US determination to reach a Middle East peace deal is unlikely to change under either a George W. Bush or Al Gore administration, a senior US diplomat said Thursday.
"The determination to peruse the peace process is bipartisan," said David Welch, assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs. "I really can't imagine that changing, whoever the state of Florida decides is our next president."
"I'm confident that countries in the (Middle East) region and the Palestinian Authority regard the American role under either party, under either candidate, as not only valuable, but in effect irreplaceable," Welch added. "I don't expect to see any change in our activity."
Welch, a career diplomat and Middle East specialist, was in Brussels for regular consultations with the French EU presidency and European Commission officials on UN financial reforms.
The 15 EU member states pay 36 percent of the United Nations' 2.5 billion dollar regular operating budget, with the United States contributing another 25 percent, Welch said.
Welch praised the European Union's growing profile in the Middle East peace process, saying: "This crisis can only be resolved with everybody pitching in to help." – BRUSSELS (AFP)
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