MIDDLE EAST-PEACE PLAN: Failure at the first hurdle, UAE paper says

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Att.Editors: The following item is by the United Arab Emirates news agency (WAM)

ABU DHABI, May 15 2003 (IPS) - A United Arab Emirates (UAE) paper today criticized the US bias towards Israel in the current negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis on the new Middle East peace plan.

Commenting editorially on the issue, the Dubai-based ‘Gulf News’ said: – America’s role as an intermediary between Palestine and Israel cannot be taken seriously. President George Walker Bush let it be known some time ago that his administration would consider any suggestions made by Israel for changes in the so-called roadmap to peace in the Middle East. Note: suggestions by Israel only.

ôThis, despite the consensus of support obtained from the other members of the ‘Quartet’ – the UN, the EU and Russia – for the document as is, thus negating any need for further alterations or reconsiderations.

ôThe document may not be perfect, heaven knows there are enough imperfections in the rocky road to peace in the Middle East, but at least it is an honest attempt by senior diplomats and leaders to try and be constructive in showing a way forward for Palestinians and Israelis.

ôAgreed, the roadmap is a regurgitation of much of what has gone before, agreed there is very little new added to the roadmap to make it inspiring – but it is better than nothing and at the moment, there is nothing else on the table to negotiate. But surely, the proof of the efficacy of the document is whether it is accepted by both parties, besides the sponsors.

ôFor unless both Israel and the Palestinians agree in principle to the outlines portrayed in the roadmap, then the plan is a non-starter.

ôWhat is now facing the region is, once again, the willingness of the Palestinian National Authority to accept the roadmap in full, without alterations and for immediate implementation.

ôA very far cry indeed from the position taken by Israel, who not only has not accepted the roadmap, but has come up with numerous ‘suggestions’ for changes within the document, as well as some stipulations on who should do what first.

ôRather than America reject out of hand the stance taken by Israel, the Bush administration has lent a sympathetic ear to their demands. Rather than press for acceptance of the roadmap – something that only America can do effectively – U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has made the shameful declaration that ‘acceptance is not essential’ and that the minutiae of such issues are not relevant to the overall cause of getting the agreement underway.

ôYet it is difficult to see how any agreement can be entered into if, at the outset, one of the parties to it refuses to accept it in any way. Using the corollary of a roadmap, it is rather like saying ‘Don’t bother about switching the car engine on, just give it a push to see how far down the road it can go’.

ôWhat is especially disgraceful about Powell’s remarks is that there has been so little outcry from either the western press – not unexpected, really – or the Arab press, which should be taking up cudgels against such evident bias in the American administration.

ôAlthough the US is a principle player in the negotiations – the other members of the Quartet hold very little sway with Israel – it is not the only sponsor to the agreement. Therefore it is entirely wrong for Powell, or anyone in the Bush administration, to speak on the agreement unless with the full knowledge of the Quartet on how discussions will proceed. Otherwise, the roadmap merely becomes yet another failed attempt to find peace, which is what Israel gives every indication of wanting to happen," the paper concluded.