Gość: jacek71
IP: *.cipherkey.com
28.06.01, 04:39
Israeli prime minister leaves U.S. with disagreements instead of backing
WASHINGTON (AP) - Inviting himself to the White House, Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon was hoping for talk of unity at the expense of Palestinian leader
Yasser Arafat. Instead, Sharon wound up his Washington visit Wednesday after a
cold shower of public disagreement with U.S. President George W. Bush.
Sharon and Bush clashed in public over how much reduction in Mideast violence
would be enough to trigger further political moves. And in a closed meeting
they disagreed over the explosive issue of freezing construction in Jewish
settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
"There must be a total cessation of violence" before any negotiations, Sharon
said at every opportunity, even correcting a reporter who asked
about "cessation."
"Total cessation," Sharon interjected.
Bush made it clear from the outset that his administration does not share the
all-or-nothing Israeli view. He spoke of a need for an all-out effort by Arafat
to stop the violence, but he also said he would concentrate on "what's
realistic and what's possible."
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell went to the Middle East ahead of Sharon's
departure Wednesday to nudge the peace effort forward.
"This is going to be a long and difficult process," Powell said in Egypt, his
first stop before talks Thursday in Israel with both sides.
Sharon and Bush face different pressures, so the tension at their meeting was
not surprising, said David Makovsky of the Washington Institute for Near East
Policy.
"Sharon has political pressures because of a spate of killings of settlers on
West Bank roads," Makovsky said. Settlers have run funeral corteges past the
prime minister's office, he noted.
Bush, Makovsky said, is being pressured by Arab allies to force Israel to
accept terms to end a conflagration they fear could spread to their countries.
Powell's mission in the Middle East is to shore up the shaky ceasefire
negotiated two weeks ago by CIA Director George Tenet and to press the sides to
adopt measures recommended by an international commission headed by former U.S.
senator George Mitchell.
The Mitchell report calls for a ceasefire, a cooling-off period, confidence-
building measures including a freeze on settlement construction in the disputed
areas, and, finally, peace negotiations.
Sharon insists on a complete halt in Palestinian attacks for 10 days before the
cooling-off period can start. In an interview, he said the calm would have to
continue until peace talks resumed, which he estimated would take at least five
months.
Palestinians contend Sharon is stalling to avoid dealing with the settlement
issue. Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qureia says delay will kill the peace
process.
In Bourg al-Arab, Egypt Powell said Wednesday it is up to Israel and the
Palestinians - not the United States - to set the pace of Mideast peacemaking.
Making his first stop on a three-day trip to the region, Powell didn't
challenge Sharon's demand for 10 days of "absolute quiet" followed by a six-
week cooling off period.
"Nobody is claiming the level of violence is down to where it is realistic,"
Powell said. "What we are looking for now is a period of quiet so people will
have the confidence to move forward."
Due to meet separately Thursday with Sharon in Jerusalem and Arafat on the West
Bank, Powell predicted, "This is going to be going up a hill very, very slowly,
one step at a time."
After a 50-minute meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Powell said
that even when Israel and the Palestinians agree to return to negotiations, a
settlement won't come quickly. "There are some expectations we may be able to
do it in a year," he said.
"At the end of the day, it is the parties who will have to decide whether there
is an adequate level of quiet and lack of violence in order to move forward,
and that means Prime Minister Sharon," Powell said.
The fighting has subsided, with no deaths since Saturday.
Sensing a crack in what appeared to be a tight U.S.-Israeli front against them,
the Palestinians released a five-page outline of the issues they plan to raise
with Powell, including a complaint that Sharon intends to "reset the clock"
after every act of violence.
Sharon said construction must continue within the settlements to accommodate
the needs of the 200,000 settlers. Accepting a freeze would suggest the fate of
the settlements is predetermined, Sharon says, while it must be discussed in
negotiations.
The Palestinians say the settlements are an illegal encroachment on their land
and must be removed. The United States has labelled them obstacles to peace.
Serving in previous governments, Sharon approved constructions of many of the
settlements, especially in crowded Palestinian areas.
While this was Sharon's second visit to the White House in three months, Arafat
has not been invited.
