U.S. envoy John Wolf and Palestinian PM Ahmed Qureia meeting in Ramallah on Wednesday. (AP)(Are the Americanim deliberately making a mockery of Ahmed by sending such a tall man to meet with him???!
Posted on 01/28/2004 1:05:01 PM PST by Cinnamon Girl
U.S. envoy John Wolf and Palestinian PM Ahmed Qureia meeting in Ramallah on Wednesday. (AP)(Are the Americanim deliberately making a mockery of Ahmed by sending such a tall man to meet with him???!
The Palestinian Authority could collapse unless there is urgent extra international aid to relieve the plight of the Palestinian people, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Wednesday.
"We share our concern about the economic, social and humanitarian situation of the Palestinians," Annan said after talks with Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen, whose country holds the rotating European Union presidency.
"I appealed for additional support for them, because I am afraid that if the situation continues, we will see real despair and perhaps even partial collapse of the Palestinian Authority," Annan told reporters.
He said United Nations and the EU were extremely concerned about the situation in the Middle East and a stalemate hindering progress on a peace "roadmap" drafted by a Quartet in which they are joined by the United States and Russia.
"We reviewed the roadmap and what the Quartet can do to re-energize the process," Annan said. "We need to find a way to break the impasse... we need to find a way of bringing the parties to the table."
After meeting U.S. envoy, Qureia says Sharon summit possible
United States State Department envoys John Wolf and David Satterfield are pressing Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to hold a long-delayed summit to help revive the U.S.-sponsored road map Middle East peace plan, officials said Wednesday.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said Wednesday that a summit between himself and Sharon was possible, following American pressure on the two leaders to hold a meeting.
Since taking office last October, Qureia has avoided meeting Sharon, accusing him of poor faith in peacemaking. But after talks with Wolf and Satterfield on Wednesday, Qureia said a summit was possible.
"They [envoys] have officially asked that the meeting take place. We're studying this and we will prepare for it well," Qureia said at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah. He did not say where or when any summit might take place.
Sharon, who launched the road map with Qureia's predecessor Mahmoud Abbas and U.S. President George W. Bush in June, has said he would welcome a meeting with the Palestinian premier but has made clear he will not promise any concessions in advance.
"We have always said the prime minister is willing to meet him [Qureia], without preconditions," a Sharon spokesman said.
But Palestinians fear a summit would make Sharon look better in Washington's eyes while bringing them nothing in return.
"Qureia does not want a summit that would not culminate in practical steps to ease the lives of Palestinians under occupation and revive peace moves," a Palestinian official said.
Each side has accused the other of failing to meet its obligations under the road map, which calls for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel by 2005.
Palestinians cite Israel's failure to freeze settlement construction on occupied land and ease its military crackdown imposed during a three-year-old uprising in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Israel cites the Palestinians' failure to rein in militants behind suicide bombings.
"I emphasized to the prime minister the importance of... security and dealing with the threat that the situation poses to the Palestinian Authority, to Israel, and to the people of this region," Wolf told reporters after meeting Qureia.
After talks with Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom on Tuesday, Wolf said both sides must meet their commitments.
"We're in consultation with our Israeli friends on getting the road map process back on track," a U.S. official said.
I almost started laughing when I read this sentence. As if that could possibly be a negative occurrence. I think Arafat has enough money stashed throughout planet earth to save his own followers. I also think Kofi 'Do-Dad' needs a big dose of "NO" from the U.S President and all The 'IMF' and 'World Bank'type groups, after all doesn't the Gov't control how that money is doled out anyway? I will not ever understand why Mr. Arafat is not considered a "Terrorist", and certainly not after 9/11. What is the true reason he has been allowed to live as long as he has? I don't believe I'll ever fully comprehend that one.
Three MORE: Little tiny violins.
Oops, I thought they were talking about Pennsylvania.
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