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CNN Live Sunday

President Bush Watches Afghan Summit in Bonn

Aired November 25, 2001 - 17:38   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.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is back in Washington at this hour, after spending Thanksgiving holiday weekend at Camp David. Mr. Bush was joined at the presidential retreat by the first lady and their twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna, who, incidentally, it's their birthday today, they turned 20 today. Aides say that he went to church and enjoyed brunch with his family before heading back to the White House.

And a full calendar for the upcoming week. For a preview on what's on the president's agenda for the upcoming week we are joined now by CNN's White House correspondent Major Garrett. Major, hi.

MAJOR GARRETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Donna, how are you.

Things are going so well in Afghanistan militarily on the ground that the administration is really looking to a crucial meeting Tuesday in Bonn, Germany. Who is going to attend? Well, the four dominant factions in Afghanistan, who are going to try to put together, under U.N. sponsorship, a broad-based government for that war-ravaged country.

Now, it's under U.N. sponsorship that this meeting will occur, but the United States government is anything but a neutral party. First of all, it was vital to the U.S. that the meeting occur not in Afghanistan but on neutral ground in Bonn, Germany, and U.S. administration officials tell CNN what they are looking at that meeting is expressions from all four major Afghan factions that they do, in fact, intend to set up a broad-based and ethnically diverse government for Afghanistan.

What is that so important to the United States? Because it doesn't want a civil war to break out between the Northern Alliance, which has gained so much ground militarily but made up of ethnic Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras, and the anti-Taliban forces in Afghanistan from the south, the Pashtuns. They want all of them to work together. This first meeting Tuesday in Bonn will be a crucial early indicator of how much cooperation is in fact going to ensue from this military victory in Afghanistan. President Bush will be watching that very closely -- Donna.

KELLEY: And in addition to pushing that process, Major, they're also sending a couple of envoys to the Middle East. GARRETT: Indeed. Assistant Secretary of State William Burns has been working in the region since the Bush administration took office in January. He is going to bring someone else with him, retired Marine Corps General Anthony Zinni, and the two will arrive tomorrow in the Middle East to talk to the Israelis and the Palestinians.

First and foremost on their agenda, of course, quelling the violence, because until there's a cessation, even temporary cessation of violence between the Israelis and the Palestinians, there's no hope for moving to what are called confidence-building measures, and then ultimate negotiations for political settlements.

So the first goal of these two top U.S. officials as the Bush administration more strenuously involves itself in the Israeli- Palestinian peace process is to eliminate the violence. If that can be achieved, then other things appear possible. If not, these envoys will go out, come back, and we'll be at same place we are now, a lot of violence, a lot of recriminations, and not much optimism.

KELLEY: Major, and what about the president of Yemen is coming to town to meet with the president. What's the relationship there, and is there more cooperation in the fight against terrorism?

GARRETT: Well, generally speaking, the relationship between the United States government and Yemen has been strained over recent years, but President Salih will be here on Tuesday to meet with President Bush. And administration officials tell CNN they are satisfied with the level cooperation from Yemen so far, not only with last year's bombing attack on the USS Cole, but others things Yemen has communicated to the U.S. government about the 1998 embassy bombings and the September 11 attacks here in the United States.

So the president of the United States, as one administration official just told me, would not be meeting with President Salih of Yemen if the United States was not at least happy with the cooperation it has received so far.

KELLEY: Major Garrett at the White House, thanks very much.

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