Return-Path: <sentto-279987-2640-1002079747-fc=all.net@returns.onelist.com> Delivered-To: fc@all.net Received: from 204.181.12.215 by localhost with POP3 (fetchmail-5.1.0) for fc@localhost (single-drop); Tue, 02 Oct 2001 20:31:12 -0700 (PDT) Received: (qmail 30889 invoked by uid 510); 3 Oct 2001 03:29:13 -0000 Received: from n25.groups.yahoo.com (216.115.96.75) by 204.181.12.215 with SMTP; 3 Oct 2001 03:29:13 -0000 X-eGroups-Return: sentto-279987-2640-1002079747-fc=all.net@returns.onelist.com Received: from [10.1.4.55] by n25.groups.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 03 Oct 2001 03:29:08 -0000 X-Sender: fc@big.all.net X-Apparently-To: iwar@onelist.com Received: (EGP: mail-7_4_1); 3 Oct 2001 03:29:07 -0000 Received: (qmail 58241 invoked from network); 3 Oct 2001 03:29:07 -0000 Received: from unknown (10.1.10.142) by l9.egroups.com with QMQP; 3 Oct 2001 03:29:07 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO big.all.net) (65.0.156.78) by mta3 with SMTP; 3 Oct 2001 03:29:07 -0000 Received: (from fc@localhost) by big.all.net (8.9.3/8.7.3) id UAA10901 for iwar@onelist.com; Tue, 2 Oct 2001 20:29:07 -0700 Message-Id: <200110030329.UAA10901@big.all.net> To: iwar@onelist.com (Information Warfare Mailing List) Organization: I'm not allowed to say X-Mailer: don't even ask X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.5 PL1] From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net> Mailing-List: list iwar@yahoogroups.com; contact iwar-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list iwar@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:iwar-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com> Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2001 20:29:07 -0700 (PDT) Reply-To: iwar@yahoogroups.com Subject: [iwar] [fc:US:.Palestinian.state.'always'.part.of.Mideast.vision] Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Wednesday, October 3 6:35 AM SGT US says Palestinian state 'always' part of Mideast vision WASHINGTON, Oct 2 (AFP) - In an apparent bid to cement Arab support for a US-led global war on terrorism, President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday a Palestinian state had always been part of their vision for the Middle East. "The idea of a Palestinian state has always been part of a vision, so long as the right to Israel to exist is respected," Bush told reporters in the White House Oval Office. Powell, speaking later after a meeting with his Indian counterpart, echoed that statement. "There has always been a vision in our thinking, as well as in previous administrations' thinking, that there would be a Palestinian state that exists at the same time that the security of the state of Israel was also recognized, guaranteed and accepted by all parties," Powell said. "That vision is alive and well and we hope that it will come about as a result of negotiations between the two sides," he said, contradicting reports that the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington had stalled US plans to unveil a major Middle East peace initiative. "The events of September 11 don't really play into this," he said. "We were hard at work before the 11th of September on trying to help in the region, and we are hard at work after the 11th of September." However, Powell conceded that work had perhaps not been noticed in the crush of events after the attacks. "I'm always considering what statements I can make in order to make sure people understand the American position," he said. Although Powell denied any initiative had been stalled, senior officials said the terror strikes had temporarily forced a postponement in more active US engagement in the Middle East. Several officials said the postponement of the UN General Assembly in the wake of the attacks had automatically squelched a proposal for Bush to meet there with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for the first time. "We had been looking at the UN session not as time to unveil a plan but to get some momentum," one official said. "We haven't proceeded exactly as we might have after the attacks but the basic outline is still in play." Ahead of the UN meeting, Powell and others had ratcheted up efforts to produce a meeting between Arafat and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres aimed at securing a lasting ceasefire. That meeting did not occur until last week following renewed pressure from Powell on Arafat and Peres and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon based in part on the desire to enlist Arab and Muslim backing in the anti-terror coalition. But a truce they reached is increasingly fragile and violence flared again on Tuesday. Bush said Washington was "working diligently" to end a year-long cycle of violence and reiterated his strong support for a roadmap to peace crafted by an international panel headed by former US senator George Mitchell. "First things first, when it comes to the Middle East, we've got to get to Mitchell," he said, referring to the plan that calls for a ceasefire followed by a cooling-off period confidence-building measures and a return to peace negotiations. "I fully understand that progress is made in centimeters in the Middle East and we believe we're making some progress," Bush added. In the Middle East, the endorsement of a Palestinian state was welcomed by Arab countries but given a cool reception in Israel where officials said they believed it could be perceived as a victory for Osama bin Laden, the Saudi militant Washington says was behind the September 11 attacks. "Quite logically, the Palestinians could say 'Thank you bin Laden'," for prompting Bush's backing of an independent state, said Sharon spokesman Zalman Shoval. The Arab League meanwhile hailed the comments as a "step in the right direction". "We welcome those developments, both the support by the United States of a viable Palestinian state, and the meetings that will take place between the president (Bush) and President Arafat," said Arab League chief Amr Mussa. ------------------ http://all.net/ Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : 2001-12-31 20:59:53 PST