The Hindu : Bush to invite Abbas for talks

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 02, 2003

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International

Bush to invite Abbas for talks

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

Washington MAY 1. The White House has said that the new Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, will be invited to Washington for talks with the President, George W. Bush. However, no firm date has been set.

It has been the policy of the Bush administration to keep the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, away from any formal meeting, and at a distance from the evolving diplomacy in West Asia. Mr. Bush went to the extent of accusing Mr. Arafat of having a hand in the violence against Israel. With the swearing-in of new Palestinian leaders, the Bush administration is unveiling its "Road Map" which has been developed with the European Union, the United Nations and Russia. It envisions the establishment of a formal Palestinian State by 2005 and a rollback of all Israeli settlements. The ultimate goal envisions Israel and the state of Palestine living side-by-side in peace.

The schedule for 2005 means that Israel has to transfer the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the Palestinians; but Washington has not committed itself openly at this time on the status of Jerusalem, which by any account, is a highly contentious and emotionally explosive issue. The Secretary of State, Colin Powell, spoke to Mr. Abbas as also to the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, on Wednesday. Gen. Powell will be meeting the two later this month.

The Bush administration has come under increasing pressure from its allies in Europe and across West Asia for failing to be diplomatically active in the peace process between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Now that the military phase of the Iraq conflict is over, attention is on Washington's ability to keep at the West Asia peace process.

The formal presentation of the Road Map to the Israelis and the Palestinians came a day after the violent incident in a Tel Aviv restaurant, which resulted in the killing of a suicide bomber and three others.

This has raised the question on whether Mr. Abbas could effectively fight violence from within his movement and outside.

The State Department said that the attack would not derail the peace effort.

Gen. Powell is leaving for Spain on Thursday and from there to Albania, Syria and Lebanon.

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