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CNN Sunday Morning

Arafat, Peres Discuss Resumption of Peace Talks

Aired November 04, 2001 - 07:48   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.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: Yet another violent weekend in the Middle East. In a predawn attack in northern Gaza, Israeli helicopter missile attacks destroyed three Palestinian factories. Israeli defense forces say that three targets were mortar shell factories. Palestinian sources deny it. The IDF says it was payback for a barrage of mortar shells fired at Israeli settlements in the region.

The missile strikes came just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon canceled a visit to the U.S. And the attack follows an informal meeting between Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres at an economic summit in Spain.

CNN's Jerrold Kessel has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fresh from a 15- minute face-to-face meeting, their first such encounter in almost six weeks, Yasser Arafat and Shimon Peres, now very much facing a what-if situation.

What if, surprisingly, they can move things on from here? For Israelis and Palestinians to respond convincingly to the loud international pleading that 30 months of bloodletting end, and that they head back to full negotiations?

A more critical what if: What if they fail to ensure a lasting calm and no peace moves are started?

MIGUEL MORATINOS, EU MIDEAST ENVOY: They know in the back of their mind that they have to change. And that's the role and the responsibility of the international community. We have to tell them the truth. And the truth is they have to really engage themselves once, forever, to address the real issue.

KESSEL: Even in these relaxed surroundings, far removed from what Egypt's president calls a precarious situation in the Middle East, Hosni Mubarak says unless things are turned around quickly, the turmoil will engulf the region and the international coalition of support for the U.S. global war on terror will be disrupted.

HOSNI MUBARAK, PRESIDENT OF EGYPT: To this (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to Mr. Sharon. I think he should realize that we are passing a very critical and serious (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in the peace process will help a lot, in all direction.

KESSEL: The answer, Yasser Arafat says, is to go directly to new peace negotiations.

YASSER ARAFAT, PRESIDENT, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY: I'm ready to start again the peace process, the negotiations in all levels, by all means, anywhere.

KESSEL: Shimon Peres confirms he is putting the final touches to a concrete new peace plan which, he says, can bridge Israeli- Palestinian differences and meet U. S. needs.

SHIMON PERES, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER: I don't think we need the call of the external world. We, ourselves, understand that if it can calm down the tension, reduce the flame of violence, it will help the anti-terror camp to get itself organized.

KESSEL: Prompting to other what ifs: Peres says he will put his proposal to Ariel Sharon next week. What if the Israeli prime minister doesn't buy in to his foreign minister's strategy to work for this kind of new understanding with the Palestinian leader?

And what, if anything, the United States needs to do to join the urgent European drive towards a fresh peach initiative.

(on camera): Questions, say high ranking European diplomats, which could be answered as early as the next couple of weeks, when they expect, when they hope, Washington will address the issue at the start of the upcoming UN General Assembly session.

Jerrold Kessel, CNN, Mallorca, Spain.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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