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CNN Live At Daybreak
Yasser Arafat Picks Replacement for Mahmoud Abbas
Aired September 08, 2003 - 06:09 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: Turning now to the Middle East peace process. Yasser Arafat has nominated the speaker of the Palestinian parliament to serve as the new prime minister, but Ahmed Qorai says some conditions must first be met.
CNN's Jerrold Kessel joins us from Jerusalem with that story -- Jerrold.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, some very stiff conditions posited by the Palestinian parliamentary speaker, Ahmed Qorai. He's also known as Abbu Ala (ph). And it seems as if there is still some way to go before this Palestinian leadership crisis is resolved, and therefore the bumps, very big bumps on the road map to peace remain in place.
We caught up with the man who has been nominated by Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian leadership to take over from the resigned Mahmoud Abbas at his office in the village of Abudish (ph) just on the outskirts of Jerusalem a short while ago, and when I asked Ahmed Qorai whether he was already accepting facilitations and good wishes for taking up the -- being ready to take up the post, he said very bluntly, "Not yet."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AHMED QOREI, PRIME MINISTER DESIGNATE: I've been nominated, but I've not accepted yet, because before that I want to see what kind of support I will receive to change the situation on the ground for the Palestinian people. That's very important. Without it, I am not going -- I am not going to accept for a new failure. I don't want to fail.
And therefore, I want to see what kind of change on the ground the Israelis will give, what kind of support from the United States in this regard -- from the United States. I want to see that the Israelis will change the way of dealing with (UNINTELLIGIBLE) at the president, because I cannot go without his support.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KESSEL: And that, Fredricka, I think is the key that he is saying that without Yasser Arafat being in the picture, then he will not be able to do his job as the prime minister.
And while he was meeting with the American vice -- American consul in East Jerusalem to discuss, presumably, getting those assurances from the United States, the Israelis were already reiterating they believe unless Yasser Arafat is completely out of the picture, there is no way down the peace road. Still, something of a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) peace process with this Palestinian leadership crisis still intact -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, more than just a speed bump in the road map to peace, that's for certain. Jerrold Kessel, thanks very much.
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 September 8, 2003 - 06:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Turning now to the Middle East peace process. Yasser Arafat has nominated the speaker of the Palestinian parliament to serve as the new prime minister, but Ahmed Qorai says some conditions must first be met.
CNN's Jerrold Kessel joins us from Jerusalem with that story -- Jerrold.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, some very stiff conditions posited by the Palestinian parliamentary speaker, Ahmed Qorai. He's also known as Abbu Ala (ph). And it seems as if there is still some way to go before this Palestinian leadership crisis is resolved, and therefore the bumps, very big bumps on the road map to peace remain in place.
We caught up with the man who has been nominated by Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian leadership to take over from the resigned Mahmoud Abbas at his office in the village of Abudish (ph) just on the outskirts of Jerusalem a short while ago, and when I asked Ahmed Qorai whether he was already accepting facilitations and good wishes for taking up the -- being ready to take up the post, he said very bluntly, "Not yet."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AHMED QOREI, PRIME MINISTER DESIGNATE: I've been nominated, but I've not accepted yet, because before that I want to see what kind of support I will receive to change the situation on the ground for the Palestinian people. That's very important. Without it, I am not going -- I am not going to accept for a new failure. I don't want to fail.
And therefore, I want to see what kind of change on the ground the Israelis will give, what kind of support from the United States in this regard -- from the United States. I want to see that the Israelis will change the way of dealing with (UNINTELLIGIBLE) at the president, because I cannot go without his support.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KESSEL: And that, Fredricka, I think is the key that he is saying that without Yasser Arafat being in the picture, then he will not be able to do his job as the prime minister.
And while he was meeting with the American vice -- American consul in East Jerusalem to discuss, presumably, getting those assurances from the United States, the Israelis were already reiterating they believe unless Yasser Arafat is completely out of the picture, there is no way down the peace road. Still, something of a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) peace process with this Palestinian leadership crisis still intact -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, more than just a speed bump in the road map to peace, that's for certain. Jerrold Kessel, thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
