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American Morning

Vice President Cheney Heads to Jerusalem

Aired March 18, 2002 - 08:02   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.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Up front this morning, the push for peace. Wrapping up his 12 nation tour of the Middle East, Vice President Dick Cheney is due to arrive in Jerusalem at this hour, where he plans to meet with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and possibly a Palestinian delegation. Undeterred by yesterday's violence, U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni has been meeting with top Israeli and Palestinian officials today, working to bring the two sides together to talk about a cease-fire.

CNN's Mike Hanna joins us from Jerusalem -- Mike, what's the latest?

MIKE HANNA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Andersen, the U.S. vice president due to arrive in the region at any minute. He'll be holding a series of talks in the course of the day, in particular with the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and with special U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni. Zinni himself at present is meeting with very senior Palestinian and Israeli security chiefs. The Palestinian security leaders from the West Bank and Gaza, and very senior Israeli military officials, as well as the head of Israel's Shinbet. That's their internal security organization.

Being discussed, a cease-fire plan that was drawn up by CIA Director George Tenet a year ago, never implemented. What they're trying to do now is get agreement on how to implement that plan. The biggest stumbling block, according to Palestinians, the ongoing presence in Palestinian controlled areas of Israeli forces, the Palestinians saying they can't agree to any cease-fire while these Israeli forces remain in place. Israel says it can only withdraw if they get sufficient security guarantees from the Palestinians that these areas will be police department effectively by Palestinian security forces and that these security forces will prevent militants from crossing into Israel and carrying out attacks in Israeli cities.

So deep discussion going on at present. Deep argument as well, it is believed. But the point is that the U.S. vice president arrives in the region when the most high level meeting taking place aimed at getting a cease-fire, the most high level meeting that's taken place in a long, long period of time -- Andersen.

COOPER: Mike, who is Vice President Cheney going to meet with on the Palestinian side, if anyone?

HANNA: Well, this is very unclear at the moment. On his original schedule there were no meetings blocked out with Palestinian representatives, although some sources with the vice president have been saying that there is a possibility of the vice president meeting with some Palestinians. But from the Palestinian side the information minister saying that unless Vice President Cheney meets with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat himself, then lesser Palestinian leaders will not meet with Cheney.

So a little bit of upmanship, one-upmanship going on here, but at this stage no confirmation, no clarity as to whether the vice president will be meeting with Palestinians as well as with Israeli leaders -- Andersen.

COOPER: All right, Mike Hanna, thanks very much for joining us this morning.

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