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G8 Leaders Split Over Mideast Peace Process
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Straw
(L) and Ivanov warned, among other G8 leaders, that there was
no alternative to dealing with Arafat.
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WHISTLER,
Canada, June 14 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – The calls for
setting a timetable for the Middle East peace settlement, an idea
rejected by U.S. President George W. Bush, sparked Thursday, June 13,
clear divisions among the Group of Eight (G8) nations during their
meeting in Canada.
Foreign
ministers of the rich nations club meeting in Canada appeared keen to
take the opportunity to send a message to Bush, as he prepares to lay
out his Middle East strategy to the world after a flurry of talks with
Mideast leaders, Agence France-Presse (AFP) said.
They
also warned that there was no alternative to dealing with Yasser
Arafat, following criticism that Bush has backed Israeli Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon’s strategy of marginalizing the Palestinian
leader.
U.S.
Secretary of State Colin Powell, seen by some European officials here
as a moderating influence on U.S. foreign policy, admitted there were
differing approaches on establishing a date to reach a Middle East
settlement.
“There
are those who believe that you have to put forward as soon as possible
a political horizon that has a timeline,” he said at a press
conference concluding two days of talks at Whistler ski resort, AFP
reported.
“There
are other points of view that suggest it is not the best way to move
forward. We are examining all of that and in due course the president
will reach his conclusion and communicate that conclusion to the
world.”
But
European Union foreign affairs chief Javier Solana immediately
interjected, “A timeline would be very helpful.”
Russian
Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov added, “It would give a much clearer
prospect for a settlement,” though he argued that the substance of
any peace initiative was more important than its deadline.
Bush
said on Saturday that he was not ready to announce a “specific
calendar” for announcing a Palestinian state, but called for reforms
to the Palestinian Authority to start “immediately.”
But
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak argued in talks with Bush at Camp
David last week that a timetable was vital, saying it would give hope
to Palestinians and help to halt attacks in Israel.
Bush,
who met Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal Thursday said he would
lay out a vision for the “evolution of a Palestinian state,” as
the White House said he may opt for creating a provisional nation
alongside Israel.
His
words came amid new jockeying for position in the region, as
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat responded to U.S. calls for reform
of the Palestinian authority by pledging to announce dates for local,
legislative and presidential elections within days.
The
G8 ministers all committed to the principle of a ministerial level
Middle East peace conference backed by Arab nations and the United
States.
According
to AFP, some diplomats privately expressed concern that the United
States had allowed the proposed date for such a meeting to slip. And
European policymakers tacitly warned Bush that there was no
alternative but to deal with Arafat.
“It
is not in our gift to determine the nature of the leaders with whom we
deal,” said British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.
Asked
whether as a major donor of humanitarian and reconstruction aid to
Arafat’s PA, Europe was concerned about him being marginalized,
European Union external affairs commissioner Chris Patten said with
characteristic bluntness, “You can’t choose the leaders you deal
with, you have to take reality as it is.”
Both
Straw and Patten, who as leading lights of the British Labor and
Conservative parties spent much of the 1980s attacking each other, did
however, stress the need for reforms in the Palestinian Authority.
Powell,
later in an interview with Canadian CTV television agreed that Arafat
could not be marginalized.
“If
you ignore him and say he isn’t there and he is there, and the
Palestinian people look to him as their leader, then you do
nothing,” Powell said.
“Obviously
our disappointment in his performance and the Israeli point of view
that says we’re not sure this guy can be a partner for peace.
“We
will have to find a way to test him as we go forward, but it is not a
question of ignoring him, because he is there,” he added.
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