U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said President Bush may have "jarred some nerves" with his strong stand against Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, but he believed international support for the new policy is solid.
In an interview Friday with The Associated Press, Powell specifically referred to backing by European and Arab states. "I think it is universally recognized," Powell said, alluding to Bush's contention that the leadership of Arafat and his colleagues has failed.
Powell said: "Most of the Arab nations have put out positive statements with respect to the vision that the president had in his speech. It may have jarred some nerves, it may have upset some people, but it is the reality."
Powell said Arafat earned the rebuke that Bush delivered in his speech. "There's a price to be paid for inaction against terrorism, inaction against reform," he said. Powell said he'd had "the most direct conversations" with Arafat to try to sway him "but we've not seen change or improvement."
In fact, Powell said, evidence that Arafat authorized payment to a group that carried out a suicide bombing against Israel had hardened the Bush administration's resolve to turn to other leaders.
Powell said the United States hopes to work with European and Arab countries to carry out a "transformation" of Palestinian society. He said Assistant Secretary of State William Burns would meet in London next week with U.N., European Union and Russian officials "and explore with them how to move forward."
Diplomatic officials said Burns might then go on to the Middle East for talks with Israeli and Arab leaders.
Meanwhile, senior Palestinian official Nabil Shaath said Bush's peace plan for the Middle East offered "more potential for failure than of success".
"Once again the attempt at eradicating the struggle and ending the tragedy, ending occupation, ending the vehicles of violence were met by what looked again like an attempt at imposing domination and ending a democratically-elected government," Shaath told a conference in Switzerland.
According to Shaath, the Bush plan was "eliminating the chances that the Palestinian people really exercise self-determination, both in the choice of their leaders and in their attempt at creating peace for themselves and the Israelis". (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
