Bush Administration Gives Arafat Ultimatum to Halt Terrorism
By David Morris and Heidi Przybyla
Crawford, Texas, April 5 (Bloomberg) -- The Bush administration gave Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat an ultimatum, telling him he must act immediately to halt suicide bombings or face isolation.
The U.S. envoy to the Middle East, retired General Anthony Zinni, delivered a ``very direct'' message to Arafat in a meeting today, telling him he ``needs to engage in action and do it now,'' said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer. ``Not talk, action. That involves a crackdown on the terrorism.''
The hard line includes Bush telling ITV Television in London that Arafat hasn't earned his trust. ``My worry is that Yasser Arafat can't perform,'' Bush said in the interview, taped yesterday. ``He has let his people down and there are others in the region who can lead.''
Bush's warning comes as some of the president's Republican allies worried that his call for Israel to withdraw troops from Arafat's compound represented a slap to an ally, and as Bush prepares to meet with British Prime Minister Tony Blair at Bush's ranch this weekend.
Secretary of State Colin Powell will leave Sunday for a Middle East visit designed to nudge Israelis and Palestinians toward peace. Powell ``has no plans to meet with Chairman Arafat at the moment,'' and will talk with Arab leaders ``who have already shown a great desire to achieve peace in the region'' and with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Fleischer told reporters traveling with President George W. Bush in Texas.
White House spokesman Sean McCormack said the administration believes Arafat can curtail suicide attacks. ``In the past, the Palestinian Authority has shown an ability to act against terrorism'' and the president wants Arafat to exercise that power immediately, McCormack told reporters in Texas.
`Long Way to Go'
``He's got a long way to go, and it starts with him proving that he can lead,'' Bush said in the ITV interview.
Judith Kipper, who heads the Middle East Forum at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the U.S. would be wrong to assume Arafat is capable of unilaterally halting the violence.
``Does he have more control and authority than he has until now shown? Yes,'' Kipper said. ``But does he have total control? No. The situation is too far along for that.''
Bush, in remarks yesterday at the White House, called for Israel to withdraw from Arafat's compound and for Arafat to work to end violence. Former presidential candidate Gary Bauer and other conservative Republicans said yesterday that the olive branch Bush extended to Arab nations that join the fight against terrorism suggests he's backing away from full support for Israel.
`More Comprehensive Approach'
A White House official, briefing reporters in Crawford, said National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice called for ``a more comprehensive approach'' to Middle East policy last Saturday, after a suicide bombing during a Passover celebration. Bush decided on Tuesday that he would send Powell to the region and announced the trip yesterday.
White House officials said they aren't worried that pressure on Arafat will make it more difficult to win Arab support for potential U.S. military action against Iraq.
``Iraq's neighbors and the world understand the true nature of the regime in Iraq,'' McCormack said. ``This is a regime that gasses its own people. It's a menace to its own people, it's a menace to its neighbors, it's a menace to the world.''
Bush has called Iraq part of an ``axis of evil'' and said it's a possible target in the next stage of the war against terrorism.
McCormack said the visit by Blair, a key U.S. ally, isn't an indication that a U.S. move is imminent.
``We'll deal with Iraq at a time and place of our choosing,'' he said. ``No decisions have been made.''
Blair arrives tonight. The two leaders will talk about Iraq and about the Middle East, McCormack said.
The visit comes as Blair is under pressure at home to stay out of any U.S.-led effort against Iraq. More than 100 lawmakers from Blair's Labour Party have signed a motion opposing British involvement in an attack. |
