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Pakistan-US-Injustice /WRD/
US refusal to condemn Israeli aggression surprising: daily
Islamabad, March 31, IRNA -- US Secretary of State Colin Powell's
refusal to condemn the massive Israeli aggression against Palestinians
has surprised everyone amid world condemnation of Sharon's policies.
The `Pakistan Observer,' an Islamabad-based newspaper, said the
entire world has not only forcefully condemned Israel but also called
on Prime Minister Sharon's government to immediately withdraw forces
from occupied Palestinian territories.
The daily added that the tone of the American response has been
so odd and unbelievable that it has annoyed European allies who have
strongly reacted against Sharon and have showed sympathy for the
Palestinian position as well as condemned the Israeli military action.
It was a disappointment to listen to Powell defending rather than
condemning the Israeli aggression, the daily went on to say, adding
that Powell simply swallowed the insults hurled on Tel Aviv for its
acts of barbarism.
That fact, it noted, was while US envoy Anthony Zinni was still
in the region trying desperately to convince Sharon to abide by the
signed agreement with the Palestinian Authority.
Ironically, the US is supposed to be the guarantor of the peace
process in the Middle East and the neutral party. Ostensibly, the
word neutrality does not exist in the American dictionary. In
matters pertaining to Israel, neutrality evaporates, it noted.
The newspaper futher said that this policy has assumed some
dangerous trends under the Bush administration which has so far
violated all international norms of justice, UN Security Council
resolutions, the UN Charter and even human rights conventions.
In fact, the Bush administation is violating the teachings of
the founder of the American nation, George Washington, who always
supported peoples' freedom struggles against occupation forces, the
daily added.
Criticizing Powell, the newspaper pointed out that the general
expressed sympathy with the Israeli decision to respond militarily
after a series of suicide attacks by Palestinians.
Powell has found it convenient to ignore the fact that the
Palestinians are fighting occupation forces which have made their
lives miserable. F-16s, missiles, tanks and artillery have been used
freely against an unarmed people, it lamented.
The daily said Powell has deliberately failed to tell his people
why and who forced the peaceful Palestinians to become suicide
bombers. 'It is the continuous Israeli policy based on tyranny,
injustice and racism that converted the people into suicide bombers,'
it concluded.
MHA/MMZ/LS
End
::irna 14:11
US ignores international mood and lays blame on Palestinians
By Andrew Buncombe in Washington
01 April 2002
The Independent
Sharon declares Israel is 'at war' after 14 killed in suicide bombing
Amid a wave of international concern over Israel's ongoing siege of Yasser Arafat, the United States again condemned the latest Palestinian suicide bombings yesterday and said Mr Arafat could do more to stop such attacks.
Several world leaders made direct appeals to Israel, asking it to show restraint and to ensure Mr Arafat's safety. The foreign ministers of China and Japan, and Morocco's King Mohammed called either the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, or the Foreign Minister, Shimon Peres, to voice concern. France, Germany, Turkey and Arab states also urged restraint.
Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, has called on Mr Sharon to pull back his tanks from Mr Arafat's headquarters. Mr Straw tried to speak to Mr Arafat by telephone but the line went dead. He hopes to speak soon to Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, about the siege.
The Speaker of Greece's parliament accused Israel yesterday of committing 'genocide'.
Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates all made diplomatic appeals, and Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia contacted the US to voice his concerns.
Germany's Foreign Minister, Joschka Fischer, said in a statement: 'The military confrontation between Israel and the Palestinians is cause for great concern. It holds the danger of a destabilisation of the entire region. The German government urgently appeals to the Israeli side to guarantee Palestinian President Arafat will not be harmed.'
Amid such growing concern over Israel's siege of Mr Arafat's compound in Ramallah, the US has stood almost alone – backing Mr Sharon's right to defend his country.
On Saturday – with Mr Arafat still trapped and with his communications under threat – President George Bush told reporters at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, that the Palestinian leader could, and should, do more to prevent suicide attacks, including the most recent in Tel Aviv.
Yesterday, a senior official repeated Mr Bush's assertion. 'We condemn these terrorist attacks,' the official said.
'Chairman Arafat knows what he needs to do. President Bush was very clear about that yesterday and in previous days and our heartfelt sympathies and condolences go out to the victims and the families of the victims of these brutal attacks.'
Washington's refusal to express anything other than 'grave concern' about the situation in Ramallah underlines the difficulty which the Bush administration faces in addressing the problem of the Middle East, while also prosecuting its so-called war on terror.
When Mr Bush came to office last year, it was immediately made clear that the United States would play a much-reduced role in trying to achieve a peaceful settlement in the region and that the President would not expend the sort of personal and political capital that the previous president, Bill Clinton, had. A series of initiatives aimed at attempting to bring both sides together was terminated.
The attacks of 11 September have made criticism of Israel more difficult for Mr Bush – even if he wished to indulge in such activity. In the aftermath of the attacks on New York and Washington, Mr Sharon visited Mr Bush, and argued the Palestinian suicide bombers were no different to those who had attacked the US. It was an argument which the US did not seek to counter.
While Mr Bush last year became the first US President to use the word 'Palestine' in terms of an independent state, his administration's dealings with the two sides remain unbalanced. Though Mr Arafat has repeatedly condemned the spate of suicide bombings, Mr Bush has refused to meet the Palestinian leader until he makes a public call in Arabic for the suicide bombings to end and to arrest those involved in the attacks.
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