The much-anticipated US Middle East vision unveiled by President George W. Bush on Monday night, which urged Palestinians to replace Yasser Arafat as their leader and adopt "a practicing democracy" leading to an independent state in three years, drew mixed responses from the world.
Both Israelis and Palestinians welcomed President Bush's outline for Mideast peace, but for different reasons: Israel heard a call to change the Palestinian leadership and end terrorism while Palestinians focused on Bush's support for a Palestinian state.
As for Arab countries, some expressed support for Bush’s mentioning of a Palestinian state while others voiced criticism and blasted Bush’s bias in favor of Israel.
Britain, Germany and Canada welcomed Bush’s effort to restore peace in the Middle East, but disagreed with his call for Palestinians to ditch Yasser Arafat.
Sharon 'Extremely Pleased' with Bush’s Speech
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said on Monday that he is "extremely pleased" with US President George W. Bush's speech on Middle East.
Sharon said in a statement that when the Palestinian National Authority gets new leadership, it will be possible to discuss ways of moving forward.
The statement said that when there is a complete cessation of terror, violence and incitement, and when the Palestinian National Authority enacts genuine reforms with a different Authority to be created, then it will be possible to discuss how to make progress on the political tracks.
Arafat Welcomes Bush’s Speech
Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat on Monday said that the Palestinian leadership welcomed US President George W. Bush's speech on Middle East peace strategy.
In a statement issued after Bush’s speech, Arafat called for talks on implementing the blueprint, which he said is a "serious effort to end the Middle East conflict."
The statement published by the PNA state-run news agency said that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) leadership hopes that details of these ideas would be discussed by US and other Arab, European and other countries.
Annan Welcomes US New Mideast Peace Plan
Reacting to a speech by US President George W. Bush on the Middle East, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday welcomed the US leader's reaffirmation that the outcome of the Middle East peace process should be the establishment of a viable and credible State of Palestine and security for Israel.
Through a statement issued by his spokesman, Annan urged Israelis and Palestinians to "muster the courage and political will to make it possible within three years to replace the Israeli occupation of 1967 by a negotiated settlement with two states living side-by-side in peace and security."
The U.N. chief reiterated his long-standing position that "there is no military solution to the conflict," and urged that with the situation on the ground eroding by the day, the international community must work swiftly with the parties to restart the political process.
China Welcomes US Peace Efforts
China welcomes US government and US President George W. Bush's efforts in pushing for peace in the Middle East, said Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao on Tuesday.
"We hope the new initiative put forward by President Bush can help solve the Middle East conflicts, and bring the two sides back to the negotiating table, " said Liu during a regular press conference in Beijing.
When asked about Bush's suggestion that Palestine should change the leadership, Liu said, President Arafat is elected by the Palestinian people and recognized by the world community.
Canada Greets Bush Plan But Says to Deal With Arafat
Canada on Tuesday largely welcomed a plan by US President George W. Bush to restore peace in the Middle East but disagreed with his call for Palestinians to ditch Yasser Arafat, saying Ottawa would continue to deal with the Palestinian leader.
Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham said on Tuesday he thought "there was a lot in the speech which was encouraging, above all the engagement of the United States" while making clear he had reservations about calling for Arafat to go.
"Canada's position at the moment is that we still consider Mr. Arafat is the elected leader of the Palestinians and we'll continue to work with him," he told reporters on the eve of a summit of world leaders in western Canada.
"Our position is clear. When the Palestinian people have elected a leader -- and they've elected Mr. Arafat at this time -- we will deal with him
Germany: The Question of the Palestinian Leadership Should be Solved by Palestinian People Themselves
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said on Tuesday that the question of the Palestinian leadership should be solved by Palestinian people themselves.
"I don't think that a decision from outside can be forced upon the Palestinians," Fischer told the Deutschland Radio of Berlin, "but the Palestinians must now consider very carefully how far they want use this chance."
Meanwhile, in an statement issued in Berlin, Fischer said that the German government welcomes the Bush speech, "which contains clear and determined avowal by the United States to further engage itself in the region so important for world peace".
British Will Deal With Arafat If He Re-elected
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said on Tuesday that Britain would deal with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat if he is re-elected by the Palestinian Authority.
"We deal with the leaders that are elected and, in the case of dictatorial regimes, with those that are not elected," he said.
Quite different to the U.S., Britain had repeatedly made it clear that it respects the Palestinian peoples' choice and Arafat should not be neglected in the Middle East peace process. Straw had also urged the Israelis to show restrict when dealing with the self-suicide attacks carried out by Palestinian extremists.
Mixed Arab Responses
Arab League Chief Amr Mussa saw certain "positive points" in the "very important speech" by President Bush, hoping that Arab countries will intensify coordination to facilitate the birth of a Palestinian state.
Jordan and Egypt, the two key Arab allies of the United States in the region, expressed welcome to Bush's speech, with each country voicing its specific interest of concern.
"We welcome favorably the speech by President Bush," the Jordanian government said in a statement on Tuesday, which insisted, however, any reforms on the Palestinian territories, as called for by Bush, must be done by the Palestinians.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Tuesday described the US Mideast policy outlined by Bush as "totally balanced."
"I do not see the removal of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the speech, but a demand for the PNA's (Palestinian National Authority) reforms and the establishment of a new administration," Mubarak said.
"However, some points in the speech must be explained and clarified," he said, adding that Egypt is looking forward to a visit by US Secretary of State Colin Powell to the region to discuss ways to implement the ideas contained in the speech.
Tuesday's Syrian official newspapers, however, criticized Bush's Middle East speech and accused the US president of "ignoring Israeli occupation and placing the responsibility for the regional situation and the lack of peace on the Palestinians."
The newspaper Al Thawra slammed Bush for emphasizing "the necessity to resolve all the issues concerning Jerusalem" and conditioning final peace on "fighting the so-called terrorism" by Arab countries.
In Syria's southern neighbor Lebanon, where Syria maintains more than 20,000 troops, the local Lebanese Future television station lashed out at Washington's "blind support" to Israeli brutal aggression against the Palestinians.
It also said that Lebanese President Emile Lahoud and Prime Minister Rafik Hariri are harshly critical of Bush's vision of a provisional Palestinian state that would amount to nothing more than an Israeli-controlled ghetto, although both leaders are yet to make their official responses to Bush's statement.
(Edited by Zheng Guihong for china.org.cn, June 26, 2002)
