Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon failed Thursday night to convince U.S. President George W. Bush to stop contacts with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. However, in a joint Oval Office appearance of the two leaders Sharon won a fresh condemnation of Palestinian attacks from Bush.
Bush gave no hint in his exchanges with reporters of what steps he might take if Arafat continued to resist his demands, and said nothing about severing U.S. ties with the Palestinian leader.
Bush told reporters that, "We were surprised at the appearance of the Karine-A arms ship, which was loaded with weapons intended for one purpose - terror. Most of the world believes that Arafat was the one behind the ship." The president also said that he and Sharon had reviewed ways to start implementing the Mitchel Report and Tenet Document.
Bush did not answer Israel's expectation of declaring organizations under Arafat's direct control, such as Force 17 and Tanzim, as terror organizations.
Bush spoke about the need to put the Mitchel and Tenet plans into motion, and Sharon reiterated Israel's commitment to both plans. "I assured the prime minister that we would continue to keep pressure on Mr. Arafat to convince him that he must take serious, concrete, real steps to reduce terrorist activities in the Middle East," stated the president.
Bush noted that his fiscal year 2003 budget includes 300 million dollars, meant to go through non-governmental bodies, "to help Palestinians be able to realize a better life." He said that he was concerned about the suffering of the Palestinian people who did not back terror, about the starvation in PA territories, and the fact that Palestinian parents are unable to send their children to school.
For his part, Sharon dismissed Arafat as "an obstacle to peace" and proposed a pressure campaign to find a new leadership for the Palestinians. Arafat has "chosen terror and formed a coalition of terror," Sharon said, and must be pressured "in order, I hope, to have an alternative leadership in the future."
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat "is not a partner, won't be a partner and is irrelevant," Sharon said after the meeting.
Sharon has changed his stand after saying last week in interviews that Arafat could be a partner if he fulfils Israel's demand to fight terror.
Sharon also said that his meeting last week with PA officials Abu Mazen, Abu Ala and Mohammed Rashid, was part of a plan to pressure Arafat, and said that he would meet with them if they want, so that they will get used to the fact that Israel will not speak to Arafat, but will speak to other PA officials.
When Sharon was asked about his stand on the establishment of a Palestinian State, he said that "at the end of the process I believe there would be a Palestinian State, but only in the end, and it won't be established through terror." (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
