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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: 10K a day who wrote (230289)	2/23/2002 12:58:10 PM
From: gao seng	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

Powell: Saudi Offer Worth Pursuing By SALLY BUZBEE Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say they are intrigued by a Saudi offer of Arab peace with Israel in exchange for land concessions to Palestinians, but aren't sure whether it can halt the escalating violence. Secretary of State Colin Powell on Friday cited the new offer from Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia as one of two developments the United States would pursue as it makes a new push to stop fighting between Israelis and Palestinians. U.S. officials called the Saudi proposal significant because it came from a ruler viewed as a strong Palestinian supporter and was immediately praised by moderate Arab nations, including Egypt. It was expected to be a key topic when President Bush and Egypt's president meet in March. But U.S. officials also reiterated that the first step toward peace is for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to work to stop attacks against Israelis. ``We've made absolutely clear that we think the burden, at this point, is on Chairman Arafat to take concrete steps to dismantle the groups that perpetrate violence and to end the violence,'' said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. And, he cautioned, ``the big issues, in the end, have to be negotiated by the parties.'' Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has not commented on the Saudi idea, and American officials have not talked with the Israelis about it. One U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was not clear to the administration how — or if — the new Saudi position would actually lead to an end to the violence. Nevertheless, the official said, it is significant and promising because the Saudis have never made such an explicit land-for-peace offer so publicly — and certainly not at such a high level. Abdullah's offer is seen as a deliberate effort to push forward the peace effort because he made it publicly in an interview with New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman published last Sunday. Abdullah, his country's de facto ruler, said Saudi Arabia would be prepared to establish full diplomatic relations, normalize trade and guarantee Israel's security if the Israelis agreed to withdraw from the territories they occupied at the end of the 1967 war. That would include the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, areas that many Israelis would be loath to give up. ``I wanted to find a way to make clear to the Israeli people that the Arabs don't reject or despise them,'' the crown prince said in the interview. ``But the Arab people do reject what their leadership is now doing to the Palestinians, which is inhumane and oppressive. And I thought of this as a possible signal to the Israeli people.'' The U.S. official noted that a few days later, Saudi officials suggested in another interview that they could agree to Israel controlling portions of Jerusalem and perhaps even small parts of the West Bank. Assistant Secretary of State William Burns, met Friday with the crown prince's Washington representative to explore the idea. Powell, returning to Washington on Friday from the president's trip to Asia, also cited the recent Palestinian Authority arrest of three militants as a development the United States might pursue. He also called hopeful a meeting between Israeli and Palestinian security chiefs, their first in several weeks. Powell said he planned a weekend of phone calls, ``re-engaging'' in an effort to halt violence that has escalated in the last week. Bush has been pushing moderate Arab leaders to apply more pressure to Arafat to crack down on violence against Israelis. The Saudi crown prince, in turn, has long pushed the United States to further pressure Israel to resolve the crisis. The Palestinian issue is crucial to Abdullah and other moderate Arab leaders because it is a source of potential unrest in their countries. Abdullah's government also has sought to reach out to an American public disillusioned with Saudi Arabia because 15 of the 19 hijackers in the Sept. 11 attacks were Saudis. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is to visit Washington on March 2-6 to meet with Bush and discuss the war on terrorism and the Middle East. Some analysts discounted the Saudi proposal, saying it was intriguing but could not solve a situation that has spiraled out of control. Robert Satloff of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy called it ``at least 19 months too late.'' Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres in an interview with Saudi TV this week called the proposal ``an interesting and positive one, radiating a willingness to advance toward peace.'' wire.ap.org

To: 10K a day who wrote (230289)	2/23/2002 1:15:43 PM
From: Lazarus_Long	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769667

This too shall pass. It didn't pass after Pearl Harbor. Or numerous other engagements. The answer is not blowing up Iraq or Blowing up Somalia...Feeding the War machine...Getting rich off of Fear. Are you paying attention or reciting liberal slogans? Nobody cares about corporate earnings Who's "Nobody"? Your shadow? Nobody cares about printing paper on wallstreet and distributing it to the suckers who listen for the opening bell at 9:30 AM This is a STOCK MARKET SITE. Did somebody forget to tell you that?