U.S. teams to oversee Israeli, PA implementation of road map

Haaretz ^ | 05-30-03

[Brian S]

_{By Haaretz Staff and Agencies}

U.S. President George W. Bush will establish follow-up teams to be headed by the U.S. that will report on the implementation of the road map peace plan by Israel and the Palestinians, two American envoys to the Middle East told Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom during a Friday afternoon meeting, Israel Radio reported.

William Burns and Elliot Abrams met with Shalom on Friday as part of bilateral preparations for next week's summit in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba, a U.S. embassy spokesman in Tel Aviv said.

During their meeting, Shalom told the two envoys that Israel still holds the position that Palestinian terror groups must be disbanded, and stressed that the peace process won't be held hostage by Hamas.

Burns and Abrams are expected to begin hammering out the Israeli and Palestinian opening statements that will kick off implementation of the international road map peace plan.

The sides are expected to make the statements at the three-way summit with U.S. President George W. Bush in Jordan.

Israeli Radio, quoting a leading aid to Palestinian Authority chairman Nabil Abu Rudeineh, said that the meeting may start with Israel and the Palestinians making a joint announement of mutual recognition.

Bush says 'determined' to create two-state solution
President Bush said Friday that one of the reaons he was coming to the Middle East next week is because he wants leaders in the region to know that he is "determined" to create a two-state solution in order to achieve peace.

Bush will hold twin Mideast summits next week, one with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas, the new Palestinian prime minister, and the other with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt as well as Abbas. The meetings will come after Bush visits Poland and Russia and stops in France for an abbreviated appearance at the annual summit of industrialized democracies.

The Mideast trip marks Bush's deepest involvement in Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. He said he wanted to meet with Mideast leaders because "I am intent upon working toward a two-state solution in the Middle East - two states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace. In other words, I want them to look me in the eye so they can see that I am determined to work to make this happen."

He made his comments in a series of interviews conducted Thursday and released Friday as he flew to Poland.

Bush: Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan must cut off funds to terror groups
Bush also says Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan must cut off financial aid to terrorist groups and help insure the security of Israel to foster the creation of a Palestinian state in a Middle East peace agreement.

Trying to isolate longtime Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Bush said he has come to realize that "it was impossible to achieve peace with Chairman Arafat. He's failed the Palestinian people in the past."

Aboard Air Force One on Friday, Secretary of State Colin Powell played down expectations for Bush's meeting with Sharon and Abbas.

"Let's not look for the 56-yard pass right away or the 54-yard field goal," Powell said using American football analogies for a big gain or score. "We have to get this started. The tensions are great and the mistrust is high."

At the same time, Powell said that Arafat "still has standing with the Palestinian people." But, Powell said, the fact that Abbas has met with Sharon indicates the Palestinian prime minister "does have authority to act, and he is not beholden to Mr. Arafat's instructions."

"I take this as encouraging," Powell said.

Bush said he would tell Mideast leaders that the United States needs help to achieve peace. "And we need countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia and Jordan and others to work together to cut off funding for terrorist groups, to prevent the killers from moving around, to help provide security."

As a Palestinian state emerges, Arab nations will have to support Abbas with development aid as well as advice, the president said. "I am going to hold people accountable for their commitments," Bush said.

[American in Israel]

So now America is going to occupy both Israel and the part of Israel that the Arabs demand now.

And this is going to accomplish what besides Americans being killed? It sure is not going to bring peace.