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CNN Sunday Morning
Zinni Not to Return to Middle East at Arafat's Request
Aired January 27, 2002 - 10:06 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has asked the United States to send peace envoy Anthony Zinni back to the troubled region, but that is not happening. CNN's Major Garrett is at the White House to talk about that and the administration's concerns over the Middle East. Hello, Major.
MAJOR GARRETT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles. The central concern for the Bush Administration is, is there really someone who represents the Palestinian Authority, who is a credible peace negotiator?
Someone with whom the United States and the Israeli government can deal with who is credible on the question of lowering the violence, establishing a long-lasting cease fire, and putting together those pre-conditions that everyone believes are necessary to achieve any sort of breakthrough on the peace front? And the answer from the administration is, there isn't one on the Palestinian side of the equation.
The administration has decided, if not permanently, at least for the time being, that Yasser Arafat simply is not an honest broker when it comes to the peace process. Let me show you some pictures that really have fed into that administration conclusion.
These are pictures taken of a container ship, called the Karim A (ph). The name is not nearly so important as what was on board that container ship. Fifty tons of military hardware, destined for the Palestinian Authority, used the Israelis say and the U.S. government agrees, for future terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians.
Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader, has told the U.S. government he did not know anything about that shipment of arms. The United States does not believe that. And earlier today on the FOX NEWS SUNDAY television program, Vice President Cheney said that there is much more the Palestinian leader has got to do to prove to the United States that he really is a partner in a potential peace negotiation.
DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've been very clear in our communications with Mr. Arafat. Colin Powell talked with him just within the last couple of days what it is we expect of him. He knows what he has to do to be taken seriously.
GARRETT: What he has to do to be taken seriously is what Jerrold Kessel hinted at. Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader has got to aggressively arrest and do everything visible to shut down Palestinian cells within the Palestinian movement, before the United States will even consider sending the retired marine general Anthony Zinni back as a peace envoy. Vice President Cheney also gave voice to those sorts of calculations and concerns.
CHENEY: At this stage, we need to see some positive signs that his return would do some good, and that means we've got to see some positive results out of Arafat. He has to fulfill his commitments. He's got to exercise his responsibility to control the terrorist attacks.
GARRETT: Miles, there's also a very strong sense here at the Bush White House, that the United States Government is not going to act to permanently isolate the Palestinian leader or the Palestinian movement before the Israeli government does so.
The Israeli government is again convening today in reaction to this latest terrorist attack, but there is some sense that the signals being sent by the Vice President today are very clear to the Israeli government.
If you push Arafat aside, we're not going to publicly disagree with you, but what you're seeing here is a continued distancing on behalf of the Bush Administration, of at least from Yasser Arafat as a voice of reason within the Palestinian movement. The great question then arises, who do you deal with, if not Arafat, in dealing with this ongoing and very violent conflict? Miles.
O'BRIEN: Not an easy question to answer. Major Garrett at the White House, thank you very much. Next hour, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will arrive at Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba for a tour of the facilities where Afghan war detainees are being held.
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