U.S. Secretary Colin Powell arrived Thursday night in Israel, ahead of meetings with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Friday and Palestinian Authoirty chairman Yasser Arafat on Saturday.
On Thursday, Sharon acknowledged the fighting was causing the United States difficulties, but refused to call a halt to the incursion.
"They (the Americans) have problems in the region, that's true, but I informed them that our activity will continue — and it will continue," Sharon said.
In a telephone call to Sharon earlier Thursday, Powell said that even if the prime minister pressed ahead with the Israeli military offensive in the West Bank, it would not end “terror.”
"However long the Israeli incursion continues, the problems will still be there," Powell said, adding that even if Israel is effective, "there will still be people willing to resort to violence and suicide bombings... The violence and anger and frustration which feeds that will still be there unless we find a negotiating process" that leads to a Palestinian state.
During his meetings, Powell aims to persuade Sharon and Arafat to accept U.S. observers who would monitor a truce that he hopes to achieve. The Americans have already worked out a blueprint for their deployment, and they could leave within a few days of an agreement. Sharon said a few weeks ago he had no objections to posting U.S. peacekeepers, and the Palestinians have also agreed to the idea.
The Palestinians are demanding that the observers monitor an Israeli withdrawal, and that they oversee roadblocks.
Powell arrived in Israel from Jordan, where he met with King Abdullah II at his palace. At a news conference following that meeting, Powell said he was anxious to "move aggressively to get a political track started" in the Middle East.
For its part, the Palestinian Authority called on the international community "to stop these Nazi massacres of our people," and thousands marched in the Gaza Strip to protest against the heavy death toll in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
