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French FM Criticizes US Wait-and-See Policy on Mideast
French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine Thursday criticized Washington's wait-and-see policy during the 11-month Israeli-Palestinian violence and called on it to exert more influence on the two fighting sides.
By their wait-and-see policy Washington "takes the risk of making them resemble Pontius Philatus," Vedrine said in an interview with the French daily Le Figaro published Thursday.
Philatus, Roman prefect of Judae (A.D. 26-36) under Emperor Tiberius, was supposedly a ruthless governor. In the Bible, he tried to evade responsibility in the trial and crucifixion of Jesus by symbolically washing his hands of any guilt.
"The situation in the Middle East is appalling. The attacks and terrorism are ignominious... It is absurd because Israelis and Palestinians have no other way out but an organized and peaceful political coexistence," said Vedrine.
"What (German Foreign Minister) Joschka Fischer has done is very good. We have very close relations... His contribution makes the action of Europe more coherent," said Vedrine when asked whether Fischer's latest Mideast tour implied an occupation of French place in this diplomatic field.
Fischer paid a three-day visit to the Middle East earlier this month and in a positive response to his offer, both Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres agreed that they might meet in Berlin for talks.
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