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Mandela Criticizes Western Powers for Failing to Resolve Mideast Conflict
Former South African President Nelson Mandela on Friday criticized Western powers for their lack of cooperation and sincerity in helping resolve the Mideast conflict.
International efforts had been going on for about 25 years to put an end to the Mideast conflict, but so far not much progress had been achieved, Mandela told a press conference in his Johannesburg residence.
The United States, Britain and France put forward their own initiatives on the Mideast conflict but failed to cooperate, making the issue more complicated, he said.
This showed that they lacked sincerity in this regard, Mandela said, calling on the mediating parties to unite and cooperate so as to facilitate a solution.
In answering a question raised by Xinhua about his intention to mediate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Mandela said several parties concerned had requested his help, but he had no plan to do so.
"I'm no longer young, and besides I have the Burundi conflict in hand," he said, adding "I want to spend more time with my grandchildren."
Mandela reiterated the three principles for resolving the Mideast conflict, namely, Israel must withdraw from all the Arab territories it occupied in the 1967 Mideast War; Arab countries must sign a declaration recognizing Israel's right to exist; an international commission comprising the Arab countries, Israel and the United Nations must be set up to monitor the peace process.
Unless all these have been done, the Mideast conflict would not come to an end, Mandela said.
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