| Report: Bush
administration "disappointed" with Sharon By Ellis Shuman December 4, 2003 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
U.S. Secretary of State
Colin Powell agreed to meet with the architects of the Geneva Initiative
in Washington tomorrow as part of the Bush administration's new strategy
of pressuring Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the Washington Post reported.
Powell said the U.S. is committed to the "road map" peace plan, but he was
willing to hear "different points of view." Israeli officials said the
meeting would be "counterproductive." "It is part of an effort to put more pressure on Sharon," an administration official told the Washington Post, commenting on Powell's planned meeting with former justice minister Yossi Beilin and former Palestinian information minister Yasser Abed Rabbo. "It is [not] as much an endorsement of the Geneva plan as a signal to the Sharon government to get in a more cooperative posture," the official said. The administration had previously not embraced the Geneva Initiative, but is now using it to prod Sharon into taking steps to relieve Palestinian grievances, the paper reported. The Bush administration is reportedly "disappointed" with Sharon's "stalling" on Israel's implementation of its commitments in the "road map" plan, including the dismantling of unauthorized outposts and the freeze on settlement construction. In addition, the administration continues to oppose the Israeli government's decision to build the security fence to the east of the 1967 Green Line border, where it would disrupt the lives of Palestinian citizens. IDF dismantles uninhabited outposts The Israeli army dismantled two unauthorized, uninhabited outposts on the West Bank on Wednesday, and four others are slated for removal in the coming days. IDF forces removed an empty bus on a hilltop near Karmei Tzur and a container used as a storehouse at a site called Givat Rehavam, on a hilltop near Hebron. There was no opposition to the army actions at the sites. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz this week instructed the army to "immediately" remove some ten unauthorized outposts. Last week, Mofaz's deputy, MK Ze'ev Boim (Likud) caused a stir when he announced that several unauthorized outposts would soon be granted legitimate legal status. Meanwhile, the Peace Now organization revealed that the Israel Lands Authority published a tender for 13 new houses in Ariel. The organization said the action once again proved that Sharon disregards his "road map" commitments. "The Sharon government is no more than a contractor for the Yesha Council, investing precious funds in settlements," the organization said. Channel Two television reported on Wednesday that the roads to many unauthorized outposts in the West Bank had recently been paved. Powell: I can meet with anyone I want At a press briefing en route to Marrakesh in Morocco, Powell was asked what merit he saw in his upcoming meeting with Beilin and Abed Rabbo. "We are committed to the road map," Powell responded. "The road map was endorsed by the Palestinians and it was endorsed by the Israelis. It was presented by the Quartet to the Palestinians and the Israelis and it was unveiled to the world at Aqaba. We think it is the way forward." But Powell added, "Why should we not listen to others who have ideas, such as the ideas that were presented in Geneva, and other ideas that have been presented? What people were saying, is that the current situation has to change. We have to find a way to peace. We think the road map is the idea, but I think I would be denying myself, and I think that I would be denying our Administration, the opportunity to hear different points of view if I refused to listen to different points of view. So, I will be meeting those who have different points of view to include those who presented the plan in Geneva." Sharon's adviser Zalman Shoval conceded that Israel could not prevent Powell from meeting with the Geneva architects, but said the effort would be counterproductive. "America wants to promote the 'road map' [peace plan], and those people in Geneva ... want to go in a different path," Shoval told the Associated Press in a telephone interview from Italy. "Therefore, I think it won't be very helpful." Earlier in the week, Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said it would be a "mistake" for Powell to meet with Beilin and Abed Rabbo. Ayalon: Just a "courtesy" meeting Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Danny Ayalon told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee yesterday that Powell's meeting with Beilin and Abed Rabbo should be seen as nothing more than a "courtesy" and not a "contradiction" to the Americans' commitment to the "road map" plan. Ayalon claimed that Israeli-U.S. relations were at their "best level" ever, due to the close relationship between President George W. Bush and Sharon, the Jerusalem Post reported. Ayalon said that even in a close relation there could be areas of dispute, such as Israel's construction of the security fence and the issue of unauthorized outposts. Despite this, the United States continues to support Israel consistently, Ayalon said. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Charles Mims
_______________________________________________ Sndbox mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://a8.mewebdns-a8.com/mailman/listinfo/sndbox_sandboxmail.net
