Posted on 06/26/2002 4:20:36 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
DUBAI, June 26 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush's vision for peace in the Middle East could lead to just the opposite outcome, Arab newspapers warned Wednesday.
Bush, in a long-awaited speech Monday, told the Palestinians to vote out leaders "tainted by terror," a clear allusion to Yasser Arafat, and said that if so they could expect US support for an independent Palestinian state within three years.
Daily newspaper Al-Bayan, owned by the Dubai government, said Bush "has shown he is totally aligned to the positions of Zionist terrorism.
"Bush's speech does not promote peace in the Middle East. On the contrary it incites war. And (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon confirmed that by broadening his attack just a few hours after the speech," it said.
In Saudi Arabia, Jeddah's Al-Madina said that, "despite the positive points, particularly on the establishment of a Palestinian state, the need to halt settlement and the withdrawal of the Israeli army ... the Bush speech includes numerous other points which require clarification.
"How can the US president call for democratic elections in the Palestinian territories and at the same time repeat the demands of Sharon about the need to push out president Yasser Arafat?" the daily asked.
For Riyadh newspaper Al-Jazira, "the American conditions, which speak of the need to push out the elected Palestinian leader, are very harsh for the Palestinians.
"These conditions are a direct interference" in internal Palestinian affairs," it alleged.
Qatar's Al-Watan said "the US President's speech disappointed all Arabs and Muslims ... because it sets impossible conditions which will not be accepted by the Palestinians".
From Washington's arch-enemy, Baghdad, a leading Iraqi newspaper charged that Bush was trying to deceive the Palestinian people with his Middle East peace initiative.
"As usual, Bush has put forward vagues promises about (creating) the Palestinian state," said Babel, run by President Saddam Hussein's son, Uday.
"At the same time he has set conditions ... to the advantage of the Zionist entity. It's a speech of deception," the daily said.
"By putting a change in the Palestinian leadership as a condition, Bush has added a new heresy to the history of US-Zionist heresies," Babel commented.
"What threatens the Palestinian people and its leadership is also a direct threat to all people and all Arab leaderships. They in turn will be threatened if they do not wake up," the daily said.
In Jordan, the semi-official Al-Dustour said Bush's speech "opened the way to more destruction and death rather than lay the groundwork for a just and comprehensive peace."
By adopting conditions for the establishment of a Palestinian state "identical with those of the Israeli prime minister, this speech reinforces Sharon's aggressive policy and Zionist extremism, which will lead to similar Palestinian reactions."
Amman's independent Al-Arab Al-Yawm said that by ignoring the various Palestinian organizations, Bush was "encouraging them to continue the resistance (to Israeli occupation) and martyr (suicide) operations, which could deal a death blow" to his ideas on how to end the violence.
More optimistically, the pro-government Al-Rai said that by calling for an end to occupied Arab territories, Bush was recognizing that the occupation "is at the root of the long and deadly conflict" in the region.
The English-language Jordan Times feared that once Arafat were "out of the picture," Sharon would be "certain to bring the whole political process to a halt now that he will come under no pressure to negotiate with Arafat."
In Syria, which Bush called on to abandon its "support for terrorism", the government daily Tishrin said, "The vision of President Bush is based on Israel's policy of the fait accompli, which does not take account of the will of the Palestinian people."
Syrian broadcasting chief Fayez Sayegh said in an opinion piece in the official Ath-Thawra that "If (this) is implemented, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will enter a new labyrinth, the internal Palestinian conflict as well. "
He added: "The American president's speech has fallen like a punishment on a whole people and is a threat to the security of the entire Arab nation."
Ruling party daily Al-Baath called Bush's speech "a present (to Israel) after more than 20 months of bloody repression of the Palestinians."
Israel uses the terrorism to placate the US and gain approval for the use of military force to counter the terrorism of the Palestinians. Every time we send an envoy to the area, all hell breaks loose in the suicide bombings, and Israeli has to respond with military acts to punish the Palis.
By their actions, I am convinced that both parties are playing more to the US approval than they are to each others problems with one another. The urgency that the US has to settle the issue in order to clear the way for an attack on Iraq is not lost on the population of these people, also.
I think the original Bush policy of disengagement was the best policy. In most disagreements, the presence of a third party increases the tension and distracts the parties from reaching an accord themselves.
If you can, you must expand by conquest.
If you can't, deal with the fact that you are losers and a throwback to the 8th century.
Threats and bluster works only against equally primitive and worthless enemies.
I don't care if there are 2 billion or 10 billion of you...
Threats won't work.
Bring it on mo' fo'.
Would that be "internal Palestinian affairs" like siphoning off aid money for the personal enrichment of the leadership, indoctrinating hatred and bigotry in children, allowing free reign for Tanzim gunmen and other lower level thugs to lynch ordinary Palestinian citizens, financing and fomenting terrorism, murder and the immolation of Palestinian youth?
Yeah, I thought so.
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