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CNN Sunday Morning
Sharon Postpones Travel to U.S.
Aired May 18, 2003 - 07:02 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.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Our top story this morning, a pair of suicide bombings erupted in Jerusalem and the blast echoed here in the U.S. The attacks aimed at Israeli civilians left more than seven victims dead; more than two dozen wounded. Within hours Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon postponed today's travel to the United States.
We want to go to Jerusalem now, where our Jerrold Kessel is standing by.
Good morning, Jerrold.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Anderson.
It was just before 6 o'clock in the morning, the start of Israel's working week. The first commuter buses heading into the city from one of the outlaying northeastern suburbs. That' the area of Jerusalem that Israel annexed after the 1967 war, built major housing complexes.
Aboard one of those buses, bus No. 6, as it headed into one of the major intersections, towards the center of the city, a major explosion. A man disguised, police say, as an orthodox religious Jew had boarded the bus in order to escape detection from the driver, from fellow passengers, in his disguise blew himself up. And in so doing killed seven people aboard the bus, wounded more than 20, several of them in serious condition.
But while, clearly, the political implications weren't the order of the day as people went about counting the dead, making sure that the wounded were tended and that then carrying out the grim aftermath of clearing up after another harrowing attack. Those political implications weren't going to be disguised at all, especially as this attack was followed by another suicide bombing further north, just on the outskirts of Jerusalem. There, no other casualties apart from the bomber himself being killed.
And that the attack had come just several hours after the meeting in Jerusalem between Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the newly installed Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, Abu Mazen. And while that meeting was underway there were in fact two other attacks on the West Bank aimed at Jewish settlers. A Jewish settler couple killed in the divided West Bank town of Hebron.
And, clearly, the political implications coming to the fore. The problems, say the leaders of the Palestinian Authority, is that Ariel Sharon, Israel's prime minister, instead of undercutting their new prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, should be trying to work in concert with him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GHASAN KAHTIB, PALESTINIAN AUTH. SPOKESMAN: What is unfortunately creating a fertile atmosphere for the increasing violence is the failure of the attempt to renew the peace process. And part of that is the Israeli refusal to accept the Palestinian request, in the meeting between Abbas and Sharon, to support the American proposal that is called the road map.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KESSEL: No, say the Israelis, the problem is the new Palestinian prime minister must show, not just declare, that he is going to take on the militants. And, say the Israelis, the big problem is whether Abbas will not, any longer, play ball with their old nemesis, Yasser Arafat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RA'ANAN GISSIN, SHARON SPOKESMAN: I'm not saying that we are going to make any changes in the policy, but there is no doubt that the fact that Arafat is now the major obstacle to peace, the major obstacle to implementing the road map and also undermining Abu Mazen's rule and attempt to institute a new Palestinian government, clearly must be taken into consideration by all parties involved, the United States, the Europeans, as well as us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KESSEL: And as the world waits to see what Ariel Sharon will choose to do, he has chosen first of all, not to travel, for the moment, to Washington for that scheduled meeting with President Bush at the White House on Tuesday. Preferring, he says, to see how he can handle this latest spate of Palestinian attacks here at home -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Jerrold Kessel reporting from Jerusalem -- Robin.
ROBIN MEADE, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Anderson, as we mentioned, the bombings caused Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to postpone today's departure to Washington. And he was supposed to meet with President Bush later on this week. Right now, let's get reaction from the White House. Senior White House Correspondent John King is joining us now with more.
John, good morning to you. Is it clear yet if the two have rescheduled their talks? And what will the president have to say?
JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It is not clear just yet how long of a delay this will be. The meeting is not supposed to take place until Tuesday night, here at the White House. Prime Minister Sharon was to have other discussions in Washington before he saw President Bush, so we have no confirmation yet, from the White House, as to whether they have rescheduled for anytime in the near future.
That is the next big question, when can the two leaders get together. And obviously White House officials say the next test, over the next several hours, the next day or so, is to see whether these attacks are followed by even more attacks.
In many ways, administration officials say, this is sadly predictable. They very much anticipated, either the Prime Minister Sharon was here, as happened in the past, or just after his meeting, Prime Minister Sharon's meeting with the new Palestinian prime minister that a opponents of the peace process would incite violence to try to derail the process yet again.
You see the prime minister here. He was coming to Washington and he was going to face stiff pressure from the Bush administration to make more public gestures to prove his commitment to the peace process.
But we also are told, by a senior administration official, that President Bush was not going to do one thing the Palestinians were demanding; push Prime Minister Sharon to immediately pull back from Palestinian territories.
Senior administration officials say this bombing is just proof of their contention that the Palestinians are not ready to assume full security control of the territory. So, the big question now here at the White House is can this meeting be rescheduled? And what affect will it have on what they thought was early steps toward a positive atmosphere, the first meeting between Prime Minister Sharon and the new Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas.
This meeting scheduled at the White House, no official reaction yet, even to the bombings here. Later today the White House will condemn the bombings. We are told they are working on a statement and President Bush will return to the White House from Camp David. We'll see if he has anything to say himself.
Robin.
MEADE: If there is no official statement yet, I wonder, can you talk about what the level of frustration must be at the White House right now, with the outcome of last night's talk and the violence?
KING: Well, in an odd way they are not so much frustrated because they predicted this. Prime Minister Sharon, twice before has been here in Washington for visits with President Bush and had to rush home because there had been bombings.
He has postponed trips before because just as it appears there will be at least an inch or two of progress in trying to get the peace process back on track, there is violence again. This is part of what is sadly a predictable cycle, every time there appears to be even a baby step forward, somebody tests the process with violence.
What the White House is telling both parties is that, yes, you must work on security, but at the same time, each must try to find other ways to inspire confidence that there can be at least small steps forward, Robin.
MEADE: All right, John King at the White House, thank you this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 18, 2003 - 07:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Our top story this morning, a pair of suicide bombings erupted in Jerusalem and the blast echoed here in the U.S. The attacks aimed at Israeli civilians left more than seven victims dead; more than two dozen wounded. Within hours Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon postponed today's travel to the United States.
We want to go to Jerusalem now, where our Jerrold Kessel is standing by.
Good morning, Jerrold.
JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Anderson.
It was just before 6 o'clock in the morning, the start of Israel's working week. The first commuter buses heading into the city from one of the outlaying northeastern suburbs. That' the area of Jerusalem that Israel annexed after the 1967 war, built major housing complexes.
Aboard one of those buses, bus No. 6, as it headed into one of the major intersections, towards the center of the city, a major explosion. A man disguised, police say, as an orthodox religious Jew had boarded the bus in order to escape detection from the driver, from fellow passengers, in his disguise blew himself up. And in so doing killed seven people aboard the bus, wounded more than 20, several of them in serious condition.
But while, clearly, the political implications weren't the order of the day as people went about counting the dead, making sure that the wounded were tended and that then carrying out the grim aftermath of clearing up after another harrowing attack. Those political implications weren't going to be disguised at all, especially as this attack was followed by another suicide bombing further north, just on the outskirts of Jerusalem. There, no other casualties apart from the bomber himself being killed.
And that the attack had come just several hours after the meeting in Jerusalem between Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the newly installed Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, Abu Mazen. And while that meeting was underway there were in fact two other attacks on the West Bank aimed at Jewish settlers. A Jewish settler couple killed in the divided West Bank town of Hebron.
And, clearly, the political implications coming to the fore. The problems, say the leaders of the Palestinian Authority, is that Ariel Sharon, Israel's prime minister, instead of undercutting their new prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, should be trying to work in concert with him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GHASAN KAHTIB, PALESTINIAN AUTH. SPOKESMAN: What is unfortunately creating a fertile atmosphere for the increasing violence is the failure of the attempt to renew the peace process. And part of that is the Israeli refusal to accept the Palestinian request, in the meeting between Abbas and Sharon, to support the American proposal that is called the road map.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KESSEL: No, say the Israelis, the problem is the new Palestinian prime minister must show, not just declare, that he is going to take on the militants. And, say the Israelis, the big problem is whether Abbas will not, any longer, play ball with their old nemesis, Yasser Arafat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RA'ANAN GISSIN, SHARON SPOKESMAN: I'm not saying that we are going to make any changes in the policy, but there is no doubt that the fact that Arafat is now the major obstacle to peace, the major obstacle to implementing the road map and also undermining Abu Mazen's rule and attempt to institute a new Palestinian government, clearly must be taken into consideration by all parties involved, the United States, the Europeans, as well as us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KESSEL: And as the world waits to see what Ariel Sharon will choose to do, he has chosen first of all, not to travel, for the moment, to Washington for that scheduled meeting with President Bush at the White House on Tuesday. Preferring, he says, to see how he can handle this latest spate of Palestinian attacks here at home -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right, Jerrold Kessel reporting from Jerusalem -- Robin.
ROBIN MEADE, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Anderson, as we mentioned, the bombings caused Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to postpone today's departure to Washington. And he was supposed to meet with President Bush later on this week. Right now, let's get reaction from the White House. Senior White House Correspondent John King is joining us now with more.
John, good morning to you. Is it clear yet if the two have rescheduled their talks? And what will the president have to say?
JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It is not clear just yet how long of a delay this will be. The meeting is not supposed to take place until Tuesday night, here at the White House. Prime Minister Sharon was to have other discussions in Washington before he saw President Bush, so we have no confirmation yet, from the White House, as to whether they have rescheduled for anytime in the near future.
That is the next big question, when can the two leaders get together. And obviously White House officials say the next test, over the next several hours, the next day or so, is to see whether these attacks are followed by even more attacks.
In many ways, administration officials say, this is sadly predictable. They very much anticipated, either the Prime Minister Sharon was here, as happened in the past, or just after his meeting, Prime Minister Sharon's meeting with the new Palestinian prime minister that a opponents of the peace process would incite violence to try to derail the process yet again.
You see the prime minister here. He was coming to Washington and he was going to face stiff pressure from the Bush administration to make more public gestures to prove his commitment to the peace process.
But we also are told, by a senior administration official, that President Bush was not going to do one thing the Palestinians were demanding; push Prime Minister Sharon to immediately pull back from Palestinian territories.
Senior administration officials say this bombing is just proof of their contention that the Palestinians are not ready to assume full security control of the territory. So, the big question now here at the White House is can this meeting be rescheduled? And what affect will it have on what they thought was early steps toward a positive atmosphere, the first meeting between Prime Minister Sharon and the new Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas.
This meeting scheduled at the White House, no official reaction yet, even to the bombings here. Later today the White House will condemn the bombings. We are told they are working on a statement and President Bush will return to the White House from Camp David. We'll see if he has anything to say himself.
Robin.
MEADE: If there is no official statement yet, I wonder, can you talk about what the level of frustration must be at the White House right now, with the outcome of last night's talk and the violence?
KING: Well, in an odd way they are not so much frustrated because they predicted this. Prime Minister Sharon, twice before has been here in Washington for visits with President Bush and had to rush home because there had been bombings.
He has postponed trips before because just as it appears there will be at least an inch or two of progress in trying to get the peace process back on track, there is violence again. This is part of what is sadly a predictable cycle, every time there appears to be even a baby step forward, somebody tests the process with violence.
What the White House is telling both parties is that, yes, you must work on security, but at the same time, each must try to find other ways to inspire confidence that there can be at least small steps forward, Robin.
MEADE: All right, John King at the White House, thank you this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
