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Washington Urged Not To Parrot Sharon, PA Calls For More Active U.S. Role
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| Bush refused Sharon’s desire to sever links with Arafat |
DUBAI, Feb. 8 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Gulf newspapers urged the United States on Friday not to parrot Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, while the Palestinian Authority welcomed U.S. President George W. Bush's refusal to boycott Arafat and accused Sharon of trying to destroy any peace hopes, news agencies reported today.
Qatar's daily newspaper, Al-Raya applauded the Bush administration for refusing to question Arafat's credentials as the representative of the Palestinian people.
"By saying it would maintain contacts with Arafat, the United States pulled the rug from under the feet of Sharon, who is trying to persuade Washington to freeze all links" with the Palestinian President, the paper said.
"Sharon's current visit to Washington is not aimed at reviving the peace process, but rather at liquidating the Palestinian Authority and its president, who has been confined to his residence in the West Bank city of Ramallah" by an Israeli blockade, Al-Raya wrote.
Bush has resisted Israeli pressure for the United States to sever all ties with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. He said, however, his administration would maintain pressure on Arafat to halt attacks by Palestinian militants on Israel, reported BBC’s online news service.
At a news conference in Washington that followed talks with, Bush repeated his recent strong criticism of Arafat but stopped short of following Israel's policy of ending links with him.
Al-Bayan daily newspaper of the United Arab Emirates called on Washington to work on "winning the Arabs’ trust and opt for the role of peace sponsor in the Middle East ... rather than align itself with Sharon."
The United States should "exert pressure on its terrorist guest (Sharon) to persuade him to return to the negotiating table and put an end to escalation and assassinations" of Palestinian activists, the paper said.
"Washington must seize this opportunity to spruce up its image in the Arab world and resume its role as peace sponsor," Al-Bayan said.
Abu Dhabi-based Al-Ittihad newspaper said peace was the last thing on the minds of Sharon and his defense minister, Binyamin Ben Eliezer.
Instead, the two men are seeking to "trigger a war, spread chaos and fuel violence in the Middle East," the UAE daily charged.
"The U.S. administration could convince them to come back to reason and stop them from causing further damage," it added.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority on Friday welcomed Bush's refusal to boycott Arafat and accused Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of trying to destroy any peace hopes, after he charged the Palestinian President would "never" be a peace partner, AFP reported.
Arafat's adviser Nabil Abu Rudeina said Bush's position "constitutes a step in the right direction, but it must be followed by other steps especially to stop Israel's aggression and its siege of the Palestinian people."
Sharon told reporters after the White House meeting that "Arafat disqualified himself by heading a coalition of terror. He is not and never will be a partner. He's out of play."
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| Sharon claims he wants peace while killing and destruction of Palestinian people continue |
"More pressure must be put on Arafat because it can accelerate the emergence of an alternative leadership, because Arafat is directly responsible for the suffering of the Palestinian population," Sharon claimed.
"It's possible to speak with other Palestinians like I have done," said Sharon, referring to his first meeting last week with Palestinian officials, including parliament speaker Ahmad Qorei.
"These Palestinians requested that I meet with them again on my return from the United States," claimed Sharon. "I've accepted it as part of the pressure that must be exerted on Arafat."
It is worth mentioning that Qorei met Sharon after receiving the “go-ahead” from Arafat, and the meeting fell in the frame of endless Palestinian effort to convince the Israelis to return to peace and abandon the policy of killing and destruction.
Abu Rudeina countered Sharon's declared willingness for peace by saying his government was "running away from the negotiating table and lacking seriousness in how it handles initiatives taken by the international community."
He also criticized "the absence of a serious U.S. role, warning it would increase tension" in the area.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat, meanwhile, said "the Palestinian Authority rejects Sharon's remarks concerning the replacement of the current leadership".
Sharon "wants to destroy the peace process and the Palestinian Authority," Erakat charged.
In Lebanon, more than 3,000 Palestinian refugees took part Friday in a sit-in demonstration in support of Arafat in the southern port city of Tyre outside the offices of the UN peacekeeping force in the region.
"There is no replacement for Abu Ammar (Arafat)," chanted the demonstrators, including women and children who carried portraits of the Palestinian leader, using Arafat's nom-de-guerre.
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