-Caveat Lector-
[Another nail in the coffin of the Clinton Legacy.]
Arabs keep distance from Clinton
By Ben Barber
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Arab leaders have snubbed President Clinton and told him to stay
home while they invited America's nemesis, Saddam Hussein, to
Cairo to sit with them for the first time since the Gulf war.
Mr. Clinton yesterday downplayed the refusal by Egypt to host
him and leaders of Israel and the Palestinians in an attempt to
end two weeks of violence.
Mr. Clinton sought the summit, but Egypt said it might conflict
with the meeting of Arab leaders slated for Oct. 20 and 21. "I
wouldn't overread the fact that there won't be a big meeting
imminently in Egypt," said Mr. Clinton, adding that both Israel
and the Palestinians remained committed to the peace process.
However, analysts said that inviting Iraq, which has called for
attacks on Israel and continues to violate U.N. sanctions and
resolutions, could tilt the Arab leaders meeting in support of
the Palestinians' new intifada, in which more than 90 have been
killed since Sept. 28.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan met unexpectedly with the
Israeli and Palestinian leaders yesterday, but a truce remained
elusive amid new outbreaks of violence. The fiercest battle
erupted near the village of Kufr Kalil, just south of the West
Bank town of Nablus, as dozens of buses and cars carrying
mourners to the funeral of American-born Jewish settler Hillel
Lieberman passed by. As four helicopter gunships hovered above,
Israeli troops fired tank machine guns toward the village where
gunmen wove in and out of narrow alleys.
The Cairo Arab summit later this month will include Iraq, Libya,
Yemen and other Arab nations that have called for attacks.
The meeting, originally scheduled for January, was moved up to
this month in response to the fighting in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip.
But many fear the meeting could harden Palestinian resolve and
make compromise with Israel more difficult. "It's hard to see
how this is a helpful step � it could stiffen [Palestinian leader
Yasser] Arafat," said David Makovsky, senior analyst at the
Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
And the leading pro-American nations such as Egypt, Jordan and
Saudi Arabia "will not risk their relationship with the United
States for Arafat," said another analyst. "They don't trust
Arafat."
Due to the mounting death toll, Arab leaders have "been feeling
the heat" from their own people and will likely criticize Israel
and support the Palestinians, he said. But unless there is an
escalation of violence before then, the Arab summit will show
strong support for the peace process between Israel and the
Palestinians, said the analyst, speaking on the condition of
anonymity.
A Palestinian spokesman in Washington said yesterday Mr. Clinton
would be welcome in the West Bank and Gaza but that certain
conditions need to be met first. "We would welcome President
Clinton's visit to the Palestinian territories to continue his
efforts towards reaching a lasting peace agreement between
Palestinians and Israelis," said Said Hamad, deputy chief
representative in Washington of the Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO). "But I think the time is not really
appropriate for holding a four-way [Israelis, Palestinians,
Egyptians and Americans] meeting unless the Israelis pull out
their troops from positions that are close to the Palestinian
territory and lift the siege on Palestinian cities of the West
Bank and Gaza and withdraw their forces," said Mr. Hamad in an
interview.
Mr. Hamad also raised a new demand, calling on Israeli Prime
Minister Ehud Barak "to apologize for all those threatening
deadlines." He was referring to ultimatums beginning last weekend
in which Mr. Barak warned of harsh measures unless Mr. Arafat
reined in stone-throwing mobs.
The PLO representative also repeated demands for the Israelis to
"accept an international commission on what occurred on [the
Temple Mount] and what had followed." He called on Israel to
"pull back to the positions they were in before the intifada
started Sept. 28."
Asked if he still intended to go the Middle East, Mr. Clinton
said yesterday: "I think Secretary [of State Madeleine K.]
Albright or I might go." "Maybe in time we'll both go. I had a
long talk this morning with [U.N.] Secretary-General Kofi Annan,
and we've been working together in an attempt to make sure we've
got substantial calm there."
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher yesterday discounted
the impact of Iraq's attending the Arab summit in Cairo.
"Iraq's position on the peace process is well known and, I think,
heavily discounted," said Mr. Boucher at the State Department
briefing yesterday. "The fact is, the [Israelis and
Palestinians] remain engaged. The parties keep working with us
and we keep proceeding despite some of these voices that are
trying to tear down the peace process."
The United States has appeared powerless in recent weeks to
prevent the collapse of U.N. sanctions on air travel to Iraq and
yesterday, as the Arab summit plans firmed up, new flights
arrived from Egypt, Syria and Turkey.
Last month, Russia and France notified the United Nations and
sent flights without waiting for clearance. Now, Jordan is
requesting U.N. permission for regular passenger flights, and
Aeroflot, Russia's state-run airline, says it plans to resume
passenger flights.
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Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT
FROM THE DESK OF: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
*Mike Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
~~~~~~~~ <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day.
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