World reacts with alarm to Mideast violence | |
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By Helen Popper LONDON, March 29 (Reuters) - World leaders expressed alarm at the deteriorating situation in the Middle East on Friday, with Russia criticising Israel's measures to isolate Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. Following a Palestinian suicide attack that killed 20 Israelis, Israeli troops smashed their way into Arafat's West Bank compound, declaring him an enemy and triggering street gun battles. "Moscow is extremely concerned about the alarming dynamics of developments in the region," Interfax news agency quoted a Russian Foreign Ministry official as saying. Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Israel's announced intention to isolate Arafat "is not the way that could help find a political solution to the current situation", Interfax reported. He called for action by the international community "to halt this crisis which threatens not only regional stability but could also spill over beyond the region". The European Union reaffirmed that Arafat remained a legitimate authority and its interlocutor for peace, while French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine criticised Israel's "attempt to stifle Arafat". EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana spoke by telephone to Arafat and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres to press for a ceasefire and urge both sides to seize the opportunity offered by an Arab summit's endorsement of Saudi peace proposals. "Arafat is our interlocutor, as EU leaders said at the Barcelona summit (on March 16). He remains our interlocutor and the legitimate authority," Solana's spokeswoman Cristina Gallach told Reuters. She said the EU considered that Israel had a legitimate right to fight terrorism, but "military means are not going to solve the problem of terrorism". Vedrine told Radio France Internationale the chances of peace were "very slight". "I understand how the Israelis might feel faced with this terrifying pressure of attacks...but I don't think that massive repression and the attempt to stifle Arafat...can lead to a solution," he added. SERIOUS CONCERN China expressed "serious concern" and called for an immediate ceasefire on both sides. The Foreign Ministry in Beijing called for "urgent action" by the international community to get both sides back to the negotiating table as soon as possible and said China was willing to work with the relevant sides. "We strongly call on both the Israelis and Palestinians to exercise restraint to the greatest extent possible, immediately cease all violent activities and avoid heading towards total conflict," the ministry said in a statement. The Russian official said Moscow was contemplating a range of measures to quell the violence including raising the issue at the U.N. Security Council and undertaking joint action with the United States, the United Nations and the European Union. Moscow and Washington are the co-sponsors of the stalled Middle East peace process. Andrei Vdovin, Russia's special envoy in the region, was due to fly from Beirut, where he was attending the Arab League summit, to the Syrian capital Damascus, the official said. He could go to Israel to meet U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni afterwards. Speaking after another Palestinian suicide bombing in a Jerusalem supermarket on Friday, a U.S. embassy official said Zinni planned to continue talks to secure a truce in the 18 months of bloodshed. Turkey, which has backed Palestinian aspirations to statehood while maintaining close diplomatic and military ties with Israel, said it was "deeply wounded" by the new violence. "We call on both sides to take a rational path. Particularly Israel, in order to display rational, forward-looking and constructive stances, needs to review many concepts and views it holds," Turkish state minister and government spokesman, Sukru Sina Gurel was quoted as saying by state news agency Anatolian. 29 MAR 2002 12:41:39 World reacts with alarm to Mideast violence
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So what does she think of the USof A's actions since 9/11?
The European Union reaffirmed that Arafat remained a legitimate authority and its interlocutor for peace, while French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine criticised Israel's "attempt to stifle Arafat".Oh, yeah. Definitely. Israel should use the Clayton Williams theory. Just lay back and enjoy it! ! </ sarcasm>EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana spoke by telephone to Arafat and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres to press for a ceasefire and urge both sides to seize the opportunity offered by an Arab summit's endorsement of Saudi peace proposals.
"Arafat is our interlocutor, as EU leaders said at the Barcelona summit (on March 16). He remains our interlocutor and the legitimate authority," Solana's spokeswoman Cristina Gallach told Reuters.
She said the EU considered that Israel had a legitimate right to fight terrorism, but "military means are not going to solve the problem of terrorism".
This is clealy 180 degrees away from the US policy on this subject, vis-a-vis bin Laden and company. No surprises here.
With any luck, they will soon be able to carry out this interlocution only with a ouija board.
"I understand how the Israelis might feel..."
Oh, yeah, she knows how Israelis feel. Sure. Well, I am sure the Israelis are greatly comforted by her empathy.
You can only go to the well so many times before it dries up. The time is past for political solutions, they have been tried unsuccessfully for years, due to the unwillingness of one of the parties to compromise. Now that party is reaping what they have sown.
Hey Igor, does the word "Chechnya" ring a bell? Pot, meet kettle. Either practice what you preach or shut the hell up.
French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine criticised Israel's "attempt to stifle Arafat".
Hubert, you will find American's have a long memory. We will remember your country's actions against us and our allies. We will remember you were "against us" in the war on terror, and that you refused to provide any information about the hijacker we caught and put on trial. Now why don't you just sit down, shut up, and go find someone to surrender to. You didn't seem to mind when tens of thousands of allied soldiers were dying on your soil, fighting for YOUR freedom.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana spoke by telephone to Arafat and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres to press for a ceasefire and urge both sides to seize the opportunity offered by an Arab summit's endorsement of Saudi peace proposals.
That's awfully generous of you Javier. A great peace plan just as long as someone else has to cough up the land to placate the Palestinian terrorists. Odd, we don't see you offering them up land for a "homeland". Especially given the track record of those Arab States at this summit of breaking their promises in the past. The same summit that recognized Hamas as a legitimate organization, even after it claimed credit for the Passover bombing. Javier, sit down, shut up, and find a nice history book of the 1930's about Europe and read up on what appeasing your enemy gets you.
"Arafat is our interlocutor, as EU leaders said at the Barcelona summit (on March 16). He remains our interlocutor and the legitimate authority," Solana's spokeswoman Cristina Gallach told Reuters.
Cristina, would this be the same EU who refuses to recognize known terrorist organizations within it's member states own borders, as identified by the US? The same EU who refuses to freeze the financial assets of these terrorist organizations, claiming they're not? The organizations who have claimed credit for assassinations and bombings of other nations representatives? The same EU who refused to participate in an anti-drug meeting (not a single EU nation showed) in an effort to curb the drug traffic in Europe that is being used to finance terrorist groups? Cristina, sit down, shut up, and contimplate the existence of the EU if the US and UK had taken the same stance with Hilter that you are proposing today.
I understand how the Israelis might feel faced with this terrifying pressure of attacks...but I don't think that massive repression and the attempt to stifle Arafat...can lead to a solution
As opposed to what? Surrendering to your enemy in record time? Letting other nations send their husbands and boys to die on your soil to fight for your freedom, because you were too spineless to do it yourself? Hey frenchy, sit down, shut up, and start drawing up plans to return the brave US soldiers buried on french soil back to the US. Your country is a disgrace to which they died for.
We strongly call on both the Israelis and Palestinians to exercise restraint to the greatest extent possible, immediately cease all violent activities and avoid heading towards total conflict," the ministry said in a statement.
This coming from a country with no freedom of speech, no freedom of religion, no freedom of the press, no freedom of expression, and with forced abortions upon women who have more then the amount dictated by the state. The world remembers watching you send your tanks and soldiers into Tiananmen square, killing the students, while denying it. Pot meet Kettle. Sit down, shut up, and pray Bush doesn't have big enough brass ones to pull your Most Favored Nation status the criminal in office before him granted you.
We call on both sides to take a rational path. Particularly Israel, in order to display rational, forward-looking and constructive stances, needs to review many concepts and views it holds," Turkish state minister and government spokesman, Sukru Sina Gurel was quoted as saying by state news agency Anatolian
Especially Israel? Sukru, remember that the next time you complain about the PKK and the EU's similar response to your complaints. Now sit down, shut up, and stop being a hypocrate, or expect your own argument to become worthless.
Oh, I get it the EU expects Israel to lay down and play dead. Only people with an ounce of sanity understand :
NO ARABS, NO TERROR..NO ARABS, NO ATTACKS
Yesterday's headline: WORLD REACTS APATHETICALLY OR NOT AT ALL TO PASSOVER MASSACRE OF ELDERLY JEWS AND CHILDREN