U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said on Thursday the United States was stalemated in attempts to promote peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and placed blame on both sides.
"We're having a great deal of difficulty," Armitage told Egypt TV. "[Palestinian] Prime Minister Qurei is not able or willing to make any tough stands on the question of security and on the other side, the Israelis are intent on not compromising either," Armitage said. "So we're at a bit of a stalemate."
The United States has been under fire for a lack of involvement in peace efforts despite threats from both sides that could sink the U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan.
Critics said U.S. President George W. Bush's decision this week to omit the intractable conflict from his keynote State of the Union speech showed he was unwilling to play an active mediating role as he runs for reelection.
Still, Armitage cited a trip to the region next week by two to American envoys as evidence "we continue to be fully engaged."
The No. 2 U.S. diplomat reiterated U.S. opposition to Israel building a wall through the West Bank but acknowledged Washington's limited influence over the Jewish state. "Sometimes Israel changes, sort of, the direction of the wall and sometimes we have more difficult discussions," Armitage said in the interview, a transcript of which was released by the State Department.
Meanwhile, U.S. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice told Israeli Prime Minister's Bureau chief, Dov Weisglass, the administration objects to the debate on the West Bank fence to be held at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. She said the United States supports Israel's position, rejecting the court's authority to deal with the issue, Israel Radio reported. But Washington has not yet decided whether to present the American position to the ICJ in a formal statement, it added. (Albawaba.com)
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