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CNN Live At Daybreak

Blair Back in London After Middle East Tour

Aired November 02, 2001 - 05:42   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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: And now, the latest on the conflict in the Middle East: British Prime Minister Tony Blair back in London now following a whirlwind Mideast tour. Mr. Blair heads to Washington next week to brief President Bush on his peacemaking efforts.

Also heading to Washington: Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. And CNN Jerusalem bureau chief Mike Hanna is joining us now with a live update on the very latest -- Mike.

MIKE HANNA, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Catherine, it was a somewhat bruising trip for the British prime minister. He visited a number of countries in the region: Syria, Jordan and then, of course, Israel.

Here in Israel, he met with Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon. Mr. Blair had to make clear that he wasn't bringing any new peace plan. However, he said that what he wanted to do was pave the way for a renewal of the peace process. Not clear, exactly, what discussions he did have with Mr. Sharon, but his many observers do believe that Mr. Blair was acting, in a way, as an emissary of the U.S. president, George Bush.

Now, Ariel Sharon had been scheduled to meet with President Bush mid-November in New York or in Washington. However, Mr. Sharon has been saying that he is rethinking this meeting. He says the security situation within the region may not allow him to go. Some observers contend that if Israeli forces remain in Palestinian-controlled territory by this time, instead of pulling out, as the U.S. has demanded, then it's very likely that Mr. Sharon would not want a meeting with the U.S. president. If the forces have pulled out by this time, then it's likely that Mr. Sharon may.

Well, the British prime minister, after meeting Ariel Sharon, went to Gaza City, where held a meeting with the Palestinian authority leader, Yasser Arafat. Once again, the exact details of those particular talks were not clear. And on the surface of it, little has come out of Tony Blair's visit to the region.

But once again, there are a couple of important points here, and that is that some do believe that a message was passed from President Bush, by Mr. Blair, to both Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat, which has to do with what happens next in terms of getting back to the peace process. Well, what happens next in terms that most observers believe is to get a cease-fire in effect from the ground. Unless there is a cease-fire, then no further stage can happen. And it is believed that Mr. Blair may certainly have discussed the question of the cease-fire with both leaders, but most importantly, actually how to get the cease-fire to work. There have been numerous cease-fires declared over more than 30 months of conflict, but at no stage has it stuck for any period of time.

Now, what Mr. Blair was attempting to do, it would appear, and the process that is now under way, is to formulate ways in which a cease-fire can be agreed to, a cease-fire which, finally, does have some kind of concrete effect on the ground, which can, then, pave the way to a renewal of the formal negotiations about a wider peace -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: A tough task ahead, but before you leave, could you tell us more about the late word out of Israel today about the Israeli soldiers that were kidnapped last year, or abducted last year by the Hezbollah guerrillas, word from Israel defense forces that they are now dead?

HANNA: Well, over a year ago, these three soldiers were kidnapped from Israel's northern borders by the Hezbollah group. Extreme efforts have been made by the U.N., by all other channels to get these soldiers released. However, the chief rabbi of the Israeli military has declared today that these soldiers are now presumed dead -- their place of burial unknown.

Israel will continue to seek ways in which the bodies of these men can be recovered, but now formally after more than a year, the Israeli defense force, or the chief rabbi of the defense force has declared these three men, who had to now been missing, kidnapped by Hezbollah, to be actually dead -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right. CNN's Jerusalem bureau chief Mike Hanna -- thanks for joining us, Mike.

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