Zinni Gives Up On Arafat

IsraelNationalNews.com ^ | 12/11/01 | Staff Writer

[veronica]

American mediator Gen. Anthony Zinni, who met with Yasser Arafat yesterday, said about him, "I have never encountered such lack of trustworthiness in my life."

He said it was a "waste of time to try to reach a serious agreement with Arafat," and will concentrate on talking with other top figures in the PA - probably a reference to Muhammad Dahlan, Jibril Rajoub, and others.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon breakfasted today with the European Union's Javier Solana, expressing his satisfaction with the EU's call for the dismantling of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

The EU's statement of yesterday also called upon Israel to freeze settlement activity in Judea and Samaria. Sharon said that Israel is anxious to fulfill another EU request by easing some restrictions upon the Palestinian population, but "the unceasing terrorism makes this difficult."

[Jeff Head]

ROTFLOL! ... and Amen.

Clinton just packages it in a nicer wrapper ... Arafat looks like death warmed over and is incapable of looking anything but untrustworthy.

Clinton is a master at using the media and turning on the charm to fool people ... but mostly people who either want to be fooled or are willing to look beyound his obvious hsitory.

[Sabramerican]

"I have never encountered such lack of trustworthiness in my life."

Someone explain to me how for near 40 years people always have to independently come to the same conclusion. You would think the news would spread.

[Jeff Head]

I also doubt that this is an actual quote of Zinni.

Zinni is first and foremost a good Marine. He has been sent on a mission. He has indicated that he would be there indefinitely to accomplish the mission. In the face of adversity his reaction will be to "Charlie Mike" (Continue the Mission). A statement like this is self defeating to that goal. It would be tatamount to saying the mission could not be completed and he would be brought home.

Now, having said all of that ... my take is this.

The statements, whomever said them .. ARE TRUE!

Arafat is a murdering terrorist himself who has (IMHO) the blood of US citizens on his hands from his earlier dealings. It is an assault on decency that we would negotiate with him in the first place. I believe the mission to reach a ceasefire is purely political from our perspective and revolves around our desire to build and hold an arab coalition, it flies in the face of what Isreal is experiencing and is something, if we were in the same position (and we are) we would bnever agree to. Are we negotiating terms with the Taliban or bin Laden? No! The terms are clear and stark. Turn over the murderers, open the camps or face our military might. Israel should send the same message and I believe Sharon has reqched a point where they will.

[BenF]

Will you be joining VERONICA and her ilk in apologizing for deliberately feeding your fellow (?) AMERICANS this tripe?

Nope. It seems believable to me. You, however, are evidently not really an American. If you were, you would never have the unmitigated gall to question anyone else's loyalty.

[M. Thatcher]

Israeli disinformation that makes OUR AMERICAN envoy appear to be a partisan diplomatic disaster. It's apology time.

What part of "I have never encountered such lack of trustworthiness in my life" do you not understand?

That is not disinformation; it is simply fact.

[DonQ]

I would not be surprised if the people in the PA that Zinni approaches soon wind up in the obituary column. Arafat has gone to considerable effort to keep himself "irreplaceable", including eliminating people spoken of as a potential replacement for him.

[ironwill]

If you (or her) can find this outlandish fabrication verified by other sources, I will apologize. If you can not, I expect one from you for your childish namecalling.

Ok. I cannot find an independent source to verify this, yet. And no, you're not expecting too much. I can admit when I am wrong. So for the time being, please accept my apology for calling you a knuckle head. If I do find an independent source verifying this, I'll ping you.

[Sabramerican]

The way it is written, "said about him" leads me to believe that this was an overheard off the record remark.

Ask yourself. Is it hard to believe?

It's out there. It has not been denied (although it well may be whether true or not). At least until it is denied there is no reason to question.

[.45MAN]

Ping

[Sabramerican]

admirably old-fashioned American manners.

Hmmm. Such manners as challenges the loyalty of fellow Americans?

[Sabramerican]

and defend

Is there an issue in dispute? Has this been denied?

[jnarcus]

see the article posted on FR from the World Tribune seems to me that Zinni is following the admins line...he is just more forth right Oh and by the way since when do rude boors deserve apologies??? Foreign Affairs Source: World Tribune Published: 12/11/01 Posted on 12/11/01 7:51 AM Pacific by truthandlife WASHINGTON — The recent suicide bombings in Israel provided the catalyst for a new Bush administration take on peace prospects in the Middle East. Diplomatic sources here said the President's view that Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat has lost credibility as a negotiating partner is shared by Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and the congressional leadership. The U.S. pressure on Arafat has even been joined by the European Union. The sources said Bush as well as Rice, regard the 72-year-old Arafat as a passing figure. They said Ms. Rice has urged that the United States seek to work with Palestinian figures who could succeed the PA chairman. The current U.S. approach has been joined by Secretary of State Colin Powell. "The Palestinian people ought to be asking their leaders, 'Where does this take us?'" Powell said. "And the answer is, 'Nowhere.'" The administration's new attitude toward Arafat has been endorsed by pro-Israeli supporters in Congress, Middle East Newsline reported. Last week, the House of Representatives passed a non-binding resolution that demands a PA halt to terrorism. A Senate resolution called on Bush "to suspend all relations with Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority" if they fail to "destroy the infrastructure of Palestinian terror groups [and] pursue and arrest terrorists whose incarceration has been called for by Israel."