The Bush administration has rebuffed Jordan, turning down a request by King Abdullah II for a written statement this week that Palestinians deprived of land and homes would be compensated in a future peace accord with Israel, administration officials were quoted as saying by the Tuesday edition of the New York Times.
The officials said that discussions over the possibility of a letter from US President George W. Bush on future Palestinian compensation had intensified over the last couple of days in preparation for King Abdullah's visit to the White House, scheduled for Thursday.
According to the report, they added the visit was not in doubt as of Monday but that the King had made clear that he wanted a letter from Bush to be issued at the time of his White House meeting.
"There may be a letter, but not until after the visit," an administration official said. However, he added that any letter would probably not contain the promises sought by the Jordanians. The matter would be negotiated in coming weeks, he said.
The King's visit, originally scheduled for last month, was postponed after the anger in the Arab world over President Bush's promise to Israeli Premier Sharon to support the Jewish state's ultimate retention of some settlements in the West Bank and rejection of the Palestinian demand for a right of return to family homes abandoned in 1948 in what is now Israel. (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
