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American Morning

Interview With George Mitchell

Aired June 12, 2003 - 07:16   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: In just a week, the prospects for Mideast peace have turned from bright to dark. At the Aqaba summit, the Israeli and Palestinian leaders seemed optimistic when they met with President Bush, but a new round of violence has changed all that.
Former Senate majority leader George Mitchell was a Middle East advisor during the Clinton administration, and he joins us now.

GEORGE MITCHELL, MIDEAST ADVISOR IN CLINTON ADMINISTRATION: Good morning, Senator. Thanks for being with us.

Good morning.

KAGAN: When you see what took place yesterday, both from the Palestinians and the Israelis, do you think the road map can be saved?

MITCHELL: It's possible that it can be saved. Obviously, it's much more difficult now. Each new round of violence creates higher emotions, makes it more difficult for the leaders to move in the direction the road map wants. But I think it is possible, and I hope that the president will persevere.

KAGAN: And as leaders try to come up with different ways to try to save this process, Senator John Warner on the Senate Armed Services Committee had an idea they talked about yesterday involving NATO troops. Let's go ahead and listen to that sound byte.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN WARNER (R-VA), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: We should have both the governments of Israel and Palestine invite NATO to come in temporarily and provide such security and visibility to the infrastructure of those who send these hopeless bombers into this thing, that we mean business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: What do you think about that, the idea of bringing NATO troops into the situation?

MITCHELL: Until now, the government of Israel has opposed any outside military force. When I chaired a commission over there, we discussed that issue with both sides. In fact, the Palestinians requested an outside force, and the Israelis very strongly opposed it. Unless both sides agree to it, I don't think such a force could be useful.

KAGAN: And it has to be accepted and welcomed in order to...

MITCHELL: That's right. Otherwise, it becomes entangled in the fighting itself, that the force itself becomes a third party to the conflict.

KAGAN: I went and looked back a little bit. June 4 you were here, you were visiting and talking with Bill. And in the interview you said it's going to be very difficult, there are going to be many setbacks along the way. The real test will be whether we have the patience and perseverance to see it through. Almost not like you were predicting that something like this was going to happen, but it almost was inevitable...

MITCHELL: Yes.

KAGAN: ... as the potential for peace ratcheted up, so the potential for violence. But do you think the U.S. has the perseverance and patience to see it through?

MITCHELL: Yes, I think we do. So far, the president's statements have indicated that. It was predictable, because obviously the Hamas leaders and those of the Islamic Jihad want the new Prime Minister Abbas to fail. They don't want this process to proceed, and so they...

KAGAN: That's so hard for people outside to understand that, how people cannot want peace.

MITCHELL: Well, what they would say is they want peace on their terms...

KAGAN: Right.

MITCHELL: ... which, of course, means no peace at all.

KAGAN: And going into Aqaba, there was a certain, ironically, sense of weariness on both sides. The Israel economy having very difficult times, the Palestinian economy basically in shambles, and that weariness actually leading to an openness to talk about this road map. Do you think that that weariness will still stay as the violence goes on?

MITCHELL: I think in the end that will be the decisive factor. In Northern Ireland after 30 years of war and many failed efforts, we were able to get an agreement largely because the public became sick of the conflict. I sense the same thing occurring in the Middle East. The problem is, of course, that each new round of violence raises emotions, makes it more difficult, arouse the desire for revenge. And so, I think it is going to be very difficult.

But I think in the end if that doesn't occur -- that is, if people don't really get sick of war -- you're probably going to see continuation of conflict.

KAGAN: Interesting that you call on your Northern Ireland experience. I was also reading that -- I was searching for the answer of where do you keep the optimism going? And you were saying during that process, people thought it's a failure to failure, and there were indeed 700 days of failure.

MITCHELL: Yes.

KAGAN: But you only need one day of success.

MITCHELL: That's right. Until you actually get a peace agreement, it can be deemed a failure, and it was described in that manner in Northern Ireland. So, I think what's critical now in the Middle East is that everyone involved, and particularly the United States government and the American people, not become discouraged by setbacks, not turn away, not succumb to the inevitability of violence, but stay with it and keep pushing the prospects of peace. Because I believe it can happen, notwithstanding the horrific violence of the last few days.

KAGAN: Let's hope that does come true. Senator George Mitchell, thank you, sir, appreciate it.

MITCHELL: Thank you.

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 June 12, 2003 - 07:16   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: In just a week, the prospects for Mideast peace have turned from bright to dark. At the Aqaba summit, the Israeli and Palestinian leaders seemed optimistic when they met with President Bush, but a new round of violence has changed all that.
Former Senate majority leader George Mitchell was a Middle East advisor during the Clinton administration, and he joins us now.

GEORGE MITCHELL, MIDEAST ADVISOR IN CLINTON ADMINISTRATION: Good morning, Senator. Thanks for being with us.

Good morning.

KAGAN: When you see what took place yesterday, both from the Palestinians and the Israelis, do you think the road map can be saved?

MITCHELL: It's possible that it can be saved. Obviously, it's much more difficult now. Each new round of violence creates higher emotions, makes it more difficult for the leaders to move in the direction the road map wants. But I think it is possible, and I hope that the president will persevere.

KAGAN: And as leaders try to come up with different ways to try to save this process, Senator John Warner on the Senate Armed Services Committee had an idea they talked about yesterday involving NATO troops. Let's go ahead and listen to that sound byte.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN WARNER (R-VA), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: We should have both the governments of Israel and Palestine invite NATO to come in temporarily and provide such security and visibility to the infrastructure of those who send these hopeless bombers into this thing, that we mean business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: What do you think about that, the idea of bringing NATO troops into the situation?

MITCHELL: Until now, the government of Israel has opposed any outside military force. When I chaired a commission over there, we discussed that issue with both sides. In fact, the Palestinians requested an outside force, and the Israelis very strongly opposed it. Unless both sides agree to it, I don't think such a force could be useful.

KAGAN: And it has to be accepted and welcomed in order to...

MITCHELL: That's right. Otherwise, it becomes entangled in the fighting itself, that the force itself becomes a third party to the conflict.

KAGAN: I went and looked back a little bit. June 4 you were here, you were visiting and talking with Bill. And in the interview you said it's going to be very difficult, there are going to be many setbacks along the way. The real test will be whether we have the patience and perseverance to see it through. Almost not like you were predicting that something like this was going to happen, but it almost was inevitable...

MITCHELL: Yes.

KAGAN: ... as the potential for peace ratcheted up, so the potential for violence. But do you think the U.S. has the perseverance and patience to see it through?

MITCHELL: Yes, I think we do. So far, the president's statements have indicated that. It was predictable, because obviously the Hamas leaders and those of the Islamic Jihad want the new Prime Minister Abbas to fail. They don't want this process to proceed, and so they...

KAGAN: That's so hard for people outside to understand that, how people cannot want peace.

MITCHELL: Well, what they would say is they want peace on their terms...

KAGAN: Right.

MITCHELL: ... which, of course, means no peace at all.

KAGAN: And going into Aqaba, there was a certain, ironically, sense of weariness on both sides. The Israel economy having very difficult times, the Palestinian economy basically in shambles, and that weariness actually leading to an openness to talk about this road map. Do you think that that weariness will still stay as the violence goes on?

MITCHELL: I think in the end that will be the decisive factor. In Northern Ireland after 30 years of war and many failed efforts, we were able to get an agreement largely because the public became sick of the conflict. I sense the same thing occurring in the Middle East. The problem is, of course, that each new round of violence raises emotions, makes it more difficult, arouse the desire for revenge. And so, I think it is going to be very difficult.

But I think in the end if that doesn't occur -- that is, if people don't really get sick of war -- you're probably going to see continuation of conflict.

KAGAN: Interesting that you call on your Northern Ireland experience. I was also reading that -- I was searching for the answer of where do you keep the optimism going? And you were saying during that process, people thought it's a failure to failure, and there were indeed 700 days of failure.

MITCHELL: Yes.

KAGAN: But you only need one day of success.

MITCHELL: That's right. Until you actually get a peace agreement, it can be deemed a failure, and it was described in that manner in Northern Ireland. So, I think what's critical now in the Middle East is that everyone involved, and particularly the United States government and the American people, not become discouraged by setbacks, not turn away, not succumb to the inevitability of violence, but stay with it and keep pushing the prospects of peace. Because I believe it can happen, notwithstanding the horrific violence of the last few days.

KAGAN: Let's hope that does come true. Senator George Mitchell, thank you, sir, appreciate it.

MITCHELL: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.