Posted on 06/08/2002 12:06:03 PM PDT by xvb
Bush meets Mubarak, says no timetable for Palestinian state
By Daniel Sobelman, Ha'aretz Correspondent and agencies
U.S. President George W. Bush on Saturday sidestepped Arab pleas to impose a deadline for Palestinian statehood while Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak defended Yasser Arafat and urged, "Give this man a chance."
Ending weekend talks on the Mideast crisis, Bush and Mubarak agreed that the Palestinian Authority must enact political reforms to give Israel the confidence to negotiate peace. But they parted at the Camp David presidential retreat still divided over whether Arafat is the man to deliver those changes.
"Chairman Arafat, as far as I'm concerned, is not the issue," Bush said at a news conference. "The issue is whether or not the Palestinian people can have a hopeful future. I have constantly said I am disappointed in his leadership. I think he has let the Palestinian people down.
Bush had invited Mubarak to the secluded retreat hoping he would play an instrumental role in leading Palestinians to the peace table, much like his predecessor, Anwar Sadat, did in forging the first peace accord between Israel and an Arab state. Islamic radicals assassinated Sadat after he signed that 1979 Egypt-Israeli treaty.
The diplomatic niceties could not disguise their differences on Arafat, a timetable for a Palestinian state and even how much Mideast violence each nation was willing to tolerate.
"Look, we should give this man a chance," Mubarak said. "We are working very hard with cooperation with the United States for the reform in the Palestinian Authority. Such a chance will prove that he is going to deliver or not. If he's going to deliver, I think everybody would support him. If he's not going to deliver, his people will tell him that," he said.
Bush, taking pains to find common ground with Mubarak, noted that the Egyptian president did not commit to dealing with Arafat forever, but only asked for time to see if he will deliver.
Mubarak said violence "will come to an end unless the people feel that there is hope for peace and there is something to show that peace is coming. If they didn't feel that, they will not stop violence. It will continue forever."
A hard edge in his voice, Bush replied: "My attitude about violence is this: People have responsibilities to do everything they can to stop violence."
He has urged Mubarak and other Arab leaders to curb Mideast terrorism and stop inciting violence through state-run media
"Chairman Arafat must do everything in his power to stop the violence, to stop the attacks on Israel. I mean everything," Bush said, thumping a lectern set outside one of the retreat's cabins.
Mubarak, speaking in Arabic, delivered a lengthy assessment of the crisis. He accused Israel of "assassinations" and "illegal confiscation's" and demanded that Israeli troops withdraw from territories occupied since 1967.
Mubarak came to the talks hoping Bush would set a deadline for Palestinian statehood and ease his criticism of Arafat. Bush disappointed him on both points.
"Well, we're not ready to lay down a specific calendar, except for the fact we need to get started quickly, soon, so that we can seize the moment," Bush said.
"Here's the timetable I have in mind. We need to start immediately in building the institutions necessary for the emergence of a Palestinian state which, on the one hand, will give hope to the Palestinian people and, on the other hand, say to the world, including the neighborhood, that there is a chance to defeat ... terror," Bush said.
A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that while Bush is not prepared to offer a timetable or statehood deadline now, he has not ruled out embracing either idea down the road.
Bush meets Monday with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the next step in consultations that Bush said will produce a new U.S. roadmap to peace. He provided no specifics, but advisers say the president is likely to make concrete suggestions for negotiations - perhaps a timetable of sorts.
He is not expected to offer a detailed peace plan because he has concluded that until democratic institutions begin forming in the Palestinian region, proposals for tough issues such as border lines and Jewish settlements could not be implemented, advisers say.
Sharon spokesman Ra'anan Gissin said that trying to speed up the process before rebuilding confidence between the two sides could end up taking the peace process down a blind alley. "Everybody wants (movement) and it will happen when it is clear that there is intensive action against terror," Gissin said. "If that doesn't exist you can't set a timetable."
Gissin said the Camp David summit, involving the U.S., Israeli and Palestinian leaders, collapsed in July 2000 largely because of attempts to set a timeline before conditions on the ground were ripe.
An Israel-based U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Sharon felt a meeting with Bush would have greater impact than phone calls or diplomatic cables as the U.S. president distills his Middle East policy for an upcoming speech.
Gissin acknowledged that was an important part of the agenda. "The United States needs to shape its Middle East policy," he said, "Obviously it wants to hear the positions of the parties involved before making decisions."
Gissin said the question of whether Israel might expel Arafat from the Palestinian territories was not likely to come up Monday at the White House.
Bush to outline way 'forward' after talks with Mubarak, Sharon President Bush said Friday that he will announce his administration's new strategy to "move forward" the Middle East peace process following his meetings with Mubarak and Sharon.
"After my meetings... I'll talk to our country about how I believe we should move forward," the president said after a White House meeting about fighting terrorism on U.S. soil.
Bush did not offer specifics, but advisers have said they are preparing a series of options for Bush to consider, including offering a timetable for peace talks and perhaps some solutions to the thorniest political issues.
The president hopes to have the new initiative in place in time for next month's Middle East conference in Turkey, aides said.
The president or, less likely, Secretary of State Colin Powell, is likely to lay out the new plan in an upcoming speech, officials said.
Meanwhile, an aide to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Friday that Sharon will not commit to any plans until there is an end to terrorist attacks.
U.S. official: Bush in no hurry to adopt State Dept. Mideast plan A senior administration official said in Friday's edition of The New York Times that Bush and his national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, are currently in favor of setting a timetable for the sides to reach a permanent agreement, or at least setting the parameters that will decide how fast the peace process proceeds.
That said, Bush is in no hurry to adopt his State Department's plan, which was drawn up by a member of the National Security Council. According to this proposal, Israel would agree to evacuate the settlements, while the Palestinians would waive their demand for the right of return for refugees.
The plan proposes a three-year process, at the end of which the sides ould reach a permanent agreement accompanied by "serious reforms" within the Palestinian Authority.
Sharon has expressed his reservations about the plan, and Bush is not keen to go up against the prime minister.
A senior official, during a White House press briefing, made light of reports of a future U.S. plan. "I'm not sure where those reports came from," he said, "but I'd be happy to find out."
The president is also busy helping his brother Jeb Bush win his election in Florida. With so many Jewish votes in that state, Bush is not likely to do anything that would alienate Jewish voters - whose support for the Republicans is growing - by going head-to-head with Ariel Sharon.
Yes we SHOULD give him a chance. And after he blew that chance, we should have STOPPED GIVING HIM MORE CHANCES. Mubarak acts like this is new routine or something. Do they think we are really that stupid, or do they just not care? Reform the PA? The man won't even agree to hold free elections. And pay attention, Hosni - "the people told him that" when the election committee resigned en masse.
This whole thing is absolutely despicable.
I am waiting for Saudi Arabia and Egypt to offer troops to help round up the terrorists. I am also waiting for them to say that all monies will be cut to the families of terrorist bombers and snipers.
Mubarak probably wants to retire and live to a nice old age.
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