Jordan Times
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
US committed to roadmap
— FM
'The King's decision to postpone the Bush meeting was necessary
to preserve the national interests and protect the rights of Palestinians'
By Alia Shukri Hamzeh
AMMAN — Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher said Tuesday the US administration
reassured Jordan that it was committed to the internationally backed roadmap to
the Middle East peace.
Following talks with US Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington, Muasher
told The Jordan Times he was “very reassured” that the US was committed to the
roadmap and will not prejudge Israeli-Palestinian negotiations to end decades of
conflict.
“I was very reassured by what the secretary and the US administration have
stated regarding the need not to prejudge final status issues but to leave that
to the parties themselves,” he said.
Muasher described the talks as very productive, adding that Powell has made it
clear that Washington supports the creation of an independent Palestinian state
as called for in the internationally recognised peace plan.
Muasher's meeting with Powell was part of Jordan's efforts to clarify the US
administration's position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to prepare for
talks between His Majesty King Abdullah and US President George W. Bush. King
Abdullah postponed his meeting with Bush and returned to Jordan on Tuesday from
an official visit to the US.
The Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted Royal Court officials as saying the
postponement was made to give Washington time to clarify its position on the
Middle East peace process, especially in light of Bush's recent statements.
In a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon last week,
Bush surprised the international community, including Arab states, by welcoming
Israel's pullout plan. He also said Israel might keep some of the Arab land it
seized in the 1967 war.
Bush's statements came under heavy fire because they were seen as a major
departure from internationally recognised resolutions and endorsed peace plans
and a clear shift in US policy in the Middle East.
Petra reported that the talks, rescheduled for early May, was postponed until
discussions with US officials were completed.
Muasher, who remained in Washington to pursue discussions with US administration
officials and plan for the May talks, insisted that final crucial issues
including borders, refugees, and settlements be solved through direct
Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
He reiterated Jordan's position on Israel's plan to unilaterally withdraw from
Gaza that it could only be productive if implemented as part of the roadmap,
which envisions a Palestinian state by 2005.
The minister dismissed as “untrue” reports that King Abdullah's decision to
postpone talks with Bush was “to vent anger” at his endorsement of Israel's
internationally rejected plan.
“We do not have a problem with the US and we continue to work with it very
closely not only on the issue of the peace process but on other issues as well,”
he said.
Powell had acknowledged that concerns about the US commitment to the roadmap for
Middle East peace had prompted the King's decision to postpone the meeting. But
he told reporters before meeting with Muasher that he believed Bush's decision
was the best way to move forward in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“The concerns that [King Abdullah] has, I am sure that we can address,” he was
quoted by Agence France- Presse as saying. He stressed that Washington had not
abandoned the roadmap and insisted there was no formal position that would
prejudge or interfere with future Israeli-Palestinian negotiations on the
borders of the two states or the status of the refugees.
Powell added that the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza has to be consistent with the
roadmap and all final (status) issues have to be mutually agreed upon by the
parties concerned.
“We value [King Abdullah's] friendship and we look forward to his return,” he
said.
Analysts believe the postponement, which for the first time reflected
differences between the two countries, would not affect strategic ties but
rather protect them.
Muasher's talks in Washington were expected to straighten out current
differences and receive assurances of a solution to the complicating
Palestinian-Israeli conflict. "We have received positive feedback from Muasher
following his talks with US officials. The US administration understands our
concerns," a Royal Court official said.
Analysts and political activists described the King's unprecedented decision to
postpone the Bush meeting as necessary to preserve Jordan's national interests
as well as protect the rights of Palestinians.
"It was a right step which will be supported both locally and regionally," said
former Prime Minister Taher Masri.
Political parties across the spectrum welcomed the postponement, saying it fell
in line with public sentiment opposing US policies in the Middle East.
Officials and analysts believed the decision was triggered by the shift in US
policy in the Middle East. "The shift in policy declared during the Bush-Sharon
press conference last week prompted such an action by the King," said Masri.
"That changed the whole political game and set of rules accepted by all
concerned parties," he added, making reference to the roadmap peace plan and UN
resolutions.
Analysts agree that the US' one-sided negotiations with Israel over the
situation in the West Bank and Palestinian territories was unacceptable and
carried dangerous repercussions for the entire region. They said the US had no
right to decide on behalf of the Palestinians and Arab states.
"Sharon's policies are not just a threat to Palestinians but to Jordan and its
national interests," said Masri, who is an Arab League commissioner for civil
affairs. He said the US should provide Jordan with assurance letters, similar to
those given to Israel, guaranteeing the right of return to Palestinians, the
establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 border and other
final status issues. The Kingdom which hosts more than 1.7 million Palestinian
refugees insists on their right to return and has been demanding the US — being
the Middle East peace broker — for guarantees on the final status of the
Palestinian territories and refugee issues.
Prior to his visit to the US, the King sent a letter to Bush last week insisting
that the roadmap for peace which calls for the establishment of an independent
Palestinian state by 2005, was the key solution to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. The King had also insisted that an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza
Strip must be part of the roadmap and not an alternative to it.