International   

Britain calls Arab meet on Palestine

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON DEC. 17. Britain has called a summit of Arab leaders here next month in what is being talked up as a major new diplomatic initiative by the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, to push the Palestinian peace process, but critics dismissed it as a tactic to deflect Arab anger over the British-U.S. obsession with Iraq even as Palestine is burning.

The move was announced by Mr. Blair in Parliament shortly after a tense meeting with the visiting Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, who has consistently accused the west of pursuing double standards over Iraq and Israel and warned that an attack on Iraq, while the Palestinian issue remains unresolved, would create a "fertile soil'' for terrorism across West Asia.

Mr. Blair, who first floated the idea of a "peace conference'' on Palestine nearly two months ago while speaking at a Labour Party conclave, sought to separate the Palestinian issue from what he described as the threat from Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

``The thing I would say passionately to the people in the Arab world today is: you do not have to choose between dealing with the threat that Iraq poses with its weapons of mass destruction and dealing with the question of the Palestinians and the Middle East peace process. We should actually be dealing with both issues: we should be strong against international terrorism and equally strong in making sure there is justice, based on the two-state solution for people in the Middle East,'' he said.

Leaders from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian Authority would sit down with representatives of the "Quartet group'', comprising the U.N., E.U., U.S. and Russia, at the London conference to be chaired by the Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw. But contrary to Mr. Blair's original promise of a full-fledged peace conference, its remit would be restricted to discussing "reforms'' to the Palestinian Authority which America and Israel insist are necessary before talks on creating an independent Palestinian state are held.

Mr. Blair told the Commons that it was in the interest of both the Palestinians and the Israelis that "these reforms succeed so we can make a reality of the U.S. President, George Bush's vision of two states-Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security''.

Mr. Straw rebutted the criticism over the summit's limited aim saying that while it was "medium level but it is a step in the right direction''. The Palestinian chief, Yasser Arafat, who has been under a virtual Israeli siege for months, welcomed the initiative and said he would send senior representatives to the conference.

The summit is seen as an attempt by Mr. Blair to be seen to be "engaged'' in the Palestinian crisis despite Washington's calculated indifference, and observers said it signalled his desire to "carve out an independent British role'' on the issue.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• U.S. equipment for Pak. to fight terrorism
• Pak. withdraws aircraft from forward operating bases
• Russia reiterates support for Iraq
• Britain calls Arab meet on Palestine
• `Al-Qaeda trading in diamonds'
• France getting mired in war?
• N. Korea urged to roll back n-programme
• Israel concerned over possible terror attack in Goa
• Is the Quattrocchi case still on course?
• West adopting double standards: Kanwal Sibal

Copyright © 2002, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu