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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview with Mamoun Fandy
Aired June 07, 2003 - 07:19 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: On the Middle East peace front, a big strategy session is planned today between the militant Islamic group Hamas and other Palestinian factions. At issue, how to deal with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, whom Hamas accuses of making too many peace concessions.
Thousands of Hamas supporters demonstrated against Abbas in Gaza yesterday. They vow to continue the armed intifada. Leaders of Hamas say they are pulling out of talks with Abbas aimed at ending attacks on Israelis.
So let's talk about Arab reaction now to the Middle East peace plan and find out what people in the region really think about Wednesday's summit with President Bush.
We are joined now by Mamoun Fandy. He is a Middle East scholar and analyst and a professor of Mideast studies at Georgetown University.
Good morning to you, sir. Thanks so much for being with us once again. Nice to see you.
Wondering if we could start...
MAMOUN FANDY, MIDDLE EAST ANALYST: Good morning, Heidi.
COLLINS: ... with a question...
FANDY: Good morning.
COLLINS: ... about Arab reaction. What is the general Arab reaction to the Middle East peace plan?
FANDY: I think people in this part of the world are really tired of violence, and also, you know, they are just out of this liberation of Iraq and what happened in the war and all of that. So people's hopes here, they want it to work, they looked at their leaders in this summit, and they see that they are serious in terms of stopping violences to Hamas and other radical violent organizations in the occupied territories.
The Israelis seemed serious when they talked about two Palestinian -- two state-solution. So in a way, I think people, they have their hopes up, but they are also concerned that this process might be derailed by radical forces. COLLINS: And as we have just heard, recently, now, I'm wondering what people are saying about Hamas pulling out (UNINTELLIGIBLE), this group has also been called, within the last week, by the United States enemies of peace. What's your reaction to that?
FANDY: That's -- well, I think there is no way for Hamas to pull out of this dialogue with (UNINTELLIGIBLE) with Mahmoud Abbas, Abu Mazen, the head of the Palestinian Authority, because the alternative for that in terms of the Palestinian will be a Palestinian civil war, that's between various factions, the PLO and Hamas.
And so in a sense, even more radical groups like the Islamic Jihad today said that they want to continue the dialogue. So I think there is no alternative. Either the Palestinian would refuse, the Palestinian radical groups would refuse having a dialogue with the Palestinian Authority, or have a civil war, or have a war with Israel.
So in a way, I think the options are very limited, and there is only way -- the only way for these groups to work is to negotiate, and also because Arab governments somehow now decided firmly that they will not allow any finances into the territories except through the Palestinian Authority.
So even the lifeline of these groups is going to be very short.
COLLINS: What do you think these talks have done for the U.S. side of things, as far as the U.S. getting involved? Has it changed the image for the United States at this point?
FANDY: I think the pictures that the people saw in the region changed the image of the United States tremendously. This is for the first time they see that the United States is committed to some stability in their part of the world. So in a way, I think it has changed. It is no longer the United States as the occupying force in Iraq, but also the United States is the peacemaker.
So I think the United States gained tremendously, as far as the ordinary people in the street after the summit.
COLLINS: Mamoun Fandy, joining us live this morning from Kuwait. Thank you so much for your insights on all of this. I'm sure we'll be talking about it again in the very near future. Thanks again.
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 June 7, 2003 - 07:19 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: On the Middle East peace front, a big strategy session is planned today between the militant Islamic group Hamas and other Palestinian factions. At issue, how to deal with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, whom Hamas accuses of making too many peace concessions.
Thousands of Hamas supporters demonstrated against Abbas in Gaza yesterday. They vow to continue the armed intifada. Leaders of Hamas say they are pulling out of talks with Abbas aimed at ending attacks on Israelis.
So let's talk about Arab reaction now to the Middle East peace plan and find out what people in the region really think about Wednesday's summit with President Bush.
We are joined now by Mamoun Fandy. He is a Middle East scholar and analyst and a professor of Mideast studies at Georgetown University.
Good morning to you, sir. Thanks so much for being with us once again. Nice to see you.
Wondering if we could start...
MAMOUN FANDY, MIDDLE EAST ANALYST: Good morning, Heidi.
COLLINS: ... with a question...
FANDY: Good morning.
COLLINS: ... about Arab reaction. What is the general Arab reaction to the Middle East peace plan?
FANDY: I think people in this part of the world are really tired of violence, and also, you know, they are just out of this liberation of Iraq and what happened in the war and all of that. So people's hopes here, they want it to work, they looked at their leaders in this summit, and they see that they are serious in terms of stopping violences to Hamas and other radical violent organizations in the occupied territories.
The Israelis seemed serious when they talked about two Palestinian -- two state-solution. So in a way, I think people, they have their hopes up, but they are also concerned that this process might be derailed by radical forces. COLLINS: And as we have just heard, recently, now, I'm wondering what people are saying about Hamas pulling out (UNINTELLIGIBLE), this group has also been called, within the last week, by the United States enemies of peace. What's your reaction to that?
FANDY: That's -- well, I think there is no way for Hamas to pull out of this dialogue with (UNINTELLIGIBLE) with Mahmoud Abbas, Abu Mazen, the head of the Palestinian Authority, because the alternative for that in terms of the Palestinian will be a Palestinian civil war, that's between various factions, the PLO and Hamas.
And so in a sense, even more radical groups like the Islamic Jihad today said that they want to continue the dialogue. So I think there is no alternative. Either the Palestinian would refuse, the Palestinian radical groups would refuse having a dialogue with the Palestinian Authority, or have a civil war, or have a war with Israel.
So in a way, I think the options are very limited, and there is only way -- the only way for these groups to work is to negotiate, and also because Arab governments somehow now decided firmly that they will not allow any finances into the territories except through the Palestinian Authority.
So even the lifeline of these groups is going to be very short.
COLLINS: What do you think these talks have done for the U.S. side of things, as far as the U.S. getting involved? Has it changed the image for the United States at this point?
FANDY: I think the pictures that the people saw in the region changed the image of the United States tremendously. This is for the first time they see that the United States is committed to some stability in their part of the world. So in a way, I think it has changed. It is no longer the United States as the occupying force in Iraq, but also the United States is the peacemaker.
So I think the United States gained tremendously, as far as the ordinary people in the street after the summit.
COLLINS: Mamoun Fandy, joining us live this morning from Kuwait. Thank you so much for your insights on all of this. I'm sure we'll be talking about it again in the very near future. Thanks again.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
