Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Sunday

Interview With Wayne Owens

Aired January 27, 2002 - 22:16   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.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the continuing violence in the Middle East certainly raises some serious concerns about the peace process and whether it will ever succeed. Joining us now from Washington is Wayne Owens. He's a former congressman from Utah, and is now president of the Center for Middle East Peace.

Thank you very much for being with us. Some interesting developments over the last 24 hours in the situation. First, we should say that you have just returned from a trip where you met with Ariel Sharon and with Yasser Arafat and a number of leaders from seven different countries. It will be interesting to hear your perspective on what Bush administration, some in Bush administration are saying now -- and some lawmakers -- on severing ties with Yasser Arafat. What would this do to the peace process, sir?

WAYNE OWENS, CENTER FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE: I think it would lead to even more stalemate, and I think a real error. And I hope it doesn't happen.

That isn't to say that he can -- that the terrorism which clearly he is at times sanctioning must do allowed to go -- that he must not stop it; he must, he must do everything that he can to stop it. But the Palestinians without Yasser Arafat, without their icon, it's very difficult to know where they would go and how they would do it.

Many people, many Arab leaders really believe that if Arafat is gone, if he's gotten ridden of, in essence, that no other Palestinian capable of delivering anything by way of a peace agreement will come forth, that the moderates will be gone. I think it's a real problem.

CALLAWAY: And if not communicating with Yasser Arafat, communicating with who?

OWENS: That's the key point, of course. There are many lieutenants, but -- and most of them -- many of them are moderates, but beneath a man loose in the field there are some very serious terrorists, whose hope it is, in fact, in fact that Yasser Arafat will be gotten rid of so that they themselves might just get power within the Palestinians.

I think we must be very careful what we do before we do it.

CALLAWAY: Let's talk a little bit about the interesting role that we are seeing develop with the Arab neighbors and how they are playing in this peace process. Now, seeing a little bit of pressure put on the Bush administration from the neighbors.

OWENS: You saw it today, of course, the Saudis. The third ranking Saudi power today under King Fahd saying that Arafat is a man of peace. You know, the Saudis really dislike Arafat personally, but they do feel that he does represent, he is the icon, he is the hope and aspiration of the Palestinians, and saying they believe strongly that the American government is leaning too far, too close to the Israelis and not adequately balanced toward the Palestinians, and saying the opportunities for peace will not be enhanced by the disappearance of Yasser Arafat.

Other Arabs I think are less sanguine about that, less strong, but all of them speak very strongly about the Palestinians -- though the feelings toward Arafat may not be that warm either in many of them -- they feel very strongly that the Palestinians do deserve a different hand dealt by the United States, a more balanced approach to solving the peace process, and in fact nothing will happen until it does.

CALLAWAY: And Mr. Owens, we should say, in turn the Bush administration is putting some pressure on the Arab neighbors now. As we heard in our report just a few moments ago, the ship -- they were trying to move some 50 tons of military equipment, allegedly provided by Iran through Hezbollah to Palestine. Now the Bush administration saying to these Arab neighbors, put some pressure on Yasser Arafat.

OWENS: I think that they have been putting some, and indeed that's justified. But to ask the Saudis and the Egyptians and the Jordanians to put more -- I don't think that they are going to be willing to do that until they see some program, some strategy for helping solve the Palestinian problems.

They want -- the Arab leaders -- they want to get back for the Israelis and the Palestinians to get back to negotiations, and they be believe America should itself exert a great deal of additional pressure to try to bring that about. As you know, General Zinni, our envoy to the Middle East, has pretty much I think decided that he can't do anything else, today taking some very strong stands and pronouncements that for a special envoy perhaps indicate that he is not heading back there, but most people are crying for American assistance.

The American president, on the other hand, seeing what happened when the previous president tried so hard and it went bust, very anxious not to make the same errors, the same -- to get into the same mess. And there is a real standoff.

CALLAWAY: There certainly is. Wayne Owens, thank you for your insights tonight on this dilemma.

OWENS: Thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com