[iwar] [fc:Blair.voices.support.for.creation.of.Palestinian.state]

From: Fred Cohen (fc@all.net)
Date: 2001-10-15 21:39:03


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Subject: [iwar] [fc:Blair.voices.support.for.creation.of.Palestinian.state]
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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. 


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