The Hindu : Bush envoy to resume West Asia mission

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 09, 2002

International

International

Bush envoy to resume West Asia mission

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

Washington MARCH 8. Against the backdrop of escalating violence in West Asia in the last five days, the U.S. President, George W. Bush, is sending his special envoy back to the region in the hopes of persuading the Israelis and the Palestinians to stop the violence. Mr. Bush has also asked the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, to look beyond security to a "vision for peace''.

The President's decision to dispatch Antony Zinni back to the region also has another context: the Vice-President, Dick Cheney, is due to visit the region this weekend and the administration does not wish that agenda to be dominated only by the goings-on inside Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza. Mr. Cheney's trip will include stops in Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia; and the administration would very much want the agenda to stay focussed on Iraq and on coalition-building for the war on terrorism. "The United States will do all it can to help the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority restore hope to their people and to the region'', Mr. Bush said at the Rose Garden with Mr. Cheney and the Secretary of State, Colin Powell, by his side. The mission of Gen. Zinni would be to guide the Israelis and the Palestinians to a "road map of peace'', the President remarked.

While urging the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, to make a "maximum effort to end terrorism against Israel'', Mr. Bush also urged the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, to exercise restraint in reprisals. The U.S. has voiced concern over the way Mr. Sharon has targeted Palestinians in response to attacks against Israel.

Gen. Powell has also stressed that Gen. Zinni will be focussing on security issues to get the violence "under control, down to zero'' and then move on to discussing political settlement. But Mr. Bush suggested that Mr. Sharon should look far beyond just security and for a "vision of peace''. The President hoped that "...my friend, Prime Minister Sharon, agrees with that assessment''.

Only a few weeks ago, the assessment in this Republican administration was that there was no point in sending a special envoy to the region unless there was a marked reduction in the violence. At the same time, Washington was being pressured by several Arab nations, directly and otherwise, to get more involved. The Bush administration, in other words, was being cautioned on the dangers of watching the developments from the sidelines. The expectation now is that Gen. Zinni will leave for West Asia sometime next week scheduling meetings not only with the Israelis and Palestinians, but also Jordan and Egypt.

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