Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Sunday Morning

IDF Say Troops Moved Out of Nablus and Parts of Ramallah

Aired April 21, 2002 - 09:06   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 PHILLPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now to the West Bank, where Israeli Defense Forces say troops have moved out of Nablus and parts of Ramallah, but there is still a heavy Israeli presence outside the compound of Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat. CNN's International Correspondent Nic Robertson has more now from Ramallah.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Unlocking the door to his clothing store, Barid (ph) becomes one of the first Ramallah residents to take advantage of the Israeli troop withdrawal.

BARID: Before I came into my shop here, I looked around at the city. There's no Israeli soldiers.

ROBERTSON: In the early morning misty gloom, Palestinian youths celebrate, their walk down this street foolhardy at best just a few hours before. At the money changes, no time wasted in cleaning up. According to Ryan (ph), the owner, his business was on the front line. What happened here?

RYAN: There was shooting with the Palestinians and the Israelis.

ROBERTSON: As word spread it was safe to come out, the streets quickly filled. For some, their first impressions of what they saw shocking.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where can we get the money to fix all these things? We're devastated.

ROBERTSON (on camera): Until a few hours ago, there was an Israeli military checkpoint here. Now all that remains is the barbed wire and destruction littering the ground.

ROBERTSON (voice over): This is the central square in the middle of Ramallah, and it is just down this road here, perhaps about a mile away, that is the compound of Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat, and it is there that the main Israeli military presence still exists.

Barricades block the road that once navigated, there appears little military presence. However, residents this close to the compound report being told to remain indoors. Behind the partially demolished compound walls, tanks guard the entrances to the building that contains not only the Palestinian leader, but men the Israeli government says it wants to try in connection with the murder of an Israeli minister last year. The Israeli government says until Yasser Arafat hands the men over, their blockade on his compound will continue.

Back downtown, no shortage of enthusiasm for the cleanup; however, even when a level of normality returns inside the town, restrictions imposed by the Israeli government to protect Israeli citizens from suicide bombers will prevent most from leaving. Nic Robertson, CNN, Ramallah.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, former President Jimmy Carter is weighing in on the Middle East crisis, and he had some strong advice for his successor. In a New York Times op ed piece, Carter says: "It is time for the United States as the sole recognized intermediary, to consider more forceful action for peace. The rest of the world will welcome this leadership."

He goes on to say: "There is an ultimate avenue to peace in the implementation of United Nations resolutions. The basic premises of these resolutions are withdrawal of Israelis from Palestinian lands in exchange for full acceptance of Israel and Israel's right to live in peace."

Now we turn to Washington and White House reaction to the day's events. We are joined by our Senior White House Correspondent John King. Good morning, John, good to see you.

JOHN KING, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Kyra. Secretary Powell making the rounds of the Sunday news shows today, and he certainly is saying that the United States would like to get the two parties, the Israelis and the Palestinians, back into a peace process that the former President Jimmy Carters speaks about in the op ed.

Secretary Powell, though, saying his urgent concern now is on improving the situation on the ground. Secretary Powell applauding the Israeli government, belatedly in the view of the White House. But he says the withdrawal from the Palestinian territories is nearly complete.

Obviously, as Nic Robertson just showed us in that piece, one of the key sticking points still Yasser Arafat's compound and the dispute over those five suspects in the murder of an Israeli Cabinet Minister. Secretary Powell saying the United States is trying to bring about a diplomatic resolution to that crisis.

He also says the United States is rushing tents, medicine, and other humanitarian supplies into the Jenin Refugee Camp to try to deal with what he called a very troubling humanitarian crisis there. Secretary Powell saying it is critical now that a United Nations team get in there and have an independent fact-finding mission. And just moments ago, in an interview with our Wolf Blitzer here at CNN, Secretary Powell said the key now in the weeks ahead is to make slow but steady progress.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: We want to see access now. We want to see life start to return to normal in these towns and cities, but the withdrawal that Prime Minister Sharon and I spoke about last week and the schedule for the withdrawal, he has met the timelines that he gave me last week, and I'm pleased about that, and it's two weeks and two days from the President's speech of April 4th. Now that that is underway, I think opportunities present themselves to begin security coordination again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: Secretary Powell, asked in that interview if he considered the Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat a man of peace, he said Mr. Arafat has used terror and violence in the past to try to achieve his goals. He did say that Mr. Arafat of late is saying the right things. Secretary Powell saying now it is time for Mr. Arafat to prove his commitment to peace through swift actions. Kyra.

PHILLIPS: John, you mentioned the humanitarian crisis, the subject matter we've been talking about all morning with our Middle East analysts. A lot of damage done here, a lot of desire for revenge, the topic of rebuilding security forces, where does that stand?

KING: Well from the United States standpoint, what you need to do is resume security cooperation between the Israelis and the Palestinians. If you can get those two parties talking to each other, you can get the security cooperation on the ground improved, the United States believes that is the number one priority there. Obviously, the Palestinians are saying they can not even have a police force or a security force of their own with the Ramallah compound of Yasser Arafat under siege.

There is a much broader debate, Kyra, some Arab nations, some European nations want an armed peacekeeping force in those areas. They want the United States to participate in that. Right now the U.S. view is no, that that would not be the wise approach to take. In the words of the White House, U.S. troops are to fight and win wars. They do not want armed U.S. troops in the middle of a very tense situation right now.

The United States would put some non-armed observers in there at some point, if there was a ceasefire, if there were security arrangements. But Secretary Powell making clear, as he makes the rounds this morning, he still thinks we're well away from that point, given the mistrust, and given the still tense situation on the ground.

PHILLIPS: Senior White House Correspondent John King. Thanks, John.

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