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CNN Sunday Morning

Powell Meeting with Arafat 'Useful and Constructive'

Aired April 14, 2002 - 10:34   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: Colin Powell says his meeting with Yasser Arafat was useful and constructive, but it's not clear yet if the Israelis and Palestinians are any closer to a cease-fire agreement. Let's get more now on that meeting. Michael Holmes joins us from Ramallah on the West Bank -- Michael.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this meeting was scheduled to take about an hour, it last a lot longer, in fact, three hours. After which, as you said, Colin Powell came out, said useful and constructive -- the Palestinians themselves, spokesman saying they also found it useful.

One senior Palestinian we spoke with described the meeting as deep. He said that it went reasonably well, that's from the Palestinian viewpoint. He said issues discussed included not just security but also political issues, economic issues, and rebuilding. One of the things the Palestinian delegation, including Yasser Arafat, told Colin Powell was that they wanted a United States-led damage assessment team to come into places like Ramallah and establish just how severely compromised the Palestinian security apparatus is.

We know that the preventive security headquarters has been rendered all but useless by firing just a week or two ago very heavy gun battle there. And we walked around that headquarters. It's pretty much not fit for much at all at the moment. Also, the police stations, other parts of the security infrastructure, rendered useless. So what they want is to get the United States to lead a team in here to work out what they will need to a security infrastructure back up and running, because after all, when, and if, a cease-fire is announced, they're going to need to be able to enforce it. To do that they need some sort of security infrastructure.

Also, the Palestinians speaking very forcefully on the issue of withdrawal. They say very clearly, we're told, that there will be no direct negotiations with Israel unless there is a full withdrawal from the recently reoccupied areas, a very firm demand from Palestinians, and it's one we've heard for several days now, that that must happen before they move on to any other substantive issues.

However Colin Powell leaving with something to work on, it would appear. Tonight, he meets in Tel Aviv with the Israeli government, Ariel Sharon included. That meeting due to take place in a couple of hours or so in Tel Aviv. So Colin Powell leaving with something, how much we have yet to see, Kyra. PHILLIPS: Michael Holmes, in Ramallah. Thank you very much -- Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The question becomes, what next for Colin Powell? Is there a possibility of a meeting on Tuesday? We've heard talk of that, mostly from aides to Yasser Arafat. Let's go now to CNN's Jerrold Kessel, who joins us from Jerusalem with more on what lies ahead in the Middle East -- Jerrold.

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, I'm not sure if we know how exactly Colin Powell means to break this conundrum, this rival conflicting views, that you heard Michael speaking about, to one extent on the Palestinian side, saying, there's no way he can get to a cease-fire until the Israelis have pulled back from the areas they've reoccupied, this big Israeli military offensive, which still continues at pace.

And on the Israeli side, what Prime Minister Sharon seemed to be telling the secretary of state when they met on Friday, that he doesn't see a point in a cease-fire until he has been able to complete, allow the Israeli military to complete, what Israel says is this major offensive to eradicate the sources of terror.

What we don't know, how Colin Powell can bridge what is a very deep chasm between those two positions. I think something that emerged from this meeting today, and the fact that Mr. Powell seems as if he will be in the region for several days more, was an indelible one, which will perhaps not be altogether to the liking of Ariel Sharon, and that is the fact that Yasser Arafat, at least as far as we know it, is now very much again a relevant figure, a factor, in the whole consideration of how to get a stabilizing situation in place.

Now, there's no secret about the fact that over the last several days and weeks, Mr. Sharon has increasingly stepped up his rhetoric and his position with regard to Arafat, saying absolutely he does not see him as a partner any longer, not only for peace down the line, but even for a cease-fire, and yet, here we have Ariel Sharon having tried to isolate Yasser Arafat completely, having kept him isolated for 10 days, now finding the secretary of state going there, spending three hours with him.

We don't know the results. Of course we have to say that. But, still, dealing with Yasser Arafat with a very real prospect that he will be dealing and other American officials will be dealing with the Palestinian Authority over the next day or two. That is something that Mr. Sharon has to take into account. I'm not sure if all within his government are absolutely pleased about that.

Quite the contrary, we heard Shimon Peres in that very elucidating interview with Wolf Blitzer just a short while ago, saying from his point of view Yasser Arafat remains the address, even though he has some very stinging remarks to make about Arafat's policies. But he remains the only legitimate address with whom Israel can do business. Therefore he endorsed the idea that the United States is still trying to do business with Arafat. There are many, and perhaps the majority in this Israeli unity government, who don't like that at all, and who want to see a stop to dealing with Yasser Arafat. Let's listen to one of the right wing members of Mr. Sharon's cabinet, but no longer -- not by any means the far right, Nathan Sharansky, and we spoke to a little while ago on CNN, saying, responding to the question, whether he believed that the United States was falling into a trap of, again, giving Yasser Arafat another chance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NATHAN SHARANSKY, ISRAELI CABINET MINISTER: I don't think that United States who is of course our great ally and friend, has any illusions about the real role of Yasser Arafat. Secretary of State Powell can personally see the facts and even was a witness to one of the suicide bombings. And of course every hope for peace has to be checked. But let's not fall into the same trap so many times. Let's not permit Yasser Arafat to continue building their autonomy of terror.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KESSEL: And that is a growing body of opinion in the Israeli cabinet, who say the time for Yasser Arafat to be dealt with as a partner is long past. Whether they will go along with the United States, can turn that around and make Yasser Arafat again a meaningful partner, and insist the Israelis do business with him, that could be the key to the ongoing -- I don't want to say successful failure -- but just to the ongoing development of this Powell mission.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Jerrold Kessel in Jerusalem. Thank you very much.

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