04 December 2001

Zinni in Contact with Israelis, Palestinians on Cease-fire

Retired General Anthony Zinni is in contact with Israeli and Palestinian officials to help them any way he can to negotiate a cease-fire so that the Mitchell peace recommendations can be implemented, State Department deputy spokesman Philip Reeker told reporters at the department's daily briefing in Washington December 4.

"I think the events of the past week, especially the last four days, demonstrate more than ever the need for progress towards a ceasefire. The terror and the violence must end. That's why General Zinni was dispatched by the president of the United States and Secretary Powell to the region," Reeker said.

The deputy spokesman said the United States understands Israel's need to fight terrorism and he added that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority need to take much more forceful action to stop Hamas and other terrorists and tear down their infrastructure.

Arafat "needs to arrest those responsible, but not just arresting perpetrators, but taking steps and action to ensure that those organizations -- those organizations, like Hamas, responsible are unable to commit further acts of terror. He needs to root them out and tear down the infrastructure that allows this to occur," Reeker said.

Following is an excerpt from Reeker's December 4 briefing containing is comments about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict:

Question: Can you tell us what General Zinni has been up to?

Mr. Reeker: General Zinni remains in the region. I don't think I have a specific readout of all of his phone calls. He has certainly been in touch with officials in both the Israeli Government and on the Palestinian side, along with other officials from our Embassy and our Consulate. They have these ongoing contacts, as we discussed yesterday, to try to help the parties achieve a durable cease-fire, making themselves available in whatever capacity they could be used to help in that process, because after all, that has been our goal; that was General Zinni's goal in going out there.

So he remains in the region and remains in contact with the parties.

Question: And will he stay indefinitely?

Mr. Reeker: At this point, he is remaining in the region. I don't have any ongoing travel plans for him at this stage.

Question: Philip, given the stern statements directed at Arafat from the President and from Secretary Powell, how much concern is there that this now complicates the US effort to keep together the coalition, anti-terror coalition, particularly among the other Arab states?

Mr. Reeker: I think our position is quite clear. As you indicated, the President made it clear yesterday. We are fighting terrorism. We have strong support from the worldwide coalition in our efforts in that regard. We think we have strong support from the international community in pursuing a process to bring peace to the Middle East. And that has to begin with ending the violence. It has to begin with ending the terrorism, like the attacks we saw over the weekend in Israel. We have a plan, which has been fully endorsed and continues to be supported, not only by the two parties, but also by the full international community, that is the Mitchell Committee Plan and process for moving forward in this. And that is what we call for.

I think the events of the past week, especially the last four days, demonstrate more than ever the need for progress towards a cease-fire. The terror and the violence must end. That is why General Zinni was dispatched by the President of the United States and Secretary Powell to the region. It is important, as we said yesterday, that whatever actions are taken there, that all parties have to consider the repercussions of their actions so that peace can still be achieved. That is, after all, our long-term goal. And as the Secretary said, there is going to be a tomorrow and a day after tomorrow. And we have to continue to live with that.

Question: But just to follow up on that, it is clear that your Arab allies in the fight against terror, particularly Egypt and other countries, are not pleased with the pressure being brought directly on the Palestinians now, and the perception that the United States is taking sides, if you will, and therefore, this clearly must complicate the coalition against the terror.

Mr. Reeker: I will repeat again today what we said, and what we firmly believe, that Chairman Arafat and the Palestinian Authority must act now against terror, and all those responsible for the violence. Those that perpetrated those acts, that have taken responsibility for them, were also attacking Chairman Arafat, attacking his authority, attacking the Palestinian Authority, and ultimately attacking the prospects for peace, that are things that the Palestinian people want.

I think all the people of the region, the Israelis and the Palestinians, have a right to live in safety and security. And Chairman Arafat needs to help achieve that by taking the steps we described. He needs to arrest those responsible, but not just arresting perpetrators, but taking steps and action to ensure that those organizations, those organizations like Hamas, responsible, are unable to commit further acts of terror. He needs to root them out and tear down the infrastructure that allows this to occur.

We have articulated, I think, a vision of what peace can achieve, including a Palestinian State. And we have had strong support from others in the region for that. We have dispatched a senior envoy, as we mentioned already, to work with the parties to achieve a cease-fire. So our envoy is remaining in the region. He needs time and the full cooperation of both sides in order to succeed. And it is in the interests of both sides to succeed, and that has to begin with Chairman Arafat taking those steps.

Question: Can I follow up on the coalition? If these countries in the Arab world were ever -- are against terrorism and are behind the US in the war against terrorism, do you think that it is incumbent upon them to respond to this act of terrorism in the region?

Mr. Reeker: I guess I don't quite understand your question.

Question: Well, do you think that the Arab world in particular and other members of the international community should be putting more pressure on the Palestinians, if indeed they are behind the war against terrorism?

Mr. Reeker: Our view is quite clear, and that is that Chairman Arafat needs to take these steps.

Question: No, not Chairman Arafat. Do you think that other countries besides the US should be putting more pressure on Chairman Arafat?

Mr. Reeker: We think Chairman Arafat should do what we have called for him to do, and if other countries want to encourage him to do that, that would be helpful too, Elise. Progress towards a lasting peace is possible, but only if sustained, serious actions are taken now to confront the terror and the violence. That is a reality, and Chairman Arafat has got to take these steps to move forward. There has been a fundamental challenge made to his own authority by these groups that perpetrated those acts on the weekend, and he needs to show leadership now and he needs to exercise the authority he has and pursue and arrest those responsible.

Question: No, I understand that, if I could just follow up one more time. It is clear what you think Arafat needs to do, but if other countries say they are behind the war against terrorism, do you think that by not responding to this particular act of terrorism in Israel, would that be cherry picking, so to speak, that the President said you can't --

Mr. Reeker: We have said that you can't pick cherries. These were terrorist acts. They need to be condemned. They have been condemned. And action needs to be taken beyond the words. And anything anybody else can do to encourage that action, we think is a positive step.

So we remain in touch with others in the international community. We remain in touch with the two parties. And whatever we can do to help move the process along, we will continue to do. But Chairman Arafat is, as the Secretary of State said, it's a moment of truth and he needs to act, and he needs to act now.

Question: You mentioned cease-fire several times. Are you in favor of an immediate cease-fire?

Mr. Reeker: We want the parties to work together to achieve a cease-fire. That is something that --

Question: Why not start one right now?

Mr. Reeker: That is something the two sides need to do. Only they can do it. They need to take the steps to do it, and they need to start it right now.

Question: Well, are you in favor of one now?

Mr. Reeker: We are in favor of a cease-fire. As soon as the two parties can forge one, that's what they need to do. That is why General Zinni is there. He is available to help that. That is what we want to see so that they can move forward in the process.

What we are in favor of, Jonathan, is peace in a region in the world where all sides, all parties there, can live in peace and security. That is what they deserve and that is what we are standing for.

Question: Would you not start that right away?

Mr. Reeker: If the two sides can agree to that, that's what we want to see. That's exactly it-- it takes the two sides to --

Question: If I could just follow up. Yesterday you spoke at great length, and the White House too, about self-defense. It is quite clear from what the Israelis have been saying today that what they are doing is not, in fact, self-defense; it is an attempt to intimidate Arafat into taking actions they want him to see.

Mr. Reeker: That's your interpretation.

Question: No, it's quite clear. They said that themselves. That's what they say. Is that something the United States favors, using force to intimidate Arafat into taking actions?

Mr. Reeker: As we made clear yesterday, we understand the difficult situation faced by Israel and the need to fight terror. Chairman Arafat and the Palestinian Authority have got to act now against terror and --

Question: The question is, are you in favor of using force to intimidate Arafat into taking certain actions?

Mr. Reeker: Jonathan, what we are in favor of is Chairman Arafat taking action --

Question: I know you're in favor of that, but are you in favor of using force to intimidate him into doing that, which the Israelis say they are doing?

Mr. Reeker: Jonathan, our position is quite clear, that the two sides need to come to an agreement on a cease-fire. The Israelis, as we have said, face a situation where they are making decisions about their security. We have sent an envoy to the region and said repeatedly that we want both sides to come to a situation where they can have a cease-fire and move forward into a peace process that we have all endorsed. It is something both sides need to do. Arafat has got to take the steps to root out the infrastructure so that the terrorist attacks, like occurred on Saturday, can not continue.

Question: Well, let me put it another way. Do you think that Arafat and the institutions associated with him are an appropriate target in this campaign?

Mr. Reeker: What we think is that Arafat needs to take efforts. It's not for us to define targets in anybody's campaign; it's for us to call for the two sides to take every effort possible to move towards a cease-fire and move into the process that we've talked about so many times and that all sides have agreed they want to move into.

As the Secretary said, he believes that Arafat is capable of doing a lot more. There have been statements, there have been promises; there needs to be action. We need to see action in ensuring that organizations responsible for the types of acts that we saw over the weekend are unable to commit further such terror.

Question: But do you think that the Israelis are going to be able to bomb him into cooperating? I mean, that's basically what they said they --

Mr. Reeker: That isn't a question for me. Our position is very clear. We remain committed to trying to help the parties move towards a cease-fire. Because, ultimately, there has got to be a process towards peace. They have got to live together. Both sides have got to take steps to root out terrorism. We have talked about that broadly in terms of our steps to root out terrorism as it threatens us.

Question: Okay. Is bombing Arafat's headquarters a step to root out terrorism?

Mr. Reeker: I am not going to try to determine what steps the Israelis may or may not take or how they should take it. What we want to see is action to end the terrorism. We have called for that. Chairman Arafat has made statements. He needs to follow through on those statements. He can do more. He needs to do more to take the steps to end the --

Question: In the past, you have often made comments about Israeli actions. You've said provocative, counter-productive. Why are you not willing in this case to make any kind of judgment about their actions?

Mr. Reeker: Jonathan, I haven't particularly spent my day watching every action that has been going on there. There is too much violence in the region. There has got to be an end to the violence. There has got to be --

Question: So you're in favor of an immediate halt to violence?

Mr. Reeker: There has got to be an end to the violence. The two sides have got to come together. They have got to use the structures that they have that we have helped supply them with; that is, the security process available to come to a cease-fire so that they can move forward. Nothing will be accomplished until the sides are able to do that.

And we have always said that the parties need to consider the repercussions of their actions so that peace can still be achieved.

Question: Phil, are you saying that the US sees a need for bargaining to bring about a cease-fire? The Arab position is -- I mean, you're not going for an unconditional cease-fire, nor an immediate cease-fire. The Arab position is you can't expect the Palestinians to agree to a cease-fire unless there is something -- they see something -- coming down the pike at them. You dangle the Mitchell Commission Report in front of them, but I think the Arab argument is that they need something almost as a quid pro quo to stop the attacks.

Mr. Reeker: I think --

Question: Sorry, that's it.

Mr. Reeker: The quid perhaps, Barry, or the quo, will be when both sides can live without the fear of the violence that has plagued the region. People have suffered, as the Secretary said in his speech two weeks ago, for far too long. And so our position remains that there is a process by which through security cooperation, through the Tenet work plan, with General Zinni there to help, his good offices available, that the two sides can work on security together to bring about a cease-fire, to stop the violence, and then move into the other political processes. That is what will be in the interests of both the Israeli and the Palestinian people for the long term, and in the interests of the whole region and indeed the whole world.

Question: Arafat said in a television interview today that he was trying to do that, he was willing to have security cooperation, he was trying to follow up on the Secretary's speech; but then this terrorist incident happened despite his best efforts, and that Israeli Prime Minister Sharon is trying to undermine the peace process by bombing his headquarters.

Mr. Reeker: Rather than going back and forth with trying to comment on what each person said back and forth, let me just again cite what the Secretary said yesterday, and it remains true today, that we believe that Chairman Arafat is capable of doing a lot more and he needs to do that.

Question: Have you guys seen at this point any sign from either side that leads you to have hope that General Zinni might be able to accomplish his mission, or not yet? I mean --

Mr. Reeker: I think we always have hope.

Question: No, no. Have you seen any sign from either side that they are willing to move toward a cease-fire?

Mr. Reeker: I am not in a position at this point to describe any particular signs. I don't have readouts of General Zinni's conversations that he may be having with officials from both the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority.

Our hope definitely remains. Whether there are any specific signs, I don't know. He certainly remains there looking for the full cooperation of both sides, and he will need some time for that.

Question: But it's fair to say -- so right now you're not aware of any sign that either side is willing to --

Mr. Reeker: I just don't know. I am, myself, not aware of that. But he is remaining there and he will need time, and hopefully the cooperation of both sides, to move forward.

Question: Phil, Barry asked a question, which -- at the beginning of his many questions which you ignored -- which was an interesting one.

Mr. Reeker: I didn't ignore it. I probably forgot it, if you'll forgive me.

Question: He said do you think a cease-fire can only come about as a result of bargaining?

Mr. Reeker: That's not a decision for me. That's a decision for the two parties. They have got to come to the cease-fire. We have given them a structure --

Question: Basically you guys are saying yes, they have to -- it's something that has to be negotiated. I mean, you can't just have an instantaneous -- you're saying that they can't --

Mr. Reeker: Well, Jonathan, your question is sort of elliptical. If that's what they agree to, then that's what could happen. But the two sides have to agree to that. It's not the United States' cease-fire. It's something that we want the two sides to agree to. There needs to be a cease-fire, however they can come to it.

Question: Well, in many cases in other conflicts where a mediator has called for a cease-fire on both sides, and the both sides have said yes and it has come into effect.

Mr. Reeker: They have a structure with which they can proceed. They have the Tenet work plan. They have General Zinni there and available, talking to both parties. And if they are able to do that, so much the better. We need to see a cease-fire. We need to see, most of all right now, action by Chairman Arafat and the Palestinian Authority against terror and all those responsible for the violence.