|
|
21 CETURY WORLD POWERS / » archive
article: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14
Rice Again Asks Israel and Palestinians
to Bridge Divide
November 14, 2005
New York Times
By STEVEN R. WEISMAN
JERUSALEM, Nov. 13 - Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice, making her fourth visit to Israel this year,
again implored Israelis and Palestinians on Sunday
to resolve their differences, amid mounting signs
of frustration in Washington over the lack of progress
since Israel withdrew from Gaza in the summer.
Ms. Rice arrived Sunday evening for a speech on
democracy in the Middle East at an Israel-United
States forum attended by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
and senior American officials from past administrations,
and for a memorial service on Monday honoring Yitzhak
Rabin, the Israeli prime minister who was assassinated
10 years ago.
But the visit was portrayed by her aides as principally
a continuation of the administration's pressure
on Israelis and Palestinians to make the concessions
they embraced in principle this year. "The
parties have now had the habit of cooperation in
the Gaza withdrawal, and it is our hope that they
are going to continue to build on that," she
said on the plane from Jidda, Saudi Arabia. But
while some Americans had hoped for agreements on
Israeli and Palestinian steps to follow Gaza coinciding
with Ms. Rice's visit, Mr. Sharon said at the forum
that an announcement would be made "in a few
days."
In Israel, Ms. Rice planned to meet separately on
Monday with Mr. Sharon and the Palestinian leader,
Mahmoud Abbas.
Among the points of contention remaining, despite
months of effort by James D. Wolfensohn, the special
Middle East envoy, are the establishment of crossings
for goods and people into and out of Gaza, a pullback
of Israeli troops from West Bank towns and an agreement
to arm Palestinian security forces.
Mr. Wolfensohn expressed frustration on Sunday at
the inability of Israel and the Palestinians to
complete a deal on Palestinian movements into and
out of the Gaza Strip. But in remarks to the Israeli
newspaper Haaretz, he repeated a previous criticism,
saying Israel did not share his sense of urgency
about resolving questions that have kept most Gazans
confined to the territory. Mr. Wolfensohn also blamed
the Palestinians for some delays, saying he had
heard reports that explosives had been found in
trucks leaving Gaza for Israel, Haaretz reported
on its Web site.
In a related development, Israel announced it was
renewing permission for some Palestinians to enter
Israel. More than 15,000 Palestinian workers and
businesspeople in the West Bank will be allowed
in, while more than 3,000 Palestinians in Gaza are
receiving the same permission.
In overnight clashes, Israeli soldiers killed two
Palestinian militants, one in the West Bank and
one in Gaza, the Israeli military and Palestinian
security officials said.
Near Jenin on the West Bank, soldiers fired on three
Palestinians who were armed and approaching a military
post, the army said. When the Palestinians fled,
the soldiers tracked one man to a house, where they
found an automatic rifle. A sniffer dog found the
Palestinian hiding in bushes outside. The soldiers,
suspecting the Palestinian still had a weapon, shot
him dead, though the military said no weapon was
found on his body. Palestinians identified the man
as Shujua Balawi, a member of Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades.
In Gaza, soldiers fatally shot one of two Palestinian
men who crawled to the fence along Gaza's perimeter
and were planting a bomb, the military and the Palestinian
security officials said. The second man fled.
[Israeli police shot dead a member of Hamas in a
raid in the West Bank town of Nablus on Monday,
Palestinian witnesses and the Israeli Army said,
Reuters reported. Hamas issued a statement saying
the man killed, Amjad Hanawi, 34, had been one of
their leaders in Nablus.]
The forum Ms. Rice addressed was sponsored by the
Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings
Institution, which has held a series of panels over
the past few days.
Ms. Rice hailed the leadership of Mr. Sharon as
she recalled Mr. Rabin, but she cautioned that Israel
must not take actions that "prejudge a final
settlement" with the Palestinians - code words
for not expanding settlements or extending its security
barrier into Palestinian areas.
But the focus of her speech was to cite examples
of what she said was spreading democracy in the
region, not only elections under American occupation
in Iraq and Afghanistan but also in the Palestinian
territories and Lebanon and, to a lesser degree,
in Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Israelis are among the largest skeptics about the
Bush administration's efforts to promote democracy,
some administration officials acknowledge. Israelis
fear that more democracy in Jordan and Egypt could
breed more hostility, typified by the recently elected
Iranian president's call for Israel's eradication.
Ms. Rice seemed to address such concerns, saying:
"Of course, many skeptics still question whether
freedom will truly lead to more peace in this region.
I believe it will." She said the region must
eradicate a sense of helplessness in which young
people blame their problems "on modernity or
on America or on the Jews."
Earlier Sunday, before her plane left Saudi Arabia,
Ms. Rice and Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal sought
to repair relations with pledges of more cooperation
by setting up six working groups to improve efforts
on such matters as combating terrorism, ensuring
steady Saudi oil production and, a major demand
of Saudis since Sept. 11, 2001, granting more visas
to Saudis to visit and study in the United States.
The convivial atmosphere was underscored at lunch
when the Saudis wheeled in a chocolate birthday
cake for Ms. Rice, a day early, and sang "Happy
Birthday." It was a gesture more appreciated
than the one in her last visit, when the foreign
minister airily declared that he had not read her
speech on democracy the day before, "to my
eternal shame."
In another unusual gesture of reconciliation, Prince
Saud effectively retracted a criticism he made while
in Washington in September that American policies
in Iraq were causing the country to disintegrate
and become dominated by Iran. Since then, he said,
Saudi Arabia and other countries had signed up for
an Arab League-sponsored conference on Nov. 19 in
Cairo to bring reconciliation in Iraq. "Now
that that step has been taken, my fears, which I
had expressed earlier, are much more eased today
than they were at the time that I expressed them,"
he said.
Greg Myre contributed reporting for this article.
|
 |
|
 |
 |
Sources: Thousands of Turkish troops enter Iraq
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Several thousand Turkish troops crossed into northern Iraq early Wednesday to chase Kurdish guerrillas who operate from bases there, Turkish security officials said.... |
 |
Could an al-Qaeda Attack Trigger War With Iran?
Following revelations of a George W. Bush administration policy to hold Iran responsible for any al-Qaeda attack on the U.S. that could be portrayed as planned on Iranian soil... |
|
U.S. doubles air attacks in Iraq
BAGHDAD - Four years into the war that opened with "shock and awe," U.S. warplanes have again stepped up attacks in Iraq , dropping bombs at more than twice the rate of a year ago. ... |
|
NPR interviews Dahr Jamail on State of Iraq Hospitals
The five minute interview with Michelle Norris is a good one. However, if the NPR show were true to its title, "All Things Considered"... |
|
Bipartisan panel urges agencies to order civilians to Iraq
With the situation in Iraq "grave and deteriorating," the United States must begin the process of shifting troops out of the country, members of a bipartisan panel said Wednesday... |
|
Sunnis Reject
Early Iraq Election Results, Calling for Inquiry
BAGHDAD,
Iraq, Dec. 20 - Sunni Arab leaders angrily rejected early election
results on Tuesday, saying the vote had been fixed in... |
|
Dispelling
Myths About Iraq
The
bruising debate over U.S. Iraq policy often seems to stray far from
the reality on the ground inside Iraq. Although Iraq’s progress
... |
|
Iraqis Glad
2005 Over, Dim Hopes for 2006
*BAGHDAD,
Dec 20 (IPS) - Despite the parliamentary elections last week
and temporary ease in violence ... |
|
Religious Groups
Take Early Lead in Iraqi Ballots
BAGHDAD,
Iraq, Dec. 19 - Early voting results announced by Iraqi electoral
officials on Monday, with nearly two-thirds of the ballots ... |
|
David Brooks:
Taking a long view of the Iraq conflict
WASHINGTON
Over the past few years, the Iraq war has morphed from a war of liberation
against Saddam Hussein into a civil conflict between Sunnis and Shiites
... |
|
Yosfiya: The
21st Century Nazis Are Here
Weary
of the overall failure of the US media to accurately report on the
realities of the war in Iraq for the Iraqi people and US soldiers,
Dahr Jamail went to Iraq to report on the war himself... |
|
U.S. Is Said
to Pay to Plant Articles in Iraq Papers
WASHINGTON,
Nov. 30 - Titled "The Sands Are Blowing Toward a Democratic Iraq,"
an article written this week for publication in the Iraqi press was
scornful of outsiders' pessimism about the country's future... |
|
 |
N. Korea warns of nuclear war if attacked
North Korea will respond to a pre-emptive U.S. military attack with an "annihilating strike and a nuclear war," the state-run media said Monday, heightening its antagonistic rhetoric.... |
|
Israel says no negotiations on soldier
Palestinian militants holding an Israeli soldier gave Israel less than 24 hours Monday to start releasing 1,500 Palestinian prisoners ... |
|
In the Shadow
of Sharon
IT
is too early to assess Ariel Sharon's legacy. To be sure, he will
be remembered as one of Israel's great field commanders, the wily,
bulldozing general ... |
|
The New Red,
White and Blue
As
we enter 2006, we find ourselves in trouble, at home and abroad. We
are in trouble because we are led by defeatists - wimps, actually... |
|
Life After
Ariel Sharon
When
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced two months ago that he was leaving
the right-wing Likud Party, which he had embodied for three decades... |
|
Administration
Cites War Vote in Spying Case
WASHINGTON,
Dec. 19 - President Bush and two of his most senior aides argued Monday
that the highly ... |
|
Austrian presidency
will not press for EU constitution
EUOBSERVER
/ BRUSSELS - Austrian foreign minister Ursula Plassnik has indicated
that her country's incoming six-month EU... |
|
DEFINING THE
AMERICAN INTEREST
The
American Interest (AI) is a new and independent voice devoted to the
broad theme of "America in the world." Our agenda is threefold.
The first is to analyze America's... |
|
THE AMAZING
BUBBLE-MAN
Alan
Greenspan is the great guru of the American economy, the spell-master
over the fortunes of multitudes the world over. Chairman of... |
|
US DEPARTMENT
OF STATE RELEASED A PRESS STATEMENT ABOUT U.S.-IZRAEL STRATEGIC DIALOGUE
On
November 28, 2005, the United States and Israel conducted a strategic
dialogue led by Under Secretary for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns
and Minister of Jerusalem... |
|
An Offering
of Detail But No New Substance
Thirty-two
months after U.S. forces invaded Iraq, President Bush's advisers concluded
that his message of "stay the course" has been translated by a weary
American public as "stay forever." And so yesterday the president
tried to reassure the nation... |
|
9/11 Commissioners
Fault Administration
WASHINGTON
-- Reviewing action on recommendations it made last year, the Sept.
11 commission on Monday criticized the Bush administration for not
adopting standards for treatment of captured terror suspects... |
|
US
refuses to rule out use of torture
THE
White House has refused to rule out the use of torture in an effort
to prevent a major terrorist attack, arguing the war on terror could
present a "difficult dilemma" and the US administration
was duty-bound to protect the American people... |
|
American
Majority Says Bush Misled on Iraq
(Angus
Reid Global Scan) – Many adults in the United States are questioning
their president’s motives to launch the coalition effort, according
to a poll by Hart/McInturff released by the Wall Street Journal... |
|
 |
EU opens door to hidden TV adverts
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – More frequent commercial breaks as well as product placements, ... |
|
EU states under fire for red tape on foreign workers
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Commission is set next week to present a report criticising ... |
|
There is too much hyperbole over the EU consitutional treaty
EUOBSERVER / COMMENT - I am getting increasingly fed up with those who qualify the Constitutional Treaty as a "radical new departure" ... |
|
Brussels asks Helsinki to push for stronger EU in criminal matters
The European Commission has renewed calls to boost EU powers in criminal matters as well as increase the role of ... |
|
MEPs shelve prickly anti-fraud debate, again
The European Parliament has for the third time postponed a plenary debate on ... |
|
Frattini calls for national search into CIA flights and prisons
EU justice comissioner Franco Frattini has urged national prosecutors and judges ... |
|
EU praises Bush for wanting 'end' to Guantanamo
The EU has welcomed US president George W. Bush's statements on ending the Guantanamo ... |
|
This WEEK in the European Union
EUOBSERVER / WEEKLY AGENDA (2-9 July) This week will be the first in office for the Finnish EU presidency. ... |
|
EU troops kill
wife of Bosnian war crimes suspect
The
wife of Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Dragomir Abazovic was shot
to death in a gun battle as EU troops stormed the couple's house ... |
|
Bird flu kills
third child in Turkey
Avian
influenza has cost the life of a third child in Eastern Turkey, raising
fears that the deadly strain of the so-called bird flu virus could
spread ... |
|
EU draws up
Adriatic gas plan after Russia-Ukraine fiasco
The
EU might build a new gas pipeline on the Adriatic Sea coast in order... |
|
Slovak-Vatican
abortion deal criticised by EU experts
Slovakia
has been challenged by EU legal experts over an agreement with the
Vatican... |
|
Commissioner
proposes constitution cherry-picking
French
commissioner Jacques Barrot has proposed that single elements of the
EU constitution be taken out in a bid to save the charter... |
|
Blair takes
hits on EU budget deal
British
prime minister Tony Blair, defending the deal on EU’s budget
in front of the House of Commons... |
|
Italian bank
chief resigns
Italian
Central Bank governor Antonio Fazio resigned yesterday after the Italian
government had announced... |
|
WTO fallout
expected
Polish
experts say the WTO deal could harm EU exporters of milk, sugar, beef
and grain leading to oversupply... |
|
Austria to
revive constitution chat
Austria
plans to revive the EU constitution debate and plough ahead with Turkey
accession talks under its incoming... |
|
EU threatens
to cut Palestine funds if Hamas wins
The
EU's exterior relations chief Javier Solana will stop EU funding for
Palestine if Hamas wins the Palestinian elections saying... |
|
Ukraine snubbed
in Russia gas row
Ukraine
prime minister Yuri Yekhanourov flew to Moscow for gas price talks
but came back with nothing as Russia... |
|
Serbian grip
on Kosovo weakening
Less
and less people in Serbia and on an international level support the
idea of a Serbian Kosovo, Le Figaro writes... |
|
New Baltic
gas pipeline scheme
Finland
and Estonia are talking about building a gas pipeline linking... |
|
Germany to
cooperate with Italy
German
chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday visited Italian prime minister
Silvio Berlusconi amid promises... |
|
Turkey pressed
to stop blocking EU-NATO meetings
EUOBSERVER
/ BRUSSELS - Turkey has come under increased pressure to stop blocking
strategic meetings between the EU and NATO... |
|
Slovaks
voting on design of euro coins
EUOBSERVER
/ BRUSSELS - Slovak citizens are voting on the country's future eurocoin
designs, with a possibility... |
|
Bosnian
leaders in Brussels for US-led constitution talks
Bosnian
political leaders are meeting in Brussels to discuss a reform of their
country’s constitution, on the basis of a draft... |
|
Polish
government deepens eurosceptic ties
The
new Polish government secured parliamentary backing on Thursday (10
November) but some fear mounting tension with Brussels in store... |
|
Estonian
foreign minister denied entry visa to Russia
Russia
has refused to give the Estonian foreign minister an entry visa, sparking
a diplomatic row with Tallinn... |
|
Ex-commissioner
Edith Cresson may lose EU pension
EUOBSERVER
/ BRUSSELS - The European Commission has called for the suspension
of EU pension rights for former French prime minister... |
|
Letters
to commissioners to go public in EU transparency drive
EUOBSERVER
/ BRUSSELS - The European Commission has adopted today (9 November)
a controversial "transparency initiative."... |
|
|
|
 |
Traffic
Control Department of Bulgarian Ministry of Internal Affairs
:: Sofia
University
Varna's Free University ::
Municipality of Varna ::
Munucipality of Sofia ::
Bulgarian Lawyers
Krum Zahariev - web design ::
Patchwork PR & Communcation Co
Columbia Broadcasting School Washington D.C. ::
Long & Foster Inc.
NC News & Documentary Productions Washington D.C.
|
|
