CNN News Transcript

CNN

SHOW: CNN LIVE SATURDAY 12:00

GUESTS: Jason Alexander, Margie Omero, Chris Wilson, Kent Alexander, Richard Herman, Kendis Gibson, Tom O'Neil, Maxine Waters

BYLINE: Kelli Arena, Ben Wedeman, Lucia Newman, Suzanne Malveaux, Warren Strain, Jane Arraf, Rob Marciano, John Vause

HIGHLIGHT:
A look at anarchy in Haiti as situation appears to worsen. A break in the Mississippi missing family case.

BODY:
KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: It's 2:00 p.m. Cap Haitian, Haiti, 9:00 p.m. in Gaza.

Hello, I'm Kelli Arena in Washington.

Ahead this hour, violence and looting in Haiti as rebel forces threaten to overthrow President Aristide.

And writing a new law for the land. Coalition forces move closer to drafting a new constitution for war-torn Iraq.

And George Costanza in Jerusalem? Well, we've got the story of the worlds most selfish character making a unique trip to the holy land.

But first these headlines.

A family missing in Mississippi. Now investigators say they're a step closer to solving the two-week disappearance of the Hargon family. Authorities are searching a vet office and home near Taylorsville. A relative of the family is being questioned in the case.

In Pakistan a suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in Rawalpindi, that's near the capital, Islamabad. Authorities say the bomber was killed, four others are hurt. Police say the bomb went off as people were praying.

A meeting on North Korea's nuclear program ends without major progress. Six nations attended three days of negotiations in China, but they cited minor progress. Washington rejected an offer to end the WMD program because North Korea would not admit to having a uranium program.

Let's begin the hour in Gaza where Israeli jets or possibly helicopters targeted a car carrying suspected Islamic Jihad militants.

CNN's Ben Wedeman is following this story from Jerusalem-Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That attack took place about two hours and 15 minutes when an Israeli Apache helicopter apparently fired three missiles, according to Palestinian security sources, that hit a vehicle outside of Gaza City. This attack resulted in the death of the occupants of that vehicle, three men, all of whom have been identified as members of the military wing of Islamic Jihad. In addition to those three, one young boy was killed, apparently a bystander, in addition, 15 other people were wounded in the attack.

Several of them, according to Palestinian hospital sources are still in critical condition. Now, according to an Israeli spokesman, he described the militants, these people who were killed in the attack as ticking bombs. And he said that Israel will continue to target militants in Gaza at the same time as it prepares to withdraw sometime from Gaza later this year. Now, a senior Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erakat condemned this attack saying that it only adds fuel to the fire. And he called on the United States and other members of the so- called quartet, the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations, to push forward, reaccelerate the peace process to avoid this kind of attack in the future-Kelli.

ARENA: All right. CNN's Ben Wedeman, thanks for that report.

Haiti's president is calling for peace, even as looting and lawlessness rack the Caribbean nation. Rebels seeking to overthrow Jean-Bertrand Aristide are converging on the capital. A tense situation gets more tense.

CNN's Lucia Newman has the latest from there, via video phone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice-over): The streets of the capital are somewhat more calm today. The roadblocks and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) troughs rooming the streets terrorizing people are gone for the moment. A high-ranking police officer conceded that there was nothing they could do to stop it. That they are completely outnumbered. Looting at the port here continues at this moment, unabated. No one is there to try to stop that. And at the same time helicopters, military helicopters continue to land at the embassy of the Dominican Republic to try to evacuate more and more people from the country. There are two C-130 military aircraft also at the airport sent by France and the United States to evacuate other foreigners because all commercial flights to and from Haiti have been canceled until further notice.

In the meantime Jean-Bertrand Aristide reiterated this morning that he would not step down. But he did however issue an appeal to followers for calm. This following a very stern message sent by Washington for the president to control the armed gangs that support him otherwise says Washington, he will loose his prestige, his honor and his reputation. Rebels meanwhile are vowing to come to the city to take the capital perhaps as soon as tomorrow or the day after.

Lucia Newman, CNN, Port-au-Prince.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ARENA: Here in the u.s., some members of Congress are voicing their concerns about Haiti. The Congressional Black Caucus is asking President Bush to intervene in the crisis before it becomes a blood bath.

Congressman Maxine Waters has just returned from Haiti and she joins us now from Los Angeles. Congressman, thank you for joining us.

REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: You're welcome.

ARENA: What is it that you would like to see the president do at this point?

WATERS: I would like the international community form an international response to the violence going on. Go in, support the Haitian police, help to stabilize Haiti, get the old paramilitary guys out. You know, these old paramilitary guys were tied to the Duvalier regime. They are back. They are the ones that are armed. They are the ones that's holding the people of Gonaives and Cap Haitian hostage. They need to be driven out of the country. Everybody needs to disarm. And with the help of an international police force, or soldiers or somebody who can organize to give assistance to Haiti we could stabilize Haiti. So, it doesn't have to be the United States alone.

ARENA: What would-what would the exit strategy be?

WATERS: Well, the exit strategy could be that they're there, and there in order to calm Haiti and make sure that those old soldiers, some of them who have been convicted in absentia (ph) because of the killings they did before when they tried to have-when they drove Aristide out of the office when he was first elected. They should be arrested. They should be driven out of the country and put in jail.

ARENA: Now you do not agree with the Bush administration's request that Aristide step aside.

WATERS: They have not made that request.

ARENA: Bush-we heard that from Colin Powell.

WATERS: No what Colin Powell said, he felt that it may be in the best interest of everybody for him to resign, but he did not request that.

ARENA: When you hear that, though, when you hear that from Mr. Powell, who was very instrumental in establishing Aristide in the first place, does that not lend some credibility to the difficulty that Haiti faces, and perhaps his assumption that this cannot be solved?

WATERS: No. As a matter of fact this government has said that they will not insist on the ouster of a Democratically elected president. They wish to have a political solution. The problem is the opposition that is led by Mr. Andy Apaid Jr. in Haiti, in Port-au- Prince will not come to the peace table. I was in Haiti when the president signed off on the proposal that was brought by the international community headed by Mr. Noriega, the top assistant to Colin Powell. And the rest of the representatives from France and Canada. So, it is the opposition that we need to be putting the pressure on. If we put pressure on Mr. Apaid and the committee of 184 to come to the table, get rid of the thugs that came in, that's holding those cities hostage, we can stabilize Haiti and be in and out in a short period of time.

ARENA: All right. Obviously at this stage of the game, still being in Iraq, election year, politics involved very fine line, though, that this administration has to walk in committing any more troops, any more money to any other international situation, don't you agree?

WATERS: Well, as a matter of fact there are three ships off the shores of Haiti now. And those ships are there basically to stop people who would like to flee and take to the sea and we are more concerned about stopping people from showing up on the shores of Florida and other places than we are about saving lives in Haiti. If we go in and stabilize Haiti, those people will not want to take to the sea and try and flee and get out. So, those ships and the soldiers who are there should be used for stabilization rather than just trying to stop Haitians from coming to Florida.

ARENA: All right. Congressman Maxine Waters, thanks for joining us.

WATERS: You're welcome.

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