Blair backs Palestinian state

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, OCT. 15. In a major diplomatic initiative by Britain to sustain the Muslim world's backing for the military action in Afghanistan, the Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, today publicly declared support for a ``viable Palestinian state'' as part of a negotiated settlement, and in turn, the visiting Palestinian leader, Mr. Yasser Arafat, strongly denounced Osama bin Laden's attempt to hijack the Palestinian cause for his terrorist activities.

Mr. Arafat, who was here at Mr. Blair's invitation, sharply condemned the Sept. 11 outrage and repudiated Osama's claim that the campaign against terrorism is a war against Islam. ``The fight against terror is not a fight against Islam,'' he declared, stressing that Islam forbade killing innocent people. This was as emphatic a rejection of the ``jehadi'' line as Mr. Blair could expect from a leader whose name and cause have been invoked to rationalise Osama's actions. ``Mr. Blair got what he wanted,'' said a Downing Street watcher, and Mr. Arafat got what he was looking for: the first public and televised endorsement by a Western leader of his people's demand for an independent state.

Observers recalled that only a few weeks ago, a reference to a Palestinian state by the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Jack Straw, in an Iranian newspaper article had touched off a diplomatic row with the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Ariel Sharon, refusing to meet him until Mr. Blair intervened.

They saw it as a major triumph for Mr. Arafat, who in the weeks before the current crisis, had become an isolated figure ``in effect banished from London and Washington because of his unwillingness or inability to halt Palestinian attacks on Israel'', as The Times put it.

His tough anti-terrorism stance after the Sept. 11 attacks and his administration's crackdown on pro-Osama protesters in Palestine turned him into an asset for the Western alliance at a time when Muslim opinion across the world was inflamed by the military offensive against Afghanistan, commentators said.

After an hour-long meeting at Downing Street this morning, which both Mr. Blair and Mr. Arafat described as ``good'' and ``constructive'', they said it was the ``right time'' for the resumption of peace process in West Asia.

Mr. Blair denied that the current efforts were a result of the post-Sept. 11 Arab backlash, but admitted that the crisis had lent a ``renewed urgency'' to ``reinvigorate'' the peace process. Now was the chance, he said, to set right the ``injustices'' that had blighted the world and seek a just and lasting settlement of the Palestine-Israel conflict - a view strongly echoed by Mr. Arafat who called upon Israel to return to negotiations and put an end to the conflict.

He reiterated his demand for an independent Palestinian state, alongside Israel, and with East Jerusalem as the capital of the new state.

Asked what kind of assurance he had sought from Mr. Blair in getting Israel to resume peace talks, a visibly pleased Mr. Arafat said: ``I don't need to seek any assurance from him. We trust him that he will do it.'' He said Mr. Blair had a ``special role'' to play in pushing the peace efforts. There were indications that Mr. Blair would speak to Mr. Sharon ``very shortly'', and follow up his initiative with the U.S. President, Mr. George W. Bush.

Earlier, on his arrival, Mr. Arafat described it as a ``very important'' visit, his first meeting with Mr. Blair in a year. Hours before he arrived, Mr. Blair spoke of the need for constructing a ``security bridge'' as a prelude to the start of a substantive dialogue in West Asia. ``You need to construct at least the right platform of security so that people feel they're not seeing funerals on their television screens, heightening the tension and anger and bitterness, then the violence,'' he said in an interview to The Observer on Sunday.

The invitation to Mr. Arafat followed Mr. Blair's recent visit to West Asia where the message he repeatedly got was that there was deep anger among the people over the U.S. support for Israel, and the pro-Osama opinion was a reaction to the U.S. policy on the Palestine-Israel dispute.

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Section  : International
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