Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Egyptians Fail to Seal Palestinian Truce

Aired June 16, 2003 - 15:00   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: Well talk of a cease-fire in the Middle East is so far that -- only talk. Egyptian mediators failed today to persuade Palestinian militants to end their attacks on Israel. Sources say that Hamas and other militant groups still may consider some kind of truce if Israel stops targeting their leaders. But Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon pledged today to continue to crack down on terrorism. And he called on the Palestinian Authority to do the same.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas is in Gaza trying to press militant groups to end the violence. But as CNN's Matthew Chance reports, the militants aren't the only ones Abbas needs to convince.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amid all the talk of peace, another family grieves its loss. Theirs was a 7-year- old girl named Amal (ph), killed when Israeli missiles struck the car of a Hamas leader as it drove through Gaza's busy streets. Her mother is beside herself.

"Amal (ph) was the brightest of my children," she says. "She loved to laugh. She had only gone out to play on the street with her cousin when she met this fate."

Outside, friends and relatives have come to pay their respects, but this tragedy is only one of the many destroying hope for peace here. Few now believe either Hamas or the Israelis will stop their attacks. But little confidence (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Palestinian prime minister.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We all hear about the road map, but we see no change on the ground. We hear about Abu Mazen, but things are no different for us. Others have also been involved, but our life remains the same.

CHANCE: And life here is tough. In the markets of Gaza City, there's plenty for sale, but few with money enough to buy it. Cut off from the outside by Israel, a million Palestinians crammed into the Gaza strip, struggle to survive. Eighty-five percent live in poverty. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for groups like Hamas to find support.

"The road map is a farce," she says. "As long as the Israelis are here we will fight them. Whatever anyone tells you, we'll not see a day of happiness till we have our country back." The words may seem out of place in the diplomacy of recent days and weeks. But for many Palestinians here, she speaks the truth.

(on camera): It is only not the militant groups like Hamas that Abu Mazen needs to win over. Ordinary Palestinians also want to see that their pain has not been for nothing. And without those kinds of assurances, hopes for building a lasting peace here may be lost. Matthew Chance, CNN, Gaza.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WOODRUFF: He certainly has his work cut out.

Well, meantime, the Bush administration is trying to turn up the pressure on Hamas. Yesterday, the President urged the international community to stop funding and supporting such militant groups. Let's get more now on the administration's strategy from our senior White House correspondent, John King. John, the President still believes this kind of pressure's going to work?

JOHN KING, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Judy, the president's long-term goal is to put Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups out of business. And the President knows to make that happen, he has to cut off financial, political, moral support that comes from other nations around the Arab world.

That's the long-term strategy, but the administration is also supporting these negotiations, led by Egypt with Hamas, trying to get a temporary cease-fire. Some might call that negotiating with terrorists. The administration calls it a practical step to try to at least bring about a temporary period of calm, if you get calm, if you get a cease-fire. The administration says then you can have the Israeli military pullback.

Let the Palestinians assume security control over some key cities, and perhaps then create a climate where you can make slow progress. It is, perhaps, optimistic to think there is a breakthrough imminent. But the president's special envoy, John Wolf, had his first meeting with Prime Minister Sharon today, meetings with the Palestinians tonight. The administration is hoping that this is a week of slow diplomatic progress, not another week of bloodshed.

WOODRUFF: John, what about the pressure that the various Christian groups are now putting on the administration, have been putting on the administration, really not to lean on Israel at all? To put all of its energy into trying to turn around the Palestinians and the militant groups?

KING: No question. And we're watching the President put together his reelection team this week, go out and raise money this week. There's no question that there is a domestic political dynamic to the Middle East peace process.

Christian groups, others saying that how can this President put pressure on Israel? Isn't it a double standard to say that the United States can attack al Qaeda, pursue al Qaeda anywhere in the world, yet Israel cannot go after Hamas in the Palestinian territories? How the White House answers that is to say that there's a fragile but unique opportunity to create peace, and that the Israeli government must make careful choices.

That was the message given to Sharon's chief of staff. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) was here at the White House today, and we are told that Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of State Powell told him, yes, Israel has every right to defend its, every right to root out the terrorists, but make careful choices.

Do not launch military strikes that will completely undermine the peace process. That was the message delivered today. Again, the administration is hoping that, as we go forward, if we get 48 hours from now, that we are seeing at least a little bit of modest progress and not more of the deadly bloodshed that dominated last week's discussions.

WOODRUFF: All right. It's a very discouraging story. John King at the White House. Thank you very much, John.

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 16, 2003 - 15:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Well talk of a cease-fire in the Middle East is so far that -- only talk. Egyptian mediators failed today to persuade Palestinian militants to end their attacks on Israel. Sources say that Hamas and other militant groups still may consider some kind of truce if Israel stops targeting their leaders. But Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon pledged today to continue to crack down on terrorism. And he called on the Palestinian Authority to do the same.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas is in Gaza trying to press militant groups to end the violence. But as CNN's Matthew Chance reports, the militants aren't the only ones Abbas needs to convince.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amid all the talk of peace, another family grieves its loss. Theirs was a 7-year- old girl named Amal (ph), killed when Israeli missiles struck the car of a Hamas leader as it drove through Gaza's busy streets. Her mother is beside herself.

"Amal (ph) was the brightest of my children," she says. "She loved to laugh. She had only gone out to play on the street with her cousin when she met this fate."

Outside, friends and relatives have come to pay their respects, but this tragedy is only one of the many destroying hope for peace here. Few now believe either Hamas or the Israelis will stop their attacks. But little confidence (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Palestinian prime minister.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We all hear about the road map, but we see no change on the ground. We hear about Abu Mazen, but things are no different for us. Others have also been involved, but our life remains the same.

CHANCE: And life here is tough. In the markets of Gaza City, there's plenty for sale, but few with money enough to buy it. Cut off from the outside by Israel, a million Palestinians crammed into the Gaza strip, struggle to survive. Eighty-five percent live in poverty. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for groups like Hamas to find support.

"The road map is a farce," she says. "As long as the Israelis are here we will fight them. Whatever anyone tells you, we'll not see a day of happiness till we have our country back." The words may seem out of place in the diplomacy of recent days and weeks. But for many Palestinians here, she speaks the truth.

(on camera): It is only not the militant groups like Hamas that Abu Mazen needs to win over. Ordinary Palestinians also want to see that their pain has not been for nothing. And without those kinds of assurances, hopes for building a lasting peace here may be lost. Matthew Chance, CNN, Gaza.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WOODRUFF: He certainly has his work cut out.

Well, meantime, the Bush administration is trying to turn up the pressure on Hamas. Yesterday, the President urged the international community to stop funding and supporting such militant groups. Let's get more now on the administration's strategy from our senior White House correspondent, John King. John, the President still believes this kind of pressure's going to work?

JOHN KING, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Judy, the president's long-term goal is to put Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups out of business. And the President knows to make that happen, he has to cut off financial, political, moral support that comes from other nations around the Arab world.

That's the long-term strategy, but the administration is also supporting these negotiations, led by Egypt with Hamas, trying to get a temporary cease-fire. Some might call that negotiating with terrorists. The administration calls it a practical step to try to at least bring about a temporary period of calm, if you get calm, if you get a cease-fire. The administration says then you can have the Israeli military pullback.

Let the Palestinians assume security control over some key cities, and perhaps then create a climate where you can make slow progress. It is, perhaps, optimistic to think there is a breakthrough imminent. But the president's special envoy, John Wolf, had his first meeting with Prime Minister Sharon today, meetings with the Palestinians tonight. The administration is hoping that this is a week of slow diplomatic progress, not another week of bloodshed.

WOODRUFF: John, what about the pressure that the various Christian groups are now putting on the administration, have been putting on the administration, really not to lean on Israel at all? To put all of its energy into trying to turn around the Palestinians and the militant groups?

KING: No question. And we're watching the President put together his reelection team this week, go out and raise money this week. There's no question that there is a domestic political dynamic to the Middle East peace process.

Christian groups, others saying that how can this President put pressure on Israel? Isn't it a double standard to say that the United States can attack al Qaeda, pursue al Qaeda anywhere in the world, yet Israel cannot go after Hamas in the Palestinian territories? How the White House answers that is to say that there's a fragile but unique opportunity to create peace, and that the Israeli government must make careful choices.

That was the message given to Sharon's chief of staff. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) was here at the White House today, and we are told that Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of State Powell told him, yes, Israel has every right to defend its, every right to root out the terrorists, but make careful choices.

Do not launch military strikes that will completely undermine the peace process. That was the message delivered today. Again, the administration is hoping that, as we go forward, if we get 48 hours from now, that we are seeing at least a little bit of modest progress and not more of the deadly bloodshed that dominated last week's discussions.

WOODRUFF: All right. It's a very discouraging story. John King at the White House. Thank you very much, John.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com