Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Lebanon's Prime Minister Says He Will Welcome Peace Conference on Mideast
Aired April 17, 2002 - 08:27 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: Lebanon's prime minister says he will welcome an international peace conference on the Middle East, but only if it led to a comprehensive solution. In Beirut earlier this week, Prime Minister Rafic Hariri told Secretary of State Colin Powell that the U.S. must play a major role in the search for peace and the Lebanese leader is now in Washington, where he met with Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and will meet with president, our president a little bit later on today at the White House. And Prime Minister Rafic Hariri joins us now.
It's a delight to have you with us. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING.
RAFIC HARIRI, LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER: Thank you.
ZAHN: Mr. Prime Minister, there are many analysts who say that one of the achievements that Colin Powell is coming home with is lessening the tensions at the border of Lebanon and the northern border of Israel. Do you agree?
HARIRI: You know, and Lebanon doesn't want to escalate and we are working hard to achieve a sort of stability there, but still part of the country is under occupation. And since Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon, from most of the south, the situation is mostly calm. But it's fragile.
ZAHN: So are you saying that Hezbollah attacks on Israel will continue unless Israel withdraws its troops?
HARIRI: You know, there is a part of that territory is occupied and they would like to see Lebanon have it back through a diplomatic efforts or through any other means. We don't like to see violence. We don't like to see using forces.
But also Israel is not talking about any idea when it's going to withdraw from our territory.
ZAHN: At this point, how much control do you have over the Hezbollah guerrillas at this very dangerous border?
HARIRI: I know it is a very sensitive issue there and we are doing all our best to assure that there is no escalation and we are in cooperation with the United Nations and with the United States, as well. ZAHN: If Syria cut its funding of the Hezbollah guerrillas, would these confrontations end?
HARIRI: Oh, I don't think that anybody wants a confrontation. I think everybody wants to calm down the situation and we are looking for peace, not for war.
ZAHN: I wanted to, sir, read for you very quickly an editorial that ran in a London newspaper, "The Guardian," where it suggests that more is needed from your country to help solve your neighbor's crisis. And it is written, "The maximize Mr. Powell's chances of obtaining a cease-fire, a withdrawal and a resumed political process, all the interested parties must now do their bit. Syria and Lebanon should not merely reign in Hezbollah. They and other Arab nations and Iran must do all they can to enforce an end to violence, especially suicide bombings, on the Palestinian side."
What is Lebanon prepared to do to end the suicide bombings that have been witnessed in the last three or four weeks?
HARIRI: You know, we have not, we have no influence over the Palestinians whatsoever in Lebanon. By contrary, few Palestinians try to fire over the blue line last weeks and we put them in jail. So Lebanon's role over the Palestinians is very limited. But also we are concerned because the lack of peace in the region is affecting us. This is why we are concerned to see that peace taking place.
But, you know, we have to go to the root of the problem and to try to find where we can stop all this kind of violence in the region.
ZAHN: And...
HARIRI: I believe that ending the occupation is the answer to all that.
ZAHN: And is that what you're going to ask the president?
HARIRI: And respecting the U.N. resolutions.
ZAHN: Is that what you're going to ask the president for today in your meetings a little bit later on this afternoon?
HARIRI: I will, yes, I will tell the president that the act made by the Israeli government in the recent weeks hurted the idea of peace itself, the philosophy of peace, which started after Madrid in 1991. And that peace process now needs a big push from the United States to give it more life.
Also, I will tell the president that those who are asking him to sit aside and doing nothing in the Middle East, they are mistaken because this will lead to a sort of bloodshed in the region and the United States interests will be hurted and the friend of the United States will be also in a very, very difficult situation.
ZAHN: Well, Prime Minister... HARIRI: You know, I heard some people talking that Israel is surrounding by people who doesn't want Israel to exist. This is not true. Israel have made a peace agreement with Egypt and Egypt is holding this agreement until today. And but Israel is not anymore occupying the Egyptian territory.
So this something happened. As far as there is an occupation we should expect that security cannot be assured. So the root of the problem is the occupation.
ZAHN: All right, unfortunately, Mr. Prime Minister, we're going to have to leave it there and move along. We will be following the progress of those meetings you are holding a little bit later today with President Bush.
Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, thank you for your time this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
