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American Morning

In Israel, Cheney, Sharon Say Cease-fire up to Arafat

Aired March 19, 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 ANCHOR: And up front this morning, the search for peace in the Middle East. After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Vice President Dick Cheney said he was willing to meet with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat only after certain conditions are met.

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DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In order to help General Zinni's mission, as the Tenet work plan is being implemented, I told the prime minister that I would be ready to meet with Chairman Arafat in the period ahead at a site in the region to be determined. The Tenet work plan requires 100 percent effort by Chairman Arafat to stop the violence and the terror and I would expect the 100 percent effort to begin immediately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: CNN's Mike Hanna is in Jerusalem and joins us now live -- good morning, Mike.

MIKE HANNA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Andersen.

Well, you heard from the vice president there that he and the Israeli prime minister believe that the onus of getting the cease-fire working is on the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat. Israel has withdrawn from several areas in the West Bank and Gaza that it had reoccupied in recent weeks and now both parties looking towards the Palestinian Authority to make good its commitment to fight terror on the ground.

Well, Cheney met with Ariel Sharon for the second time in his very brief period of stay in the region here, part of an ongoing Middle East tour. And from Vice President Cheney the announcement that he would be prepared to meet with Arafat on condition that the cease-fire plan that had been drawn up by CIA Director George Tenet was implemented.

The Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, said that he would be prepared to allow Arafat to leave the area and travel to a very important Arab summit in Beirut next week if this plan was implemented. Arafat's been under virtual house arrest in the West Bank city of Ramallah for a number of months, only recently having these restrictions relieved, allowing him to travel around Palestinian territory.

But this seen by Israel as a major concession by Sharon that he will allow Arafat to travel, with Palestinians not overly impressed, although they have been pressing hard on the U.S. to bring pressure to bear on Sharon to allow freedom of movement for Yasser Arafat.

So the vice president left the region without the cease-fire that he may have hoped for. But he's carrying with him signs of progress in getting a truce implemented on the ground -- Andersen.

COOPER: Mike, what exactly is in the Tenet Plan?

HANNA: Yes, this is a plan that has been talked about much in recent weeks. It is a document that was drawn up by the director of the CIA a year ago. Both sides agreed to it, but it was never implemented on the ground. It is a very specific series of steps that each side has got to undertake in order to get to where a cease-fire can be declared.

For example, Israel has to withdraw its forces to the positions they occupied in September 2000 before this current intifada erupted. Palestinians have to arrest known militants. They have to collect unlawful weapons and they have to meet certain security guarantees within Palestinian controlled territories.

So there are a very clear series of steps that have to be done in terms of the plan. This is nothing new to both sides. They both know what this plan contains. The question is whether they now can implement the provisions of this plan -- Andersen.

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

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