Palestinian premier 'understands terror must end': Powell
The new Palestinian Prime Minister understands that terror against Israel must stop so that making the peace can go forward, United States Secretary of State Colin Powell said today. Israelis told Powell they want to see terror groups dismantled.
Powell said, of Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, on whom the Bush administration is pinning its peace hopes: “I think he understands that terror must be brought to an end.”
Israeli officials told Powell, on his first trip to the region in more than a year, that they expected Abbas to dismantle Hamas and other militant groups.
Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz said after talks with Powell: “We expect the Palestinians to root out the terror, not just a ceasefire.
“A ceasefire would allow the terror groups to reorganise and rearm.”
Powell, who was to meet Abbas, known also as Abu Mazen, after a talks later today with Israeli premier Ariel Sharon, said he would discuss how the international community could help the Palestinians impose order.
In order to get Israel and the Palestinians moving to implement a blueprint, or roadmap, for a settlement Powell must overcome Sharon’s reservations about holding negotiations before there is a complete end to violence.
According to the plan, Palestinians must rein in militants and combat terrorism while Israel must remove illegal Jewish settlement outposts and freeze construction in more established Israeli communities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The meeting with Abbas in Jericho side-steps Yasser Arafat, whom the Bush administration discounts as being both ineffective and entwined with violence against Israel.
Many Palestinians are unhappy with Arafat’s virtual house arrest in Ramallah, the Palestinian political centre.
Businesses shut down in the city today in protest at Powell’s visit.
Sharon appeared to be eager to smooth over differences, telling a senior US diplomat before the meeting: ”I would like you to know that you are among friends.”
Powell arrived yesterday with a message to Israel and the Palestinians, saying: “There is enough agreement on the roadmap that we can get started.”
In contrast to the bitter confrontation he found on his last trip 13 months ago, Powell said Abbas “is beginning to make the right statements with respect to terror and violence” and that Sharon had shown signs of cooperation.
Sharon is expected to ease restraints on the daily lives of Palestinians, including lifting restrictions on travel and work inside Israel.
But he is seeking a long list of assurances from the Bush administration before implementing the roadmap prepared by the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia.
Powell said at a meeting with Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom last night that Israel should not “gloss over” Palestinian demands for the right to return to Israel of Palestinians and their descendants who had fled the state at its founding in 1948.
“The two sides have to deal with it in due course,” Powell said.
Shalom said that if Palestinian leaders took measures against terrorist groups, “it’ll be easier for us to make more gestures toward the Palestinians”.
He gave no indication that Israel would open its doors to tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees.
More dovish Israeli governments have offered the Palestinians a symbolic, limited return and some measure of compensation.
Powell told reporters travelling with him that one positive step was Sharon’s apparent decision to drop Israel’s long insistence that all violence against its citizens must end as a condition for the peace process to move ahead.
“I haven’t heard Israelis talk of total calm,” Powell said. “They are saying they are looking for a lot of effort and intent” by the new Palestinian leaders to stop terror attacks.
To this end, Powell said the CIA is in touch with Palestinian officials, and other US agencies might provide help.
Powell said he intends to assess the anti-terror tactics used by Mohammed Dahlan, the Palestinian interior minister.
