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CNN Live Saturday
Bush to Meet with Sharon to Discuss Peace Proposal
Aired May 05, 2002 - 12:03 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.
KRIS OSBORN, CNN ANCHOR: To the crisis in the Middle East, where hallowed ground remains a battleground there was more bloodshed today in Bethlehem, outside the Church of the Nativity. This comes amid word of high level negotiations to end the stand-off at the historic site.
CNN's Walter Rodgers is standing by live in Bethlehem, he joins us now with the latest. Walter, any progress? .
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kris. The continuing stand-off between Israel and the Palestinians at the Church of the Nativity on the edge of Manger Square could be the last chapter in this current crisis between Israel and the Palestinians. We are waiting for the resolution of this crisis and it could come within a few hours, but it is not coming easily.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Israeli soldiers work to clear a Bethlehem street just 500 meters from the Church of the Nativity. Moments earlier, a big explosion. The Israelis say a Palestinian bomb factory.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Away from the building. Stay over there.
RODGERS: The suspect building is a Palestinian medical clinic, but the top floor, the purported bomb factory.
Israeli army officials did not know why there was an explosion. Palestinians could not be reached for comment, but the Israelis say they found another bomb inside, ready to go off, as well as pesticide, marbles and nails to be packed around the explosive belt of the next suicide bomber.
OLIVIER RAFOWICZ, COL., ISRAELI ARMY: The most tragic element that (UNINTELLIGIBLE) was located in the heart of Bethlehem, 500 meters from the church. You can see it from here in the area with so many children.
RODGERS: Also found in the purported bomb factory, photographs of what the Palestinians call martyrs killed by Israel and paraphernalia associated with the so-called holy war.
RAFOWICZ: We have also found green flags linking this laboratory and this terrorist infrastructure to Hamas in Bethlehem. And as you see, you know, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the suicide bombers wearing such green elements on their body.
RODGERS: Earlier in the day, at the Church of the Nativity, where over 100 Palestinians, many of them armed, are holed up inside, the Israelis say one of their snipers shot and killed another Palestinian within the church compound.
Later, this Israeli patrol returned to that same Palestinian apartment complex. This time, to set off a controlled explosion, hearing another undiscovered weapons cache on the site.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Despite the continuing violence, Palestinian sources are now optimistic this stand-off can be resolved, quote, "in a matter of a few more hours." Both sides say intense negotiations are underway now and they say the Americans are deeply involved. Tony Salman, a Palestinian inside the Church of the Nativity is a man with whom I spoke on the telephone a short while ago. He said after 35 days, we're all eager to leave and go home -- Kris.
OSBORN: Walter Rodgers live in Bethlehem. Thank you very much for bringing us the latest on that developing situation.
Of course, the on-going violence in the Middle East serves as a grim backdrop for the meeting set for next week between President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. We get the latest on what's expected, from CNN's Kelly Wallace. She is live at the White House. Kelly, any optimism?
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, a little bit of optimism, Kris. There is a word U.S. officials have been using over the past several days and that is momentum. U.S. officials keep saying that they want to build on the progress that they believe they have seen in the region over the past several days, including the end to the siege outside Yasser Arafat's Ramallah headquarters.
And so Mr. Bush goes into this meeting, his fifth meeting with the Israeli prime minister on Tuesday, hoping to pressure Mr. Sharon to not only take steps on the security front, and not only lead to a resolution of the stand-off in Bethlehem, but also to take steps on the political front.
Mr. Bush should be back at the White House about an hour from now. He was meeting yesterday and this morning with the Spanish Prime Minister Aznar at the presidential retreat at Camp David. We understand Mr. Sharon is expected to come to Washington with a peace plan of his own, but it appears that it would be an interim agreement and it would not touch the sticky issues of borders and settlements and refugees and Arab leaders, the Palestinians are pushing for major peace talks now.
They want to see final discussions on these major issues to get to a comprehensive settlement now. So U.S. officials are facing some pressure from the Palestinians and the Arab leaders to avoid an incremental approach to the Middle East peace crisis, and a member of the president's own party, Senator Chuck Hagel, saying today the pressure is on the White House now and that time is not on its side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R), NEBRASKA: The time that we have here is very short. I don't think we can sequentially keep rolling these things out --well, we'll do this this year, this year we'll accomplish this, next year we'll go after this -- it all must be rolled together. What does that mean? A peace plan, a peace settlement, a cease-fire and a political settlement to incentive everybody. I don't think you have a window here probably more than six months before this thing unravels again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: And of course we learned the administration proposing an international conference on the Middle East for sometime this summer. This really the administration's most major engagement in the Middle East since it was really trying to avoid such engagement last year. U.S. officials though, Kris, downplaying such expectations for such a conference. They say it will be at the ministerial level. That means President Bush won't attend and they said don't expect a peace agreement, but they hope to make progress on security, political and economic issues -- Kris.
OSBORN: You know, Kelly, about Congress overwhelmingly passing this nonbinding resolution expressing solidarity with Israel, how will that affect Bush's anticipated meeting with Ariel Sharon?
WALLACE: It could complicate things because Bush could go into the meeting and try to pressure him to end the military crackdown, but Mr. Sharon could turn around and say, in the House and Senate lawmakers overwhelmingly supporting what Israel has been doing. So a little bit of a delicate balancing act. In the end U.S. officials don't think it will matter that much but it could complicate things a little in the Oval Office -- Kris.
OSBORN: Kelly Wallace live from the White House. Thank you.
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