Bush Calls Sharon, Arafat on Mitchell ReportUS President George W. Bush on Wednesday called Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, urging them to work toward the implementation of the Mitchell report.In separate phone calls, Bush asked both leaders to "seize the opportunity" to end sustaining violence in the region by implementing the recommendations presented by an international committee headed by former U.S. senator George Mitchell. "Their response was that both agreed to work with us on a framework for the implementation of the Mitchell committee report, " White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said. The Mitchell report, published in New York on Monday, called for an immediate and unconditional cessation of violence in the Middle East, followed by confidence-building measures from both Israel and the Palestinians, and then a cool-off period before finally returning to negotiation. |
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