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CNN Live Sunday

Interviews With Hasan Abdel Rahman, Yehuda Lancry

Aired April 07, 2002 - 17:10   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: We have now two guests to talk about what Secretary Powell is up against on his Middle East mission -- Hasan Abdel Rahman, the Palestinian representative to the U.S. is in Washington; and Yehuda Lancry, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations. He joins us from New York.

Well, Mr. Lancry, let me begin with you. If Israel continues to ignore the U.N. resolution to withdraw immediately, what recourse does the U.N. have?

YEHUDA LANCRY, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: Indeed we do not even know of the U.N. resolution, but I have to recall that this U.N. resolution precisely calls on both sides to take steps. It is a package of reciprocal steps from the Palestinian side and the Israeli side. The Palestinian reading is a necessary Israeli withdrawal, but we also expect some steps from the Palestinian side. That is to say, to stop terrorism, to declare that they are ready for a cease-fire...

WHITFIELD: But if Israel -- I'm sorry -- but if Israel is so far calling its mission successful, there had not been any suicide bombings in recent days -- but they continue on its incursion, then we're hearing from President Bush, we're hearing from U.N. representatives that the withdrawal must take place immediately.

LANCRY: If there is no suicide bombing, it is strictly related to the fact that Israeli troops are conducting the operations. And we have still to approach the terrorist network in different Palestinian cities. We intend to withdraw, that is clear cut Israeli policy. But I would like to recall the fact that while General Zinni was proposing to Chairman Arafat last Friday, bridging proposal, calling him to declare a cease-fire. The Palestinian answer was a negative one, and they put a condition first on Israel withdrawal, then maybe a Palestinian step.

WHITFIELD: OK. Well, Mr. Rahman then, if the incursion is still ongoing when Powell gets on the ground there in Israel, how much do you believe this may undermine his mission?

HASAN ABDEL RAHMAN, PALESTINIAN REPRESENTATIVE TO THE U.S.: Well, fist of all, the Palestinian people, the Arab world and the international community is watching to see who is really in control, who calls the shots. Is it the president of the United States or Mr. Sharon?

WHITFIELD: Well, who do you think is calling the shots?

RAHMAN: Well, it seems that Mr. Sharon is calling the shots, because Mr. Sharon is defying the president of the United States and defying the Security Council. You just watched the report from Bethlehem and from Jenin and -- Israel is not attacking a few individuals. It is imposing a terror regime on the whole Palestinian population.

Those little children who are without food, those people who are wounded without medicine, those people who are being shelled and bombarded by helicopters in the refugee camps in Jenin and Nablus. So what you have here is an all-out war directed against every single Palestinian man, woman and child, and it is not a police operation to arrest a few people as Mr. Lancry or Israeli spokesmen want us to believe.

Therefore, here is the challenge to Mr. Bush. If you are really the leader of the world, Mr. Bush, can you force Mr. Sharon to stop this, aggression against the Palestinian people? If you are not, then the Palestinian people and the Arab world and the international community will have to look for somebody else.

WHITFIELD: Well, Mr. Lancry, you said that you do not believe that there is any link between military incursion and the fact that there had not been any suicide bombings in recent days. If that is the case, then what do you believe the Israeli government is accomplishing?

LANCRY: We are still pursuing our activity there, not against the Palestinian people, and of course, we deplore the suffering of the Palestinian innocent people. But don't forget, and President Bush had also this in mind, while he asked Israel to withdraw -- Israel is conducting an operation of legitimate self-defense, which was provoked by the Passover massacre, which was provoked by a series of suicide bombings.

I didn't heard my colleague, Ambassador Abdel Rahman, deploring the fact that Israelis were killed, dozens and dozens of Israelis. I do understand the suffering of the Palestinian people, but he also has with his leadership to internalize the Israeli suffering. We're going to withdraw. We're not defying neither the president of the United States, nor the Security Council, but we are now in the midst of the dismantling of the terrorist network...

WHITFIELD: All right, Mr. Rahman, let me ask you real quick because we're running out of time, do you believe that the military incursions have in any way helped launch the Palestinian militants into a new stage of planning?

RAHMAN: No, this is really not an attack against any particular group. It is an attack against all the Palestinian people. Mr. Sharon has two objectives. One is to dismantle the Palestinian National Authority. Second, he wants to defeat the Palestinian people and afflict as much damage on the Palestinian community as possible.

WHITFIELD: OK. RAHMAN: What he is doing is really he's turning more Palestinians to be extremist because this pain and suffering that is inflicted on the Palestinian people has one effect, and that is Palestinians become more angry, more frustrated and more desperate.

WHITFIELD: OK, we're running out of time. Thank you very much, gentlemen, Hasan Abdel Rahman, the Palestinian representative to the U.S. in Washington, and Yehuda Lancry, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, joining us from New York. Thank you very much, gentlemen.

RAHMAN: Thank you.

LANCRY: Thank you.

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