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Israelis, Palestinians Delay Meeting on Peace Plan
Aired May 27, 2003 - 15:01 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.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush has said the road to Middle East peace would be bumpy. Now the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers have postponed their second summit meeting. And Prime Minister Sharon has been busy clarifying his stunning remarks about Israel occupation. Let's go first to Jerusalem for more on these twists and what they may mean. Here's our correspondent, Kelly Wallace.
Kelly, we've heard the Palestinian representative, Saeb Erakat, say this meeting is now put off until tomorrow. What's the latest.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, and that's even been changing a bit, too. We've been on the phone since Saeb Erakat said that, and Israeli and Palestinian officials are saying no meeting is scheduled for Wednesday. The earliest possible date is Thursday. The expectation is the two men will meet time this week before the week is over.
Palestinians have been saying the reason for the delay is scheduling reasons, that Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has been meeting with a number of foreign ministers from around the world and so his schedule is somewhat busy. Privately, some Israelis officials are questioning whether Palestinian president Yasser Arafat is standing in the way of this meeting. Palestinians say that is not the case.
The stakes, though, will be very high. The two men, the Israeli and Palestinian prime minsters, did not achieve any breakthrough in their first meeting more than a week ago. And now they're face something American pressure, especially since this meeting could pave the way to that Mideast summit hosted by President Bush -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: So Kelly, with the meeting put off, does that signify a significant slowdown or what?
WALLACE: Not exactly, Judy. Again, both leaders know when they go into this meeting they are facing some high stakes. They know they have to deliver at least some good will, some progress. So there is a sense that both sides want to be ready for this meeting whenever it happens. The indications we're getting from both sides, Judy, is that this meeting will, in fact, take place before the week is over. And the sense both sides are saying is that the meeting will likely sort have a discussion about how to move forward, but really the heavy lifting, the steps the two sides are willing and prepared to take, won't come until that possible summit hosted by President Bush -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: All right. CNN's Kelly Wallace reporting for us from Jerusalem.
White House press secretary Ari Fleischer says a three-way meeting among President Bush and the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers still is under active consideration. Privately, officials stress that plans to hold the talks after next week's G-8 summit could collapse, though. Two administration officials tell CNN that Jordan is the likely site of the meeting on the Mideast road map. They say that Egypt has been all but ruled out.
Well I discussed the latest moves towards Middle East peace with Ed Djerejian, a former U.S. ambassador to Israeli. I began by asking him if Ariel Sharon's reference to Israeli military occupation represents a shift in policy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED DJEREJIAN, FMR. U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL: I believe it does. That he has come out publicly to use the word "occupation" and his other comment that the time has come for the Israelis and the Palestinians to divide this land between them. I think that's significant coming from a right wing Likud leader with all of his very strong credentials in that camp.
WOODRUFF: What do you think brought him to this point?
DJEREJIAN: The realization that, through military actions alone, the situation is not going to improve in a significant way. Israelis can achieve more limited security, but that, at the end of the day, only a political solution, which involves really creating the two- state solution, an independent Palestinian state living in peace and security next to the state of Israel. But also, I think the United States has been very active in promoting next steps in the peace process.
WOODRUFF: So does this statement on the part of Mr. Sharon and other recent developments, do you think these together represent tangible progress on this so-called road map put forth by the U.S.?
DJEREJIAN: Judy, I think it does. I think there are three things here.
First of all, Sharon's convening of his cabinet, getting the support to move forward on the road map, the statements that he's made, I believe, have significance. Secondly, the reform measures that the U.S. urged on the Palestinian Authority are being carried out, and third is the involvement of President Bush himself. I mean, his commitment dating back to June 24, 2002, he made a very significant speech calling for Palestinian reforms, plus the vision, his vision, the United States' vision of a two-state solution with an independent state of Palestine. Now he is personally getting involved in an upcoming meeting with the leaders.
So I think these three factors are important. Now we all know the obstacles ahead.
WOODRUFF: But on the part of President Bush, he came into office, as you know, critical of his predecessor, President Clinton, saying he was too involved, too caught up in the Middle East. Now he does seem to be making a personal commitment. But how far is he personally going to have to go in order for there to be real results?
DJEREJIAN: Well, I think the continual involvement of the president of the United States and the secretary of state in future peace negotiations is very important. That doesn't mean that he has to deal with this issue 24 hours a day. There are many different ways in which he can translate his commitment into action.
But to me, when you look back at U.S. diplomatic history on the Arab-Israeli issue, then an American president has stood tall, has been directly involved, there has been progress. Not all the time, but the moments of progress, that equation has been there.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WOODRUFF: Long-time Middle East diplomat Ed Djeredjian.
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 May 27, 2003 - 15:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush has said the road to Middle East peace would be bumpy. Now the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers have postponed their second summit meeting. And Prime Minister Sharon has been busy clarifying his stunning remarks about Israel occupation. Let's go first to Jerusalem for more on these twists and what they may mean. Here's our correspondent, Kelly Wallace.
Kelly, we've heard the Palestinian representative, Saeb Erakat, say this meeting is now put off until tomorrow. What's the latest.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, and that's even been changing a bit, too. We've been on the phone since Saeb Erakat said that, and Israeli and Palestinian officials are saying no meeting is scheduled for Wednesday. The earliest possible date is Thursday. The expectation is the two men will meet time this week before the week is over.
Palestinians have been saying the reason for the delay is scheduling reasons, that Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has been meeting with a number of foreign ministers from around the world and so his schedule is somewhat busy. Privately, some Israelis officials are questioning whether Palestinian president Yasser Arafat is standing in the way of this meeting. Palestinians say that is not the case.
The stakes, though, will be very high. The two men, the Israeli and Palestinian prime minsters, did not achieve any breakthrough in their first meeting more than a week ago. And now they're face something American pressure, especially since this meeting could pave the way to that Mideast summit hosted by President Bush -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: So Kelly, with the meeting put off, does that signify a significant slowdown or what?
WALLACE: Not exactly, Judy. Again, both leaders know when they go into this meeting they are facing some high stakes. They know they have to deliver at least some good will, some progress. So there is a sense that both sides want to be ready for this meeting whenever it happens. The indications we're getting from both sides, Judy, is that this meeting will, in fact, take place before the week is over. And the sense both sides are saying is that the meeting will likely sort have a discussion about how to move forward, but really the heavy lifting, the steps the two sides are willing and prepared to take, won't come until that possible summit hosted by President Bush -- Judy.
WOODRUFF: All right. CNN's Kelly Wallace reporting for us from Jerusalem.
White House press secretary Ari Fleischer says a three-way meeting among President Bush and the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers still is under active consideration. Privately, officials stress that plans to hold the talks after next week's G-8 summit could collapse, though. Two administration officials tell CNN that Jordan is the likely site of the meeting on the Mideast road map. They say that Egypt has been all but ruled out.
Well I discussed the latest moves towards Middle East peace with Ed Djerejian, a former U.S. ambassador to Israeli. I began by asking him if Ariel Sharon's reference to Israeli military occupation represents a shift in policy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED DJEREJIAN, FMR. U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL: I believe it does. That he has come out publicly to use the word "occupation" and his other comment that the time has come for the Israelis and the Palestinians to divide this land between them. I think that's significant coming from a right wing Likud leader with all of his very strong credentials in that camp.
WOODRUFF: What do you think brought him to this point?
DJEREJIAN: The realization that, through military actions alone, the situation is not going to improve in a significant way. Israelis can achieve more limited security, but that, at the end of the day, only a political solution, which involves really creating the two- state solution, an independent Palestinian state living in peace and security next to the state of Israel. But also, I think the United States has been very active in promoting next steps in the peace process.
WOODRUFF: So does this statement on the part of Mr. Sharon and other recent developments, do you think these together represent tangible progress on this so-called road map put forth by the U.S.?
DJEREJIAN: Judy, I think it does. I think there are three things here.
First of all, Sharon's convening of his cabinet, getting the support to move forward on the road map, the statements that he's made, I believe, have significance. Secondly, the reform measures that the U.S. urged on the Palestinian Authority are being carried out, and third is the involvement of President Bush himself. I mean, his commitment dating back to June 24, 2002, he made a very significant speech calling for Palestinian reforms, plus the vision, his vision, the United States' vision of a two-state solution with an independent state of Palestine. Now he is personally getting involved in an upcoming meeting with the leaders.
So I think these three factors are important. Now we all know the obstacles ahead.
WOODRUFF: But on the part of President Bush, he came into office, as you know, critical of his predecessor, President Clinton, saying he was too involved, too caught up in the Middle East. Now he does seem to be making a personal commitment. But how far is he personally going to have to go in order for there to be real results?
DJEREJIAN: Well, I think the continual involvement of the president of the United States and the secretary of state in future peace negotiations is very important. That doesn't mean that he has to deal with this issue 24 hours a day. There are many different ways in which he can translate his commitment into action.
But to me, when you look back at U.S. diplomatic history on the Arab-Israeli issue, then an American president has stood tall, has been directly involved, there has been progress. Not all the time, but the moments of progress, that equation has been there.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WOODRUFF: Long-time Middle East diplomat Ed Djeredjian.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
