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CNN Sunday Morning
Sharon to Meet With Bush Later This Week
Aired July 27, 2003 - 09:32 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: Now to the Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon heads to Washington today, where he'll meet with President Bush later this week. Sharon's Palestinian counterpart made the same trip just days ago.
More now on the peace efforts from our White House correspondent, Dana Bash. Good morning to you, Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. Friday's visit here from Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas could not have been more momentous because, of course, it was the first time a Palestinian leader was here since the president has been in office. And as you said, on Tuesday, he will greet Ariel Sharon. This is all part of a White House strategy to keep the momentum going and to keep the United States engaged, as President Bush promised back at the beginning of June when he visited the Middle East.
Now, Mr. Bush will have some tough issues to discuss with Ariel Sharon. They will be discussing, first of all, the whole concept of this wall that is going through the West Bank. President Bush on Friday, with Mahmoud Abbas, sided with Abbas saying that it is something that is not helpful, that does not spark confidence between the two sides. But it is something that the Israelis say that they need for the security of their people.
Now, there is one issue that the president did not side with Abbas on, and that was the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners. Bush said on Friday that he does not believe that it is his point to make the point to any country that they should release prisoners, especially if that would pose a threat to their people, but this is a number one issue for Palestinians, and in advance of Sharon's trip here to Washington, he and his cabinet did agree just today to release some 100 prisoners as a goodwill gesture of sorts, before he heads to the White House.
So these are going to be just a couple of the topics that the two men will be discussing in effort to keep the peace process moving and to get the road map on track. Heidi?
COLLINS: And Dana, maybe it's a point worth discussing for a moment. Is it this momentum has slowed down a bit, or is it just that in the news we're hearing so much more about other stories going on, thinking of Liberia and the deaths of Uday and Qusay Hussein?
BASH: Well, when you're talking about the road map and the steps that each side are supposed to take towards getting a peace agreement and getting the ultimate in 2005, which is Palestinian state side by side with Israel, that has been going a little bit slowly in terms of each side doing what they need to do. The Israelis have, even today, taken away some checkpoints as a sign of goodwill, and the Palestinians have tried to crack down on terrorists, but in sort of the broad picture, you have heard less about security issues there and which has been sort of a positive thing and sets the stage for moving forward with the process, Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Dana Bash, thanks so much, live from the White House 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 July 27, 2003 - 09:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Now to the Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon heads to Washington today, where he'll meet with President Bush later this week. Sharon's Palestinian counterpart made the same trip just days ago.
More now on the peace efforts from our White House correspondent, Dana Bash. Good morning to you, Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. Friday's visit here from Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas could not have been more momentous because, of course, it was the first time a Palestinian leader was here since the president has been in office. And as you said, on Tuesday, he will greet Ariel Sharon. This is all part of a White House strategy to keep the momentum going and to keep the United States engaged, as President Bush promised back at the beginning of June when he visited the Middle East.
Now, Mr. Bush will have some tough issues to discuss with Ariel Sharon. They will be discussing, first of all, the whole concept of this wall that is going through the West Bank. President Bush on Friday, with Mahmoud Abbas, sided with Abbas saying that it is something that is not helpful, that does not spark confidence between the two sides. But it is something that the Israelis say that they need for the security of their people.
Now, there is one issue that the president did not side with Abbas on, and that was the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners. Bush said on Friday that he does not believe that it is his point to make the point to any country that they should release prisoners, especially if that would pose a threat to their people, but this is a number one issue for Palestinians, and in advance of Sharon's trip here to Washington, he and his cabinet did agree just today to release some 100 prisoners as a goodwill gesture of sorts, before he heads to the White House.
So these are going to be just a couple of the topics that the two men will be discussing in effort to keep the peace process moving and to get the road map on track. Heidi?
COLLINS: And Dana, maybe it's a point worth discussing for a moment. Is it this momentum has slowed down a bit, or is it just that in the news we're hearing so much more about other stories going on, thinking of Liberia and the deaths of Uday and Qusay Hussein?
BASH: Well, when you're talking about the road map and the steps that each side are supposed to take towards getting a peace agreement and getting the ultimate in 2005, which is Palestinian state side by side with Israel, that has been going a little bit slowly in terms of each side doing what they need to do. The Israelis have, even today, taken away some checkpoints as a sign of goodwill, and the Palestinians have tried to crack down on terrorists, but in sort of the broad picture, you have heard less about security issues there and which has been sort of a positive thing and sets the stage for moving forward with the process, Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Dana Bash, thanks so much, live from the White House 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
