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CNN Live Saturday

Rice Goes to Middle East

Aired June 28, 2003 - 18:07   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.


MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: The once stalled road map for peace in the Middle East is getting a push from one of the president's most trusted advisers.
CNN's Dana Bash has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice arriving in Jericho Saturday to meet with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and his top deputies, the first time visit to talk details with both Palestinians and Israelis of the tenuous U.S.-backed road map, and to send a signal.

The White House is making good on this promise in Aqaba.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Dr. Rice, as my personal representative, will work closely with the parties, helping them move toward true peace as quickly as possible.

BASH: Secretary of State Colin Powell was in the region just last week, all an attempt to pick up momentum and keep it going. Sustained U.S. engagement, says Rice's Democratic predecessor, is crucial.

SAMUEL BERGER, FORMER NATL. SECURITY ADVISER: Nothing significant can happen, and this has been the story of the last 35 years, in the Middle East, without strong U.S. involvement. And strong U.S. involvement inevitably means a credibility and the prestige of the president on the line.

BASH: That involvement, say White House officials, the president's special envoy John Wolfe has set up shop in the region and Bush aides tout U.S. engagement as integral to Friday's agreement for Israeli troop withdrawal from some Palestinian territories.

Administration officials also point to repeated calls for neighbors in the region, Arab states, to play a role.

BUSH: We must see organizations such as Hamas dismantled.

BASH: And pressed European leaders to stop funding of groups like Hamas.

Some in the region already skeptical of Mr. Bush question why as violence escalated the president has not personally called either Prime Minister Abbas or Sharon since Abbas, especially since promising to, quote, "ride herd."

DAN BENJAMIN, CTR FOR STRATEGIC AND INTL STUD.: Dr. Rice's trip has undoubtedly meant to rebut the widespread beliefs that the White House is not going to engage for a extended period of time, there's no question that this is meant to be a sign of seriousness given what her position is and the demands on her.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: And leaders in the region understand Dr. Rice is perhaps Mr. Bush's closest adviser on international matters so her visit allows them to feel as though they're getting attention from somebody who speaks for the president, and allows the White House to save his involvement for key moments in the process -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: Dana, I'm going to digress a little bit and ask you regarding the situation in Iraq; is the White House concerned about the growing body count there of the U.S. forces?

BASH: Marty, we ask that question almost every day to White House officials, ask whether or not they feel that the president declared combat in Iraq, major combat over too early. Their line over and over again is that when the president did that he also maintained that it is a dangerous place.

And they also say this is one of the main reasons what hey are trying so hard at this time to find Saddam Hussein and his top advisers and his sons because they say that part of the reason why they believe this is happening -- although they don't know for sure -- is because there is still fear that he is out there and there is still fear that the Baathist will return.

But beyond that there really are not going there. Privately they also say that they believe that this could be just like some of the second-guessing that we saw during the war that perhaps the war plan was flawed. They say just wait and we'll see what happens -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: Dana Bash, live with the president, 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 June 28, 2003 - 18:07   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: The once stalled road map for peace in the Middle East is getting a push from one of the president's most trusted advisers.
CNN's Dana Bash has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice arriving in Jericho Saturday to meet with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and his top deputies, the first time visit to talk details with both Palestinians and Israelis of the tenuous U.S.-backed road map, and to send a signal.

The White House is making good on this promise in Aqaba.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Dr. Rice, as my personal representative, will work closely with the parties, helping them move toward true peace as quickly as possible.

BASH: Secretary of State Colin Powell was in the region just last week, all an attempt to pick up momentum and keep it going. Sustained U.S. engagement, says Rice's Democratic predecessor, is crucial.

SAMUEL BERGER, FORMER NATL. SECURITY ADVISER: Nothing significant can happen, and this has been the story of the last 35 years, in the Middle East, without strong U.S. involvement. And strong U.S. involvement inevitably means a credibility and the prestige of the president on the line.

BASH: That involvement, say White House officials, the president's special envoy John Wolfe has set up shop in the region and Bush aides tout U.S. engagement as integral to Friday's agreement for Israeli troop withdrawal from some Palestinian territories.

Administration officials also point to repeated calls for neighbors in the region, Arab states, to play a role.

BUSH: We must see organizations such as Hamas dismantled.

BASH: And pressed European leaders to stop funding of groups like Hamas.

Some in the region already skeptical of Mr. Bush question why as violence escalated the president has not personally called either Prime Minister Abbas or Sharon since Abbas, especially since promising to, quote, "ride herd."

DAN BENJAMIN, CTR FOR STRATEGIC AND INTL STUD.: Dr. Rice's trip has undoubtedly meant to rebut the widespread beliefs that the White House is not going to engage for a extended period of time, there's no question that this is meant to be a sign of seriousness given what her position is and the demands on her.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: And leaders in the region understand Dr. Rice is perhaps Mr. Bush's closest adviser on international matters so her visit allows them to feel as though they're getting attention from somebody who speaks for the president, and allows the White House to save his involvement for key moments in the process -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: Dana, I'm going to digress a little bit and ask you regarding the situation in Iraq; is the White House concerned about the growing body count there of the U.S. forces?

BASH: Marty, we ask that question almost every day to White House officials, ask whether or not they feel that the president declared combat in Iraq, major combat over too early. Their line over and over again is that when the president did that he also maintained that it is a dangerous place.

And they also say this is one of the main reasons what hey are trying so hard at this time to find Saddam Hussein and his top advisers and his sons because they say that part of the reason why they believe this is happening -- although they don't know for sure -- is because there is still fear that he is out there and there is still fear that the Baathist will return.

But beyond that there really are not going there. Privately they also say that they believe that this could be just like some of the second-guessing that we saw during the war that perhaps the war plan was flawed. They say just wait and we'll see what happens -- Marty.

SAVIDGE: Dana Bash, live with the president, 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