Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Sunday Morning
President Keeps Track of Developments in Mideast From Maine
Aired June 15, 2003 - 08:02 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is keeping track of all of the developments in the Mideast, while spending this Father's Day with his dad in Kennebunkport, Maine. Our Chris Burns is there. He joins us now live this morning.
Hi, Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. Yes, well that violence overnight does not seem to be dissuading the efforts to get both sides to talk to each other and more security meetings. Another one planned today at which the U.S. troubleshooting team, headed by Assistant Secretary of State John Wolf, will be there coaxing both sides to try to go ahead with conscience building measures.
What's being talked about is that possibly, now this is just possibly, Israel might pull out of some portions of the Gaza Strip, leaving it to the Palestinian Authority to try to take over and keep the militants under control. That would be a step in that direction, possibly moving toward getting back to the road map for peace in which there would be a Palestinian state by the year 2005.
So this is a step by step process, but this is what they do plan to do. Now the -- a senior administration official telling us that these meetings are positive. They are -- well they're a positive step, in any case. So it is important that both sides cooperate to try to bring that terrorism under control. But they need to see results. And perhaps these talks might bring results.
Now last night, Secretary of State Colin Powell, who is going to be traveling to the region in the next week, did speak to Arab- Americans, a group of Arab-Americans in Washington last night and talked about how despite all the violence, that that does not break the resolve of the Bush administration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: The reality is we must end terror and violence. We must move forward. We must take this chance for peace. And the United States will not get weary. We will not waiver. We will not stop. We will not step aside. The president is committed. I am committed. His administration is committed. We will succeed.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BURNS: Now the president watching all of this through his national security and intelligence briefings he gets every morning early, but the president is also spending the weekend with his father, spending Father's Day weekend. They did manage to tee off this morning before reporters. We managed to have a couple of words with them. This was -- now the golf put off yesterday because of the rain, but the rain seems to be holding up today, so they're out there. The president was asked what his plans are for the rest of the day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you going to do for dad's day?
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm going to play golf with dad, fish with dad, have lunch with dad.
GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.: A little much, isn't it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What about dinner?
G.W. BUSH: Dinner with dad.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Happy Father's Day.
G.W. BUSH: Happy Father's Day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy Father's Day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNS: And so they're going off to fish later today as well. Now yesterday, they both were seen out there fishing. They both caught what we believe -- and according to a city slicker, we think it's striped bass that they caught and threw back. Pretty large size fish there. And so they will be continuing later today. President Bush goes back to Washington tomorrow, but on the way, he'll be passing through New Jersey to talk to small business investors. Back to you.
COLLINS: Certainly a lot on his plate. Hopefully that will include some fish, huh?
BURNS: Yes, fish and well.
COLLINS: Chris Burns, thanks so much, live from Kennebunkport 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
Maine>
Aired June 15, 2003 - 08:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is keeping track of all of the developments in the Mideast, while spending this Father's Day with his dad in Kennebunkport, Maine. Our Chris Burns is there. He joins us now live this morning.
Hi, Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. Yes, well that violence overnight does not seem to be dissuading the efforts to get both sides to talk to each other and more security meetings. Another one planned today at which the U.S. troubleshooting team, headed by Assistant Secretary of State John Wolf, will be there coaxing both sides to try to go ahead with conscience building measures.
What's being talked about is that possibly, now this is just possibly, Israel might pull out of some portions of the Gaza Strip, leaving it to the Palestinian Authority to try to take over and keep the militants under control. That would be a step in that direction, possibly moving toward getting back to the road map for peace in which there would be a Palestinian state by the year 2005.
So this is a step by step process, but this is what they do plan to do. Now the -- a senior administration official telling us that these meetings are positive. They are -- well they're a positive step, in any case. So it is important that both sides cooperate to try to bring that terrorism under control. But they need to see results. And perhaps these talks might bring results.
Now last night, Secretary of State Colin Powell, who is going to be traveling to the region in the next week, did speak to Arab- Americans, a group of Arab-Americans in Washington last night and talked about how despite all the violence, that that does not break the resolve of the Bush administration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: The reality is we must end terror and violence. We must move forward. We must take this chance for peace. And the United States will not get weary. We will not waiver. We will not stop. We will not step aside. The president is committed. I am committed. His administration is committed. We will succeed.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BURNS: Now the president watching all of this through his national security and intelligence briefings he gets every morning early, but the president is also spending the weekend with his father, spending Father's Day weekend. They did manage to tee off this morning before reporters. We managed to have a couple of words with them. This was -- now the golf put off yesterday because of the rain, but the rain seems to be holding up today, so they're out there. The president was asked what his plans are for the rest of the day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you going to do for dad's day?
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm going to play golf with dad, fish with dad, have lunch with dad.
GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.: A little much, isn't it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What about dinner?
G.W. BUSH: Dinner with dad.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Happy Father's Day.
G.W. BUSH: Happy Father's Day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy Father's Day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNS: And so they're going off to fish later today as well. Now yesterday, they both were seen out there fishing. They both caught what we believe -- and according to a city slicker, we think it's striped bass that they caught and threw back. Pretty large size fish there. And so they will be continuing later today. President Bush goes back to Washington tomorrow, but on the way, he'll be passing through New Jersey to talk to small business investors. Back to you.
COLLINS: Certainly a lot on his plate. Hopefully that will include some fish, huh?
BURNS: Yes, fish and well.
COLLINS: Chris Burns, thanks so much, live from Kennebunkport 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
Maine>
