Mid-East Realitieswww.middleeast.org

DATELINE WASHINGTON: ONE ARAB DISASTER AFTER ANOTHER

August 17, 2001

MID-EAST REALITIES © - MER - www.MiddleEast.Org - Washington - 8/17: Months ago now the relatively new group of Muslim "client organizations" headquartered in Washington repeatedly promised at one press conference after another a wave of civil disobedience throughout the U.S. in view of what Israel and the U.S. are doing to the Palestinians. Nothing has come of all their self-serving rhetoric though the second time a group of "leaders" made arrangements with the police they did manage to get politely and quickly arrested for the cameras...though nothing has been heard from them since. Today with Israeli tanks surrounding Palestinian cities and villages the Arab groups -- including the "largest grassroots organization" as it calls itself, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) -- called for a demonstration at the White House from 12 to 2 pm; and it was even worse of a disaster than usual. A pitiful handful showed up, left demoralized, and in fact by 1:15pm there was not a single protester to be seen.

As for the Arab regimes, what a pathetic bunch of cowardly, corrupt and incompetent "Kingdoms" and police-states they have proved to be. Last week Hosni Mubarak was publicly complaining that they just can't hold Arab summit meetings "every time there is a problem", making the usual fool out of himself that his "Laughing Cow" nickname has always suggested. This week Mubarak sent his old-time foreign policy adviser-maker Osama el-Baz to Washington to coordinate things with their American keepers. This is the very same Osama el-Baz who was #3 in the Foreign Ministry in 1977 when Foreign Minister Ismail Fahmy resigned rather than follow Anwar Sadat to Israel. This is the very same Osama el-Baz who a decade later was #2 in the Foreign Ministry when Foreign Minister Ibrahim Kamal, Sadat's Foreign Minister and friend of 40 years, resigned at Camp David. This is the very same Osama el-Baz who masterminded Egyptian participation in the Gulf war against Iraq -- for which Egypt was handsomely paid in billions. And this is the very same Osama el-Baz who has been wined and dined and paid by various Jewish groups over the years, making a career out of being weak and spineless and always doing whatever he is told no matter what he has claimed to believe in.

On Monday the Arabs will cave in once more at the United Nations, rather than insisting on firm and determined Security Council action regardless of the instructions they are now getting from Washington. If Egypt, by far the largest and most important of the Arab countries, had any guts el-Baz would be telling the Americans right now to their face that if the U.S. vetoes any more Security Council resolutions the Arab League and the Islamic Conference will take their case to the General Assembly and will demonstrate not their power but at least their convictions by suspending Israel from its General Assembly seat, just as was done to South Africa in the terrible days of state oppression known as Apartheid. But then Egypt has its own Gulag it must mask, its own corruption and nepotism and torture regime it is desperate to protect; its own flow of billions yearly from the U.S. it is addicted to.

And finally for the moment, at the end of the month it appears the Arabs have already caved in. Zionism and what it has done to the Palestinians has been pushed off the agenda for the world racism conference in Durban after the Americans threw around their weight and money on Israel's behalf on more time and the pathetic Arab and Muslim countries once more turned the other cheek.

It's a truly disastrous state of affairs in Washington for all who believe in justice and dignity; and in the end it makes a lasting and reasonable peace all the more unlikely with potentially disastrous consequences for the people of the region and quite possibly the world.

EGYPT SAYS MIGHT DETAIL PEACE IDEAS IN TWO DAYS
By Jonathan Wright

WASHINGTON (Reuters - 17 August) - Egypt put ideas about Middle East peace to the United States on Friday and said it might be able to announce more details in two days.

Osama al-Baz, political adviser to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak (news - web sites), speaking after talks with Secretary of State Colin Powell, said it might be possible to ``work out arrangements'' to persuade Israel and the Palestinians to carry the recommendations of the Mitchell plan.

The plan, proposed in May by former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, recommends a cease-fire between Israelis and Palestinians, a cooling-off period and confidence-building measures, leading to a resumption of peace talks. It is the current basis for most Middle East peace diplomacy.

Baz said: ``We cannot get into details now because we are waiting for our American partners in order to study whatever ideas we have and we study whatever ideas they have. Within the coming few days, two days, we will be able to speak with more authority,'' he added.

In meetings with reporters earlier in his visit, Baz said he wanted the United States to support the idea of observers to monitor a truce, even before violence ends completely.

The United States has resisted the proposal, arguing that monitors can only deploy when the violence has stopped and that both sides must agree to the deployment. Israel opposes monitors, saying the only requirement is that Palestinian President Yasser Arafat (news - web sites) tell Palestinians to end violence.

DIRE WARNINGS

A State Department official repeated the U.S. position on observers after the meeting with Baz but declined to say what ideas the Egyptian official had brought. The official, who asked not to be named, said he did not know of a joint action in preparation over the next few days.

Baz, who has been active in Middle East peace diplomacy for more than 20 years, came to Washington on Tuesday with dire warnings about the dangers of U.S. diplomatic inaction.

The Bush administration has declined to take on the active role in the Middle East played by former President Bill Clinton but U.S. officials say they remain active.

Baz said: ``We have the assurances that the U.S. is going to be active, be engaged. They will not be just watching out, but they will be our partner. Powell agreed, saying: ``We both committed ourselves to doing everything we can to get us close to that day when the Mitchell plan can begin its implementation and execution.''

Baz, speaking in Arabic after Powell left, added: ``I felt from our meeting with Secretary of State Powell that he is ready to escalate the U.S. role to a greater extent.''

MAXIMUM EFFORT

But the U.S. official disputed that, saying that Washington could continue to press the parties to do what is needed ``as we have done previously.'' Powell's message to Baz was that the international community should press Arafat to make ``maximum effort'' to crack down on violence and arrest violators, he added.

``We think Arafat can do more. To move forward on a political track, you need a drop in violence,'' he said.

At the United Nations this week, Palestinians launched another uphill battle for Security Council approval of a ''monitoring mechanism'' for the West Bank and Gaza. The 15-member Security Council scheduled an open meeting for Monday for U.N. members to express their views as requested by the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference. Palestinians hope the debate will lead to a formal resolution on the crisis, now in its 11th month.

But Baz said Egypt did not favor imposing monitors or any other steps without the approval of the parties.

``We are not getting the U.N. to impose anything because prior to that we are thinking of having joint efforts and coordination, concerted efforts, by the parties immediately concerned and mutually accepted by both parties,'' he said.

``They are the ones that can achieve the initial steps that could lead to a real change on the ground ... because we need a change on the ground. The situation there is unacceptable, the continuation of the present situation is untenable,'' he added.


Mid-East Realitieswww.middleeast.org

Source: http://www.middleeast.org/articles/2001/8/349.htm