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CNN Live Sunday

Apparent Agreement Struck to End Siege on Church of Nativity

Aired May 05, 2002 - 22:05   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: We're going to go now to the Mid East. We have -- want to tell you the latest that we have now on the agreement, the apparent agreement to end the siege on Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity.

CNN's Matthew Chance standing by now. Matthew, I know you've been there all night following these developments. Any closer to getting that agreement tonight?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Well, Catherine, negotiators are still talking about the final details of coming to some agreement. There's no agreement yet. Besides though are apparent closer together. What we're hearing is that the shape of that agreement is going to be something along the lines of making a number of Palestinian militants that are are holed up inside the Church of the Nativity behind there. Perhaps as many as 30 or more militants transfer under international guard to the Gaza Strip, or will be held in Palestinian prison facilities.

Another five or six militants holed up inside the church, we're told, could be cast into exile, perhaps into Italy. That's the country under discussion right now. As I say now, no agreement yet. The Palestinians say that these aren't small issues at all, but nevertheless, there is anticipation that there could be some kind of plan on the table by the morning by daylight hours, ahead of us very shortly, Catherine.

CALLAWAY: And Matthew, nonetheless, it is encouraging that they are perhaps close to an agreement, certainly further than they have been in the last few weeks. It's going on now for more than a month. Any -- are you receiving any more information about the number? Is that the problem, the number of the Palestinian militants that would go into exile? We had reports that Palestinians wanted a certain amount, five or six. And that Israel apparently asked for 13 of those to be sent in exile.

CHANCE: Well, there is a list of Palestinians inside the church, which has been compiled and handed to both Israel and the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat. And indeed, it does seem that these final details that are being hammered out center around which figures will be transferred to Gaza, which will be cast into exile.

Now earlier, Israel had said that it was just looking for six or seven of most wanted militants inside the church, either cast into exile or placed under guard. That figure, though, has risen quite steeply in the past 24 hours, to about 42. So there are still intense discussions underway to try and reach presumably some kind of compromise figure on this.

CALLAWAY: Matthew, not a lot of time here, but can you tell us, have you seen any increased activity there since all this began tonight?

CHANCE: I can't report that I have, Catherine. It's been very quiet. You can see Manger Square behind me. An Israeli tank has been positioned right outside the door of the Church of the Nativity with its gun, its barrel pointed towards the Basilica for the last several hours or so. So there has been reports that the Palestinian police force has been placed on standby, but apart from that, very little action here.

CALLAWAY: All right. Terrific work out there. Thank you. CNN's Matthew Chance in Bethlehem. Thanks, Matthew.

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