Is it me, or do the Arabs and Palestinians appear to be the voices of reason here? It's good to see America on the right side of this. ----------------------------- Israel asks Powell not to meet Geneva pact authors Wednesday, December 3, 2003 Posted: 0244 GMT (10:44 AM HKT) http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/12/02/mideast.geneva.powell.ap/index.html JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel's vice premier warned it would be a mistake for Secretary of State Colin Powell to meet organizers of an informal Mideast peace treaty. But Powell said Tuesday that just such a meeting is planned this week. Top Israeli officials have rejected Monday's "Geneva accord" designed by former Israeli and Palestinian leaders as failing to advance the overall peace process. The Palestinian response has been mixed. But Powell said his meeting Friday with the unofficial plan's architects would not contradict the U.S. commitment to the "road map" peace plan outlining the establishment of a Palestinian state. "I don't know why I or anyone else in the U.S. government should deny ourselves the opportunity to hear from others and who have ideas with respect to peace," Powell said at a news conference during a visit to Tunisia. But he added that the meeting "in no way undercuts our strong support" for Israel and the road map. The informal agreement was the result of three years of talks between former Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, working in private capacities without representing their governments. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon described the agreement as subversive, and other Israeli opponents said it would simply serve as the starting point for the next round of negotiations, undermining government policy. The agreement proposes borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state close to Israel's borders before the 1967 Mideast war, giving the Palestinians almost all of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and part of Jerusalem. It calls for the removal of most Israeli settlements there and severely limits the so-called "right of return" for Palestinians who fled or were driven out during the 1948-49 war that followed Israel's creation and their descendants. It also divides sovereignty in Jerusalem. Organizers flew from Geneva to Washington, where they hoped to meet Powell. However, as of late Tuesday, a meeting had not yet been finally arranged. Israeli Vice Premier Ehud Olmert said Powell would be "making a mistake" to meet the organizers, led by former Israeli Cabinet minister Yossi Beilin and Palestinian minister Yasser Abed Rabbo. "I think he is not being useful to the process," Olmert told Israel Radio. "I am certain of his friendship [to Israel], but I would cast doubt on his judgment in this matter." The Israelis are concerned that a Powell meeting would lend legitimacy to the accord. The U.S. government has been generally supportive of the Geneva initiative, while insisting that the "road map" plan is the only one on the table. The "road map" leads through three stages to a Palestinian state, but it is a formula for negotiations, while the Geneva Accord spells out solutions to the touchiest issues. Reversing his initial lukewarm initial response, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat sent a message to the Geneva gathering warmly praising the virtual treaty, calling it "a brave initiative that opens the door to peace." However, militant Palestinian groups denounced the accord and called the Palestinian negotiators "traitors," objecting to concessions over the return of refugees to their original homes in Israel. In reaction from the Arab world, the newspaper "Oman" praised the accord. In an editorial, the paper described it as the first true Palestinian or Arab document that gives a comprehensive vision for a solution to all the issues and paves the way for a Palestinian state. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The devil is in the details, but I don't see the good in shutting out this Geneva pact. At the very least, it bears looking at, and I'm glad the United States is at least willing to apparently be open-minded and go take a look. Hopefully good will come of it.
Who the hell is the Israeli Vice Premier to warn Collin Powell not to meet with anybody? I can't believe that. I've said before that one thing I like about the plan is that at least initially both Arafat and Sharone were against the plan. It appears that the Palestinian leaderhip has loosened up somewhat but still aren't wholeheartedly endorsing this or anything. I believe that the plan is at least a good starting place, to begin talks. We just need leadership on both sides that are willing to work in earnest.
Ditto. That pisses me off too. I would be sooo pissed if the US administration actually listened to that.
Would that be the militant Palestinians that you're referring to? The ones who called the Palestinian negotiators 'traitors'? And for what reason did you totally ignore the non-Arab/non-Palestinian participants in the pact? There were 2 sides creating the pact, no?
cohen, my bad. i should have said "arab + palestinian leadership", by which i meant the people who came out and supported this. i don't think it is smart for ANY party to oppose these efforts. but i do think that the israeli govt and the palestinian militant groups are rejecting these accords to maintain their bargaining positions. i think they're holding on to the logic that in any negotiations, the first party to budge from is usually the party which loses more in the end... quite tragic.
Meeting with the Geneva Accord authors is just a smart thing to do. He's not guaranteeing sponsorship or even endorsement. As I understand it, he's just meeting with them to hear their ideas and to discuss the situation. Sounds good to me.
... + Israeli negotiators + Israeli public http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...20031203/ap_on_re_mi_ea/mideast_geneva_accord
i just have to wonder just how significant is "significant"? is it significant enough to get this idiot sharon and his henchmen thrown out of office? i sure hope so. it is also striking how two different authors can create such different impressions from the same news story...
I read an article recently, and I'm paraphrasing here, in which polls taken had an increase of approval over the last two months in the Israeli public from like %25 to %35. There was still a higher percentage against, but not much. If that percentage keeps growing... I'll link the article if I find it.
"Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon described the agreement as subversive, and other Israeli opponents said it would simply serve as the starting point for the next round of negotiations, undermining government policy" I agree with the above quote. The authors of this peace plan on the Israeli side are people who can't even get elected because they are so far left wing.
Is it similar to this? <a HREF="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/364218.html">Poll: Most Israelis and Palestinians support Geneva Accord</a>
