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CNN Live Sunday

Interviews With Ahmed Tibi, Roni Milo

Aired March 31, 2002 - 17:12   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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, let's get views from both sides on the strategies toward peace. First, Ahmed Tibi, an Arab-Israeli Knesset member. He is on the phone with us from Jerusalem. Thanks for joining us, Mr. Tibi.

AHMED TIBI, ARAB-ISRAELI KNESSET MEMBER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Ariel Sharon said Arafat, quote, "is the main obstacle to peace." Is that how you see it?

TIBI: Totally no. Yasser Arafat is the elected leader of the Palestinian people. He is resisting against the occupation, demanding national rights during negotiation.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sharon has proposed nothing for the Palestinian leadership, for the Palestinian people in order to have hope that this situation will be terminated. Instead, he has occupied the whole West Bank and Gaza Strip, trying to kill (ph), expel, or hit (ph) President Yasser Arafat. I think that meanwhile the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Mr. Ariel Sharon and not Mr. Yasser Arafat.

WHITFIELD: What do you see as a more palatable approach?

TIBI: I think that getting into both Tenet and Mitchell agreements in the way to political agreement put between both sides, which rests mainly on the termination of the occupation and instead of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) peace between Israelis and the Arabs, between Israelis and Palestinians, to say that Israel should accept, for example, the Arab initiation that was accepted in the Arab summit, based on the termination of occupation and the normal peace between Arab countries and Israel.

But the reaction of Israel was, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) summit reoccupation of the West Bank. I think that respecting the National Security Council resolution is mandatory, is the main and cardinal way to try to get out from this vicious circle, and we have sworn to do our utmost in order to save blood of both Israelis and Palestinians. Israelis should live, Palestinians should live. I hope both should live together in coexistence, both in the recognition of each other's rights for self-determination and peaceful and secure existence.

WHITFIELD: OK. Mr. Ahmed Tibi, thank you very much for joining us by phone from Jerusalem this evening. He's a member of the Arab- Israeli Knesset panel. Now we'd like to move on to the other side. It's a region in turmoil. For an Israeli viewpoint, let's go to Tel-Aviv, where Roni Milo joins us. He is a former mayor of that city.

Well, Mr. Milo, I will ask you the same question right off the bat. Ariel Sharon saying today that Arafat is the main obstacle to peace. How do you see it?

RONI MILO, FORMER MAYOR OF TEL-AVIV: I think that the facts are talking for itself. First of all, the tragedy today in Haifa. We could see 14 people that were killed, maybe 15. Among them, by the way, Jews and Arabs that lived together and normally in the democratic country of Israel. And still we had this terrible suicider that did it. Yesterday in Tel Aviv, in the Passover massacre in seder, where 22 people were killed, including whole families -- children, parents, grandparents -- all these tragedies of terrorism is done under the umbrella of Mr. Arafat.

And if he would like to stop it, he could stop it. When he wanted in the past to do it, he stopped for five weeks the terror, and it was quite quiet when he really wanted do it. And now, under his leadership it's done once and again, and I think that the first demand should be from him to stop it, as by the way, General Zinni tried and Vice President Cheney tried it also when he was here. And he didn't do it. He didn't agree. Therefore, Vice President Cheney refused to meet him.

WHITFIELD: Mr. Milo, if Prime Minister Sharon's objective in what is being dubbed Operation Protective Wall seems not to be working in the event of the attacks are still taking place, even after this siege began last Friday, then what seems to be the more feasible approach if this Operation Protective Wall is not stopping anymore attacks against Israelis?

MILO: The siege is not the major issue. The major issue is the war against terror. This is our war against terror, and we shall fight all the way long against those terrorist, the heads of the Hamas, of the Jihad...

WHITFIELD: But this is the latest response.

MILO: ... of the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Islamic groups that are fighting against us.

WHITFIELD: But this is the latest response from the Israeli government, correct?

MILO: The latest response from the Israeli government is that we shall go on fighting against these terrorists all the way, and the siege is only one part of it. It's not a major part. The major part is to get these leaders, heads of terror, those who are giving it all the ammunition and arms to do it, and those what are encouraging these suiciders to do it, among them, by the way, there are children of 13 years old, 14 years old that are sent by all these kinds of murderers that use them for this horrible and terrible terror. And therefore, we must fight against it and defend ourselves. This is the only answer that we can have. And after having a cease- fire, we shall start immediately talking about peace. When President Sadat of Egypt wanted to make peace with Israel 22 years ago...

WHITFIELD: Mr. Milo...

MILO: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE) as well as with King Hussein.

WHITFIELD: We're running out of time now.

(CROSSTALK)

MILO: ... cease-fire that we would like to achieve. Thank you very much.

WHITFIELD: All right, Mr. Roni Milo, thank you very much for joining us, a former mayor of Tel Aviv. Thank you very much.

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