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Politics : America Under Siege: The End of Innocence -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lorne who wrote (15164)	4/19/2002 11:05:03 PM
From: calgal	Respond to of 27666

Bush Voices Concern for Palestinian Refugees By Mike Allen Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, April 20, 2002; Page A15 President Bush expressed sympathy yesterday for Palestinians in refugee camps and for other Arab young people, a day after strongly endorsing the tactics of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Speaking to reporters after touring a Secret Service training compound in Beltsville, Bush was asked about relief groups' criticism of the damage done by Israel's occupation of Palestinian refugee camps, especially Jenin. "I share a deep concern about the humanitarian plight of people who live in that region," the president said. "Of course I worry about families whose lives have been affected by the terror." His change in emphasis from Thursday, when he called Sharon "a man of peace," reflected the White House's continuing efforts to calibrate comments about the Middle East situation. The variations also result from divisions within the administration and from conflicting political pressures, Bush advisers said. Bush did not refer yesterday to Yasser Arafat or his Palestinian Authority, but instead focused on the Palestinian people and residents of Arab states. "I worry about the high unemployment rate in countries in the region," Bush said. "I worry about the fact that some young feel like they have no hope. And we need to work together to provide hope. Part of a lasting peace is for there to be hope in the region." Asked about his earlier pro-Israel remarks, Bush advised listeners to study the announcement of his Middle East initiative on April 4, when he called for cooperation from Israel, Palestinians and the Arab states. "I think what people need to do is to read my speech in the Rose Garden, where I laid out a vision for peace and called upon all parties to uphold their responsibilities," he said. White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said news accounts have overplayed subsequent variations, saying reporters ask about different aspects of the policy on different days. "The president has been consistent on a very nuanced issue," Fleischer said. A day after returning from the Middle East, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell met at the State Department yesterday with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres. Both spoke afterward about the need for more humanitarian relief for Palestinians. Powell said they had "spent quite a bit of time lingering on the humanitarian issue that is becoming uppermost in our mind, and how the international community has to be positioned to assist with humanitarian relief, reconstruction and economic activity in the territories." Powell earlier announced that the United States will contribute an additional $30 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency to help Palestinian refugees. Peres called Powell's trip "an important step." He said Israel looks forward to "nominating somebody to have a look at how to offer immediate help to the Palestinian people, economically and otherwise." © 2002 The Washington Post Company washingtonpost.com