President to Meet with Israeli Prime Minister Sharon
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The politics of AIDS and the crisis in the Mideast both the focus today at the White House. President Bush is meeting this hour with South African President Thabo Mbeki. Later, President Bush holds talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. CNN senior White House correspondent John King brings us up-to- date on all the meetings. Hi, John.</s>JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Kyra. Well, just moments ago, President Bush and President Mbeki left the Oval Office, walked through the colonnade of the Rose Garden over to the White House residence. At this hour, they will have lunch there, joined by senior officials from both governments. The number one item on the agenda for those discussions: The AIDS epidemic, not only in South Africa, but across the continent of Africa. Mr. Bush, at the top of the Oval Office meeting, highlighting $200 million in U.S. money that will go into new global fund designed to fight AIDS. Mr. Mbeki facing a great deal of criticism for not personally going to New York to attend this week's United Nations conference on AIDS. Also, criticism back home that his government has not done enough to fight the disease. One of the criticisms is that the Mbeki government will not give to pregnant women who have HIV drugs that might perhaps prevent them or at least discourage the passing on of the virus to their newborn children. Mr. Mbeki, though, facing questions about that as he sat down in the Oval Office with President Bush, he was defiant, suggested his critics should take another look.</s>PRESIDENT THABO MBEKI, SOUTH AFRICA: All I will say to that is people must look at what we're doing in South Africa, not their perception of what they think we are doing, but what we are doing actually in the country, and I don't think one the basis of facts an accusation like that can be sustained.</s>KING: Now, another very difficult international issue facing the president this afternoon, the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, due here at the White House. The president to press him, we are told, to continue efforts to keep in place a very fragile cease-fire. You see here from these scenes there have been some continued violence, some continued killing despite the cease-fire agreement in place. Mr. Bush will urge the Israelis to do their part to keep the cease-fire in place and to test Mr. Sharon's commitment to taking what the administration hopes will be the next diplomatic steps. The burden of testing that commitment, though, will fall mostly to the secretary of state, Colin Powell. He leaves for the region tonight for meetings with the Israelis and the Palestinians. Mr. Powell wants to see if the two sides will commit to an official cooling-off period, perhaps a five or six-week period to go beyond the cease-fire agreement. And from there, very difficult discussions from there about what the diplomats call confidence-building measures. On the agenda then, if they get to that point, would be an Israeli commitment to stop expanding settlements in the West Bank and Gaza. But U.S. officials say right now, the number one concern is just keeping that cease-fire in place, perhaps moving on to a cooling-off period. Given the tensions in the region, though, and the deep mistrust between the parties, not a great deal of optimism here at the White House -- Kyra.</s>PHILLIPS: Senior White House correspondent John King. Thanks so much. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com