Posted on 09/08/2001 11:22:50 PM PDT by d4now
WASHINGTON (September 9) - Senior administration officials recommended to President George W. Bush on Friday at a White House meeting devoted to the Middle East that he meet with Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat at the UN. This is an idea Arab allies like Saudi Arabia have pushed and that has been bandied about as a possibility for weeks.
"It's not a formal decision, but it seems that's what they will do," said one diplomat briefed by administration officials about the possibility of a Bush-Arafat meeting. "If nothing too terrible happens before then, it will take place."
Bush has so far denied Arafat an invitation to the White House.
Another idea, according to diplomatic sources, is that Secretary of State Colin Powell could in his speech at the UN General Assembly indicate some type of US support for Palestinian statehood or at least reaffirm US support for Palestinian sovereignty. Officials reviewed with Bush the possible contours of remarks that Powell would deliver at the assembly, which opens September 23.
Administration officials are deliberating over whether to use Powell's speech to outline a more aggressive US plan for the Middle East conflict, and appease those critics who have accused the US of withdrawing; whether to throw a bone to Arafat to try to get him to implement a cease-fire and silence Arab critics who say the US has been too pro-Israel; or simply reiterate many of the mantras officials have been issuing for weeks, including the importance of returning to the Mitchell Committee's recommendations.
A statement of support for Palestinian statehood, long sought by Arafat, would certainly help silence Arab criticism.
But sources briefed on the idea stressed that whether such a statement is integrated into the final text of Powell's remarks would depend on the outcome of cease-fire talks next week between Arafat and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, and whether Arafat shows a strong commitment to stopping violence and resuming security cooperation.
In a monumental visit to Gaza in 1998, then president Bill Clinton expressed "support for the aspirations of the Palestinian people to determine their own future on their own land," but he stopped short of an explicit endorsement of statehood.
Diplomats stressed that no final decisions had been made, and that overall the administration was looking, in the words of one well-placed source "to address Arab pressure symbolically, without launching a new American initiative."
To this end, Bush, who spoke by telephone Friday with Morocco's King Mohammed and Bahrain's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, is planning to meet several Arab leaders on the sidelines of the General Assembly, including Jordan's King Abdullah.
Another measure the administration hopes to drive through before September 23 is final Senate approval of the US-Jordan free trade agreement which has been held up over wrangling about labor and environmental provisions. The US hopes to be able to schedule a signing ceremony, at a time when all Arab nations will have their leaders in the US, that will highlight US-Arab friendship.
Arab leaders have urged the Bush administration to take steps to prop up Arafat, at least cosmetically, and to be less pro-Israel in its statements.
Bush, particularly in his comments from Texas last month, repeatedly placed the onus on Arafat for ending the violence.
During their conversation Friday, King Mohammed "insisted on the need to support the Palestinian Authority under the chairmanship of President Yasser Arafat in order to help it return to the negotiating table as soon as possible and without conditions," the Moroccan press agency reported.
The US is hoping it can successfully stem the tide of mounting anti-American sentiment in the Arab world and in particular reverse some of the diplomatic damage caused by the UN World Conference on Racism in Durban, which pitted Islamic and Arab countries against the US and Israel.
Yesterday foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council expressed in a statement "astonishment that the world community and in particular the United States, the prime patron of peace, continue to overlook Israel's aggressive practices."
Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said in remarks published yesterday that Arab countries are considering ways to bring international pressure on Israel.
Bush has so far denied Arafat an invitation to the White House.
Jumping the gun a bit?
The PA is essentially a distinct entity anyway, and under the original UN resolution from 1947, the Arabs are entitled to full independence. On that basis, one could figure that is where the basis of a shift in American policy will be on. Under Clinton, it was practically set in stone. I cannot see how one can reverse it especially when the facts on the ground point to no other political option.
Like it or not, Fatah is the governing party in their private little Hell. It is an unacceptable reality, but it is what it is.
Trial balloon? I hope it gets shot down.
"We do not negotiate with terrorists". I thought that was policy.
A bone to that rabid creature will only make him hungrier for Israeli blood.
"...the possibility of a Bush-Arafat meeting. 'If nothing too terrible happens before then, it will take place.'"
Some lady teachers driving in a non-armored minivan on the way to school got massacred today, September 9, 2001. Is that too terrible? Or not enough? Really, I have no patience for these amoral Americans running the show in Washington. Bush showed some backbone down in Texas. When he gets to Washington, does he suddenly get a cramp? Did Karl Rove come back from vacation?
FreeRepublic NEEDS Your Help!
Donate Here by Secure Server </font size=4>
Or Mail your check to:
FreeRepublic , LLC
PO BOX 9771
FRESNO, CA 93794
At least cut off the money supply!
Debating the merits of rewarding terrorists is no longer possible. We are way past that stage now, have been for years. Arafat is seen as an equal partner by every party and should be accorded his (undeserved) due as a head of a future state.
I think we are in the cut-your-losses stage of the conflict.
Did you somehow miss the Clinton years?
Dear Mr. President, According to the Jerusalem Post, un-named officials in the administration are suggesting that you might meet with the terrorist Yasser Arafat in the near future. I hope the reports are in error. Mr. Arafat is a terrorist by any definition of the word and for you to meet with him personally would be a grave mistake I fear. I am not an expert on foreign relations. Rather just another American that believes that we have no business doing business with the likes of this mass killer of women and children. Stay out of the quagmire of this Israeli - Palestinian ancient dispute and let the Israelis handle their problem. It is my humble opinion that they are much better equipped to handle the thugs in the PLO/PA than we. And if for no other reason stay away from Arafat to keep your conservative political base intact. Please don't forget than many of us who supported you and your candidacy did so simply because you were not Gore/Clinton. While I believe you are an honorable and sincere man I know that your support amongst conservatives is precarious at best and a personal meeting with Arafat will do nothing but erode that marginal support. If, however you feel that such a meeting is in the best interests of the nation, I highly suggest that before such a meeting you take the reins of leadership and "sell" that idea to the American people far in advance of such a meeting. A third party delivering the message that America will no longer engage Arafat in a constructive manner while his associates are continuing their "Jihad" against Israel would be a much more receptive approach, I believe. May God bless you and your family and God Bless America.
To send messages to the President use the following link:
Nah. Bush won't have him to the WH. A conditional meeting while Bush is at the UN is the best Arafat will get from this President - unlike Clinton who kissed Arafat's rump regularly at the WH, in the rose garden...God knows where else.
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.