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American Morning

President Bush to Meet with Leaders of Israel and South Africa Today

Aired June 26, 2001 - 09:08   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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush will be spending a significant portion of his day on international issues. He's hosting separate meetings at the White House with the leaders of Israel and South Africa.

Our senior White House correspondent John King has the latest on those meetings.

John, good morning.

JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

The meeting with the Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, this afternoon likely to draw the most attention because of the continuing violence in the Middle East. This violence despite a very fragile cease-fire agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians. That cease-fire agreement and the diplomacy from this point forward will be the subject of the discussions today as Mr. Sharon comes to the White House for his second visit with this president. He was here about three months ago as well.

Now, this meeting will take place in the White House. It is the beginning of what U.S. officials describe as an intense week of U.S. diplomacy in an effort to move beyond the cease-fire to the next level in the Middle East. Not a great deal of optimism, however, as the Secretary of State, Colin Powell, prepares to leave tonight for the region. He will meet with the Israelis, he will meet with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, the Egyptian president as well.

What Mr. Powell seeks is an agreement to go beyond the cease-fire to an official cooling-off period during which the two sides would show their commitment presumably to keeping things calm and then discuss other so-called confidence building measures. That's the term the diplomats used. In this case, it would be more security cooperations, perhaps more economic cooperations.

Again, though, given the violence in the region, even during this cease-fire period, not a great deal of optimism here, but the administration trying to show through Mr. Bush's meeting here today at the White House and Secretary Powell's trip its active engagement in the Middle East. As you mentioned, the president of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, also due here at the White House this morning. He is in the United States for that United Nation's conference yesterday on combating the global AIDS crisis. Africa, of course, and South Africa in particular, one of the great focuses of the international effort to raise more money to combat AIDS. That will be the major subject of discussion as the South African president also stops by the White House today - Daryn.

KAGAN: John, let's get back to the Mideast effort, and you mentioned that this is Mr. Sharon's second visit to the White House with Mr. Bush and yet, still no invitation out to Yasser Arafat. Why is that?

KING: Well, U.S. officials say that Mr. Bush has spoken on the phone to Mr. Arafat. Secretary Powell has met with him and will meet with him again during his trip. U.S. officials won't say so publicly but privately they tell us they believe Mr. Arafat can and should do more to arrest some Palestinians in the region, to do more to bring calm to the region. They say unless he shows a commitment to do more, and of course the Palestinians dispute this, they say Mr. Arafat is doing his part. But from the administration, its view is until Mr. Arafat does more, he will not get an invitation to see this president.

KAGAN: John King at the White House. John, thank you.

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