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CNN Sunday Morning

Rice, Cheney Respond to Middle East Terrorism

Aired May 19, 2002 - 11:08   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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Now here at home, handling new terrorist threats here on American soil, this morning the Vice President and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice were on the morning talk shows making their rounds, responding to those threats. Let's go now to Kathleen Koch who's at the White House with more on Condi Rice.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, well first of all, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice responded to this new suicide bombing in Israel, saying that this underscores the importance of doing something about the use of terrorism as a weapon in the Middle East, and she said that suicide bombers don't want the Palestinians to achieve their dream of a Palestinian state, instead saying that they are not martyrs, they are murderers.

Now President Bush has said that Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat has not earned his trust, and of course, this newest bombing certainly will not help on that count. But still, Rice said that the Bush Administration understands that there are clear limits on what Arafat can do to stop the violence.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: No one ever asked Yasser Arafat to get 100 percent results. What has been asked of him is 100 percent effort and there is a lot that he does control and there are some that he controls simply by his authority with the Palestinian people, and we're asking him to do what he can on those scores.

It is true that there are external forces supporting terrorism in the Middle East, Iran, Syria, and there needs to be maximum effort with those states as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH: On another note, the White House is continuing its damage control over those revelations last week, that President Bush in August got intelligence briefings where he was informed that al Qaeda operatives might try to hijack U.S. aircraft.

Vice President Dick Cheney on the Sunday morning news talk shows fired back at some critics in Congress who have been implying that President Bush did not do enough. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't have any problem with a legitimate debate over the performance of our intelligence agencies, et cetera. I've got a real problem with the suggestion that somehow my President had information and failed to act upon it to prevent the attack of September 11th.

That strikes me, as long as I've been in this town and as many years as I've been involved at the national level in politics, that strikes me as beyond the pail. That is an allegation that is without merit and falls into the category of outrageous.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH: CNN has learned that U.S. intelligence agencies have seen a "increased level of chatter and activity" over the last couple of months, suggesting that al Qaeda might be planning another terrorist attack, that from a senior administration official who did not want to be identified.

However, that same official said that the information was non- specific in nature with no -- not specific as to time, date or method.

Another government official also advised that some of this information, the credibility of it was questionable, so obviously officials here at the White House, Fredricka, keeping a very close watch on that. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks very much, Kathleen Koch from the White House.

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