The White House eased back Friday from President Bush's demand that Israel begin to pull its forces out of Palestinian-held areas of the West Bank. Spokesman Ari Fleischer said the nations in the region needed time to digest what Bush expected of them, reported AP.
"Major events don't necessarily happen overnight," Fleischer told reporters traveling with Bush in Texas. Still, he said, "the president expects results, and he expects them as soon as possible."
Secretary of State Colin Powell also did not call for an instant pullback in a news conference at the State Department. He said Israel should begin a withdrawal "as soon as possible or without delay." According to Powell, Israel needed to withdraw its forces from Palestinian towns and cities in the West Bank, and not take advantage of the days until he arrived. According to him, President Bush expeced the withdrawal to take place as soon as possible.
Powell said even while pursuing a cease-fire, dealing with "the political dimension is key" to resolving the Mideast crisis.
After meeting with Powell on Friday, Jordan's foreign minister, former ambassador to Washington Marwan Muasher, praised the administration for its new position.
"I talked to the secretary about the need to link this security aspect of the problem to a political process, and I think we both agree on the need to do this," Muasher told reporters.
In an interview given to the French daily Le Figaro, Israel’s Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said that Bush did not demand that Israel withdraw its troops immediately. He added the Israeli offensive in the West Bank would not last for much longer, probably between two to three weeks.
In an interview with British ITV's "Tonight" program, Bush slammed Arafat again, saying the Palestinian leader repeatedly failed to keep his promises to stem” terrorism” and had not earned his trust.
"There are others in the region who can lead," Bush said, naming Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and King Abdullah II of Jordan. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
