Arab Diplomats Hail Bush on Mideast

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The foreign ministers of three key Arab states are nearly jubilant over President Bush's latest stand on the Middle East: a firm commitment to a Palestinian state by mid-2005 and a determination to force Israel to quit the West Bank and Gaza.

The ministers of Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia met with Bush for only 30 minutes at the White House on Thursday. But they devoted hours afterward telling reporters how pleased they were with what they heard.

Bush previously had backed establishment of a Palestinian state, the first president to take that stand. And he also had made clear Israel should stop building homes on the West Bank and in Gaza and withdraw from land the Arabs claim is theirs.

But those were laid out as goals. In practice, the administration saw curbing terror attacks on Israel as the immediate problem. Secretary of State Colin Powell and other American diplomats dutifully took their cues from the White House and made Israel's security the first order of business.

All the while, though, Arab and European governments, as well as U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, hammered at the White House to move along the statehood track simultaneously.

And that is what the trio of Arab foreign ministers -- Marwan Muasher of Jordan, Ahmed Maher of Egypt and Prince Saud al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia -- say Bush now has decided to do.

At a brief picture-taking session in the Oval Office, Bush said terrorism would not deter the United States. ``We refuse to be discouraged,'' he said. ``We are going to push for peace.''

Powell, who had been most sympathetic among Bush's top advisers to not giving exclusive attention to Israeli security and humanitarian assistance for the Palestinians, sent a similar signal after his own meeting with the ministers: ``Only a political solution will bring an end to the tragic situation.''

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer suggested Friday that no new ground was broken.

``The president emphasized the responsibility of all parties in the region to live up to their commitments -- the Arab nations, the Israelis and the Palestinians,'' he said.

But Hassan Abdel Rahman, the senior Palestine Liberation Organization official in Washington, said in an interview that he had ``no doubt that there is an improvement of the tone of the administration's rhetoric and statements.''

At the same time, Rahman said, ``We have to wait until we see what the United States is going to do concretely on what is needed for Israel to do.'' Rahman said Israel must withdraw from the West Bank and Gaza so the Palestinians can implement their plan for reform, security and elections.

Israeli Embassy spokesman Mark Regev declined to say specifically if he believed Bush had changed the stance or tone of his Mideast policy. Instead, he said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon endorses the speech Bush made June 24 offering a roadmap to a Palestinian state. ``The Palestinians have to stop terrorism and have a more responsible leadership,'' he said.

Even before being asked, Bush told them Jewish settlements ``had to stop,'' Jordanian Minister Muasher said Friday at The Brookings Institution.

What was new, he said, was Bush's commitment to a ``timeline'' for a Palestinian state to be established by mid-2005, he said, adding that some Arabs were not sure Bush remained committed to a Palestinian state after renewed bombings in Israel and the West Bank.

``What we heard is that he is very committed and very serious,'' Muasher said, saying Bush made the point more than five times in the brief meeting.

For their part, he said, the Arabs were actively engaged in trying to settle the Arab-Israeli conflict, offering normal relations and security to Israel.

In a similar assessment, Egyptian Foreign Minister Maher said, ``Many of the positions the president expressed met the positions we expressed.''

``Every American official that we met said Israel cannot remain in these (West Bank and Gaza) territories,'' Saud said. Arab countries have long demanded that Israel give up land it won in the 1967 Mideast war.

The prince said Palestinians were considering a cease-fire to try to set the stage for an Israeli withdrawal, and that Bush ``volunteered he would use his influence on the Israelis.''

``In Sharon's view, a good Arab is a dead Arab. As Mr. Sharon sees it, the only security for Israel is to rely on arms and its relation with the United States,'' Saud said.

At a brief picture-taking session in the Oval Office, Bush said terrorism would not deter the United States. ``We refuse to be discouraged,'' he said. ``We are going to push for peace.''

But "we" are not being blown to bits in Israel.

I hope this is Arab spin.

This is the reason that the Bush family is considered a bunch of Arab lackeys.

..a firm commitment to a Palestinian state by mid-2005 and a determination to force Israel to quit the West Bank and Gaza.

Provided there are any Jews left by 2005 that is.

For their part, he said, the Arabs were actively engaged in trying to settle the Arab-Israeli conflict, offering normal relations and security to Israel.

Translation: "First we get statehood, and then we get the land.. and THEN we kill all the Jews."

If Bush betrays Israel, and I put that likelihood somewhere below 1%, he will not be getting reelected. He knows that.

I don't know how much of a blatant doublecross it would take to cost him the Presidency or if he would actually do so anyway..

But Israel isn't the nation to be watching with regard to betrayal, the one to watch is taiwan.

That's why Bush is talking about a Palestinian State in 2005. If he wins re-election, nobody has any leverage over him anymore.

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.