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American Morning

There Appears to Be Second Suicide Bombing Carried Out by Palestinian Woman

Aired February 28, 2002 - 07:31   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: We have a lot of developments in the Middle East to talk about this morning, including what appears to be a second suicide bombing carried out by a Palestinian woman. There are also developments in the U.S. war against terror that involve the Middle East, including reports the U.S. is considering sending military aid and trainers to Yemen, and where the administration may put up a radio transmitter to broadcast into Iraq possibly from Iran.

Joining us now is editor at large of "Time" magazine, Michael Elliot -- welcome back.

MICHAEL ELLIOT, "TIME" MAGAZINE: Good to see you, Paula

ZAHN: We need to travel a lot this morning.

ELLIOT: Yes, I know, all over the place.

ZAHN: Let's talk -- first start off by talking about the significance...

ELLIOT: Right.

ZAHN: ... of this being the second female suicide bomber in the Middle East. What does this mean? Have the tactics changed?

ELLIOT: Well, it's horrible. I am not sure that the tactics have changed. I think what it demonstrates, unfortunately, is that the audience, the constituency, the number of people who are prepared to strap bombs around their waist and go blow themselves up is larger than we imagined.

A year ago, the perception was that this was only young, angry 28-year-old men, who didn't have a future, who were unemployed and so on and so forth. Of course, what we are learning now is that all kinds of people can be persuaded to do this, including beautiful young women with, you know, a glittering life and a glittering future in front of them -- ahead of them, one (ph) might have thought that they were prepared to just to kind of drive into an Israeli checkpoint and blow themselves up. It's unbelievable stuff.

ZAHN: But with a woman's place in Islam, doesn't this betray every (INAUDIBLE) of the religion? ELLIOT: That's an interesting point. But you know, the Palestinian national movement -- and I am trying to kind of avoid using loaded words here, I mean, the Palestinian national struggle if you like -- violent and nonviolent, has always been rather secular in its underpinnings. It hasn't, until recently, had a major Islamic religious tinge. I mean it has been kind of dedicated towards kind of creating a Palestinian national state.

Anti-terrorist people used to say in the 1970s that it was always quite easy to track down Palestinian terrorists, because they hung out in bars, they drank whiskey, you know, they were kind of looking for babes, and it was surprisingly easy to find them compared with your true religiously motivated terrorists.

So although it sounds a little odd to kind of see women in this role, I think in the context of the Palestinian struggle it's less surprising than it would be say in al Qaeda. We haven't seen Osama bin Laden surrounded by any women terrorists to date.

ZAHN: Powerful women. Let's move onto the issue of the Saudi peace proposal...

ELLIOT: Yes.

ZAHN: ... and this now being floated. You now have Yasser Arafat saying that the only way it will succeed is if the U.S. endorses it. Now, it seems to me the U.S. administration has had increasingly warmer...

ELLIOT: Yes.

ZAHN: ... reactions to it.

ELLIOT: Yes. No, I think that is absolutely right. I mean, their initial reaction was kind of slightly (ph) to dismiss it, you know, there wasn't anything there. "The New York Times," bless their heart, just kind of kept pounding on it, you know, seeing as it by a columnist, Tom Friedman, who first wind of it. And gradually in the last few weeks -- the last few days, the administration have kind of come around to say, well, you know what? This is the only game in town. There is nothing else going on in terms of a peace process, so we'll take this.

And secondly, it's significant because of where it's coming from. The Saudis tend to be very, very reserved normally. They don't like doing things up front. They don't like doing things in the spotlight. They let other people take the running. For them to be up front with a peace proposal I think, you know, finally the administration have said this is significant, the Saudis are important players, we are going to see how far we can push this.

ZAHN: I hate to mention Tom -- or excuse me -- "The New York Times" again, because you mentioned it first, but there is a front page story about this idea that the U.S. may ultimately build some sort of transmitter in Iran possibly...

ELLIOT: Right.

ZAHN: ... to help increase support for the Iraqi opposition. Will this fly? And pray tell, why would Iran cooperate after being declared...

ELLIOT: Well, it's an interesting story. No, I...

ZAHN: ... the axis of evil?

ELLIOT: It's a good story by Michael Dordin (ph) certainly. Actually, we at "Time" magazine reported some months ago that the Iranian National Congress, which is kind of the opposition group that we support, had opened an office in Tehran in Iran. So the Iranians have to some extent been moderately helpful to the U.S. and to U.S.- backed opposition groups in Iraq. The Iranians detest the Iraqis, as we know, for the series of horrible wars it has done. And so, it's not...

ZAHN: Well, it's in this context, it's I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine?

ELLIOT: Within this context -- within this context, it, you know, my enemy's enemy is my friend. I mean, that's basically I think what's going on here. And it does show that although we kind of put Iran in the axis of evil, you know, three weeks ago, that's not a kind of once and for all category. You know, you're not going to be put in that box and locked away there. In other words, there are certain areas in which you may be able to work with the Iranians, and working with them to destabilize Iraq it turns out is one of them.

ZAHN: You sound like you subscribe to the view that that was more a rhetorical flourish in the speech than anything else?

ELLIOT: Well...

ZAHN: Well, well, well. What is it, Michael?

(CROSSTALK)

ELLIOT: I mean, it wasn't pure rhetoric. As Colin Powell said yesterday, it serves a useful purpose to put everyone on notice. But I think, you know, the idea that once you are mentioned in the axis of evil speech, you would never be talked to by the U.S. government again, you would be cast into utter darkness. That may be true for Iraq. It's not true for Iran and North Korea.

ZAHN: Michael Elliott -- good to see you -- of "Time" magazine. Look forward to seeing you this Friday and over next couple of weeks.

ELLIOT: You bet.

ZAHN: Same time, same place.

ELLIOT: Looking forward to it.

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