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CNN Live At Daybreak

Yasser Arafat Dies Overnight in Paris Hospital

Aired November 11, 2004 - 05:35   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: Well at the bottom of the hour now. Topping our news, the new chief of the PLO is Mahmoud Abbas, the former Palestinian prime minister. Abbas was elected by the executive committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. He succeeds Yasser Arafat, who died over night in a Paris hospital.
Funeral services for Yasser Arafat will be tomorrow morning, in Cairo, Egypt, 4 a.m. Eastern, U.S. time. His body will then be flown to Ramallah, in the West Bank for burial.

Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, no fan of Yasser Arafat says the Palestinian leader's death could be a, quote, "historic turning point in the Middle East". But Sharon says peace depends on an end to terrorism.

Well, this is a sad day for many Palestinian people. Many considered Yasser Arafat their father, the leader, the symbol of their struggle for statehood. Yasser Arafat died over night at that Paris hospital. Let's go live to our Michael Holmes, who is in Ramallah, where Arafat had his headquarters -- Michael?

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INT'L CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, yes, I can tell you that preparations are continuing apace here for the burial of Yasser Arafat. As you point out, he will be taken to Cairo, Egypt and there will be a service there. He will, in the words of some, lie in state for some hours in Cairo.

We've had confirmation that he will then be brought here to Ramallah and the burial will take place between the hours of 2 and 3 p.m. local time. That is in roughly 26 hours from now, Eastern Time. So that a confirmation of the burial, indeed, taking place Friday. Taking place between 2 and 3 p.m., in the afternoon.

Now, in the last hour or so, Rauhi Fatui (ph) has been sworn in a the interim president of the Palestinian people. It is a very temporary measure. He is not a powerful politician. This is really just a following of the constitution, elections have to be held within 60 days.

As I say, the preparations are continuing here for the burial. I just want to get our cameraman, Scottie, perhaps to show you some of those preparations. We can actually, literally see the hole being dug now, where Yasser Arafat, the monument, the monument in which he will be buried is going to be constructed.

We've seen various steel being delivered, marble being delivered. And earth-working equipment has been digging that hole now for the last couple of hours. And a general cleanup is being made of this huge area behind me. This area, until a couple of days ago, Fredricka, was completely covered, littered with crushed cars and rubble. Basically the detritus (ph) three years of struggle here and Israeli incursions, which all but destroyed Yasser Arafat compound, the so-called Makata (ph), Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And, Michael, Palestinian negotiator Sahib Arakat (ph), apparently has been quoted as saying that this burial, and the location here in Ramallah, is temporary. What does he mean by that?

HOLMES: It is very much in theory, Fredricka. We have been reporting this for a couple of days, we have been hearing the same thing. That Yasser Arafat wanted to be buried in Jerusalem. Israel ruled that out, said it is not going to happen. They said, Gaza, Ramallah ended up being a compromise. And a good one, I think, for the Palestinian people. After all, this is where Yasser Arafat has spent the last three years under siege in this compound.

So, I think everybody is happy with the compromise. However, under Islamic law, a body can be taken out and reburied, if you like, or moved to a new location, if that is where the deceased wanted to be.

So, what these officials are saying is that in the fullness of time, were there to be a peace deal, were there to be a Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capitol, which is the Palestinian aspiration. Then, yes, Yasser Arafat would likely be moved from here to that capitol.

Now, of course, Israel is saying, well, yes, let's wait and see. That is not likely to happen anytime soon. There is no deal on the table. There is no East Jerusalem capitol of any Palestinian state. So it is very much a theory, it is a idea, it is a plan, it is a desire. But it is not going to happen anytime soon, unless there is a massive breakthrough in what has been a complete roadblock here -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Michael Holmes, thanks very much for that update from Ramallah.

Well, Yasser Arafat was a lightening rod for controversy, throughout the world. In the Middle East he was both revered and reviled. In the U.S., he was courted and cajoled, but over the past few years he was largely ignored. We get more now from CNN's State Department Correspondent Andrea Koppel.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Until the bitter end, the Bush administration refused to deal with Yasser Arafat.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, I've made some decisions on Israel, that's unpopular. I wouldn't deal with Arafat, because I felt like he had let the former president down.

KOPPEL: Unlike President Bill Clinton, who during his two terms in office, had more meetings with Arafat than with any other foreign leader, President Bush declined to meet the Palestinian leader, anywhere. In fact, midway through his first term as president, Mr. Bush openly called for Arafat to step down.

BUSH: When the Palestinian people have new leaders, new institutions, and new security arrangements with their neighbors, the United States of America will support the creation of a Palestinian state.

KOPPEL: Arafat never did step aside, a symbol of Palestinian defiance. And according to one former U.S. negotiator, who over the years spent hundreds of hours with Arafat, the U.S. should not expect his immediate successor to be much different.

AARON DAVID MILLER, PRESIDENT, SEEDS OF PEACE: It is unlikely that you're going to get anyone who would differ markedly, frankly, from Mr. Arafat's position on any of the core issues of this conflict, whether they concern Jerusalem, borders or refugees.

KOPPEL: Miller also warns the U.S. against trying to influence who the Palestinian choose to replace Arafat.

MILLER: The worst thing we could do, I think, is to try to create a profile of an ideal Palestinian leader, let alone try to orchestrate or manufacture one.

ROB MALLEY, INT'L CRISIS GROUP: Let's remember that Arafat had several hats. One hat was as chairman of the PLO, that is in a way the most important one.

KOPPEL: Rob Malley, too, spent years getting to know Arafat. He says, because of Arafat's credentials as founder of the PLO, other potential Palestinian leaders may fall short, lacking the credibility to close and Israeli/Palestinian peace deal.

MALLEY: He was the only one capable of making -- of making the Oslo Agreement. He was the only one capable of making subsequent agreements.

KOPPEL: Still, even though Arafat did sign the Oslo Peace Agreement, with then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in October, 1993, he refused to accept and unprecedented deal offered by Ehud Barak at Camp David in August, 2000. Arafat also refused subsequent Israeli offers brokered by Bill Clinton before he left office.

(On camera): From the U.S. perspective, Arafat's legacy will be two-fold. As a former guerrilla fighter who used terrorism to try to create a Palestinian state, and as a failed leader who would have achieved that life-long goal if he hadn't rejected what the U.S. believes was the best deal Israel would ever offer -- Andrea Koppel, CNN, at the State Department.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Coming up next, on DAYBREAK...

(GUNFIRE, SHOUTING)

WHITFIELD: The U.S. and Iraqi troops push through Falluja as fierce fighting rages on, in eight minutes, some sights and sounds from the battle of Falluja. But first, here is a look at what else is making news this Thursday morning.

(GRAPHIC WITH HEADLINES)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The news, money, weather and sports, it is now about 46 minutes after the hour. Here is what's new this morning.

Palestinians lower their flags to half staff as they mourn Yasser Arafat's death. The long-time leader died over night in a Paris hospital. And funeral services will be tomorrow morning, in Cairo. Arafat was 75 years old.

In money, oil prices hover around $49 a barrel worldwide, after a report in the U.S. showed a growing deficit in heating fuel. That is coupled with a forecast of an early cold snap.

In culture, Citadel Communications stations in Iowa and Nebraska will not air "Saving Private Ryan", the ABC movie, this Veterans' Day. Citadel says the FCC bans profanity on TV before 10 p.m.

In sports, Louisville racked up 587 yards last night, beating Texas Christian University, 55 - 28. It was the fifth time this season that TCU has allowed at least 40 points.

Let's take another peak at weather right now. And let's check in with Chad.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

WHITFIELD: At least 12 people have been killed today in a suicide car bombing in a commercial district of Baghdad. The blast set cars afire and sent a cloud of thick black smoke billowing over the stores on a busy street in the capital, Baghdad.

U.S. Marine Master Sergeant Roy Meeks says those insurgents remaining in Falluja, about 40 miles west of Baghdad, are now in small pockets. And he adds, quote, "We will continue to hunt them down and destroy them," end quote.

The battle for Falluja is house-to-house, as the Marine commander describes it, quote, "very close and very violent". Here's how it looks and sounds.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, he's wounded, in between these two houses.

(RAPID GUNFIRE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We thought everything was clear, we had gotten up on the roof, and went over there to go get them. Whole 'nother squad. Another guy popped out, tried to shoot me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) out! Out!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, let's go.

(GUNFIRE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're taking fire from the mosque.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The ones we can see, yeah?

(UNINTELLIGIBLE)

(MUSIC PLAYS, RAISING OF IRAQI FLAG)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The insurgents are hitting back with attacks in other Iraqi cities, killing two dozen people yesterday, including two American soldiers.

Well, today is Veterans' Day. Marking the holiday the Smithsonian Institution opens "The Price of Freedom: Americans At Wars". The artifacts of war on display include a restored Hue (ph) Helicopter from the Vietnam war. Visitors also get to hear first-hand accounts from some war veterans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY SMALL, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE: As you go through the exhibit, you'll hear from the principles, first-hand, in their own words, about what they did and how they felt about the sacrifices they had to make. And it's a very comprehensive presentation. You get, in a way, to step in to the world of the people who acted in these tremendous events, and discover what it was like.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And later this morning, President Bush heads for Arlington Cemetery to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

Well, now for all of you history buffs, here's today's history quiz. On this day, in 1918, what important agreement was signed in Compiygne, France?

The answer ahead, and you better not miss it. You are watching DAYBREAK for this Thursday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK, our history trivia question for the day is: On this day, in 1918, what important agreement was signed in Compiygne, France? And the answer is: In 1918, the Armistice ending World War I was signed in Compiygne, France.

And in World War I, today, we know it as Veterans' Day. That one you shouldn't miss.

Former State Department official and Clinton adviser, Jamie Rubin, was front and center when an historic deal for peace in the Middle East was oh so close. He joins us live now from London with a look back and forward to what's ahead for the Palestinians.

Good to see you, Jamie.

JAMES RUBIN, FMR. ASSIST. SEC. OF STATE: Good morning to you.

WHITFIELD: Before we get to what you witnessed back in 2000, at Camp David, let's talk about why it is understandable, why worldwide there are so many different points of view of Yasser Arafat. But help us understand why, even among Palestinians, he is both beloved and reviled.

RUBIN: Well, I think Yasser Arafat served as a great symbol of unity for the Palestinian during the time that they were trying to build international support for their cause. But recently, in the last four or five years, he has become a lot more controversial, because many Palestinians think that his whole agreement to the Oslo peace process, with Yitzhak Rabin, was a great historical mistake. By accepting a limited territory, where the Palestinians now have limited control in Gaza and the West Bank, he accepted too little.

On the other hand, there are many Palestinians who believe that the problem isn't so much the peace process, the problem is the lack of accountability and real leadership from Arafat. And That money has disappeared, that there is no democratic process there, that all of the decisions are made by the whims and views of Arafat without collective leadership always being involved.

And I think that there's real feeling that the whole top echelon of the Palestinian Authority has been corrupt and has stolen some of the money and support and resources and support provided to the Palestinians.

So, some think he's corrupt; others think he gave in too much, to the Israelis. But I think all Palestinians, at some level, recognize that he was a symbol and a leader during the revolutionary period, when Palestinian became known.

WHITFIELD: But then the world recognized him enough to give him a Nobel prize, to share that Nobel prize with Yitzhak Rabin, back in 1994, for those Oslo agreements in '93. However, fast forward to the year 2000, it was very frustrating, wasn't it, for former President Bill Clinton, when Yasser Arafat would not agree to the agreements that was extended by, at the time Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

RUBIN: Well, that is exactly right. I think in the mid-'90s, if you had asked President Clinton, or you had asked European leaders or others what they expected from an Israeli prime minister, in terms of a final peace agreement, they would have said that they expected Israel to share Jerusalem. They expected a fair settlement for the Palestinian refugees that left Israel in 1948. And they would expect all or most of the territory of the Palestinians to be returned.

WHITFIELD: OK.

RUBIN: When that actually was offered by Prime Minister Barak, under the auspices of President Clinton, Yasser Arafat didn't have the wisdom or the courage to take that agreement. He didn't have to agree to every detail, but he could have agreed to it in principle.

WHITFIELD: OK.

RUBIN: Instead he launched and intifada.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jamie. Sorry, we're running out of time, on our window, and have to let you go. But thank you so much for reflecting on those years and the leadership of Yasser Arafat.

RUBIN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, the next hour of DAYBREAK will begin in two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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 November 11, 2004 - 05:35   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well at the bottom of the hour now. Topping our news, the new chief of the PLO is Mahmoud Abbas, the former Palestinian prime minister. Abbas was elected by the executive committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. He succeeds Yasser Arafat, who died over night in a Paris hospital.
Funeral services for Yasser Arafat will be tomorrow morning, in Cairo, Egypt, 4 a.m. Eastern, U.S. time. His body will then be flown to Ramallah, in the West Bank for burial.

Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, no fan of Yasser Arafat says the Palestinian leader's death could be a, quote, "historic turning point in the Middle East". But Sharon says peace depends on an end to terrorism.

Well, this is a sad day for many Palestinian people. Many considered Yasser Arafat their father, the leader, the symbol of their struggle for statehood. Yasser Arafat died over night at that Paris hospital. Let's go live to our Michael Holmes, who is in Ramallah, where Arafat had his headquarters -- Michael?

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INT'L CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, yes, I can tell you that preparations are continuing apace here for the burial of Yasser Arafat. As you point out, he will be taken to Cairo, Egypt and there will be a service there. He will, in the words of some, lie in state for some hours in Cairo.

We've had confirmation that he will then be brought here to Ramallah and the burial will take place between the hours of 2 and 3 p.m. local time. That is in roughly 26 hours from now, Eastern Time. So that a confirmation of the burial, indeed, taking place Friday. Taking place between 2 and 3 p.m., in the afternoon.

Now, in the last hour or so, Rauhi Fatui (ph) has been sworn in a the interim president of the Palestinian people. It is a very temporary measure. He is not a powerful politician. This is really just a following of the constitution, elections have to be held within 60 days.

As I say, the preparations are continuing here for the burial. I just want to get our cameraman, Scottie, perhaps to show you some of those preparations. We can actually, literally see the hole being dug now, where Yasser Arafat, the monument, the monument in which he will be buried is going to be constructed.

We've seen various steel being delivered, marble being delivered. And earth-working equipment has been digging that hole now for the last couple of hours. And a general cleanup is being made of this huge area behind me. This area, until a couple of days ago, Fredricka, was completely covered, littered with crushed cars and rubble. Basically the detritus (ph) three years of struggle here and Israeli incursions, which all but destroyed Yasser Arafat compound, the so-called Makata (ph), Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And, Michael, Palestinian negotiator Sahib Arakat (ph), apparently has been quoted as saying that this burial, and the location here in Ramallah, is temporary. What does he mean by that?

HOLMES: It is very much in theory, Fredricka. We have been reporting this for a couple of days, we have been hearing the same thing. That Yasser Arafat wanted to be buried in Jerusalem. Israel ruled that out, said it is not going to happen. They said, Gaza, Ramallah ended up being a compromise. And a good one, I think, for the Palestinian people. After all, this is where Yasser Arafat has spent the last three years under siege in this compound.

So, I think everybody is happy with the compromise. However, under Islamic law, a body can be taken out and reburied, if you like, or moved to a new location, if that is where the deceased wanted to be.

So, what these officials are saying is that in the fullness of time, were there to be a peace deal, were there to be a Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capitol, which is the Palestinian aspiration. Then, yes, Yasser Arafat would likely be moved from here to that capitol.

Now, of course, Israel is saying, well, yes, let's wait and see. That is not likely to happen anytime soon. There is no deal on the table. There is no East Jerusalem capitol of any Palestinian state. So it is very much a theory, it is a idea, it is a plan, it is a desire. But it is not going to happen anytime soon, unless there is a massive breakthrough in what has been a complete roadblock here -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Michael Holmes, thanks very much for that update from Ramallah.

Well, Yasser Arafat was a lightening rod for controversy, throughout the world. In the Middle East he was both revered and reviled. In the U.S., he was courted and cajoled, but over the past few years he was largely ignored. We get more now from CNN's State Department Correspondent Andrea Koppel.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Until the bitter end, the Bush administration refused to deal with Yasser Arafat.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, I've made some decisions on Israel, that's unpopular. I wouldn't deal with Arafat, because I felt like he had let the former president down.

KOPPEL: Unlike President Bill Clinton, who during his two terms in office, had more meetings with Arafat than with any other foreign leader, President Bush declined to meet the Palestinian leader, anywhere. In fact, midway through his first term as president, Mr. Bush openly called for Arafat to step down.

BUSH: When the Palestinian people have new leaders, new institutions, and new security arrangements with their neighbors, the United States of America will support the creation of a Palestinian state.

KOPPEL: Arafat never did step aside, a symbol of Palestinian defiance. And according to one former U.S. negotiator, who over the years spent hundreds of hours with Arafat, the U.S. should not expect his immediate successor to be much different.

AARON DAVID MILLER, PRESIDENT, SEEDS OF PEACE: It is unlikely that you're going to get anyone who would differ markedly, frankly, from Mr. Arafat's position on any of the core issues of this conflict, whether they concern Jerusalem, borders or refugees.

KOPPEL: Miller also warns the U.S. against trying to influence who the Palestinian choose to replace Arafat.

MILLER: The worst thing we could do, I think, is to try to create a profile of an ideal Palestinian leader, let alone try to orchestrate or manufacture one.

ROB MALLEY, INT'L CRISIS GROUP: Let's remember that Arafat had several hats. One hat was as chairman of the PLO, that is in a way the most important one.

KOPPEL: Rob Malley, too, spent years getting to know Arafat. He says, because of Arafat's credentials as founder of the PLO, other potential Palestinian leaders may fall short, lacking the credibility to close and Israeli/Palestinian peace deal.

MALLEY: He was the only one capable of making -- of making the Oslo Agreement. He was the only one capable of making subsequent agreements.

KOPPEL: Still, even though Arafat did sign the Oslo Peace Agreement, with then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in October, 1993, he refused to accept and unprecedented deal offered by Ehud Barak at Camp David in August, 2000. Arafat also refused subsequent Israeli offers brokered by Bill Clinton before he left office.

(On camera): From the U.S. perspective, Arafat's legacy will be two-fold. As a former guerrilla fighter who used terrorism to try to create a Palestinian state, and as a failed leader who would have achieved that life-long goal if he hadn't rejected what the U.S. believes was the best deal Israel would ever offer -- Andrea Koppel, CNN, at the State Department.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Coming up next, on DAYBREAK...

(GUNFIRE, SHOUTING)

WHITFIELD: The U.S. and Iraqi troops push through Falluja as fierce fighting rages on, in eight minutes, some sights and sounds from the battle of Falluja. But first, here is a look at what else is making news this Thursday morning.

(GRAPHIC WITH HEADLINES)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The news, money, weather and sports, it is now about 46 minutes after the hour. Here is what's new this morning.

Palestinians lower their flags to half staff as they mourn Yasser Arafat's death. The long-time leader died over night in a Paris hospital. And funeral services will be tomorrow morning, in Cairo. Arafat was 75 years old.

In money, oil prices hover around $49 a barrel worldwide, after a report in the U.S. showed a growing deficit in heating fuel. That is coupled with a forecast of an early cold snap.

In culture, Citadel Communications stations in Iowa and Nebraska will not air "Saving Private Ryan", the ABC movie, this Veterans' Day. Citadel says the FCC bans profanity on TV before 10 p.m.

In sports, Louisville racked up 587 yards last night, beating Texas Christian University, 55 - 28. It was the fifth time this season that TCU has allowed at least 40 points.

Let's take another peak at weather right now. And let's check in with Chad.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

WHITFIELD: At least 12 people have been killed today in a suicide car bombing in a commercial district of Baghdad. The blast set cars afire and sent a cloud of thick black smoke billowing over the stores on a busy street in the capital, Baghdad.

U.S. Marine Master Sergeant Roy Meeks says those insurgents remaining in Falluja, about 40 miles west of Baghdad, are now in small pockets. And he adds, quote, "We will continue to hunt them down and destroy them," end quote.

The battle for Falluja is house-to-house, as the Marine commander describes it, quote, "very close and very violent". Here's how it looks and sounds.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, he's wounded, in between these two houses.

(RAPID GUNFIRE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We thought everything was clear, we had gotten up on the roof, and went over there to go get them. Whole 'nother squad. Another guy popped out, tried to shoot me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) out! Out!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, let's go.

(GUNFIRE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're taking fire from the mosque.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The ones we can see, yeah?

(UNINTELLIGIBLE)

(MUSIC PLAYS, RAISING OF IRAQI FLAG)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The insurgents are hitting back with attacks in other Iraqi cities, killing two dozen people yesterday, including two American soldiers.

Well, today is Veterans' Day. Marking the holiday the Smithsonian Institution opens "The Price of Freedom: Americans At Wars". The artifacts of war on display include a restored Hue (ph) Helicopter from the Vietnam war. Visitors also get to hear first-hand accounts from some war veterans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY SMALL, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE: As you go through the exhibit, you'll hear from the principles, first-hand, in their own words, about what they did and how they felt about the sacrifices they had to make. And it's a very comprehensive presentation. You get, in a way, to step in to the world of the people who acted in these tremendous events, and discover what it was like.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And later this morning, President Bush heads for Arlington Cemetery to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

Well, now for all of you history buffs, here's today's history quiz. On this day, in 1918, what important agreement was signed in Compiygne, France?

The answer ahead, and you better not miss it. You are watching DAYBREAK for this Thursday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK, our history trivia question for the day is: On this day, in 1918, what important agreement was signed in Compiygne, France? And the answer is: In 1918, the Armistice ending World War I was signed in Compiygne, France.

And in World War I, today, we know it as Veterans' Day. That one you shouldn't miss.

Former State Department official and Clinton adviser, Jamie Rubin, was front and center when an historic deal for peace in the Middle East was oh so close. He joins us live now from London with a look back and forward to what's ahead for the Palestinians.

Good to see you, Jamie.

JAMES RUBIN, FMR. ASSIST. SEC. OF STATE: Good morning to you.

WHITFIELD: Before we get to what you witnessed back in 2000, at Camp David, let's talk about why it is understandable, why worldwide there are so many different points of view of Yasser Arafat. But help us understand why, even among Palestinians, he is both beloved and reviled.

RUBIN: Well, I think Yasser Arafat served as a great symbol of unity for the Palestinian during the time that they were trying to build international support for their cause. But recently, in the last four or five years, he has become a lot more controversial, because many Palestinians think that his whole agreement to the Oslo peace process, with Yitzhak Rabin, was a great historical mistake. By accepting a limited territory, where the Palestinians now have limited control in Gaza and the West Bank, he accepted too little.

On the other hand, there are many Palestinians who believe that the problem isn't so much the peace process, the problem is the lack of accountability and real leadership from Arafat. And That money has disappeared, that there is no democratic process there, that all of the decisions are made by the whims and views of Arafat without collective leadership always being involved.

And I think that there's real feeling that the whole top echelon of the Palestinian Authority has been corrupt and has stolen some of the money and support and resources and support provided to the Palestinians.

So, some think he's corrupt; others think he gave in too much, to the Israelis. But I think all Palestinians, at some level, recognize that he was a symbol and a leader during the revolutionary period, when Palestinian became known.

WHITFIELD: But then the world recognized him enough to give him a Nobel prize, to share that Nobel prize with Yitzhak Rabin, back in 1994, for those Oslo agreements in '93. However, fast forward to the year 2000, it was very frustrating, wasn't it, for former President Bill Clinton, when Yasser Arafat would not agree to the agreements that was extended by, at the time Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

RUBIN: Well, that is exactly right. I think in the mid-'90s, if you had asked President Clinton, or you had asked European leaders or others what they expected from an Israeli prime minister, in terms of a final peace agreement, they would have said that they expected Israel to share Jerusalem. They expected a fair settlement for the Palestinian refugees that left Israel in 1948. And they would expect all or most of the territory of the Palestinians to be returned.

WHITFIELD: OK.

RUBIN: When that actually was offered by Prime Minister Barak, under the auspices of President Clinton, Yasser Arafat didn't have the wisdom or the courage to take that agreement. He didn't have to agree to every detail, but he could have agreed to it in principle.

WHITFIELD: OK.

RUBIN: Instead he launched and intifada.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jamie. Sorry, we're running out of time, on our window, and have to let you go. But thank you so much for reflecting on those years and the leadership of Yasser Arafat.

RUBIN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, the next hour of DAYBREAK will begin in two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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