Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Wake-Up Call: Colin Powell's Middle East Focus

Aired October 22, 2003 - 06:05   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: Let's talk about Colin Powell now. He's flying to a Red Sea resort today, but it's anything but a vacation. He and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will look for ways to get the Middle East peace process back on track.
The secretary of state is in Kenya now to help with peace talks between the government of Sudan and Sudanese rebels. One thing is for sure, Powell's job is not easy these days.

What will he accomplish while in Egypt? We've placed a "Wake-Up Call" to our State Department producer, Elise Labott, who is in Washington, D.C.

Good morning.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: Egypt is very interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Is it safe to say the road map to peace will come up?

LABOTT: Well, it's a sure bet, Carol. But they're also very interested in the Sudanese peace talks. Egypt, as a neighbor to Sudan, is very involved in the peace process. So, Secretary Powell will be briefing President Mubarak about his attending some of those peace talks, encouraging the parties, who he feels is close to an agreement.

But he also will be talking about Iraq and the Palestinian conflict. Officials tell us that Powell will be asking President Mubarak to help the Palestinians with security and to use his influence with President Yasser Arafat to cede control of the security forces to the new Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qorei.

Coincidentally, Prime Minister Qorei arrives in Egypt today also for talks with President Mubarak, but Secretary Powell will not be meeting with that Palestinian prime minister, Carol. Officials say the Palestinians did request a meeting, but Secretary Powell declined. Not only did his schedule not permit a meeting, but he really didn't think that a meeting would be very productive at this time -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes, I was just going to ask you, because -- I don't know -- reading between the lines, not having time to meet with him probably isn't quite the case.

LABOTT: Right, Carol. Well, he thinks that right now he wants some proof that Prime Minister Qorei is going to crack down on Palestinian militants. He needs that to make a case to Israel to stop attacks in Gaza, stop settlements, building that fence along Israel kind of fencing up the Palestinian territories. But there is little he can do while the attacks against Israel continue.

U.S. officials say that diplomacy is going on, that U.S. officials are still talking to the parties, but that high-level engagement we saw after the road map was introduced is on hold. That engagement of the Palestinians is on hold until Prime Minister Qorei can demonstrate that he is empowered to take action against terrorism and does so.

And right now, Secretary Powell thought that he's already given that message to Prime Minister Qorei, and really doesn't have anything much to do with the man, much diplomacy to be done until he can see that action -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Elise Labott reporting live on the phone for us from Washington, D.C. 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 October 22, 2003 - 06:05   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about Colin Powell now. He's flying to a Red Sea resort today, but it's anything but a vacation. He and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will look for ways to get the Middle East peace process back on track.
The secretary of state is in Kenya now to help with peace talks between the government of Sudan and Sudanese rebels. One thing is for sure, Powell's job is not easy these days.

What will he accomplish while in Egypt? We've placed a "Wake-Up Call" to our State Department producer, Elise Labott, who is in Washington, D.C.

Good morning.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: Egypt is very interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Is it safe to say the road map to peace will come up?

LABOTT: Well, it's a sure bet, Carol. But they're also very interested in the Sudanese peace talks. Egypt, as a neighbor to Sudan, is very involved in the peace process. So, Secretary Powell will be briefing President Mubarak about his attending some of those peace talks, encouraging the parties, who he feels is close to an agreement.

But he also will be talking about Iraq and the Palestinian conflict. Officials tell us that Powell will be asking President Mubarak to help the Palestinians with security and to use his influence with President Yasser Arafat to cede control of the security forces to the new Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qorei.

Coincidentally, Prime Minister Qorei arrives in Egypt today also for talks with President Mubarak, but Secretary Powell will not be meeting with that Palestinian prime minister, Carol. Officials say the Palestinians did request a meeting, but Secretary Powell declined. Not only did his schedule not permit a meeting, but he really didn't think that a meeting would be very productive at this time -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes, I was just going to ask you, because -- I don't know -- reading between the lines, not having time to meet with him probably isn't quite the case.

LABOTT: Right, Carol. Well, he thinks that right now he wants some proof that Prime Minister Qorei is going to crack down on Palestinian militants. He needs that to make a case to Israel to stop attacks in Gaza, stop settlements, building that fence along Israel kind of fencing up the Palestinian territories. But there is little he can do while the attacks against Israel continue.

U.S. officials say that diplomacy is going on, that U.S. officials are still talking to the parties, but that high-level engagement we saw after the road map was introduced is on hold. That engagement of the Palestinians is on hold until Prime Minister Qorei can demonstrate that he is empowered to take action against terrorism and does so.

And right now, Secretary Powell thought that he's already given that message to Prime Minister Qorei, and really doesn't have anything much to do with the man, much diplomacy to be done until he can see that action -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Elise Labott reporting live on the phone for us from Washington, D.C. 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.