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Diplomats see hope for peace after Arafat
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-12-16 21:32 JERUSALEM - Mideast diplomacy
has taken off after the death of Yasser Arafat.
Foreign policy chiefs from around the globe have been lining up to visit
Israeli and Palestinian officials, proclaiming a new era of opportunity has
arrived.
Diplomats caution that a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks
will take time. But they are eagerly looking forward to next month's Palestinian
presidential elections as an important test and are offering cash and other
assistance to make sure the vote goes smoothly.
"I think the present situation with the coming election is a great
opportunity ... to move toward a resumption of the peace talks, which will lead
to two states living peacefully side by side," German Foreign Minister Joschka
Fischer said during a stop in Israel last week.
Fischer was the latest in a series of high-profile visitors since
Arafat's Nov. 11 death. First was European Union foreign policy chief Javier
Solana, who attended Arafat's funeral in the West Bank town of Ramallah before
huddling with Palestinian officials.
He was followed by Secretary of State Colin Powell and foreign ministers
from Russia, Britain, Egypt, Spain and Germany. British Prime Minister Tony
Blair is expected shortly before Christmas.
Israel, meanwhile, has agreed to attend a Mideast conference in London
early next year, backing off its earlier reluctance to participate, a senior
official said Thursday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon has sent a letter to Blair agreeing to attend the conference,
tentatively scheduled for February.
In the past, Israel has been cool to participating in international
Mideast conferences, fearing outside intervention in its conflict with the
Palestinians.
Palestinian officials have welcomed talk of a Mideast conference, hoping
to use the event as a springboard for restarting peace negotiations.
But the Israeli official said the meeting should focus on reforming the
Palestinian Authority and reviving the Palestinian economy.
"There is definitely an understanding between the prime minister and
Blair's office on the focus of the conference," the official said.
Earlier Thursday, Dov Weisglass, a top aide to Sharon, expressed high
hopes for the London conference, calling it "maybe the most significant
development in the near future."
The diplomacy — and sense of optimism — is a dramatic contrast to the
atmosphere when Arafat was alive.
Israel and the United States described Arafat as an obstacle to peace,
accusing him of backing militant attacks against Israel. U.S. officials did not
call on him, and Israel made it clear that foreign officials who visited the
Palestinian leader would not be welcome in Israeli government offices.
U.S. Embassy spokesman Paul Patin said Powell's visit and the White
House's stated intention to make the Israel-Palestinian conflict a top priority
were a recognition of a changed political landscape. "We didn't only say that
Arafat was an obstacle, he was an obstacle," said Patin.
European diplomats acknowledge that officials couldn't — or wouldn't —
visit while Arafat was alive.
"The disappearance of President Arafat gives an opportunity for a new
dynamic," Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos said earlier this month.
Egypt, which recalled its ambassador from Israel shortly after the September
2000 outbreak of the Palestinian uprising, has also become more upbeat.
After years of disparaging Sharon, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak recently
praised the Israeli leader as the region's best chance for peace. In a dramatic
goodwill gesture, Egypt last week released an accused Israeli spy, and
speculation is high that the Egyptian ambassador to Israel will soon return.
Egypt also has played an important role in promoting Sharon's plan to
withdraw from the Gaza Strip next year, offering to help ensure security
after the pullout.
For now, however, the world's attention is focused on the Jan. 9 Palestinian
presidential vote. Both Israel and the international community have given tacit
support to interim Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
Israel has pledged to pull troops out of Palestinian population centers for
72 hours during the vote, while the international community has offered millions
of dollars in aid and international observers.
Announcing $3.5 million in election assistance, U.S. Mideast envoy William
Burns spoke of the bloodshed and loss of hope in recent years.
"Palestinians deserve credit for their careful management of a difficult
leadership transition, and their commitment to the electoral process. Israel has
been commendably clear in its commitment to facilitate elections," Burns told a
gathering of Mideast donors in Oslo, Norway.
The U.S. election aid was in addition to $20 million in direct assistance to
the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority.
The European Union has allocated about $18.6 million for preparing the
Palestinian elections, while Japan has committed $1.1 million and will send
electoral observers.
Diplomats say the ultimate goal is to resume talks on the "road map," an
internationally backed peace plan that seeks to create an independent
Palestinian state alongside Israel next year. They also warn that the road
forward has potential hazards.
They say Israel must keep its pledge to allow free movement of candidates and
voters around the Palestinian territories, and the U.S. administration must live
up to its public commitment to take a more hands-on approach than it did in
President Bush's first term.
Palestinian officials said they were concerned about recent comments by Bush,
who described Palestinian democracy as "the heart of the matter." They said Bush
is ignoring the Palestinians' first priority: ending Israeli occupation.
"I don't think that democracy can exist under occupation," said Palestinian
Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat.
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