Differences Between The USA And Arab Leaders Remain Substantial

09/05/2002| IslamWeb

HIGHLIGHTS: Bush Praises Arafat & Cautions Sharon||King Abdallah II of Jordan Warns Israel That for Every Palestinian it Kills a Hundred Others Will be Born||Arab Foreign Ministers Meet in Cairo Thursday||Baz Compares Palestinian Fighters With French & British Resistance Leaders||STORY: Despite intense diplomacy between Arab leaders and the White House, the difference of opinion remains substantial.

Speaking at the beginning of a meeting at the White House with Jordanian monarch, King Abdallah II of Jordan, President Bush called Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's condemnation of terrorism Wednesday an "incredibly positive sign" . He urged Israel to consider the consequences of any action it takes in retaliation for the latest bombing.

On a day of mixed messages, the president balanced the cautionary note to Israel with a warning to Arafat: The Palestinian Authority must enact democratic reforms to earn economic benefits from the international community.

Bush met with Abdullah a day after the Palestinian Resistance bombing that killed 15 Israelis.

FOR EVERY PALESTINIAN KILLED OR INJURED HUNDRED PALESTINIANS WILL BE BORN

On the eve of his encounter with Bush King Abdallah II said that he told the Israelis that for each Palestinian they kill or injure a hundred others will be born, ready to seek revenge. Quoting the King, he Petra News Agency added that the King has stressed that giving people hope is the best thing.

In the intervening weeks, as anger mounted in regional capitals from Rabat to Riyadh, Arab leaders close to the United States pressed hard for the Bush administration to intervene, a process that culminated when Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah visited the president's ranch in Texas.

In the intervening weeks, as anger mounted in regional capitals from Rabat to Riyadh, Arab leaders close to the United States pressed hard for the Bush administration to intervene, a process that culminated when Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah visited the president's ranch in Texas.

ARAB FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET IN CAIRO THURSDAY

The latest bombing comes as foreign ministers from eight Arab states and the Palestinian territories gather in Cairo on Thursday to review events since a March Arab summit in Beirut, when a Saudi-drafted offer of peace with Israel was unanimously adopted.

.A top adviser to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Osama al Baz, appeared on Egyptian television Tuesday night in an extensive discussion comparing Palestinian fighters with French resistance leader and later President Charles De Gaulle, and British wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchhill.

The American proposal for a summer peace conference that would include the United States, European Union, Russia, Israel and key Arab states, meanwhile, has also foundered in the region, where the demand persists for quick action, not more talking.

PHOTO CAPTION

President Bush, right, shakes hands with King Abdullah II of Jordan, left, in the Oval Office at the White House, Wednesday, May 8, 2002, in Washington. "Simply from the fact that he is the symbol or the representation of the Palestinian people, he is relevant," King Abdullah II said Wednesday, referring to Yasser Arafat and his involvement in the Middle East peace process. (AP Photo/Kenneth Lambert)