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American Morning

Up Front: Powell Due in Israel Today in Effort to Bring Peace to Region

Aired April 11, 2002 - 09:03   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: Up front this morning U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell due in Israel today in effort to bring peace to the region. Powell will be meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat.

For the latest on the secretary's trip, we turn to CNN's John Vause who joins us from Jerusalem. Good morning, John.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula. Yeah, countdown to Colin Powell underway here in Jerusalem. He's expected to arrive in Tel Aviv in a few hours. He'll then be helicoptered here to Jerusalem for those meetings, which you just outlined, first with the Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon tomorrow and then with the Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat on Saturday.

Now as skilled as a diplomat as Colin Powell is, many people say this could in fact be mission impossible, the most difficult of his career. Still at a press conference in Madrid earlier today, he was very upbeat. He said that he was pleased and proud to be selected for this peace mission to the Mid East. He also said that he did not want to wallow in pessimism. Here's some of what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: However long the Israeli incursions continue, whether they pull out of everywhere today or whether they pull out of everywhere they're in now in over a longer period of time, the problem will still be there but people who need to be brought into a negotiating process that will lead to peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: But those incursions are continuing, which Colin Powell referred to in that sound bite. Overnight the Israeli forces moved into two more towns on the West Bank. Birdeit (ph) as well as Daharyeh (ph). But also the Israeli's are pointing to the withdrawal from 22 villages and two towns overnight.

The White House says that's an encouraging sign but it is important to note, Paula, that in fact they were very small towns and very few people on the ground actually realized that the Israeli forces were there to begin with. Also the fighting in that Jenin refugee camp, according to the Israel defense force, is all but wrapped up. The military saying that they are now in full control of that refugee camp. That scene of - that was scene of some fierce fighting over the last few days. The death toll on the Israeli side more than 20 Israeli soldiers killed there, 13 in an ambush two days ago. The Palestinians for their part say 500 people had been killed. No way of verifying that account. The International Aid Agency is very keen to get in there and make their own assessment. There have been some reports coming from Palestinians of gross human right abuses. That situation obviously waiting to be assessed as those aid agencies move in.

We also have word from Hebron, from the Palestinian-controlled part of Hebron that a suicide bomber accidentally detonated. The only person killed in that explosion was in fact, the suicide bomber. But a number of nearby Palestinians were also injured in that blast. Now authorities say the intended target was most likely an Israeli checkpoint about half a mile away. Also reports that the suicide bomber may have been trying to get into a taxicab. Those taxis leave Hebron for Israeli cities like Jerusalem and also Tel Aviv - Paula.

ZAHN: John, if you could before we let you go, bring us up to date on what is going on at the Church of the Nativity where there has been a standoff for many, many days now.

VAUSE: Yeah, that standoff beginning on April 2nd. It's been ongoing for quite some time. The scene in that - in the Church of the Nativity described as horrific by the Cannon Andrew White (ph). He is the anglicant (ph) mission here to the envoy here to the Middle East. He described the humanitarian conditions inside that church as appalling, 200 Palestinians, 40 church workers.

The Israelis say the Palestinians are gunmen. They're on their wanted list. They say that those church workers are being held hostage. But Cannon Andrew White put a different spin on it. He said that they were reluctant to leave because it is their charge to protect that church and those people inside the Church of the Nativity are worried about what might happen if in fact they do leave.

Now in fact there has been ongoing negotiations to try and end this siege. Also ongoing negotiations to try and remove the body of a Palestinian policemen who was shot dead several days ago as he tried to put out a fire - Paula.

ZAHN: OK, John, thank you so much for the update.

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