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American Morning

America Strikes Back: British Prime Minister Tony Blair Meeting with Israeli and Palestinian Leaders

Aired November 01, 2001 - 10:46   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: British Prime Minister Tony Blair meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, hoping to get that peace process there back on track.

CNN's bureau chief in Jerusalem Mike Hanna now with a live update from the Middle East.

Mike, hello.

MIKE HANNA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Bill.

Well, this appears to have been a difficult trip for the British Prime Minister Tony Blair, part of task, to bolster the U.S. president's coalition in terms of forging an international coalition against terror, including Arab states in that coalition, and in terms of reducing the level of conflict in the Middle East, which the U.S. sees as an obstacle to forging such a coalition.

Mr. Blair, the president meeting with the Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat in Gaza City. This coming toward the end of his Middle Eastern trip that has also taken him to visits to Syria, Jordan and Israel in the course of the day.

Earlier on today, he did meet with the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and it was on the surface an amicable meeting at a news conference afterwards. The two leaders at one stage exchanged jokes. But Mr. Blair's request it does appear that he made, that Israel withdrawal from autonomous Palestinian territory its occupied in recent weeks was turned down by Ariel Sharon. Mr. Sharon saying that while he remains committed to negotiation, he will not take part in any negotiations, while as he puts it, the threat of Palestinian terror continues.

He said, too, that there will in no Israeli withdrawal until what he says this threat of Palestinian terror continues.

Well Mr. Blair at present, as I said, meeting with Yasser Arafat in Gaza City. We expect the two leaders to emerge within the next few minutes, and we'll have more details of exactly what transpired in that meeting then -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Mike Hanna, on the Middle East front.

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