27 May 2003
Bush Visit to Middle East "Under Active Consideration"
(President "wants to do everything in his power" for Mideast peace)
(700)
Wendy S. Ross
Washington File White House Correspondent
Washington -- A visit by President Bush to the Middle East after the
June 1-3 G-8 Summit in France "is under active consideration," the
White House said May 27.
"It would not be prior to the G-8, and it would be some time shortly
after the G-8 if it were to happen," said White House Press Secretary
Ari Fleischer. The G-8 Summit, the annual meeting of leaders of the
world's seven most industrialized nations plus Russia, will take place
this year in Evian-les-Bains, France.
Jordanian Information Minister Mohammed Adwan is reported to have
announced May 27 that Jordan will host a summit meeting of President
Bush, Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and Israel's Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon in the Red Sea resort city of Aqaba. Adwan also
is reported to have said that Bush would attend a meeting of Arab
leaders in Egypt before coming to Jordan. But no dates for either
event were given.
Asked specifically about these reports, Fleischer said, "There are a
number of possibilities that the president is taking a look at. And,
again, I have nothing to say yet in the formal sense of it. But there
are a number of possibilities the president is looking at."
Fleischer, however, emphasized that President Bush "wants to do
everything in his power" to make it "the most hopeful moment possible"
for the Middle East and "continues to review the exact manner" in
which he can do this.
We have seen such moments in the Middle East "come and go before, when
people thought they could achieve peace," Fleischer said. "This
president is committed to seeing if, perhaps, this time peace can be
achieved."
Bush believes this can be a hopeful moment in the Middle East because
the Palestinians have a new leader, Abbas, who is dedicated to reform,
and Israel's Prime Minister Sharon has accepted the U.S. supported
"roadmap" and the two-state solution, Fleischer said.
"And this president, working with Arab nations, working with Israel
and working with the Palestinians, is determined to see if this can be
the right moment to get the parties to move forward, to implement the
roadmap as they've accepted the roadmap," he said.
On May 25, the Israeli cabinet conditionally approved the U.S.-backed
roadmap, which calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state by
the end of 2005.
And on May 26 Israel's Sharon announced that he was determined to
reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians and end "occupation" of
the West Bank and Gaza.
"And what you have here is, for the first time, an Israeli prime
minister committing to a two-state solution; an America President at
the same time committing to, publicly, a two-state solution. These
are, again, some of the reasons why this is a hopeful moment,"
Fleischer said.
"[F]rom the president's point of view, the main goal is to boost the
peace process. That's what the president is endeavoring to do -- and
that means all parties to the peace process. Each individual entity or
nation will be responsible for finding their own way to support that
roadmap. The United States cannot do it for them, but the United
States can be there to help the various parties come together, to work
them along through good diplomacy," Fleischer said.
Asked how President Bush's activity in this area differs from that of
former President Clinton, Fleischer said, "The biggest difference" is
that Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat "is not party to the
current discussions. And it was Yasser Arafat who did the most to
destroy the prospects of an agreement being reached when it was very
close to being reached. That's the principal difference."
Sharon and the new Palestinian prime minister also are expected to
meet shortly to discuss the roadmap. Those talks were initially
scheduled for May 28, but reports say they were postponed due to the
scheduled visit of foreign diplomats to the Palestinian Authority. It
would be the second face-to-face encounter between Sharon and Abbas in
two weeks.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)
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