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American Morning
Wake-Up Call: Colin Powell Plans Trip to Middle East
Aired April 29, 2003 - 07:09 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Secretary of State Colin Powell is busy, too. He'll talk today on Capitol Hill. He'll be focusing on Iraq and NATO with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
And then, the secretary takes a trip of his own to the Middle East. Why? Well, for the answer to that and more, let's place a "Wake-Up Call" to our State Department producer, Elise Labott. She's on the phone right now.
Good morning -- Elise.
ELISE LABOTT, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: So, when will Colin Powell go to the Middle East?
LABOTT: Well, he's expected to leave sometime later this week. We're not really sure what day he'll go to which country. The itinerary is still very much taking shape. He's definitely going to make several stops to consult with key allies in the region.
But were hearing he might even make two trips, maybe one to a few Arab capitals to consult with leaders there, and one later in the month to meet with the Israelis and Palestinians, because he's walking a very difficult balance right now. He wants to go soon after the appointment of Abu Mazen, and officials say he wants to visit to prop him up, to tower him.
But at the same time, he doesnt want Abu Mazen to be seen as a U.S. stooge or a puppet, if you will. But however, he has said that Abu Mazen's appointment is the beginning of a much more personal and deeper engagement by the secretary of state -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Another question for you on that point. We heard Yasser Arafat speaking from Ramallah before Abu Mazen, before the vote was taken. It doesn't seem like he's just going to be sort of a figure in the background as the United States probably wants. So, what will Secretary of State Colin Powell do about that?
LABOTT: Well, certainly there are several members of his cabinet that the U.S. has worked with before. Abu Mazen chose several officials to accommodate Yasser Arafat, so a lot of those people are familiar faces. And everyone acknowledges that Yasser Arafat will be very involved behind the scenes. He has final say over negotiations with the Israelis.
But what the U.S. is hoping here is that with the building of democratic institutions, more transparency and accountability in the finances, that the Palestinians will move more towards democracy, and in effect that marginalizes Yasser Arafat. And if they have other interlocutors that they can work with, such as Abu Mazen and other members of the cabinet who they feel are reformers, they feel that's the right way to go -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Elise Labott, thanks for waking up early with DAYBREAK. We appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired April 29, 2003 - 07:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Secretary of State Colin Powell is busy, too. He'll talk today on Capitol Hill. He'll be focusing on Iraq and NATO with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
And then, the secretary takes a trip of his own to the Middle East. Why? Well, for the answer to that and more, let's place a "Wake-Up Call" to our State Department producer, Elise Labott. She's on the phone right now.
Good morning -- Elise.
ELISE LABOTT, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: So, when will Colin Powell go to the Middle East?
LABOTT: Well, he's expected to leave sometime later this week. We're not really sure what day he'll go to which country. The itinerary is still very much taking shape. He's definitely going to make several stops to consult with key allies in the region.
But were hearing he might even make two trips, maybe one to a few Arab capitals to consult with leaders there, and one later in the month to meet with the Israelis and Palestinians, because he's walking a very difficult balance right now. He wants to go soon after the appointment of Abu Mazen, and officials say he wants to visit to prop him up, to tower him.
But at the same time, he doesnt want Abu Mazen to be seen as a U.S. stooge or a puppet, if you will. But however, he has said that Abu Mazen's appointment is the beginning of a much more personal and deeper engagement by the secretary of state -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Another question for you on that point. We heard Yasser Arafat speaking from Ramallah before Abu Mazen, before the vote was taken. It doesn't seem like he's just going to be sort of a figure in the background as the United States probably wants. So, what will Secretary of State Colin Powell do about that?
LABOTT: Well, certainly there are several members of his cabinet that the U.S. has worked with before. Abu Mazen chose several officials to accommodate Yasser Arafat, so a lot of those people are familiar faces. And everyone acknowledges that Yasser Arafat will be very involved behind the scenes. He has final say over negotiations with the Israelis.
But what the U.S. is hoping here is that with the building of democratic institutions, more transparency and accountability in the finances, that the Palestinians will move more towards democracy, and in effect that marginalizes Yasser Arafat. And if they have other interlocutors that they can work with, such as Abu Mazen and other members of the cabinet who they feel are reformers, they feel that's the right way to go -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Elise Labott, thanks for waking up early with DAYBREAK. We appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
