Tuesday, Apr 30, 2002
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By Sridhar Krishnaswami
"I welcome people from that part of the world to come and bare their soul and discuss their plans for peace," Mr. Bush said, adding that Mr. Arafat must earn respect by "leading''. After the Ramallah agreement materialised on Sunday, Mr. Bush called up Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon. The Secretary of State, Colin Powell, spoke to Mr. Arafat. American and British security experts are expected in Ramallah on Monday to help set up the U.S. plan to end the siege of Mr. Arafat's compound. Israeli forces have agreed to pull back once six Palestinian men wanted by Israel are moved to a Palestinian prison and kept under the watch of U.S. and British wardens. Four of the six Palestinians were convicted of the killing of the Israeli Tourism Minister, Rehavam Zeevi, at a makeshift trial at the compound on Thursday and sentenced to long jail terms. U.S. officials said security experts from the U.S. and British embassies would discuss details of the transfer of the six into international custody at a Palestinian prison. According to Saudi officials, Prince Abdullah and Mr. Bush agreed during their 10-minute phone conversation that the Ramallah accord would be the first step towards political negotiation that would lead to comprehensive and just peace in the region. The Saudi Foreign Minister, prior to his departure from Houston, said his delegation was pleased that Mr. Bush was "fully engaged" in West Asia. The Ramallah accord is seen as a breakthrough for this administration which has been trying to bring both sides to agree to a ceasefire over the last few weeks with little success until now. The plan is believed to have taken shape during the summit between Prince Abdullah and Mr. Bush at Crawford in Texas last week. Mr. Sharon is likely to travel to Washington shortly for his fifth meeting with Mr. Bush. Though Washington backs the Jewish State to the hilt, there have been differences over approach. In addition, the administration has come under criticism from the right wing for leaning too hard on Mr. Sharon. The U.S. can now only hope that the Ramallah accord progresses to a broader ceasefire which will then pave the way for political negotiations. The standoff between Israel and the United Nations over the fact-finding mission for Jenin may impede the route to a truce. But Mr. Bush appears confident that the two sides will find a way out of the snag. "I believe we're making good progress toward ending that part of the Israeli incursion and hopefully it will get done soon," the President said.
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