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CNN Live Saturday
Quartet to Meet this Sunday to Discuss Mideast Peace
Aired June 21, 2003 - 12:24 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell is in Jordan where more than 1,600 business and political leaders are meeting at the World Economic Forum. The focus is the situation in the Middle East and Iraq. Delegates are talking about ways to promote the region's economic development. Powell will address the forum on Sunday.
It'll be a busy weekend for Secretary Powell. On the sidelines of the economic forum, members of the Middle East Quartet will be meeting on Sunday. The Quartet is composed of the U.S., Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations. A U.N. envoy says the group's first priority is to negotiate a transfer of military power over Gaza and Bethlehem to the Palestinian authority. Sheila MacVicar has the latest from Jerusalem, now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There are some suggestions that following Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit here yesterday, where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, that more progress may be made on implementation of the U.S. administration's road map to peace.
(on camera): The "Los Angeles Times" is reporting that Israeli and Palestinian officials may be very close to reaching a deal for security control, not just of a small part of Gaza, but returning all of the Gaza Strip to Palestinian control. That would be a very significant step, indeed, plus the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
The "L.A. Times" reporting that negotiations are continuing and will resume tomorrow. A senior Israeli official telling CNN that the size of the area to be returned to the Gaza Strip is not so much the question confirming that, in fact, returning all of the Gaza Strip to Palestinian security control is one of the options the Israelis have indeed put on the table.
(voice-over): The issue is the Palestinian readiness and willingness to be able to implement full security control throughout all of the Gaza strip.
Now, from the Israeli perspective, that also would mean that they would expect Palestinian authority to, fairly quickly, begin to disarm and dismantle organizations like Hamas, in particular.
(on camera): the Israel's saying at the same time, that they would refrain from carrying out any military actions in areas under Palestinian security control reserving the right to take military action only in instances where there was, what they call, a "ticking bomb." They had specific intelligence about someone identified as a would-be suicide bomber or someone who is actively engaged in planning or attempting to carry out other kinds of terrorist acts. Israeli officials saying that, indeed, these talks continuing, they will continue again tomorrow, and there is some suggestion that the sides close enough, an agreement could be reached early next week.
Sheila MacVicar, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 21, 2003 - 12:24 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell is in Jordan where more than 1,600 business and political leaders are meeting at the World Economic Forum. The focus is the situation in the Middle East and Iraq. Delegates are talking about ways to promote the region's economic development. Powell will address the forum on Sunday.
It'll be a busy weekend for Secretary Powell. On the sidelines of the economic forum, members of the Middle East Quartet will be meeting on Sunday. The Quartet is composed of the U.S., Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations. A U.N. envoy says the group's first priority is to negotiate a transfer of military power over Gaza and Bethlehem to the Palestinian authority. Sheila MacVicar has the latest from Jerusalem, now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There are some suggestions that following Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit here yesterday, where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, that more progress may be made on implementation of the U.S. administration's road map to peace.
(on camera): The "Los Angeles Times" is reporting that Israeli and Palestinian officials may be very close to reaching a deal for security control, not just of a small part of Gaza, but returning all of the Gaza Strip to Palestinian control. That would be a very significant step, indeed, plus the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
The "L.A. Times" reporting that negotiations are continuing and will resume tomorrow. A senior Israeli official telling CNN that the size of the area to be returned to the Gaza Strip is not so much the question confirming that, in fact, returning all of the Gaza Strip to Palestinian security control is one of the options the Israelis have indeed put on the table.
(voice-over): The issue is the Palestinian readiness and willingness to be able to implement full security control throughout all of the Gaza strip.
Now, from the Israeli perspective, that also would mean that they would expect Palestinian authority to, fairly quickly, begin to disarm and dismantle organizations like Hamas, in particular.
(on camera): the Israel's saying at the same time, that they would refrain from carrying out any military actions in areas under Palestinian security control reserving the right to take military action only in instances where there was, what they call, a "ticking bomb." They had specific intelligence about someone identified as a would-be suicide bomber or someone who is actively engaged in planning or attempting to carry out other kinds of terrorist acts. Israeli officials saying that, indeed, these talks continuing, they will continue again tomorrow, and there is some suggestion that the sides close enough, an agreement could be reached early next week.
Sheila MacVicar, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
