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CNN Live Sunday

Interview With Tony Karon of Time.com

Aired April 14, 2002 - 15:34   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk more about Secretary Powell's mission. And a story out on Time.com online that talks about the possibility that Secretary Powell may be willing to give Yasser Arafat more than he originally thought coming in. Our guest now, Tony Karon, world editor for Time.com, who joins us with the latest on this article. Good evening to you.

TONY KARON, TIME.COM: Good afternoon, Bill.

HEMMER: As I read this, tell us what you have found based on what Secretary Powell is willing to offer here.

KARON: Well, I think Secretary Powell, from what we've learned, is taking in political proposals, and one version that has been floated around was one similar to something that the Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres actually tried to get started last year, which is a proposal for early recognition of Palestinian statehood, particularly in Gaza, the idea that Israelis essentially withdraw from pretty much all of Gaza, uproot the settlements there.

That becomes the basis of some sort of Palestinian state. And that the Palestinian state is recognized before -- ahead of the final status resolution. In other words, sovereignty is recognized and the Palestinian government is recognized internationally before the final shape and its final borders are settled.

HEMMER: So you're saying that Secretary Powell is willing to offer land at this point? Is that the way I read this article?

KARON: Well, obviously Secretary Powell is not really in a position to offer land, but I think what he is trying to do is focus the parties on the question of the final solution here.

In other words, the idea of brokering a cease-fire at this point is something of a non-starter without a political horizon, and there's considerable concern in the international community and the region as well to really lock things down, offer a final solution, based pretty much on what the Saudis have proposed, what was agreed in the Tabah (ph) talks between Israelis and Palestinians that broke off two weeks before Sharon's election. The kind of thing that President Bush mentioned in his speech last week, about Israel withdrawing from the occupation and withdrawing to secure and recognize international boundaries in accordance with two resolutions, 242 and 338. So in a term, certainly restart a political process toward that sort of outcome. The idea that moving step by step through a cease- fire is -- and before starting a political track -- is no longer tenable. Right now the political track has to be greatly accelerated.

HEMMER: You mentioned the settlements coming out of Gaza. What about the West Bank? Is that touched upon, according to the article, or not?

KARON: Not as far as we know, and not at this stage. Obviously --I think what Secretary Powell is trying to do is get all the parties to fix their eyes on the prize, as it were, ready beyond their immediate issues of should the Palestinians declare a cease-fire first, should Israel withdraw from the territories recently reoccupied first. The question of what is the final outcome going to look like between these two sides.

And I don't think the U.S. is prescribing at this point as much as trying to focus the minds of the players on this issue. Obviously, the settlements is a critical issue in the West Bank. President Bush called for Israel to implement a settlement freeze. And obviously, the final status negotiations -- that is a major stumbling block. Essentially, the Palestinians aren't going to accept the idea that the settlements are going to remain in their midst along the grounds on the current pattern.

HEMMER: And we've also been reporting for the past two weeks, Tony, as you're well aware, that Ariel Sharon has decided that if indeed the military withdraws at some point, whether that's 10 days, two weeks or when, buffer zones essentially, security zones he called them, would be set up. There has not been a clear explanation as to what those security zones would look like, or consist of. Do you have any insight into that?

KARON: No, from what our reporters tell us, essentially what Sharon appears to be envisioning is some sort of redeployment, still within Palestinian areas, pretty much around those towns, leaving the Israeli military in a position to target terrorists, to target people who they suspect of terrorism, to do the sort of pinpoint assassinations and to re-enter those areas if the need arises.

Obviously, that's a situation that would be unacceptable to the Palestinians and they wouldn't accept -- in terms of what they have said so far about their conditions for a cease-fire, that would be unacceptable to them.

On the question of an international conference also that you were mentioned earlier, I think it's worth pointing out that from what we have learned from our reporters in the region that the Arab governments are very, very insistent right now that there's to be no delay on the political track, that there's a real need to move urgently forward. And the strong message that they're sending to the U.S. is that there's nobody else other than Arafat for Israel to deal with. No Arab states are going to negotiate on his behalf. They'll help to facilitate negotiations with him, but they're not going to allow Sharon to sideline Arafat in the way that he would like to do. HEMMER: All right. Tony, we're out of time. Tony Karon, Time.com. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Tony, much appreciate it here.

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