Na Irak komt Israel/Palestina aan de beurt

[Cees Binkhorst]

REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl

Als Bush inderdaad werk maakt van een oplossing voor Israel/Palestina _en_ ook binnen een jaar resultaat heeft, zie ik niet in hoe de Democraten
een kans maken om de volgende verkiezingen in de VS te winnen.
De economie draait tegen die tijd bepaalt niet lekker, maar niet zo slecht dat dit hem er van af kan houden.

Een slecht vooruitzicht voor democraten, want de regering en overheid in de VS wordt bijna met de dag conservatiever en vooral ook
repressiever. De Democraten (en wij in Europa) hebben geluk dat de benoeming van uiterst conservatieve rechters nog kan worden
tegengehouden omdat de Republikeinen 'maar' 51 stemmen hebben in de Senaat en er 60 nodig zijn om een benoeming (tegen een filibuster in)
door te drukken.

Bush to Focus on Palestinians After Saddam Is Gone
Tue April 08, 2003 08:14 AM ET

By Adam Entous
HILLSBOROUGH, Northern Ireland (Reuters) - President Bush promised on Tuesday to turn his focus to settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
once Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was removed from power.

Bush held out the Northern Ireland peace process, spearheaded by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, as a possible model, saying he was "willing
to spend the same amount of energy in the Middle East."

"The end of Saddam's regime will ... remove a source of violence and instability in the Middle East," Bush said after his third face-to-face
meeting in less than a month with Blair, his main ally in invading Iraq.

At Blair's urging, Bush has promised to publish a so-called "road map" peace plan, which envisions creation of a Palestinian state by 2005, as
soon as Palestinian lawmakers confirm a new cabinet under prime minister-designate Mahmoud Abbas, widely known as Abu Mazen.

Saying he was "pleased" with the selection, Bush told reporters after a two-day summit meeting: "I look forward to him (Abbas) finally putting his
cabinet in place so we can release the road map."

The Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Tuesday that Arafat was undermining Abbas's bid to establish a government committed to reform and the
premier-designate was considering pulling out rather than presenting his cabinet on Thursday as expected.

A senior Palestinian minister close to Arafat denied the report. "There are no pressures being exerted on Abu Mazen. Any talk about this is
completely unfounded," Saeb Erekat said.

"Abu Mazen is still conducting consultations with Palestinian factions for the cabinet. He will present the cabinet to the Legislative Council
(parliament) within the timeline granted to him by the Basic Law."

"VISION OF BROADER PEACE"

Europeans have welcomed U.S. professions of commitment to the road map, regarding it as a means to count anger in the Arab world over the
U.S. and British invasion of Iraq.

But some analysts and diplomats have said they are skeptical of Bush's commitment to mediating between the Israelis and the Palestinians. They
say Bush promised to release the road map as a favor to Blair, who faced stern opposition at home for backing Bush in Iraq.

Emboldened by progress in the war, Bush said both he and Blair were "determined to move toward our vision of broader peace in that region."

"We're committed to implementing the road map toward peace, to bring closer to the day when two states -- Israel and Palestine -- (live) in peace
and stability," Bush said.

"Peace in the Middle East will require overcoming deep divisions of history and religion. Yet we know this is possible; it is happening in
Northern Ireland," Bush added, citing Blair's efforts to breathe new life into the British-ruled province's flagging peace process.

"To those who can sometimes say that the process in the Middle East is hopeless, I say we can look at Northern Ireland and take some hope from
that," Blair told reporters.

ISRAEL WANTS CHANGES

But Israel's new rightist coalition government, which has insisted that diplomacy cannot move forward until Palestinian attacks end, has already
signaled its desire for modifications to the road map.

The Palestinians are expected to have fewer reservations about the peace plan than Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government, some of
whose members favor continued Jewish settlement in the West Bank.

Secretary of State Colin Powell has said Washington intends to promote the peace plan "as it is" without amendments by either side, but insisted
it could not be forced on the parties.

Powell's comments appeared aimed at allaying European worries that Washington would give in to Israeli pressure for extensive changes, a
process that could take months and probably anger an Arab world already incensed over the war on Iraq.

The road map calls for a series of reciprocal measures, including a halt to Palestinian violence and an end to Jewish settlement activity, to pave
the way for a Palestinian state.

It was been in the works for almost a year but has been repeatedly delayed.

Groet,

Cees Binkhorst - cees at binkhorst.xs4all.nl

Een paar recente uitspraken:
'Als de VN relevant willen zijn, moeten ze precies doen wat ik zeg.'
'Ik weet dat ik tegen de wensen van de Security Council en de tekst
van het VN-verdrag in ga, maar ik doe het wel om een VN-resolutie
uit te voeren.'
Een oude uitspraak van Thomas Paine uit 1795 "Every man must
finally  see the necessity of  protecting the rights of others as the
most effectual security for his own"

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