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CNN Sunday Morning

Interview with Marc Ginsberg

Aired March 31, 2002 - 08:28   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: Let's turn it back to Marc Ginsberg, who has been watching this unfold with us out of Washington. Marc, we've got a tremendous outpouring of emails here, and I want to get some of them on, because we really appreciate viewers participating with us in this.

The first one I just wanted to share with you because you deserve to hear this. Bill Johnstone in Hamilton, Ontario says, "Marc," -- meaning you -- "has been the first voice that I have heard this weekend that has been able to provide some sense to this situation in the Middle East. I hope we hear from him more often." Mr. Johnstone, we're doing that right now.

Now let's get to the meat of the matter, shall we? "While there is intractability on both sides, the Arab peace initiative does not answer the question: If Israel were to consider the proposal, are they -- the Arab nations -- going to use their influence diplomatically and militarily to put down any further terrorist activities from these factions? If not, who is going to do it?"

MARC GINSBERG, FMR. U.S. AMBASSADOR TO MOROCCO: Well, Miles, at this point in time, you have to look at the Arab proposal in the following context. It's a vision. It's a replication of what the United Nations Security Council resolutions called for, which is the fundamental issue that has always been driving Arab and Israeli politics, which is land for peace. Will the Israelis pull out of the territories in exchange for peace?

The Sharon government has not only continued the expansion of settlements, but it could, at this point in time, send a gesture to the Palestinian people and to say in the face of the military attack, that it is prepared to even freeze the construction on settlements. The settlements represent the greatest obstacle to a political settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians at this point in time.

And until the issue of settlements is addressed by an Israeli government that so far is frankly politically unable to do so because of the fact that it is a right-wing government, the problem here is that this Arab peace initiative is really nothing more than a vision at this point in time. And it would be useful, in my judgment, if we could get the Arab governments to do more than merely put statements out and indeed join forces with the European Union and the United States to come up with a way of dealing with the extremist elements among the Palestinians, who frankly want to sabotage their initiative as well.

O'BRIEN: All right, Marc, let's continue with the email, shall we? And I apologize if I stepped on you there for a moment. I was trying to talk to some people in the control room. Steve in North Carolina has this: "Why would Syria abstain from the U.N. vote, asking Israel to withdraw its troops?"

And I'll just ask you as a follow-up, is the U.N. -- we've been talking relevancy here for Yasser Arafat -- is the U.N. relevant in any way to this discussion?

GINSBERG: The United States sponsored an important Security Council resolution just a little while ago, affirming American commitment to a Palestinian state. The Syrians are a recently new addition to the Security Council. They, therefore, are carrying the Arab flag in the Security Council. The reason for abstaining is because they didn't believe that the resolution was tough enough on the Israelis. And, therefore, rather than to support it or to veto it -- or, I'm sorry, they couldn't veto it -- but to not support it, they decided to abstain.

O'BRIEN: All right. One more email for you, Marc.

"Why do the Palestinians and Israelis think only the U.S. can step in and broker an accord? In the short term, could not Egypt, who is one of only two countries that has a peace treaty with Israel, and Lebanon, who supports Palestinian refugees, send officials to Israel to quell the current violence?" Good question from P. Lorenz in Texas.

GINSBERG: Wouldn't it be nice if we had a President Sadat who would be able to reassure the Israeli public that the Arab world is prepared to do precisely what the Arab League just said? Unfortunately, we have President Mubarak, who has shown no real proclivity for doing a great deal more than what he's done. After all, it's important here to note that it wasn't the Egyptians who led the initiative in the Arab League, it was the Saudis that did so.

Frankly, the United States is viewed by the Palestinians and the Israelis as the only party that has the capability of exerting enough pressure on both parties to drive them to their senses. The fact remains, is that the Arabs have an unusually inappropriate expectation of what that pressure should mean insofar as the Israelis are concerned. And the Israelis believe that the Americans should not be pressuring them into doing anything more than they're already doing.

O'BRIEN: All right. Marc Ginsberg, we're going to leave it at that.

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