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Exclusive:
Arab, Muslim-American Leaders Meet With Powell
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| Asali walking out of State Dept. |
By
Ayesha Ahmad and Neveen Salem, IOL Staff Writers
WASHINGTON,
April 4 (IslamOnline) - American Arab and Muslim leaders urged U.S.
Secretary of State Colin Powell on Wednesday to implement U.N.
resolutions calling for the immediate Israeli withdrawal from
Palestinian areas occupied in the past week.
In
a meeting with the Secretary on Wednesday, the leaders of several
Washington-based Arab and Muslim organizations stated the central
concerns of their community on the Middle East conflict, including the
bias in U.S. foreign policy; the silence on Israeli actions contrasted
with harsh demands on Palestinian leadership; and the necessary role
of the U.S. in peace negotiations.
"The
response of the administration [and] the president… has been both
achingly inadequate and has been perceived both in Israel and the Arab
world as giving Israel a green light," said James Zogby,
president of the Arab American Institute (AAI), speaking at a press
conference at the State Department after the meeting.
Zogby
said that the group presented a list of policy recommendations to
Powell, including the immediate implementation of U.N. Security
Council Resolution 1402 - passed unanimously on March 30 - which calls
for "an immediate end to Israel's invasion and occupation of
Palestinian areas," a withdrawal of Israeli forces to
pre-September 2000 positions and the placement of an international
peacekeeping force, provision of humanitarian relief and economic
assistance to Palestinians, and setting a date to resume security
talks.
Ziad
Asali, president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
(ADC), characterized the meeting as "very frank, very open and
very serious, and it was emotional at times."
Noel
Saleh, with ACCESS - a Michigan-based Arab-American service
organization - told IslamOnline after the press conference that the
group explained their frustration that when it comes to Arabs, the
U.S. want guarantees "in 20 different languages," but not
for the Israelis.
"If
we are going to put these very severe demands on Chairman Arafat then
you need to put comparable demands on [Israeli Prime Minister Ariel]
Sharon," Saleh said.
Mahdi
Bray, political advisor for the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC),
told IslamOnline, "Powell indicated that he had to deal with both
sides and he remained engaged with Arafat".
The
Secretary told the leaders that he has talked to Arafat on the phone
over the past few days, and stressed that Arafat is still recognized
as the Palestinian leader - a point that the U.S. has had to reiterate
several times over the past week as speculation about Israel's
intentions concerning Arafat has grown.
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| All in front of cameras. |
Another
major concern for the leaders was the effect on Arab-American and
other American citizens in the Middle East region, in light of the
wounding of several and the death of one American citizen, born in
Washington, D.C., last week.
"We
raised the case of all the Americans who were there," Zogby told
reporters, stressing that they presented three specific cases,
including the killing of 21-year-old U.S. citizen Suraidah Saleh, and
"others… including property owners whose property has been
damaged, those who have been shot and wounded… or are simply unable
to leave Israel."
Zogby
said they were satisfied that the Secretary "did indeed indicate
that this is a high priority," but that simply instructing the
embassy and consulates to respond to the needs of Americans there was
not enough.
The
Secretary said that "we take care of our American citizens in the
area and we provide all the help needed," Awad told IslamOnline
after the press conference. "He's taking it seriously… he
should not just let Israel off the hook."
Zogby
said that the Secretary had been very responsive, but that the leaders
were unhappy with his suggestion that it would take weeks to implement
the U.N. resolution and put U.S. monitors in place.
"We
chided him on that," Zogby told reporters. "We do not
believe it is acceptable."
Yahya
Basha, chairman of the American Muslim Council (AMC), told IslamOnline
that the group raised the issue of an international peacekeeping
force, but that Powell stated it would begin with U.S. monitors and
that they need to have the approval of both parties in order to have
international observers.
"He's
working hard with that," Basha told IslamOnline. "They want
to get U.S. observers first because Israel won't accept U.N.
observers."
"Our
concern right now is that words be followed by deeds," Zogby
said. "This is a situation not unlike 1982… the damage done to
the U.S. can be very serious."
Bray
told IslamOnline after the conference that the group told Powell the
problem remains the same - "the illegal occupation of
Palestine," he said.
"There
comes a time when silence becomes betrayal," Bray told
IslamOnline, "and the U.S. is betraying its conscience by
remaining silent."
The
group also brought up other related issues with the Secretary,
including the U.S. Arms Export Control Act - which forbids the
provision of arms to countries who use the weapons illegally against
civilians - but Basha told IslamOnline that Powell did not address
that point.
Saleh
said that in response to concerns about U.S. tax money being used to
support aggressive Israeli actions, the leaders got standard vague
responses.
ADC
vice president Khalil Jahshan said the group also raised the issue of
Iraq, in light of increased speculation in the U.S media about
impending military action.
"We
came out from this meeting with the impression that yes, there is
disapproval of the regime in Iraq but there is no specific decision
that can be described as military action," Jahshan told
IslamOnline.
Zogby
told reporters that the group was mostly satisfied with Powell's
response to their concerns.
Also
present at the meeting were Khalid Saffuri with the Islamic Institute
(II), Yusuf Farsakh, a representative from the Palestinian town of
Beir Zeit, and George Salem, a prominent lawyer and employment
coordinator for the current George W. Bush administration.
The
leaders' meeting with the Secretary was about one and a half hours
long, a half hour longer than scheduled, Nasser Beydoun, the Arab
League Liaison to the Arab-American community in Michigan, told
IslamOnline.
It
had been scheduled three or four weeks ago, Beydoun said. "It was
supposed to be a peace meeting, it turned out to be a war
meeting." 
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