Can Yasser Arafat Stop the Violence in the Middle East?
Aired October 17, 2000 – 2:25 p.m. ET THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. LOU WATERS, CNN ANCHOR: Some Palestinian groups today expressed skepticism over the Sharm El-Sheikh agreement. They say it’s impossible for the Palestinian leadership to flip the switch and turn off the violence. Former President Carter, the catalyst for the first Camp David summit, echoed that sentiment in a conversation with CNN. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JIMMY CARTER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If we think that Arafat can just issue an edict or an order, like a dictator, and everyone is going to get off the streets or everyone is going to comply completely with a peaceful settlement, we’re sadly mistaken. He obviously has a great deal of influence because the Palestinians, even those who don’t agree with him often, realize there’s no other leader that can come close to holding the diverse element in the Palestinian community together. So they respect him t
