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American Morning

Diplomats Issue Statement on Mideast Crisis; Haifa Put to the Test

Aired July 26, 2006 - 08:33   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: If there ever is a cease-fire in the Middle East, who's going to keep the peace? Coming up, we talk to a military expert about just who would make up an international peacekeeping force.
You're watching a special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. We've got a short break, and we're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Haggling over the cease-fire. Peace meetings in Rome are breaking down right now. We're waiting to hear from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. You can see a live picture right there of the foreign ministry office in Rome. We were expecting a press conference to start an hour ago, but negotiations have broken down. We're waiting for it. We'll bring it to you live when it happens.

Welcome back, everybody. You're watching a special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Soledad O'Brien in New York. Hey, Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad. Miles O'Brien, live from Haifa, where the rocket attacks continue. We'll have more on that in just a moment. Back to you.

S. O'BRIEN: Excellent. Let's begin with the headlines from the Middle East this morning. In fact, wait a minute, I'm being told that there's some movement. Let's take you live again to the foreign ministry office in Rome. There we go. There is the U.N. Secretary- General, Kofi Annan, and Condoleezza Rice. They're about to take their positions at their microphone and begin the briefing of the press an hour late.

Let's listen in to what they have to say.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: Are you going to read in English or...

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN ITALIAN)

S. O'BRIEN: The Italian foreign minister, as he begins to welcome the press that's assembled. They're getting this very delayed press conference underway. You can't see them in the shot there, but Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is to his left; Kofi Annan, the U.N. secretary-general, also there. He's beginning his remarks in Italian. And, of course, this is taking place in the foreign ministry office in Rome this morning. So no surprise there.

We're going to monitor this and as soon as we can get translation or -- or they move into English, we will be able to bring this to you. They're making a statement about what has been accomplished. And it's a big problem, of course, because they've had a real stumbling block this morning. And it's one of the reasons, in fact, we're told, that this conference is running an hour or more late. That is because they have not been able to come to any kind of agreement on stopping the hostilities between Israel and Lebanon.

They have had some agreement on humanitarian aid, they've made some agreement on some other fronts, but as everyone points out, agreements on those other fronts are, to a large degree, moot, if they're not able to bring an end to the hostilities that would allow humanitarian aid and other things to come in.

S. O'BRIEN: So we continue to monitor this news conference.

We're going to bring John King in. And he is there in Rome, as they bring -- as they bring this conference to us live.

John, can you hear me? We're going to see if we can bring John King in, as he can give us some analysis as the Italian foreign minister addresses the reporters who are there this morning.

Let's take a moment to check back in again with Miles. He's in Haifa. We're going to monitor this. We're going to take you to -- let's keep it up on the screen at the same time. We'll be able to dump out of it and come back when the secretary of state starts to address the reporters there.

We want to check in with Miles for a moment. Talking about Haifa. He's been there as the air raid sirens have been going on and off all morning. Thirty-seven, maybe more now, missile attacks coming in.

Miles, good morning again.

M. O'BRIEN: Good morning, Soledad. Take a look behind me. This is a beautiful city, isn't it? We're high on the bluffs overlooking this town. They have great beaches. It's a wonderful place. Everything you hear about Haifa is about good things and how people live well together here.

Well, all of this has put everything here to the test.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN (voice-over): Here in Haifa, they like to boast about how well Jews and Arabs get along.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The tension we have, it's normal. We have tension, but not between us. In Haifa, I don't feel it. Maybe -- maybe I'm wrong, but I don't feel it. M. O'BRIEN: We met Sada Isa (ph), an Arab and a Christian, as she ventured out, nervously, to do some shopping.

(on camera): How have things changed since all of this began?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything changed from the very first -- two weeks ago. And it's very, very sad, for me and for my children, for my family. We're all scared. We don't go out of home, just eat food, that's all.

M. O'BRIEN: So are you torn because of this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I'm in the middle. It's very sad. We are all in the middle of this terrible war. And I hope it will be finished, end soon with just peace for the -- both sides.

M. O'BRIEN: This is Watti Nisnas (ph). It's a neighborhood right in the center of the city, predominantly Arabs here. And as you can see, some businesses are open, but many of them are shuttered. The war has not been good for business.

(voice-over): Sami Naklah has owned this produce stand for 28 years. "From the morning, all I do is clean and then I throw out the vegetables," he says. "Today I threw out almost 400 pounds of vegetables. And that's what I do: select and throw out the garbage."

Sami says everyone here lives in peace, that 70 percent of his customers, when they're here, are Jews. But watch what happens when I ask him about his allegiance.

"I am an Arab," he says in Hebrew, "an Arab Christian, but I'm an Arab."

Then he switches to Arabic and tells Halim Hadad (ph), I told him I'm am an Arab. I am, first of all, an Arab. He asked me what is my religion. Halim Hadad's reply, "We are Arab. We are not divided. We are Arab-Palestinians."

Sami: "But that is what I told him."

Halim: "You are an Arab-Palestinian, period."

For all the talk of harmony here, there is no escaping the rivalry, the hatred, as old as the hills, that casts a shadow on this city.

(on camera): Is there tension between Christians, Muslims, Jews, because of all this?

GEORGE MAROOF, HAIFA RESIDENT: No, but everybody try to be silent. But I don't think everybody can talk openly. For example, Jewish, Muslims, (INAUDIBLE) and Christians. So they try to be nice. But everybody try to keep inside everything.

(END VIDEOTAPE) M. O'BRIEN: Soledad, before this all began here, Haifa was viewed as a safe place, even though it is so close to that northern border. The mayor, when he was serving in the Knesset in his previous political job, pushed to have the Israelis leave Southern Lebanon in 2000. I said to him today, would you like those Israelis to move back in? Would you like an occupation of Southern Lebanon? He said never, never would that be a good plan. Even though, perhaps, that might mean a measure of safety for the people here -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Miles, thanks.

Let's take you back to the foreign ministry office in Rome. We've been watching and monitoring this press conference that's going on between Condoleezza Rice -- you can see her right there -- and also the U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. They have switched to English, we're told. So let's listen in, and see if they are updating the status of these peace meetings.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

MASSIMO D'ALEMA, FOREIGN MINISTER OF ITALY: ... which provide for the deployment of Lebanese armed forces to all parts of the country and the disarming of all militias.

An international force in Lebanon should urgently be authorized under a U.N. mandate to support the Lebanese armed forces in providing a secure environment.

The Rome conference pledged its support for Lebanon's revival and reconstruction. The participants today agreed to the convening of an international donor conference to assist with the revival of Lebanon's economy and called for the provision of reconstruction assistance to the Lebanese government with special attention on the southern part of the country.

In addition, the need for a meeting of partner countries to discuss a joint approach to security assistance for the Lebanese armor forces and security services was widely supported.

Participants, finally, agreed that any lasting solution to Middle East tensions must be regional. They expressed their full commitment to the people of Lebanon, Israel and throughout the region to act immediately with international community toward the goal of a comprehensive and sustainable peace.

The document -- the statement will be distributed at the end of the conference.

I give the floor to Kofi Annan.

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

I think the foreign minister has indicated that nature of the discussions through the chairman's summary. And I think it is important that as we leave this meeting we continue the urgent effort to help bring peace and stability to that region.

It is important that we get a political framework that will buttress whatever understanding that we reach eventually through the Security Council and through discussions with countries involved.

It is important that we work with the countries of the region to find a solution and that should also include Iran and Syria.

It is important that we get early and quick contributions for the international force that may eventually be sent to the region to help stabilize southern Lebanon, to allow the government of Lebanon, time and space to prepare its own troops, and be able to extend its authority throughout the country, and to bring under the governmental authority all the weapons and guns in the country. As is said in a location not too far away, one gun, one authority.

And I would hope that as we move forward, not only would we agree on the political settlement, we will take immediate action to assist on the humanitarian front.

And some of you know, I have asked the council to consider urgent action on cessation of hostilities. And this group has also endorsed the need for urgent action to stop the hostilities so that we can move into the longer-term mold and be able to deploy troops.

I think we will pause here and maybe give the floor to my other participants.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Thank you very much.

And, first, thanks to the government of Italy for arranging this conference -- to you, Foreign Minister D'Alema, and to Prime Minister Prodi, who joined us earlier.

I think that it goes without saying that this extraordinary gathering of the international community shows our deep concern about the situation in Lebanon, in northern Israel, in the region.

We heard a very impassioned appeal from the prime minister of Lebanon, who I think put a human face for all of us on the suffering of his people.

And I would just like to say, Prime Minister, we thank you for your steadfast leadership in these difficult days for Lebanon.

It is also the case that we talked about how to move forward, and not just to talk about it, but, indeed, to take action to move forward. We are all agreed that we want most urgently to end the violence on a basis that this time will be sustainable. Because, unfortunately, this is a region that has had too many broken cease- fires, too many spasms of violence followed then by other spasms of violence.

And we do have a way forward. We know that the international community made a pledge to the people of Lebanon when we passed Resolution 1559 that we would help Lebanon -- the government of Lebanon to establish its authority fully within its country as a sovereign state without the interference of its neighbors and as a state that could fully exercise its control throughout its territory and that would have complete control over any means of violence; in other words, that there would not be militias, but rather one authority and one gun. We recommitted today to that pledge to the Lebanese people.

We are also making urgent efforts to deal with the humanitarian situation in Lebanon and we will continue to work with the United Nations and with all to alleviate the suffering of the Lebanese people.

Let me say in closing that there is much work to do, and everyone has a role to play. We all committed to dedicated and urgent action to try and bring about an end to this violence that, indeed, would be sustainable and that would leave the Lebanese government with the prospect of full control of its country. This is very important. We cannot -- and I heard it many, many times during this conference -- we cannot return to the status quo ante.

In that regard, I am glad that the secretary general is going to use his good offices in whatever way that he can to try and gain an understanding from other states that they have responsibilities too.

Syria has responsibilities under 1559, which it, in fact, has not exercised, and we ask that they do. And we are also deeply concerned, as we have said, about the role of Iran. So it is indeed high time that everyone make a choice.

We can have, and the people of Lebanon deserve, a stable, democratic, fully sovereign Lebanon at peace with itself and at peace with its neighbors.

Thank you.

FUAD SINIORA, PRIME MINISTER OF LEBANON: Well, thank you very much. I'd like to start -- expressing my gratitude and thanks on my behalf and in behalf of the Lebanese for Prime Minister Prodi for arranging to have this meeting to be convened here in Rome. Thanks for Minister D'Alema and Secretary Rice and Mr. Kofi Annan, secretary general of the United Nations, for giving assistance for such a meeting to be held.

I'd like to express our thanks, as well, for everyone who really participated in this important conference.

We came in here to present our case in Lebanon.

For the past 15 days, we are being pounded every day, and scores of people are dying every day and scores are really being injured, and the country is being cut to pieces so that really to bring the country to its knees. And that's what's happening.

That was an opportunity to present our case to all of those who are in the conference and really wanted to express our demands that for so many years part of our country is still occupied, which is represented by the Shebaa Farms, which still occupied Israel. And there are other things that -- there are some of the detainees that are being still held in Israeli prisons. And Israel, up till now, is denying to give Lebanon the maps for the landmines that it has planted during the time when it was occupying that part of Lebanon.

Israel, for the past 10 days, has been making this aggression against Lebanon. And like to remind you, this is the seventh -- during 30 years, the seventh aggression and the seventh occupation that Israel is exercising against Lebanon.

We really wanted, on the one hand, to really ask the participants to provide humanitarian relief assistance, which is important, and to provide all other assistance -- that is in this respect. But more, we wanted a cease-fire, an immediate cease-fire.

I think this matter was discussed quite amply in the discussion. We made some progress in terms of really handling all the issues but that was our expectations.

I think there is a lot to be done in the coming period. That we have to work together in order to arrive at a cease-fire that can really protect Lebanon, that can really arrange for Lebanon to get back its territory, and that would allow the Lebanese government to prevail all over Lebanon, and whereby no weapons in Lebanon outside the legitimate authority in Lebanon, and ultimately that it will be bound by the armistice agreement that was made in 1949 and which is really mentioned in the Taif agreement.

These are things that Lebanon hoped to achieve.

I think, as I said, we have already made some progress, which is thanks to everybody and everyone who has participated in this conference.

And I think from there we have to move so that to reduce the sufferings of the Lebanese. As I said, the more we delay the cease- fire, the more we are going to witness more are being killed, more destruction, and more aggression against the civilians in Lebanon. This is the thing that I believe we have all to work together, with the support of the United Nations, in order to get to that thing as soon as possible.

QUESTION: (SPEAKING IN ITALIAN)

S. O'BRIEN: OK, as they go to reporters' questions -- they're starting with an Italian journalist -- so we'll cut away to John King.

You know, I think, John, as we heard from the Lebanese prime minister -- before that we heard from Condoleezza Rice. Before that, we heard from the U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. And then right before that, we heard from the Italian foreign minister.

The first three sort of setting up a very -- I guess it was remarkable for what they didn't say. No one sort of laid out that they missed the boat on the biggie, except for the Lebanese prime minister, whose remarks we have just heard. And to some degree, he has outlined the big crisis for everybody, hasn't he?

KING: He has. And the bottom line here is, there is no plan for a cease-fire, Soledad. And that was the goal of this conference. So as the diplomats try to put the best face on this and say they will continue their work and say they feel good, that they've agreed on humanitarian package and a reconstruction package, the bottom line is none of those serve any purpose until you have an end the hostilities.

That was the fundamental goal of this conference, try to come up around -- come up with some cease-fire plan. And they simply have failed. And they have failed because of a fundamental disagreement that pits the United States and Israel against most of the participants at this conference, and that simply is, the U.S. position is the cease-fire has to deal with Hezbollah up front, deal with Hezbollah first, as part of any cease-fire.

The other pressure is from the Europeans and the Arab nations who say, just get a cease-fire and then negotiate with Hezbollah about perhaps disarming. They tried and tried and tried again to bridge those differences, Soledad. Now they say they will keep at it. But translate that. The diplomats will keep talking about a political solution. What does that mean for the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah? It will continue -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: And what does it mean for the timeline, really? The last words we heard from the secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, were actually very positive. She said, you know, we believe we can have a stable and democratic and fully sovereign government in Lebanon. And, of course, the question is, well, how soon? You know, how many more people are going to be killed -- I think the Lebanese prime minister would ask -- before they're able to negotiate that kind of thing?

KING: Well, that is the fundamental question. And everybody assumed if they reached an agreement today, it would still be weeks -- weeks, plural; probably even more than a month -- before you could actually get an international force in on the ground in Lebanon. They don't have a deal today, so every day they don't have a deal pushes that timeline back even further.

You heard all of the speakers talking about, well, we agree Lebanon should fully implement Resolution 1559. That's a Security Council resolution, passed more than two years ago, that says Hezbollah and all militias in Lebanon should be disarmed. Well, the Lebanese government simply doesn't have the strength, the political will or the military power, to do that. So they can say that all they want, but what they're essentially doing is restating the international position that they wish Hezbollah didn't have weapons. They're leaving this meeting without a plan to do anything about it -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Leaving the meeting without a plan, John, and also leaving the meeting maybe with more questions that need to be answered at this point than we started with when this press conference began just a few minutes ago. John King for us in Rome as he covers the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Kofi Annan and also the Lebanese prime minister, we heard from, as well, making their remarks before journalists assembled.

We got to take a short break. We're back in just a moment with the next hour of AMERICAN MORNING. You'll want to stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: No plan, no peace. Negotiations have broken down this morning. The Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other leaders in Rome make some progress, but still no end to the agreement -- no agreement, rather, to end the bloodshed on both sides of the border.

Right now dozens of rockets raining down in Haifa. Happened this morning. The coastal Israeli city is becoming ground zero for Hezbollah attacks. And Israel continues its barrage on Southern Lebanon, pounding away near Tyre while hundreds of Americans wait there trying to find a chance to flee.

Also, the first relief plane touches down at Beirut's battered airport. Much more aid on the way right now.

Got a look at those stories and much more on this AMERICAN MORNING.

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