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CNN Live Sunday
Powell: Assassination of Hamas Leader Could Impede Peace Process
Aired June 22, 2003 - 16:30 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: In the Middle East, three Palestinians were killed just a few minutes ago by an Israeli tank shell in the Gaza Strip. This could be part of Israel's continuing campaign of targeted assassination of Hamas leaders. Also a warning today from U.S. Secretary of State Powell. He says Israel's killing of a top Hamas leader yesterday could impede progress on the delicate road map to peace in the region.
CNN's Christiane Amanpour is in Jordan, the site of the latest round of peace discussions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Secretary Powell was here meeting with the fellow members of the quartet, the Russian ambassador, the U.N. secretary-general, and also representatives of the European Union. They talked about maintaining the pressure, to keep the road map on track and to help the parties keep the road map on track.
Secretary Powell, in relation to what happened in Israel yesterday, issued what has been described as a mild rebuke of that assassination, that targeted killing of the Hamas leader in Hebron.
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: I regret that, once again, we had an incident that could be an impediment to progress. As I have said previously and in my conversations with the Israeli side, we can understand the situation of, quote, "a ticking bomb," when there is an immediate threat that has to be dealt with, but anything that is sort of out of that immediate definition has to be looked at in light of the consequences it will have to our ability to move forward.
AMANPOUR: All members of the quartet said they would keep the pressure on to help keep the Middle East peace process on track.
In terms of what the Palestinians said or what the Israelis said, and what other Arab leaders here said, they were also panels in which they all spoke about the Middle East peace process. Palestinians asking the world to help them, they asked for a just and fair solution. The Israelis saying that there would be no peace unless the suicide bombings stopped.
On Iraq, there were also panels. The leader of the coalition, the provisional authority in Iraq, Bremer, talked about the security issue there, talked about trying to get the Iraqi economy back on track.
One member of the audience, an Iraqi businessman who had come out with the delegation, stood out and made a loud and heartfelt plea for security, saying that that's what the Iraqis wanted, they wanted to be able to live in security, to have a simple chance to get their situation back on track, to be able to get their political situation up and running, and to have some chance of making good now on the fall of Saddam Hussein.
I'm Christiane Amanpour, CNN, reporting from the World Economic Forum in Jordan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
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Aired June 22, 2003 - 16:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: In the Middle East, three Palestinians were killed just a few minutes ago by an Israeli tank shell in the Gaza Strip. This could be part of Israel's continuing campaign of targeted assassination of Hamas leaders. Also a warning today from U.S. Secretary of State Powell. He says Israel's killing of a top Hamas leader yesterday could impede progress on the delicate road map to peace in the region.
CNN's Christiane Amanpour is in Jordan, the site of the latest round of peace discussions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Secretary Powell was here meeting with the fellow members of the quartet, the Russian ambassador, the U.N. secretary-general, and also representatives of the European Union. They talked about maintaining the pressure, to keep the road map on track and to help the parties keep the road map on track.
Secretary Powell, in relation to what happened in Israel yesterday, issued what has been described as a mild rebuke of that assassination, that targeted killing of the Hamas leader in Hebron.
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: I regret that, once again, we had an incident that could be an impediment to progress. As I have said previously and in my conversations with the Israeli side, we can understand the situation of, quote, "a ticking bomb," when there is an immediate threat that has to be dealt with, but anything that is sort of out of that immediate definition has to be looked at in light of the consequences it will have to our ability to move forward.
AMANPOUR: All members of the quartet said they would keep the pressure on to help keep the Middle East peace process on track.
In terms of what the Palestinians said or what the Israelis said, and what other Arab leaders here said, they were also panels in which they all spoke about the Middle East peace process. Palestinians asking the world to help them, they asked for a just and fair solution. The Israelis saying that there would be no peace unless the suicide bombings stopped.
On Iraq, there were also panels. The leader of the coalition, the provisional authority in Iraq, Bremer, talked about the security issue there, talked about trying to get the Iraqi economy back on track.
One member of the audience, an Iraqi businessman who had come out with the delegation, stood out and made a loud and heartfelt plea for security, saying that that's what the Iraqis wanted, they wanted to be able to live in security, to have a simple chance to get their situation back on track, to be able to get their political situation up and running, and to have some chance of making good now on the fall of Saddam Hussein.
I'm Christiane Amanpour, CNN, reporting from the World Economic Forum in Jordan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
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