Al-Ahram Weekly | Egypt | Measured reaction

		27 June - 3 July 2002 Issue No. 592 Home news	Current issue Previous issue Site map
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Measured reaction
Cairo received Washington's vision on how to make progress in the peace process cautiously, writes Nevine Khalil

Soon after US President George W Bush spelt out his ideas on Monday on how to restore calm in the Middle East, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat welcomed Washington's initiative.
Bush had outlined the need for a new Palestinian leadership, a halt to Israeli settlement building, demanded Israel's withdrawal to its September 2000 positions, Israel's release of frozen Palestinian funds into "honest, capable hands," and the creation of a provisional Palestinian state.
Ignoring Bush's call for a change of guard in the Palestinian Authority (PA), Arafat described Bush's speech as a "serious effort to push the peace process forward". And so did President Hosni Mubarak, in the hope that "we can reach a solution".
"If the Palestinians support and agree with these ideas, then we agree to them too," Mubarak told reporters on Tuesday. While attending celebrations for Republican Guard Day, Mubarak described Bush's statement as "balanced to a large extent, although there are some points which require more explanation and clarification".
Such clarification is expected when US Secretary of State Colin Powell visits the region, but a date has not yet been set for his mission. "The situation is not very clear to us right now, so we will wait until Powell comes to see how and when the American ideas can be implemented," said Mubarak, "and what is meant by 'reform' of the PA."
Political analyst Mustafa El-Feki had not expected much from Bush's long-awaited declaration. "My understanding was that Bush would not say anything new," El- Feki, who is the chairman of parliament's foreign affairs committee, told Al-Ahram Weekly. "Bush tried to be even-handed, but obviously he remains biased towards Israel. The speech pleased the Israelis and provided minimum satisfaction for the Palestinians."
Describing Bush's ideas as "good", Mubarak said that the American president was not necessarily calling for Arafat's removal from office. "I do not feel that [Bush's] statement called for removing Arafat from power, but rather for reforming the PA and bringing in new management," Mubarak added.
El-Feki agreed, saying that Bush's reference to changing the PA leadership did not necessarily mean the immediate removal of Arafat, "but rather that new Palestinian blood should be injected into the PA".
"It's a call for the next generation of Palestinians to step forward, because it is clear that Arafat's political future is coming to an end -- possibly within 12 months."
Mubarak expressed Egypt's willingness to cooperate in rebuilding Palestinian institutions, "but we want to see what the plan is to decide how we can contribute," he said. "We have some ideas about the required reforms, but we need clarification to move on the right track and utilise the ideas which Bush expressed."
Hours before Bush spoke, Arafat had briefed Mubarak and the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Jordan, as well as UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the latest Israeli incursions into Palesitnian-controlled areas of the West Bank.
The incursions also included a new blockade of Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah, which angered Mubarak. "We have often discussed Israel's incursions, even with the Israelis themselves, but each side makes excuses," he said, adding that Israeli troops must withdraw to the positions they held before the September 2000 Intifada broke out.
El-Feki saw some positive elements in Bush's address. These included the creation of a Palestinian state, "although the details are not what the Arabs want." Bush spoke of a "provisional" Palestinian state and mentioned nothing of its capital, said El-Feki. Other anti-climaxes, according to El-Feki, were Bush's "very negative" references to Palestinian and Lebanese resistance groups, as well as Syria. "It would have been best to avoid negative remarks, if he'd wanted to encourage the Arabs more," El-Feki said.
Bush's speech stated an overall vision and guidelines for a process, said El-Feki, but there was no mention of a mechanism or timetable for implementation. "The ideas definitely need more clarification," he added, "and while conditions deteriorate further in the Palestinian territories and Israel increases pressure on the Palestinians, we will wait and see if Powell comes with a clear agenda."
Mubarak's final word to the Palestinians and Israelis on Tuesday was clear: "We want to build peace, we want stability in the region and co-existence among all the parties."

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