace.

HARRIS: Well, John, have you heard if whether or not this Assistant Secretary of State John Wolf is going to be bringing anything special with him to accomplish that? Does he have a silver bullet in his bag?

KING: No silver bullet just perseverance the White House says, Leon. His job will be to meet daily with Israeli officials and Palestinian officials, to be there as the president's eyes and ears to give a push, a nudge if you will.

If the president believes Israel, for example, is not moving fast enough to dismantle those settlements as Prime Minister Sharon promised, or the Palestinians are not moving fast enough to reform their security forces and to do more to put Hamas and other militant groups out of business.

He is the eyes and ears of the president and Secretary Powell will go as well. They're trying again to recreate that diplomatic momentum that you had just a little more than a week ago. Some say, if you look at the pictures of recent days, that's perhaps overly optimistic.

HARRIS: Interesting, thanks John, John King at the White House, take care.

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 13, 2003 - 10:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The White House is sending a diplomatic team to the region. It's headed by Assistant Secretary of State John Wolf, the Bush administration's new point man in the Middle East.
Our Senior White House Correspondent John King is standing by at his post. He's got more on this development for us. Good morning, John.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Leon. From the White House an urgent focus on diplomacy and even just in the past few minutes more evidence of the changing rhetoric, the shifting rhetoric from the Bush administration reacting to the violence of recent days.

Remember, earlier in the week a rebuke from the president to the Israeli government for using its helicopters to try to assassinate a Hamas leader, but since that suicide bombing in Jerusalem the other day, the deadly bus bombing, the administration's focus has changed significantly.

Just moments ago, Secretary of State Colin Powell telling reporters in Washington that yes it would be good if the Israeli military would stand down and stay out of the fray, but Secretary Powell saying the way to bring that about, the way to keep the Israeli military on the ground and not operating in the Palestinian territories is to put Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups out of business.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We all are anxious to see restraint and we understand that it's important to get the terror down and if the terror goes down then the response to terror will no longer be required. So, we have to get moving and bring the terror down. All of our efforts are focused on Hamas and persuading Hamas and Islamic Jihad and other terror organizations that this is the time to abandon terror.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: You see pictures of the president there, as Secretary Powell is here in Washington, Mr. Bush is up at his father's summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine. The president and the former president enjoying a round of golf this morning, Mr. Bush keeping track of developments and the administration's focus now is on diplomacy.

Secretary Powell making his comments today, also aggressively working the phones, urging Arab foreign ministers to cut off any political and financial support to Hamas, Condoleezza Rice, the National Security Adviser also involved in the telephone diplomacy and it will get more up close and personal in the days ahead.

The president's new special envoy, Ambassador John Wolf, leaves with his team of diplomats and security experts. They should be on the ground in Israel as early as Sunday. Secretary Powell at the end of next week will travel back to the region to meet with the so-called other members of the so-called quartet.

It is the quartet, the United States, the United Nations, the European Union, and Russia that wrote that roadmap to peace. That is the document the president is trying to get the Israelis and the Palestinians to follow. It is, of course, all in jeopardy right now, Leon, because of this violence. The administration is hoping that its diplomacy will ultimately bring about a break in the violence and some at least gentle, modest progress toward peace.

HARRIS: Well, John, have you heard if whether or not this Assistant Secretary of State John Wolf is going to be bringing anything special with him to accomplish that? Does he have a silver bullet in his bag?

KING: No silver bullet just perseverance the White House says, Leon. His job will be to meet daily with Israeli officials and Palestinian officials, to be there as the president's eyes and ears to give a push, a nudge if you will.

If the president believes Israel, for example, is not moving fast enough to dismantle those settlements as Prime Minister Sharon promised, or the Palestinians are not moving fast enough to reform their security forces and to do more to put Hamas and other militant groups out of business.

He is the eyes and ears of the president and Secretary Powell will go as well. They're trying again to recreate that diplomatic momentum that you had just a little more than a week ago. Some say, if you look at the pictures of recent days, that's perhaps overly optimistic.

HARRIS: Interesting, thanks John, John King at the White House, take care.

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