Posted on 09/08/2001 9:37:50 AM PDT by veronica
GCC "astonished" by Washington's silence on Israeli "aggression"...
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, Sept 8 (AFP) -
Gulf Arab states Saturday expressed "astonishment" at US silence on Israel's "aggression" against the Palestinians and urged Washington to exert pressure on the Jewish state to end the cycle of violence in the Middle East.
"The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is astonished that the international community, notably the United States, main sponsor of the (Middle East) peace process, continues to overlook Israel's aggressive practices," GCC foreign ministers said in a statement issued at the close of a two-day meeting in this Saudi city.
The GCC "calls for pressure (to be exerted) on the Jewish state so that it assumes its responsibilities in the peace process," said the chief diplomats of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Decrying Israel's "racist" policy toward the Palestinians, the GCC ministers warned that "the deterioration of the situation in the Palestinian territories will inevitably lead to the collapse of security and stability in the entire region."
They urged the UN Security Council, the United States, Russia and the European Union to intervene "immediately... to put an end to Israel's brutal attacks against the Palestinian people and ensure international protection" for the Palestinians.
The ministers also said that the year-long violence between Palestinians and Israelis was "a result of the ongoing Israeli occupation and the Jewish state's reneging on agreements reached" in the framework of the peace process.
They implicitly criticized the US, an ally of the conservative Gulf Arab states, for holding the Palestinian Authority (PA) responsible for the continuing violence by demanding an end to the Palestinian intifada, or uprising, which erupted in the West Bank and Gaza Strip last September. "Imposing obligations on the Palestinians but not on Israel amounts to reversing standards and is unfair," they said, reiterating a demand for "the deployment of an effective monitoring (force) in trouble spots" in the Middle East.
More than 765 people have been killed since the intifada started on September 28 last year. Most of the dead have been Palestinians.
The Gulf Arab ministers also denounced Israel's "provocative policy" toward its neighbors, expressing support for Syria in its quest to recover its occupied Golan Heights "up to the June 4, 1967 line." They similarly backed Lebanon's demand for Israel's withdrawal from the Shebaa Farms enclave and the release of Lebanese prisoners held in Israeli jails.
The GCC also urged the United Nations to strive to turn the Middle East, "including the Gulf region," into a zone free of weapons of mass destruction, and said Israel must join the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and open its nuclear installations to international inspection.
They don't tell us how many of these were work accidents. Yoo-hoo, OSHA.
>>>On August 5, the Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Information Center reported on an important public service announcement made by Hamas leader Ismail Abu-Haniya: He “urged the Palestinian people to leave the preparation of bombs to the experts, in order to avoid accidents.”<<<
Yes, until the Arabs get serious and withhold oil. Then we will dump Israel faster than you can say 'expedient'.
BUMP
Now let's see, since the Oslo 'piss' process and innumerable concessions to the Pallies... 'piss' has broken out everywhere. There seems to be an inverse relationship between these 'piss' processes and actual peace. Or maybe it's just me.
That is too true, but no one has guts enough to say it outloud. It isn't PC, you know.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.