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Arafat Locked in Power Struggle With Prime Minister Abbas Over Security

Aired August 27, 2003 - 11:08   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: We will move now to the Middle East and the crisis there. Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat today called on militant groups to renew their cease-fire. Arafat is locked in a power struggle with Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas over security.
CNN's Michael Holmes joining us now by videophone from Gaza City with the very latest on all of this.

Good morning to you, Michael.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Heidi.

That's right. Yasser Arafat making that call from the Mekather (ph) in Ramallah his Palestinian Authority headquarters. The Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas is here in Gaza City at the moment, still carrying on meetings as he's here. As that announcement was made, Arafat urging all Palestinian groups to renew commitment, including commitment to the cease fire. Israel very dubious about that. (AUDIO GAP)

This announcement from Arafat, however, was made as Israeli forces conducted raids in the West Bank in...

(AUDIO GAP)

... they say for questioning. They say they weren't arrested, the Israelis that is, and they say that they uncovered a weapons cache at an explosives lab in Nablus.

Now the Palestinian Authority cabinet to stop the latest round of violence here in Gaza City, they came out with very little to say really, other than to say they were going to draw up a list of their achievements in the first hundred days of the cabinet, and also saying they hold the Israeli government fully responsible for the deterioration of the situation, and warned of gave implications if missile strikes like the three we have seen inside the last week don't stop.

Of course, Mahmoud Abbas feeling very impotent at the moment in terms of being able to act against Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants, because of the missile strikes engendering public support for those groups. And he says, that if he does go after them, he's running the risk of a backlash on the streets -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, CNN's Michael Holmes, thanks so much for the update on all of that. That coming to us by way of videophone.

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




Over Security>


Aired August 27, 2003 - 11:08   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We will move now to the Middle East and the crisis there. Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat today called on militant groups to renew their cease-fire. Arafat is locked in a power struggle with Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas over security.
CNN's Michael Holmes joining us now by videophone from Gaza City with the very latest on all of this.

Good morning to you, Michael.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Heidi.

That's right. Yasser Arafat making that call from the Mekather (ph) in Ramallah his Palestinian Authority headquarters. The Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas is here in Gaza City at the moment, still carrying on meetings as he's here. As that announcement was made, Arafat urging all Palestinian groups to renew commitment, including commitment to the cease fire. Israel very dubious about that. (AUDIO GAP)

This announcement from Arafat, however, was made as Israeli forces conducted raids in the West Bank in...

(AUDIO GAP)

... they say for questioning. They say they weren't arrested, the Israelis that is, and they say that they uncovered a weapons cache at an explosives lab in Nablus.

Now the Palestinian Authority cabinet to stop the latest round of violence here in Gaza City, they came out with very little to say really, other than to say they were going to draw up a list of their achievements in the first hundred days of the cabinet, and also saying they hold the Israeli government fully responsible for the deterioration of the situation, and warned of gave implications if missile strikes like the three we have seen inside the last week don't stop.

Of course, Mahmoud Abbas feeling very impotent at the moment in terms of being able to act against Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants, because of the missile strikes engendering public support for those groups. And he says, that if he does go after them, he's running the risk of a backlash on the streets -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, CNN's Michael Holmes, thanks so much for the update on all of that. That coming to us by way of videophone.

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




Over Security>