U.S. Concedes Post-Clinton Shift In Mideast Policy
WASHINGTON, Jan 23 (News Agencies) - The United States conceded Tuesday it was shifting its Middle East policy from what it pursued under former president Bill Clinton, but insisted the Israeli-Palestinian peace process would remain a primary focus.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said President George W. Bush's administration would follow a different approach though he declined to say what that might be, stressing it was still under review.
"It's a little bit different, but the priority, the interest that the United States attaches to this is the same," Boucher told reporters.
"How exactly this administration will organize and implement its Middle East policy is something we'll announce at the appropriate time," he added.
His comments came as the latest series of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, taking place in Egypt without any U.S. presence, were suspended following the killings of two Israelis in the West Bank. The killings came after a Monday conversation between new U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
Boucher said the telephone call was part of U.S. efforts to keep in contact with the two sides, but there were no plans to re-engage directly in the talks as had been the formula under Clinton.
"We maintain an active interest in what they're doing," he said, declining to reveal the specifics of Powell's talk with Barak.
"But it's up to them at this stage to work with whatever they have and decide how they will agree on the basis for peace."
Asked whether the U.S. commitment might change, Boucher maintained that Washington would not drop out from promoting a comprehensive Arab-Israeli settlement.
"I wouldn't draw any conclusions at this point that we're somehow walking away or abandoning the peace process," he said.
