Palestinian MP Hanan Ashrawi stressed on Tuesday that the American presidential elections will have no immediate affect on the Middle East peace process.
MP Ashrawi said that any “future change,” depends on the Arab and Islamic minorities and its effect is to be seen ‘in the long run.” She added that the republicans’ relations with the oil-producing countries might create a change of some sort.
Ashrawi, in an exclusive interview with Albawaba.com, blamed Dennis Ross for the collapse of the Middle East peace process saying that “he took over the responsibility for the entire (peace) over the past years without allowing the intervention of others.”
The MP added that “the most important thing about the US elections is that the membership of the supervising peace team is likely to change if Bush wins elections.”
She said that former President G. Bush first appointed this team.
“The team members,” she added, “were employees of the American foreign ministry during James Baker’s time, but they were granted more space during Warren Christopher’s time.
“This,” she said, “created a separate entity.” charging that this team was the main reason for the “collapse of the peace process.”
According to Ashrawi, the Clinton administration spent eight years in office, but failed to understand the reality of the situation in the Middle East, “not to mention the fact that it failed to implement the peace process.”
The MP said that the Republicans are not much different from Democrats at the core “but there are other differences,” controlled by “political and economical relations with Arab countries.”
“Dick Chiney,” for example, she said “had strong relations with the Gulf countries during the term of Bush.
Ashrawi sees a shift in the policy regarding Arabs as far as Governor Bush is concerned.
“We should keep in mind also that the Bush was the candidtate who mentioned Arab Americans regarding the law of the “secret evidence,” and he supported Spans Abraham who is of Arab descent.” – Albawaba.com
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
