Looks like it is a done deal. Except for the screaming and the shouting.
Last update - 08:28 04/04/2004
U.S. to grant 'diplomatic umbrella' to disengagement plan
By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent
Israel and the United States have nearly completed the formulation of the official notes that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President George Bush will exchange during their meeting on 14 April.
Diplomatic sources in Jerusalem said "only words and a few emphases" are left open for completion before Sharon's visit to Washington.
In the Israeli note, Sharon will declare his intention to bring to the cabinet for approval the disengagement plan, which will include withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the evacuation of four settlements in the West Bank.
Sharon will also express his commitment in principle to the road map, an Israeli-Palestinian settlement, and the two-state vision of President Bush. He will also say the separation fence is a temporary measure that is not meant to establish facts on the ground.
In Bush's note, the U.S. is to declare its commitment to the road map, and Israeli sources say, it will guarantee there will be no alternative plan and no diplomatic progress if the Palestinians do not tackle terrorism.
Bush will also promise Israel support in the war against terror and aggressive action, if the attacks from the evacuated territories persist.
The most difficult issue in the preparatory talks is the Israeli demand for an American commitment to a permanent accord with the Palestinians. The Bush administration agreed to provide a "diplomatic umbrella" to the unilateral disengagement plan, but refused at first to deal with the issue of a permanent agreement.
The Israeli side managed to convince the United States that they need some sort of support on the matter and agreed it will be in the form of general statements. Therefore, instead of recognition of "settlement blocs," that Sharon wanted initially, Israel was promised it will not be asked to withdraw to the Green Line.
In addition, the future border will be established on the basis of the demographic conditions on the ground. |
