Return-Path: <sentto-279987-2990-1003207145-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); Mon, 15 Oct 2001 21:41:10 -0700 (PDT) Received: (qmail 11058 invoked by uid 510); 16 Oct 2001 04:38:48 -0000 Received: from n14.groups.yahoo.com (216.115.96.64) by 204.181.12.215 with SMTP; 16 Oct 2001 04:38:48 -0000 X-eGroups-Return: sentto-279987-2990-1003207145-fc=all.net@returns.onelist.com Received: from [10.1.4.52] by n14.groups.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 16 Oct 2001 04:39:59 -0000 X-Sender: fc@big.all.net X-Apparently-To: iwar@onelist.com Received: (EGP: mail-7_4_1); 16 Oct 2001 04:39:04 -0000 Received: (qmail 6859 invoked from network); 16 Oct 2001 04:39:04 -0000 Received: from unknown (10.1.10.26) by m8.onelist.org with QMQP; 16 Oct 2001 04:39:04 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO big.all.net) (65.0.156.78) by mta1 with SMTP; 16 Oct 2001 04:39:03 -0000 Received: (from fc@localhost) by big.all.net (8.9.3/8.7.3) id VAA15189 for iwar@onelist.com; Mon, 15 Oct 2001 21:39:03 -0700 Message-Id: <200110160439.VAA15189@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: Mon, 15 Oct 2001 21:39:03 -0700 (PDT) Reply-To: iwar@yahoogroups.com Subject: [iwar] [fc:Blair.voices.support.for.creation.of.Palestinian.state] Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Blair voices support for creation of Palestinian state By Dominic Evans LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair threw his support behind the creation of a Palestinian state on Monday as he pressed on with a U.S.-British diplomatic effort to win Arab backing for Western air strikes against Afghanistan. After meeting Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in London, Blair told a news conference: "A viable Palestinian state, as part of a negotiated and agreed settlement, which guarantees peace and security for Israel, is the objective." Such comments rarely go down well in Israel. But Blair wants to help revive stalled Middle East peace moves to shore up Arab and other Islamic support for the U.S.-led campaign in response to last month's attacks on New York and Washington. Arafat used the joint news conference with Blair to condemn last month's attacks on the United States and to urge Israel to resume Middle East negotiations "immediately". After talks in Dublin later with Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern and Foreign Minister Brian Cowen, Arafat called for international help to revive the stalled talks. "I spoke to the prime minister tonight about the wonderful opportunity that we see open for reaching a permanent agreement between us and Israel... based on the establishment of a Palestinian state next to the state of Israel," he said. "We need Europe's help, we need the U.S.'s help, we need the international community's help in order to resume negotiations with our Israeli colleagues as soon as possible." "I reiterate my commitment to peacemaking, to continue this endeavour to achieve a comprehensive, lasting and just peace for our children and the Israeli children," he added. But Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said more had to be done before talks could get under way: "What we have to do now is to start introducing the complete ceasefire, then we can start completing the negotiations," he told reporters during an official visit to Slovakia. Israel has noted a sharp reduction in the level of violence since Peres and Arafat reaffirmed a truce on September 26. But it has said sporadic Palestinian attacks still occur. For its part, Israel has renewed its internationally condemned track-and-kill strategy. It said it shot dead an Islamic militant at his home on Sunday and Palestinians blamed Israel for a blast that killed another militant on Monday. U.S. IGNORING "IRAN THREAT" Israeli Defence Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said Arafat had ignored demands to round up Palestinians on its wanted list. "He does not arrest terrorists from the list we gave him. Out of the list of 108 people we sent him, one has been arrested," Ben-Eliezer told members of his Labour Party. He said Israel would continue a strategy of "targeted prevention", the term Israeli officials use to describe the killing of militants suspected of planning attacks. Ben-Eliezer also accused the United States, in its efforts to rally Muslim support behind its anti-terrorism campaign, of ignoring the threat he said was posed by Iran. "In my view, the biggest danger to Israel and the region is Iran," Ben-Eliezer said. "We are talking about an extremist Islamic country which for some reason does not get enough attention from the Americans at the moment." Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon won a White House rebuke for remarks last month in which he warned Washington, Israel's closest ally, against "appeasing" Arabs at Israelis' expense. Sharon faced a crisis within his coalition as a vehemently anti-Arab, far-right bloc resigned from government in protest against plans to lift some sanctions against Palestinians. The resignation of the seven-seat National Union and Yisrael Beitenu bloc will turn Sharon's government into a mostly centrist coalition with 76 seats in the 120-member Knesset and leaves the hawkish premier surrounded by more doveish partners. MIXED MESSAGES Israel has sent out mixed messages amid U.S. and British pressure for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The government said on Sunday it was taking steps to ease a blockade in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to reward the relative quiet in Palestinian areas. The same day, the army shot dead an Islamic militant in the West Bank town of Qalqiliya who it said was behind a suicide bombing at a Tel Aviv disco in June. Early on Monday, the army withdrew forces from Palestinian neighbourhoods it had reoccupied last week in the divided city of Hebron after a shooting attack on Jewish worshippers. Ahmed Marshoud, a member of the Hamas group who is wanted by Israel, was killed on Monday in an explosion in the West Bank city of Nablus. The Israeli army declined comment. Arafat's Fatah organisation called the killing "organised terrorism". At least 626 Palestinians and 175 Israelis have been killed since the Palestinian revolt against Israeli occupation erupted in September 2000 after a deadlock in peace negotiations. In London, Blair said the creation of a Palestinian state was a key aim of Middle East peacemaking. "The end we desire... is a just peace in which Israelis and Palestinians live side by side, each in their own state, secure and able to prosper and develop," he said. Last week, U.S. President George W. Bush made his furthest reaching comments yet in support of a Palestinian state. Sharon said weeks ago that he too saw the establishment of a Palestinian state as part of a peace agreement with the Palestinians. But the borders he envisages fall short of those demanded by the Palestinians. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Get your FREE VeriSign guide to security solutions for your web site: encrypting transactions, securing intranets, and more! http://us.click.yahoo.com/UnN2wB/m5_CAA/yigFAA/kgFolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> ------------------ http://all.net/ Your use of Yahoo! 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This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : 2001-12-31 20:59:55 PST