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CNN Sunday Morning

Arafat Still Holed-Up in Compound

Aired March 31, 2002 - 08:23   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And we'll get -- we'll talk more about that explosion in Haifa. We're also following the fast-moving story that continues to unfold in Ramallah, where Yasser Arafat continues to be hold up in his compound there, as Israeli forces are moving to isolate him.

I understand our Michael Holmes is with Yasser Arafat now and joins us by telephone -- Michael.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, yes, I've actually just left Yasser Arafat. We couldn't get a telephone signal out of there. And I can tell you that he is fit, well, uninjured and certainly defiant.

An extraordinary scene here. We're outside the walls, and about 40 or 50 Palestinian and international peace protesters, including Americans, French, German, Swiss, marched down the street to one of the entranceways into the compound, walked straight past some armored personnel carriers and tanks, and walked straight toward Yasser Arafat's compound. We followed. As we did, Israeli troops fired warning shots.

The group did not stop. They marched straight in past Palestinian gunmen at the entrance to Yasser Arafat's office building, walked straight past the Palestinian gunmen, who seemed shocked and surprised and not a little pleased to see everybody. We went upstairs, we saw Yasser Arafat. They said, "No interviews." But we did ask him questions anyway.

He said that he's staying where he is. He said that he feels that his life is at risk, but he is not concerned about that. He said in as many words he doesn't care if he dies. He said, "This is about my people." He has called on the international community once again, the European Union, the United States, to step in and stop the siege that is underway at his headquarters -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So, Michael, is Yasser Arafat planning on -- first of all, is his cell phone working? There were mixed reports on whether he had a line to get out of that compound. Did you say whether or not his phone is working still?

HOLMES: Cell phone contact here is very patchy at the moment in this area. I was in there obviously trying to call to tell you what was happening and I could not get a call out. It's very difficult at the moment.

He cannot get a signal out. I spoke to several of his aides who also have cell phones. They cannot get a signal out either. He is certainly defiant, Kyra, and he has many armed security force people with him. They have AK-47s, there were a couple of heavy caliber machine guns. They, too, are defiant.

PHILLIPS: Michael, did you have a chance to discuss with him about making a statement? President Bush is asking for him to condemn this violence, these attacks that are taking place in Arabic. Did he say anything about that or anything at all about making any type of statement condemning this violence?

HOLMES: It was a pretty confusing and impromptu news conference. Certainly the most extraordinary I've seen in some 25 years of reporting. Questions -- I kept trying to get him to talk in English, and a couple of other journalists who came in with us were trying to get him to talk in Arabic. Yasser Arafat has said, in the past, he has already made those statements. He has condemned bombings; he says that he has done everything he possibly can to stop the bombings.

Israel, of course, has a very different viewpoint to that. He says that -- excuse me, there's just a bit of tank movement again -- he says that he has already made those statements. He's calling for peace, he's calling for the full implementation once again of the Tenet (ph) cease plan. I asked him if he thought a cease-fire was possible given the circumstances that he is in and has been in for several or a couple of days now. He said, "Of course, of course, under Tenet (ph)."

He's still willing, he says, to talk peace, to talk cease-fire through General Anthony Zinni -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Michael, what's his next move? What does he plan to do? What did he tell you? Is he just going to wait this out? Is he being advised by anybody? Is he strictly making these decisions himself?

HOLMES: No, he is surrounded by senior advisers. There were 10 or so of them with him just now. He -- from his point of view and from the Palestinian point of view, it's not up to him how to end it. He says that he is the one under siege. He says the Palestinian people are the ones who are occupied, and there's not much he can do from inside his office surrounded by tanks and troops.

There are snipers in the building offices. They were firing warning shots at us as we went in. And a couple of them -- there were a couple of stragglers from the media who tried to join up with the group later. They had shots fired at their feet. So he says that he's not in a position given that sort of environment in which to do very much at all other than to call for peace and call for a fallback of these troops that are in his compound -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well on that note, Michael, we're continuing to get just massive amounts of emails, as you can imagine. And this one from Robert in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He says, "Some enemy Arafat is. He's held up in a room with no water or electricity and likely a dead cell phone battery. What does Israel really expect from him?"

HOLMES: Well Israel expects him to again, as you said, condemn the violence, to call for a cease-fire in Arabic. He says it's something he's already done. He feels himself that there's not much he can do. He's stuck there, he can't get calls out. It's not a very pleasant situation in there in the building. There's a lot of people in there in not very many rooms. I saw a mattress on the floor.

We walked in and the first thing the soldiers there asked for were cigarettes. They're certainly running short of supplies. But I certainly can say that their spirit seemed very high, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Our Michael Holmes right there live in Ramallah, just leaving Yasser Arafat. He was able to gain access to the compound there and speak briefly with Yasser Arafat. We'll continue to check in with Michael.

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