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Condoleezza Rice: 'Comprehensive Settlement' Could be Reached This Week on Middle East Conflict; Israeli Airstrike on Qana; Considerable Decrease of Rockets Fired by Hezbollah Into Israel

Aired July 31, 2006 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: It's the top of the hour. Let's take a look at what we know right now.
New Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon, they come less than halfway through Israel's 48-hour pledge of restraint. Israel's military says it regrets striking a Lebanese army vehicle. Several people are reported wounded.

Right now Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is flying home from the region. She says a comprehensive settlement could be reached by the end of the week.

From Lebanon to Israel, CNN has reporters all across the region bringing you the latest on the fighting and diplomatic efforts to end it.

For more on the peace plan and what the secretary of state was able to accomplish and what she wasn't able to accomplish, let's go to John King, who joins me now from Jerusalem.

John, hello.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Daryn.

The secretary of state heads home believing she has made both a significant short term and now put on the table what she hopes to be a significant long-term solution to the crisis here in the Middle East. Let's start with the short term.

Secretary Rice, before leaving Jerusalem this morning, spoke publicly for the first time about the deal she brokered yesterday, and that was pressuring Israel to agree to this 48-hour cessation of airstrikes in southern Lebanon. That deal was made in part so that Israel could investigate the tragic bombing yesterday in Qana that killed all those women and children. In part, Secretary Rice said because it would open up the area now absent the threat of airstrikes so that more humanitarian aid and relief could get in not only to Qana, but across southern Lebanon. Secretary Rice saying that in the short term, it is critical, critical, she says, to try to ease the humanitarian crisis the Lebanese people are facing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I welcome Israel's decision to suspend aerial attacks for 48 hours as it investigates what happened at Qana. We also obtained agreement on a 24-hour period of safe passage to help innocent civilians who want to escape the violence. I hope that this can be renewed and that these actions will improve the humanitarian situation and allow much faster and more significant delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Now, it's at the United Nations where Secretary Rice will have to try to sell her longer-term proposal. Let's take a look at some of the key provisions.

It would include a permanent cease-fire. It also would call on Lebanon to deploy its army in areas now controlled by Hezbollah. It would also impose a global embargo against rearming Hezbollah and would create and then deploy a new international force that would have the job of policing any cease-fire deal.

Now, Daryn, this stops short -- short of what many around the world want. They want an immediate, unconditional cessation of hostilities. Secretary Rice says that is shortsighted. It would leave Hezbollah with its rockets. And what she's trying to say in selling this case is, you might not like it, but essentially -- they're not saying this publicly -- the United States has a veto on the Security Council, it can block any other plan.

The White House argument now is, look at our plan, we could pass this by Thursday or Friday of this week and bring about an end to the fighting -- Daryn.

KAGAN: A couple of the problems, though. We've just seen in the last hour or so at the United Nations they can't agree -- they've had to suspend the international force talks, they can't agree there. Also, the sequencing. It's one thing to list what's going to happen, but how do you decide or who decides which part is going to happen first?

KING: Well, the first one at the U.N., Richard Roth could tell you better than I, but this happens at the U.N. And once they think they're in the process of getting to the point where they have enough volunteers where they can debate the force with everybody at the same table, they'll get back about scheduling their meeting. That is not viewed as a major obstacle.

The sequencing you mentioned is critical, because this is a -- this is a government in Lebanon -- let's just take the issue of Hezbollah. This is a government in Lebanon that for two years has not implemented an existing U.N. Security Council Resolution that says deploy the army in the south and disarm Hezbollah.

Sound familiar? That's exactly what Secretary Rice is trying to do now. So, how do you get the government to do that, especially now?

Hezbolllah is even more popular than it was before the confrontation because it has stood up to the Israeli army and stood up to the United States. That is why the international force is so critical. It has to help the Lebanese government, but, Daryn, that is one of the steeper hills. But there are many significant issues about timing, sequencing, who goes first in implementing this agreement. All of that will be debated in the days ahead at the Security Council.

KAGAN: John King in Jerusalem.

John, I'll take yet another one of your brilliant suggestions and I will go to Richard Roth, who is at the United Nations.

Richard, let's start by talking about this snag in trying to figure out who would make up this international force.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Did you say the brilliant Richard Roth?

Basically, in this multinational force there are various countries who are saying, oh, it might be nice to contribute, but they first want to see that there's some sort of deal on the table. Finland, Norway have been expressing interest. France, Turkey, perhaps a little bit more publicly.

The British ambassador here to the United Nations, Emyr Jones Perry, spoke to journalists earlier about the quest for a resolution which Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had referred to.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: This is the first Security Council resolution on -- on Iran in response to its nuclear weapons program reflecting the gravity of this situation and the determination of the council. We hope this resolution will demonstrate to Iran that the best way to end its international isolation is to simply give up the pursuit of nuclear weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: That, of course, was not the right piece of videotape. That was John Bolton talking about Iran. Some say that Iran helped exacerbate the Lebanon situation, Daryn, by inciting Hezbollah and fearing that it faced sanctions in the Security Council, and that's exactly what happened here within the hour, the Security Council passing a resolution telling Iran it had 30 days in which to freeze its uranium enrichment program and all reprocessing activities or potentially face sanctions.

There are perhaps some disagreements between Russia and China on one side and the U.S. and Britain on the other, is how quick is the timetable toward sanctions? But it's now on the books, Iran has 30 days in which to cooperate. The Iranian ambassador is speaking to the Security Council now, criticizing the United States and unnamed Security Council powers for trying to dominate the world.

Back to you.

KAGAN: All right. A few technical challenges thrown at you there, a few curveballs, but you went with it. Thank you, Richard Roth, at the United Nations.

Let's head back overseas. Our Beirut bureau chief, Brent Sadler, is live with me now from Qana, Lebanon. This is the site of a deadly blast, a number of civilians losing their lives here -- Brent.

BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: Daryn, thanks. Let me just run you through what's happened over the past 24 hours.

Behind me you see the destruction of a building under which in the basement scores of Lebanese civilians, many of them children, were sheltering from Israeli airstrikes. More than 60 of them reportedly now killed, at least -- or, rather, about half of them children, we understand.

Let's take a look from a satellite viewpoints of why Qana is so important. Qana is east of the southern port city of Tyre. Qana is an area about 10 miles from the border. Qana has been historically an area where Hezbollah has drawn strong support from the local population.

So, what happened Sunday? Well, Israel says that Katyusha rockets were fired from a location near the destroyed building. Civilians deny that took place. However, as a result of the blast nearby, the building collapsed and caused that horrific loss of life.

Now, Qana certainly has a history, because 10 years ago, during an offensive called Grapes of Wrath back in April 1996, Israeli artillery shells targeted a United Nations compound in Qana where more than a hundred Lebanese civilians were taking refuge from the Israeli onslaught at that time. It created an international outrage, and that being repeated in Qana today. Every year Lebanese commemorate what they call the Qana Massacre of 1996, and that's why this attack, why this heavy loss of life triggered off some raw emotion and really grabbed the attention of the international community.

Throughout this day pretty quiet, Daryn, in terms of airstrikes. I've heard a lot of artillery bombardments some 10 miles away on the border areas, and I've heard a lot of Israeli drones, those pilotless aircraft, continuing watching what happens in this area. But no reports of any Katyusha rockets being fired from this location, or, indeed, anywhere else along the border at this stage -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Brent Sadler, live from southern Lebanon.

Thank you.

And we have news from here in the U.S. on the Morning After pill.

Betty Nguyen has that -- Betty.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Daryn. It's a developing story, yes.

The FDA says it is considering allowing the Morning After pill to be sold over the counter, but to women 18 and older. Now, what it says, it wants to talk with the maker of the Morning After pill, Barr Laboratories, within the next seven days to iron out some of the details and making sure that it needs -- some of the things it needs to do in order for it to be sold over the counter.

Now, let me tell you a little bit about the Morning After pill. It is basically a high dose of regular birth control, but if it's taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex it can lower the risk of pregnancy by 89 percent. And again, the FDA is now considering allowing the Morning After pill to be sold over the counter without a prescription to women 18 and older.

We'll see how this plays out -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, Betty. Thank you.

Betty Nguyen at our breaking news desk.

They are deadly and uncontrollable, Hezbollah's weapon of choice.

A closer look at Katyusha rockets, that's ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: It is cooling off in California after extreme heat pushed temperatures close to the 100 degree mark. The record-breaking heat wave is blamed for close to 100 deaths.

CNN.com has details.

In this online video, CNN's Sumi Das reports on which areas in California felt the brunt of the heat. Specifically, Fresno and the capital of the state, Sacramento. Related articles on the Web site point to debates on whether global warming is to blame, and more on this year's deadly heat wave in France. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says several people are at risk due to the higher temperatures.

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA: This heat wave has caused a lot of casualties and a lot of death not only amongst farm workers or other workers, but also in general amongst vulnerable citizens.

DE LA CRUZ: This gallery highlights what humans and animals are doing to stay cool.

You can log on to CNN.com/weather for your most up-to-date forecast.

For the .comDesk, I'm Veronica De La Cruz.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (JOINED IN PROGRESS)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks very much.

Well, there's been significant military activity just across the Israeli-Lebanese border from where I'm standing right now, with fierce clashes being reported to us between Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah guerrillas in a number of villages the Israelis describe as strongholds of Hezbollah. Despite Israel's 48-hour hiatus on airstrikes -- well, it's declared hiatus, at least -- there has been considerable air power from Israel being deployed inside south Lebanon, as well with a strike on a Lebanese army vehicle, again which the Israeli military say they deeply regret. It was a mistake, they say. But also in support of Israeli soldiers inside Lebanon, where these fighting are taking -- where this fighting is taking place with Hezbollah guerrillas.

And so, it does seem that the conflict is very much still under way in certain isolated areas of south Lebanon.

Coming in the other direction, though, there has been a considerable decrease in the amounts of rockets fired by Hezbollah today into -- into Israel. Towns and cities across this country in the north of it has been really bombarded with Hezbollah rockets over the past several weeks, and an average of about a hundred a day, sometimes many more than that.

Today there are been just two rockets land around the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona, which is obviously a significant decrease from the normal level of rockets you see coming in. How long that will last, though, is anybody's guess at this stage. Already, the Israeli government, or at least the defense minister is saying that Israel at this stage is not ready for a full cease-fire -- Daryn.

KAGAN: How do the Israelis explain saying that there's this 48- hour at least cease in the airstrikes, but they didn't even get halfway through that before they started bombing from the air again?

CHANCE: Well, my understanding is what they've said is that this 48-hour hiatus applies to their strategic campaign of airstrikes that they had planned while there's an investigation under way into what went wrong in Qana, where up to 60 civilians, of course, were killed yesterday.

In the meantime, they say they will still use the Israeli air force. There is still air power being deployed, but they're using it, they say, either in support of ground troops or in support of -- or trying to defend the Israeli civilians. In other words, if they see there is a rocket strike or something else like that which they believe is a threat to their civilians, then they will strike at it. The result of that, of course, has been, you know, a continuation of Israeli airstrikes across southern Lebanon today -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Matthew Chance from northern Israel.

Thank you.

Well, let's talk about some of this air power. We hear it over and over again in this crisis. The Katyusha rocket, it's crude, it's notoriously inaccurate, and also happens to be Hezbollah's weapon of choice against Israel.

CNN's Gary Nurenberg takes a look at the Katyusha.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Blasted in World War II by missiles fired by German multiple rocket launchers, Soviet military counter-punched with its own version.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rocket guns, Katyushas the Russians call them.

NURENBERG: The Katyusha, or "Little Katie" from a popular song at the time about a Russian girl longing for a boyfriend away at war.

BRIG. GEN. JAMES MARKS (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: The Soviets understood that before they were going to get into battle, they wanted to soften up their enemy as much as they could, and so they had incredible reliance throughout their organizations on artillery and rocket fire.

NURENBERG: In its current use, the term "Katyusha" loosely refers to the variety of relatively crude rockets Hezbollah has been firing into Israel.

GEN. MIKE HERZOG, ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES: They're very light, they're mobile, you can move them easily in a car or riding a donkey, and so on. You just fire them and you get away.

NURENBERG: Which makes it difficult for defending forces to find those responsible. The Katyushas have no guidance system.

MARKS: If it's going in the direction you point it, it's not precise. It goes where it wants to go. I mean, that's the thing. It's going to come after your children, it's going to hit that school, it's going to plop down in the middle of the market. And what would be the intended military value of hitting this particular target other than to terrorize everybody and let them know you're not safe anywhere you go?

NURENBERG: Because of their limited range, they are in the air for a short period of time making missile defense virtually impossible.

HERZOG: There's no operation or system that knows how to intercept these rockets.

NURENBERG: Although research using lasers as a deterrent has begun, an effective shield could be years away.

HERZOG: In the meantime, the best you can do, based on intelligence and air power, is just spot them on the ground and destroy them as they launch themselves.

NURENBERG: The Israeli Defense Forces have tried to do that, but Katyushas continue to fall on Israel every day.

Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: The big news here in the U.S. has been the heat wave that will not give up across especially the middle part of the country. We'll check in on that and see what Chad has to say.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: A surprise move by the government concerning the Morning After pill.

Our Betty Nguyen has more on that from our breaking news desk.

Hello, Betty.

NGUYEN: Yes, we're learning more about that surprise move, Daryn.

Basically, the FDA says it is considering allowing the Morning After pill to be sold without a prescription over the counter to women 18 years and older. Now, I have a statement from the FDA which talks about what they're thinking about.

The FDA says that it and the drugmaker have agreed to meet immediately to discuss this, and we understand from The Associated Press that that meeting will take place somewhere within the next seven days. And here's what they want to do.

They want to establish a framework by which this medicine can be made available over the counter, and they also want to find a way so that it is not only made available, but that it is -- that there are standards in place so that people -- there are protections there so that people can't just go up and get it and it can be used wrongly. And what they're saying is they want to promote its "safe," use is the words -- wording that they use.

Now, what we understand about the Morning After pill is that it's essentially a high dose of regular birth control pills, and if it's taken up to 72 hours after unprotected sex, it can reduce your risk of pregnancy by 89 percent. So, there's a lot of effectiveness there, apparently, with this pill. It's also called an emergency pill.

So, the FDA is considering whether to allow this to be sold. Again, here's the key factor: over the counter, which means without a prescription to women 18 years and older. And they're going to be deciding within the next seven days after talking with the drugmaker if that is something that will indeed be allowed and approved by the FDA -- Daryn. KAGAN: All right. We'll be tracking it.

Betty, thank you.

Another day of scorching heat. It could hit 100 degrees or higher again in St. Louis, in Chicago, even Minneapolis. Factor in the humidity, it's going to be darn hot.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: In California, Tony Blair, the British prime minister, and Arnold Schwarzenegger may be joining forces. According to The Associated Press, the prime minister and California's governor are preparing to sidestep the Bush administration and work together to fight global warming. Blair is in California this week. The two are expected to announce their plan to reduce carbon dioxide pollution later today.

Lebanon is mourning their dead. The grief and anger ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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