Cheney: Arafat Must Rein in Bombers

20/05/2002| IslamWeb

HIGHLIGHTS: Cheney Acknowldges Arafat Cannot Control All Palestinian Bombers||100 Per cent Effort Required and Not 100 Per cent Results||'Bombers Are Not Targeting Israel, Palestinian Statehood is the Target,' Condoleezza Rice||STORY: A Palestinian bombing Sunday in Israel led Bush administration officials to renew demands that Yasser Arafat rein in Palestinian militants, though they acknowledged Arafat cannot control all of them.(Read photo caption)

"I think there clearly is a class of bombings that he can't" rein in, Vice President Dick Cheney said.

He cited groups supported by Syria and Iran, and named the militant organizations Hezbollah and Hamas as two "that don't come under his purview and that have in the past indicated they're prepared to do everything they can to destroy the peace process."

"On the other hand, there have in the past been bombings by elements of Palestinian organizations that come under his control and there he clearly has the capacity to act," Cheney said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

"We've got to find a way to get a handle on it, because we're not going to get that peace process back on track until the violence ends," Cheney said.

Added Condoleezza Rice, the president's national security adviser: "It is true that there are external forces supporting terrorism in the Middle East," also identifying Syria and Iran as examples.

But, Rice said, "No one ever asked Yasser Arafat to get 100 percent results. What has been asked of him is 100 percent effort. And there is a lot that he does control, and there are some that he controls simply by his authority with the Palestinian people."

The vice president also warned that if Palestinian bombers "achieve their desired results" in the Middle East, it would heighten the possibility that they use the tactic in the United States. "I think there's a real possibility that we may see that kind of thing here or in other open societies," he said.

Rice said the bombing "underscores the importance of doing something about terror as a weapon in the Middle East."

PHOTO CAPTION

Vice President Dick Cheney responds to criticism on Fox News Sunday that the Bush administration ignored warning signs about the Sept. 11th attacks on Sunday, May 19, 2002 in Washington. (AP Photo/Fox News, Chris Kleponis)