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CNN Live Sunday

Ariel Sharon Proposes International Conference

Aired April 14, 2002 - 16:00   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: Our coverage does continue now tonight on the search for peace from the Secretary of State Colin Powell. He had a meeting in Ramallah earlier today with the Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat and earlier tonight in Tel Aviv with Israeli's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. If you were with us about 30 minutes ago, we told you about this apparent offer for an international conference that would involve a number of players to be headed up by the United States. We will talk more about that in the implications involved there coming up as our coverage continues.

And the news of the hour is the diplomacy on behalf Secretary Powell. Again, he met in Ramallah. After that, a short comment with reporters afterwards, he said it was useful. He said it was constructive, but later with Ariel Sharon, the prime minister, we know that there was no timetable given for any Israeli withdrawal out of the West Bank.

To Andrea Koppel now back from Tel Aviv, she's in Jerusalem once again. And more now on this international conference is being footed right now. Andrea has more information on that and the rest of the day. Good evening again, Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Bill.

Well, it's our understanding that Ariel Sharon raised this idea. It's not really a new idea per se. It's something that Ariel Sharon has discussed publicly. It was discussed by the Israeli Security Cabinet in recent weeks about having this international peace conference, Middle East peace conference in which Israel would sit down with moderate Arab leaders. Well as you know, Prime Minister Sharon has made no secret that he does not view Yasser Arafat to be a moderate leader.

They say -- the Israelis say they're still open to the possibility that if Arafat takes significant steps to enforce the cease-fire and to speak out against violence and restrain, militants that they would be open to his participation but one senior Israeli official told CNN this evening, they don't think Yasser Arafat is capable of that.

Now, all of this, of course, is a non-starter for the Bush Administration, which would only agree to host such a conference, Bill, if, in fact, it was not only Israel's prime minister but also if it were Yasser Arafat who the U.S. says is the legitimately elected leader of the Palestinian people. It's an idea also that is out there in the Arab world. In fact, the Jordanian foreign minister raised it during his press conference with Secretary Powell when they were in Amman earlier last week.

This is something the Arab world is also in favor. And really, what the U.S. would like to do ideally is to get this conference to be built upon the Saudi peace initiative. This idea that was endorsed by the 22 members of the Arab League in Beirut last month in exchange for Israel withdrawing to the 1967 borders, the Arab world would recognize Israeli' right to exist and would establish diplomatic relations and all of the bells and whistles that go along with that.

So this idea was discussed this evening between Secretary Powell and Ariel Sharon. I wouldn't put too much on it right now, until -- unless and until Yasser Arafat takes the steps that Israel says is necessary in order for it, Israel, to sit down with Yasser Arafat at such a conference -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Andrea, let's talk about tomorrow then. On Monday, Colin Powell will be up in Beirut, later he'll be in Damascus before coming back to Jerusalem late on Monday night. What is the message there given the cross-border clashes we have talked about for two weeks running now?

KOPPEL: The message is that the U.S. is deeply concerned about the prospects of a wider regional war. As you know, Secretary Powell on Friday made a last-minute trip up to the -- really about eight miles from Israel's northern border with Lebanon where he was literally within firing range of Katusha rockets that Hezbollah guerrillas had been lobbying across the border now since really this military incursion went into full force. It's obviously been going on for years but this really got sort of put into high gear about two weeks ago.

And this is something Hezbollah guerrillas being supported by both the Syrian government and by the Iranian government, they're based in Lebanon. This is why Secretary Powell is going to go to Beirut tomorrow and sit down with the Lebanese prime minister to discuss U.S. concerns there and how the U.S. would like the Lebanese government to try to do something about this to prevent these cross- border firings.

And he's also going to go to Syria to sit down with President Assad there. The U.S. has already spoken with President Assad. We know that Vice President Cheney spoke with him last week and expressed deep U.S. concerns and asked the Syrian government to use its influence to stop supplying weapons or at least not allow weapons that have come from Iran to go across the Syrian border into Lebanon.

So this is actually another part of Secretary Powell's trip here to the Middle East. He obviously, wants to make progress on the Israeli/Palestinian front, Bill, but the U.S. is equally concerned about the prospects for this Lebanon/Israel cross-border firing to escalate and to bring in other Arab states into a wider regional war -- Bill. HEMMER: OK, Andrea, thanks. Andrea Koppel again watching every step that the secretary of state makes here in the Middle East. Andrea, thanks again to you.

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