U.S., Palestinian Officials Talk

AP | 6/27/02 | BARRY SCHWEID

[kattracks]

WASHINGTON, Jun 27, 2002 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- American diplomats are meeting with top Palestinian officials even as the Bush administration calls for the ouster of Yasser Arafat as the leader of the Palestinian Authority.

Among the diplomats is Ronald Schlicher, who heads the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, the main contact point for the Palestinians with the United States in the absence of formal relations.

A senior U.S. official said Wednesday that Schlicher was likely to have "a full range of contacts" with the Palestinian Authority whether or not he sees the Palestinian leader.

President Bush called Monday for Arafat's removal, saying the Palestinians should be led toward statehood by those "not compromised by terror."

Arafat subsequently denied that Bush was referring to him, and a close aide, Nabil Shaath, said Arafat would stand for re-election.

A senior U.S. official, who was with Bush at economics talks in Canada, said the United States would not interfere if Arafat won a free election.

But there would be consequences in the Palestinians' drive for a state, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. There must be a change in leadership to move forward, the official said.

Bush, meanwhile, again sought to exclude Arafat, even if he won re-election as head of the Palestinian Authority.

"I meant what I said," Bush said at a news conference. "There needs to be change."

At the same time, the State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said meetings with Palestinian leaders were continuing.

"We deal with the leadership, the people who are responsible and who we think have a continuing responsibility to push forward, to control the violence, to make lives safer," Boucher said.

However, he said Secretary of State Colin Powell had no plans to meet with Arafat if Powell goes to the Middle East.

"The United States is not choosing good guys and bad guys among Palestinian leaders," Boucher said. "We know terrorists and we don't meet with them. Other than that, we will work with people within the Palestinian leadership."

The administration is talking to Arab governments about reforming the Palestinian Authority as a condition toward statehood. The United States also is sharpening its demands on Israel amid disclosure that Arafat authorized a $20,000 payment to a group that claimed responsibility for a suicide attack in Jerusalem.

A knowledgeable official said Israel last week provided the United States with the information that Arafat approved the payment to the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade.

Bush already was inclined to call for Arafat's removal in the midst of intensified attacks on Israel and based also on his judgment that Arafat had not tried to stop them, said a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Israeli intelligence has provided the administration with a steady stream of information linking the Palestinian leadership to terrorism operations, including attempts to ship Iranian arms to the Palestinians.

Following long-standing practice, Bush declined to rule out military force to oust Arafat. But, he said, "In this case ... the tool I'm using is diplomatic pressure to work with our friends and allies to convince all parties they have a responsibility to bear."

By BARRY SCHWEID AP Diplomatic Writer

Copyright 2002 Associated Press, All rights reserved

[goldstategop]

The day after: its back to business as usual from the striped pants crowd at the State Department.