Bush's Mideast Statement Draws Mixed Arab Responses

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Bush's Mideast Statement Draws Mixed Arab Responses

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Bush's Mideast Statement Draws Mixed Arab Responses

The much-anticipated U.S. Middle East vision unveiled by President George W. Bush on Monday night drew mixed responses from the Arab countries, with some expressing support for mentioning of a Palestinian state, and others voicing criticism and blasting the bias in favor of Israel.

Arab League chief Amr Mussa saw certain "positive points" in the "very important speech" by President Bush, hoping that Arab countries will intensify coordination to facilitate the birth of a Palestinian state.

Mussa made the response while attending a meeting of the foreignministers of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, where the forum has been somewhat cautious about Bush's speech.

Jordan and Egypt, the two key Arab allies of the United States in the region, expressed welcome to Bush's speech, with each country voicing its specific interest of concern.

"We welcome favorably the speech by President Bush," the Jordanian government said in a statement on Tuesday, which insisted, however, any reforms on the Palestinian territories, as called for by Bush, must be done by the Palestinians.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Tuesday described the U.S. Mideast policy outlined by Bush as "totally balanced."

"I do not see the removal of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat inthe speech, but a demand for the PNA's (Palestinian National Authority) reforms and the establishment of a new administration," Mubarak said.

"However, some points in the speech must be explained and clarified," he said, adding that Egypt is looking forward to a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to the region to discuss ways to implement the ideas contained in the speech.

Tuesday's Syrian official newspapers, however, criticized Bush'sMiddle East speech and accused the U.S. president of "ignoring Israeli occupation and placing the responsibility for the regional situation and the lack of peace on the Palestinians."

The newspaper Al Thawra slammed Bush for emphasizing "the necessity to resolve all the issues concerning Jerusalem" and conditioning final peace on "fighting the so-called terrorism" by Arab countries.

In Syria's southern neighbor Lebanon, where Syria maintains morethan 20,000 troops, the local Lebanese Future television station lashed out at Washington's "blind support" to Israeli brutal aggression against the Palestinians.

It also said that Lebanese President Emile Lahoud and Prime Minister Rafik Hariri are harshly critical of Bush's vision of a provisional Palestinian state that would amount to nothing more than an Israeli-controlled ghetto, although both leaders are yet tomake their official responses to Bush's statement.

In his speech on Monday, Bush demanded Syria to "close terroristcamps and expel terrorist organizations," referring to the 10 Palestinian organizations based in Damascus, including the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Islamic Jihad. He linked the creation of a Palestinian state to the fight against those groups.

On Tuesday, leaders of both Hamas and Islamic Jihad rejected Bush's speech on the Middle East.

Mahmoud Al Zahar, a senior Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, termed Bush's statement as "frustrating, biased and only representing the Israeli point of view."

"The speech is just the words in Hebrew translated into English,and Bush read the statement for (Israeli Prime Minister) Ariel Sharon," said Al Zahar.

Nafeth Azzam, a senior Islamic Jihad leader in Gaza, dismissed the speech by Bush as "very negative," saying that it does not carry any positive sign either for the Palestinians or for the Arabs.

Both groups vowed to continue their struggle against the Israelioccupation of Palestinian lands.

In his blueprint outlined Monday night, Bush demanded the PNA toconduct "true reform" to bring about "entirely new political and economic institutions based on democracy, market economy and actionagainst terrorism."

Bush also linked the eventual creation of a Palestinian state tosweeping Palestinian reforms and a change to the Palestinian leadership.

According to Bush's plan, a provisional Palestinian state will take shape before the completion of statehood within three years, during which the Palestinians and Israel negotiate and settle thorny issues, including the final borders and the right of Palestinians to return to their homes in Israel.

In his major policy statement, Bush also urged Israeli troops "to withdraw fully to positions they held prior to September 28, 2000" as the two sides "make progress toward security."

Both Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon wasted no time to welcome Bush's speech Monday night.

Arafat called in a statement for talks on implementing Bush's blueprint, which he said is a "serious effort to end the Middle East conflict."

For his part, Sharon said he was "extremely pleased" with Bush'sspeech on the Middle East." "When there is a complete cessation of terror, violence and incitement, and when the PNA enacts genuine reforms with a new leadership to be created, then it will be possible to discuss how to make progress on the political tracks," he said.

Regardless of their responses to Bush's statement, violence and bloodshed between the Palestinians and Israelis continued on Tuesday. Israeli troops shot dead five Palestinians in the West Bank town of Hebron and the Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources said.

It seems that there is little sign for the moment of any letup in the violence between the two sides, which has left some 2,000 people, mostly Palestinians, dead over the past 21 months.

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