Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Sunday Morning

Bush Says Both Sides Must Take Steps

Aired April 07, 2002 - 07:01   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: Now, back to our top story, President Bush's push for peace in the Middle East. Speaking from his ranch in Crawford, Texas yesterday, the president says both sides have to take important steps to reach their goals.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We share a vision of two states, Israel and Palestine living side-by-side in peace and in security. We agree that this vision will never be realized through terrorism and that it can only be realized through a political process. We agree that the Palestinian leadership must order an immediate and effective cease fire and crackdown on terrorist networks. And we agree that Israel should halt incursions in the Palestinian controlled areas and begin to withdrawal without delay from those cities it has recently occupied.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The president spent about 20 minutes on the phone with Ariel Sharon. CNN's Jerrold Kessel is in Jerusalem this morning with the prime minister's response. Also, CNN's Rula Amin near Jenin, West Bank. We'll go to Jerrold first.

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kyra. And I think the big question this morning is what does Ariel Sharon mean when he says, "expedite?" What does he really mean by that because that -- the word that we heard -- that Mr. Sharon had told the president in that phone conversation yesterday that he would "expedite" the Israeli offense against the -- into the Palestinian areas to root out -- as the Israelis have always said, their mission is to root out the sources of Palestinian terror.

Well, this morning, as Mr. Sharon convened for its weekly session, the -- his cabinet here in Jerusalem, he took the opportunity to read out a pre-prepared statement in Hebrew to the cameras in which Mr. Sharon called the campaign now underway in the Palestinian towns "a faithful campaign." He said it was faithful for the existence and security of Israel. And that he said was a condition for peace being brought about. But at the same time, he made no reference in no timeframe to how soon he would end -- when he would begin to end that operation, order his military to end the operation even though the president said that military operation in the Palestinian towns should end without delay. In fact, Israeli troops have gone into another village, the village of Biet Rima, as you reported, conducting what they say are searches for wanted -- for suspects in terror. But there's also been some very heavy fighting continuing in the town of Nablus, the big -- the biggest of the Palestinian towns in the West Bank, mainly in the Kasbah (ph) District, that's the warren of narrow alleyways and small streets in the heart of Nablus, which has been, for a long time, the Israelis say, a stronghold of the militants, a stronghold of the terrorists. There's been fighting going on there overnight and into today. Israeli helicopter gun ships have also been in action against the targets in Nablus and also, in the nearby refugee camp of Balata (ph).

And it's been very much a similar story up there further to the north of Nablus of Jenin, the other big town, which has perhaps had some of the fiercest fighting that the Israelis have encountered against Palestinian gunmen and militants in the town of Jenin. And just outside Jenin, CNN's Rula Amin.

Rula, the latest from there outside Jenin?

RULA AMIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jerrold, we're standing here right on the outskirts of Jenin, just about three miles away from Jenin refugee camps. You can see it right behind me. If I move out of the frame here, you should be able to see the row of houses. This is Jenin refugee camps, home to 15,000 Palestinian refugees.

For the third day in a row, fierce battles have been raging here between Israeli soldiers and the Palestinian gunmen.

Since we came here this morning, there were Israeli helicopters in the air. We saw that they have fired a few missiles, about six missiles fired on the camp. We also saw smoke rising from that camp at certain, different times. We have been talking to residents in the camp who have been reporting a lot of casualties. The Palestinian information minister, Yasir Abd-Rabu says about 30 Palestinians have been killed in that camp. And he says many of them are civilians.

The Israeli defense forces said that seven Israeli soldiers were killed in this operation in Jenin. And they're saying that they're trying to end their fight at the Palestinian gunmen.

It's very, very hard to verify what is going on inside Jenin. We, the journalists, are not allowed to go in. We cannot go into that refugee camp. And despite the numerous reports, we have been hearing about the number of causalities, a high number of casualties. Still, it's very hard to verify.

But there have been calls from the Palestinian Authority that there should be some kind of intervention from the international community. Israel says it might be able to end this operation here today if it ends and achieves its goal mainly to hunt down Palestinian militants. But this is something that we have to wait and see how the day goes here -- Jerrold.

KESSEL: Thanks very much, Rula Amin outside Jenin on the West Bank. And while the fighting continues to rage in those locations in the West Bank, there's also been other incidents elsewhere, notably down in the southern part of Gaza where two Palestinian militants were killed in what the Israeli army says was an interrupted operation as they were -- troops were guarding one of the Jewish settlements down there. Those Palestinians who were killed, they said, were carrying explosive -- both major explosive charge and 80 kilograms of explosive aboard a car, which was headed for that Jewish settlement.

And in Tel Aviv, the death of an 88-year-old woman who was a casualty in the suicide bombing Wednesday night, a week ago, 10 days ago in the eve of Passover when -- which has brought to 27, the total number of fatalities on the Israeli side from that Palestinian suicide bombing. That incident, of course, which triggered this massive Israeli military offensive, which continues underway in the West Bank despite the president's call that it be ended without delay.

Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: Jerrold Kessel, thank you and thanks to Rula Amin.

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