Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Sunday Morning

White House: Both Sides Must Show Restraint

Aired March 03, 2002 - 08:07   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: In the West Bank today, Israeli forces attacked several Palestinian targets in response to a series of weekend attacks that left at least 20 Israelis dead. Israeli helicopters fired missiles at a police station near the Ramallah compound of Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat.

Meanwhile, we are told that a Palestinian gunmen opened fire on a convoy of cars passing through a West Bank military checkpoint. Ten Israelis were killed, dozens other injured. For more on the story and reaction from the White House, we go now to our Senior White House Correspondent John King, working on a weekend today. Good morning, John.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: (AUDIO GAP) went to Saudi Arabia. They wanted to test just how serious the Saudis were about pushing forward with this new peace proposal. Then, of course, just days later another weekend of deadly violence. The administration reacting to this violence by saying, both sides must step back and show restraint.

At the same time, they make clear they view the burden primarily on the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. They say Mr. Arafat must do more to crack down on the military groups blamed once again this weekend for violence, that in these latest episodes, has killed as many as 20 people, perhaps more, as the death toll mounts.

Out in public this week, the administration trying to strike a diplomatic pose. Secretary of State Colin Powell on the CNN program, "NOVAK, HUNT & SHIELDS" saying both the Israelis and the Palestinians must do more now to stop this violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: Both side now have to do everything to apply restraint, to stop the terror, to stop the daily exchange of fire going back and forth. And, I don't want to condemn anyone right now. I want both sides to exercise maximum effort, do everything they can to get the violence ended, or else we're going to get nowhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Note the secretary said he did not want to condemn anyone, but other administration officials say Mr. Arafat bears the burden. Mr. Bush will discuss that issue, the continuing violence, plus the broader proposal, the Saudi proposal, for a peace plan with the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. He is in Washington this weekend, due here at the White House on Tuesday. So, as the violence continues this weekend, the White House will reassess its diplomatic options in the days ahead. Miles.

O'BRIEN: John, as is often the case when you're dealing with the Middle East, we're left to read the tea leaves a little bit. In listening to Secretary Powell's statements, emphasis there on both sides. Not long ago there were very clear public statements that the ball was in the court of Yasser Arafat. Why the shift? Why now?

KING: Well because the Saudi peace plan is on the table, and because there have been some comments from the Israeli government that the White House simply does not like more muscular comments than the White House would like. They make clear here they believe the burden is on Mr. Arafat, that he must stop the violence linked to Palestinian groups. But they're also trying to get the Saudi peace proposal up to a stature of which it has the potential to be a breakthrough, at least for a ceasefire.

So in that regard, what the administration is saying, the Saudis have put on the table a plan under which the Arab nations would not only recognize Israel, but normalize relations with Israel if Israel pulled back from the occupied territories. "Mr. Sharon, what do you say to that?" So it is in that new political environment the administration is trying to choose its words much more carefully, not be seen in public as picking sides, as the Saudis try to get some momentum behind this new peace proposal.

O'BRIEN: So the idea is to nurture the Saudi proposal along. What's the sense inside the halls of the administration? Does it really have a chance of taking hold?

KING: Well they know from public statements that Prime Minister Sharon is against a complete pullback from the occupied territories, one of the principles of this new Saudi proposal. They want to hear more details about the Saudi proposal, but they do say it provides at least potentially right now the political breakthrough to get you, if not to the much broader peace that the Saudis are discussing, the Arab world normalizing relations with Israel, but at least to the point where you could get to the first item in the so-called Mitchell Plan, the U.S. brokered plan, where you would at least get the two sides to a ceasefire, into a cooling off period, and then into some more detailed security negotiations to stop the violence we see at these checkpoints.

That's where much of this violence takes place in border towns, in the occupied territories along the military checkpoints. So they hope perhaps, if not right away, into a broader peace discussion. No one here is optimistic about that. Perhaps the Saudi plan can give you at least the political impetus to get to a ceasefire and a cooling off period.

O'BRIEN: Well, let me ask you this, John. Is it viewed within the administration that the Saudis can serve as a broker for peace, given that, apparently the U.S. ability to do that has been somewhat seemingly diminished?

KING: Well, this Bush Administration has stepped back just a bit. It rejects the words "step back" but it has said the parties themselves must show a clear willingness to end the violence and move forward in negotiations before the administration will get involved from a diplomatic standpoint in the hand-holding, if you will, that we saw during the Clinton Administration.

Certainly, what the administration hopes now, that if you have the Arab world coming together and rallying around this proposal, you have the European Union nations that have been in the past involved in the Mid East peace process saying they view this as a serious proposal. They need more details.

On the one hand, they believe if the United States embraces this proposal, perhaps the Arab nations will do something, the United States says they have not done with enough vigor in the past, go to Mr. Arafat and say "you must choke down on these extremist groups. You must stop the violence."

So if the United States embraces this new Arab plan and brings the Saudis into a major role, they think perhaps you put some political pressure on the Israelis to at least offer a counter proposal, and certainly that the Arabs could exert their influence over Mr. Arafat to stop the violence. Again this weekend, at least 20 deaths, 20 Israeli deaths blamed on the latest violence.

O'BRIEN: All right, a very fragile situation, as it always seems to be. John King at the White House, thank you very much for those insights.

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