America's New War: Erakat's View on So-Called 'Cease-Fire'
PAULA ZAUN, CNN ANCHOR: We are going to focus back in on the Middle East once again. We have been reporting for the last hour or so the Israeli defense ministers said Tuesday that Israel was canceling all offensive operations against the Palestinians after Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat reaffirmed his determination to honor a cease-fire. Joining me now on the telephone is Saeb Erakat, who is the chief Palestinian negotiator in Jericho. Thank you, sir, for joining us. I just got off the phone with Foreign Minister Shimon Peres. He called Mr. Arafat's statement a very important one. He also said the two of them will sit down together. He could not name the exact location, but sometime in the next several days to negotiate. What realistically can you expect to come out of those talks?</s>SAEB ERAKAT, CHIEF PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATOR: I think it's very significant what we heard from President Arafat today. I think it's very significant that President Arafat and Mr. Peres move ahead to meet and start putting the mechanisms of implementation to the Mitchell recommendations and to the Tenet plan. I think the next step is for the United States to send an emissary immediately, because the trust between the two sides is not what we hope it to be. I hope this can be done immediately, because both constituencies, Palestinians and Israelis, want to see these on the ground. I would like to add that the significant thing that President Arafat said yesterday, aside from extending his condolences and sympathies to the American people and the American president, is he said that he puts all his humble capabilities -- the Palestinian humble capabilities under the service of the U.S. president in the fight against terror. I think we have a very significant development here. I hope that the Israelis will move ahead to start lifting the closure and the siege and to take steps by stopping the bombardment of our cities and towns. There are 3.2 million Palestinians who are literally suffocating now. The most important thing is to provide a road map for the implementation of Mitchell, to provide monitors and observers who will follow-up the implementation, and above all I hope after President Arafat's (inaudible) meeting, that Undersecretary William Burns or somebody else from the American administration, the European will come immediately in order to broker the required steps to be taken in the near future.</s>ZAHN: All right. You call for the need for an emissary. Who would you like to be the emissary?</s>ERAKAT: Well, I think we have seen here working with us, Secretary Powell and then Undersecretary William Burns. I think at this stage, we really do understand the importance of the needed step to be followed, in terms of implementing on the ground the Mitchell recommendation and the Tenet plan and to provide observers. And I hope that Undersecretary William Burns can come immediately, along with the Europeans, because of the (inaudible) of the trust level between the two sides is below zero. And what's needed now is to regain this confidence. What's needed now is to focus and not to lose sight of the significant opportunity, the promise that was presented by President Arafat today. And I hope that this will happen immediately, because at the end of the day, Israelis and Palestinians will judge on what they see on the ground and not from statements here and there.</s>ZAHN: All right. If you would, sir, I'd like you to clarify part of Mr. Arafat's statement when he urged Palestinians to exercise maximum self-restraint in the face of what he called Israeli aggression and attacks. Does that mean Palestinian troops will not fire back if the Israeli troops fire on them?</s>ERAKAT: Paula, we're a people with no tanks, with no army, with no navy. As you're talking to me now, the city of Hebron in the south of the West Bank is being bombarded by the Israelis, heavy bombardment. And we urge, I really urge the Israeli side to stop this. I really urge them to come back to the negotiating table without any conditions. I really urge them to give a chance to what President Arafat declared and to what Mr. Peres described as a statement of leadership. What we need to see now is the implementation of the Mitchell recommendations and observers on the ground immediately.</s>ZAHN: All right, sir, but you still didn't answer my questions. Are you telling me that Palestinians are being instructed, is that the understanding of the statement, not to fire back under any circumstances if they endure what you call Israeli aggression?</s>ERAKAT: Absolutely, Madam. I think, Paula, President Arafat's statement was very clear. He called on the Palestinians, even under attack, not to respond, to give the peace process a chance. And we really urge the Israelis to do the same, to declare to their soldiers to stop that and to start lifting the closure and the siege, and to put the Mitchell recommendations into implementation.</s>ZAHN: All right. Mr. Peres just told me, quote, "I think that there already is a cease-fire. That means no bullets, no bombs, no mortars. I will be careful with my tone, but it looks like it's taking place in reality. Two people will be entering a new age and we will start to negotiate." Do you trust the Israeli government at this point?</s>ERAKAT: Well, I want to trust the Israeli government at this point. I urged Mr. Sharon, who vetoed the meeting between President Arafat and Mr. Peres two days ago, to send Mr. Peres immediately to meet President Arafat. I really urge the Americans to send somebody in order to start putting the mechanisms of implementation on the ground. Because the cease-fire, you know, any Israeli, any Palestinian can undermine this effort, it's a very fragile situation, and we really need all the help we can get. And I think the first step after President Arafat meets Peres is to see an American, European emissaries working on the roadmap, the time line, the mechanisms of implementation to Mitchell recommendations and the tenet plan, and above all, to have observers to follow up and monitor the situation on the ground.</s>ZAHN: Is Mr. Arafat at this hour in control of every one of the security commanders in every village, as he said in his statement?</s>ERAKAT: Paula, I think President Arafat is in as much control as any other president in the world. The situation of the Palestinians is extremely difficult. We have been living under total suffocation. When I describe to you that we cannot even walk between a Palestinian city and a town and the village, it is total closure, total siege. So we need to start coming back to reality of lifting these pains and this suffering of the Palestinian people under the Israeli occupation. And I hope that the Israeli government will come immediately to the negotiating table, immediately with no conditions, in order to start the process of reconciliation, the process of implementation of the Mitchell recommendation and the Tenet plan.</s>ZAHN: Saeb Erakat, thank you very much for joining us so quickly after these new developments broke in the Middle East. We appreciate your time, sir. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com