May 26, 2006

THE CUSTODIAN OF THE TWO HOLY MOSQUES AND PRESIDENT MUBARAK DISCUSS REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES. BUSH HAILS OLMERT'S PLANS FOR MIDDLE EAST PEACE AS "BOLD IDEAS" THAT COULD PROVE TO BE AN "IMPORTANT STEP" LEADING TO A TWO-STATE SOLUTION. PALESTINIAN STEPS TO ENCIRCLE THE PALESTINIAN VIOLENCE AND THE GOVERNMENT EXPRESSES ITS READINESS TO APPLY THE ARAB INITIATIVE. BUSH DECLARES THAT THE UNITED STATES WOULD "COME TO ISRAEL'S AID" IN THE EVENT OF AN IRANIAN ATTACK. BLAIR CONFIRMS HIS READINESS TO WITHDRAW FROM IRAQ IF VIOLENCE STOPS. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz received a telephone call from President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. During the conversation, they discussed the latest developments of the regional and international situations, topped by the situation in the Middle East in addition to the bilateral relations between the two countries. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz made a telephone call to President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. During the conversation, they discussed the latest developments of the regional and international situations, topped by the situation in the Middle East, in addition to the bilateral relations between the two countries. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz received at the Royal Court at Al Yamamah palace in Riyadh Sheikh Abdul Aziz Ibn Abdullah Al Al-Sheikh, the Kingdom's Mufti and Chairman of the Senior Ulema and Religious Research Commission and Ifta; Sheikh Salih Ibn Mohammed Al-Lihaidan, Chairman of the Supreme Judiciary Council; and senior Ulema and sheikhs who came to greet him. Later, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques received a delegation of the people of Assir region, led by its Governor Prince Khalid Al-Faisal. They extended an invitation for the king to visit their region. Later, the monarch received a delegation of the people of Al Madinah Al Munawarah region, led by its Governor Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Majed Ibn Abdul Aziz. They extended an invitation for the king to visit their region. The audiences were attended by Prince Naif Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Rahman; Prince Homood Ibn Saud Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince Dr. Bandar Ibn Salman Ibn Mohammed Al Saud, Advisor to the King, and senior protocol officials. Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister Of Defense And Aviation And Inspector General, has valued the good feelings expressed by the governor and people of Tabuk region for the king's approval of the establishment of a university in the region of Tabuk. This came in a reply cable sent by the crown prince to the governor of Tabuk in response to the cable sent by the governor to the Crown Prince in this regard. On the other hand in an interview Prince Turki Al-Faisal Saudi Ambassador to the United States of America said that Saudi Arabia has urged the United States and the international community to make use of the suitable situation at present to find a lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A resolution on the long-festering issue was essential to confront new challenges, particularly terrorism, Saudi Ambassador to the US Prince Turki Al-Faisal said. Prince Turki said the conflict has been used by terrorists as a recruiting tool and has been one of the root causes of anti-American sentiment in the Arab and Islamic world. "We have willing peoples on both sides both Israelis and Palestinians. We have a framework for reconciliation that is outlined in the road map for peace. And we have a goal that is articulated in the Abdullah Peace Plan. We simply need the parties to make a move with confidence within this framework," he said in his speech, a copy of which was obtained by Arab News. The ambassador hoped that Israel, by virtue of its position not only of military strength, but also by territorial control to extend a hand to the Palestinian people. "It would be regrettable if Israel sat with arms folded while pursuing a policy of isolation, cutting off the Hamas government, and turning its back on the Palestinian people." On the other hand Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa received the German Minister of Foreign Affairs Frank Walter Steinmeier and his accompanying delegation. They reviewed issues of mutual interests. GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah held talks on a range of regional issues with Sergey Lavrov the Russian Foreign Minister. "The regional peace and security issues were the focus of talks of the Russian foreign minister and the GCC chief here," said a Russian Embassy spokesman. The talks with Al-Attiya were significant in view the recent extraordinary GCC summit, which expressed concerns over the Iranian nuclear program. In Riyadh the OIC Secretary General expressed his worries about the latest developments in the Gaza strip in which many Palestinians were killed. He said in a statement that the situation is affecting the interests of the Palestinian people and called on the Palestinian leadership to rely on national dialogue. In Cairo Palestinian foreign minister Mahmoudal-Zahar said that the Hamas-led government was flexible toward the Arab peace initiative. Zahar made the remarks at a joint press conference with the Arab League (AL) Secretary General Amr Moussa after their meeting at the AL headquarters in the Egyptian capital. Zahar told Moussa that the Hamas-led government would reach a clear stance on the Arab peace initiative, because it would not like to be alienated from the Arab umbrella. The initiative, adopted at 2002 Arab summit in Beirut, says that Arab countries will normalize relations with Israel if the Jewish state withdraws from Arab territories taken in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and an independent Palestinian state is established with Jerusalem as its capital. Zahar said that they also discussed upcoming inter-Palestinian national dialogue proposed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to prevent a power dispute between Hamas and former dominant Fatah from sliding into civil war. Zahar said that a group of AL officials were visiting Brussels for talks with the European Union officials on expediting relief assistance to the Palestinians. Commenting on an earlier statement by the Egyptian Interior Ministry implicating the Palestinians in terror attacks in the Sinai late April, Zahar said that elements involved in the attack were not members of either Islamic Jihad (Holy War) or Hamas. The Egyptian Interior Ministry said on Tuesday that suicide bombers who carried out deadly attacks on the Sinai resort of Dahab on April 24 were trained by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. Egypt is the first leg of Zahar's tour, which will also bring him to Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, China and Iran, MENA said. On the other hand leaders of the Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas declared a truce aimed at ending armed clashes between militants of the two movements in the Gaza strip, dpa reported. The announcement followed a two-hour meeting between the two sides hosted by Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya of Hamas at his Gaza headquarters, mediated by Egyptian envoys. "There is nothing called 'civil war' in our culture and our tradition," Haniya told reporters. "In every hour there is a Hamas member and a Fatah member, but their blood is fully Palestinian." Standing in the middle between leaders of Hamas and Fatah, Haniya said Fatah and Hamas had agreed to end all violence between them and to defuse tensions. He stressed that disputes and difference must be resolved by dialogue. Six Palestinians and a Jordanian have been killed this month in clashes between the two sides, which have sharply heightened tensions between the Islamic militants of Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction. Fatah and Hamas leaders told reporters they would immediately launch a committee to investigate the recent incidents. Haniya urged the security forces to offer them all available information. In Washington Bush hailed Olmert's plans for Middle East peace as "bold ideas" that could prove to be an "important step" leading to a two-state solution, should the process outlined in the internationally brokered road map to Middle East peace falter. "While any final status agreement will be only achieved on the basis of mutually-agreed changes... the prime minister's ideas could be an important step toward the peace we both support," Bush said with Olmert standing at his side. Olmert, who placed his "convergence" plan for a unilateral withdrawal from the West Bank at the centre of his recent election campaign, has said he plans to remove remote settlements in the West Bank, keeping larger enclaves forever and imposing a border unilaterally if peace efforts remain frozen. Bush stressed, however, that a negotiated two-state solution remained the preferred route to peace. "I believe Prime Minister Olmert agrees that a negotiated final status agreement best serves the Israelis and the Palestinians and the cause of peace," he said. 'No country can make peace with those who deny its right to exist' Bush also praised Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas as a leader who "speaks out for peace and negotiations," but criticized the Hamas-led Palestinian government, which he said does not seek peace. "No country can be expected to make peace with those who deny its right to exist, and who use terror to attack its population," he said. "Hamas must recognize Israel's right to exist, must abandon terror and must accept all previous agreements between the Palestinian Authority and Israel," he added. "I assured the prime minister that our position is steady and strong - that Hamas must change." Speaking after Bush, Olmert praised Abbas - referring to him as "president," not chairman as he has always done in the past - and said he would "exhaust" every possibility for peace. But, he added, if Israel discovered that negotiation was not possible, "we will be compelled to try a different route" - a clear reference to his plans for a unilateral withdrawal. Olmert also said he planned to complete his plans within three to four years. If Hamas abandoned its refusal to recognize Israel and its embrace of violence, Olmert added, "they will find us a willing partner in peace." But he said Israel would not enter into an agreement with any party that refuses to recognize its right to exist. "We cannot wait indefinitely for the Palestinians to change," he said. Olmert said that in a final status agreement, major population centers in the West Bank would be part of Israel. Asked about Olmert's assertion, Bush referred reporters to his April 2004 letter to then prime minister Ariel Sharon. In that letter, Bush wrote, "In light of new realities on the ground, including already existing major Israeli populations centers, it is unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final status negotiations will be a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949." Olmert was quoted by Israel Radio on Tuesday as saying that he would be "willing to devote six to nine months to find a Palestinian partner" before turning to his unilateral plan. Ehud Olmert told Israeli journalists after his White House meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush. "We extensively discussed the Iranian issue," "There is a full understanding between the president and myself on how to deal with this matter." Olmert said he was "very satisfied" with the discussion he held with Bush on Iran. Olmert said he believes Iran will cross "the technological threshold" on its path to nuclear capability in about a year. Speaking earlier at the joint press conference with Bush following after an initial round of talks the two held as part of his first visit to Washington as prime minister, Olmert expressed concern over Iran's nuclear ambitions, insisting that it was not too late to prevent Iran's atomic program. Olmert called Iran a threat to the entire Middle East. "This is a moment of truth. It is still not too late to prevent it from happening," he said. Addressing the Iran nuclear issue, Bush told reporters that the aim to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons was "a common international goal." "We are determined that the Iranian regime must not obtain nuclear weapons," he said. The president declared that the United States would "come to Israel's aid" in the event of an attack, an indirect reference to Iran, which Tuesday tested another long-range surface-to-surface "Shihab-3" missile. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last year called for Israel to be "wiped off the map," and in April called the country a "rotten, dried tree" that would be annihilated by "one storm." Bush said that his administration was still pursuing a diplomatic solution to the issue. "Obviously we'd like to solve this issue peacefully and diplomatically, and the more the Iranians refuse to negotiate in good faith the more countries are beginning to realize that we must continue to work together," Bush said. "We're spending a lot of time working with our Russian friends in particular to make it clear to them that Iran is showing no good faith," the president told reporters. From his side Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya said in remarks that the Islamic Hamas movement is prepared to extend a long-term truce if Israel withdraws to the borders that existed at the outbreak of the 1967 Middle East War, 'If Israel withdraws to the 1967 borders,... our government is prepared to maintain a long-term ceasefire with Israel,' Haniya told the Israeli Ha'aretz daily. The interview was his first with an Israeli media outlet since he took office in late March, two months after Hamas unexpectedly dealt a crushing defeat to the Fatah party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and won legislative elections. Israel, however, is unlike to carry out a complete withdrawal from the West Bank to the 1967 borders, because it has repeatedly said that it is determined to keep the main Jewish settlement blocks located along the border. At most, past governments have expressed willingness to trade territory, which now falls under Israel in exchange for the West Bank land where the settlement blocks are located. Israel is also highly unlikely to be satisfied with a long-term truce in return for such concessions, rather than a final peace deal that would end all Palestinian claims against it. Hamas government spokesman Ghazi Hamed later told Israel Radio that Hamas 'could' recognize Israel after the establishment of a independent Palestinian in the 1967 borders only. Hamas would also adhere to a 'very long period of quiet' in such a case, he said. Haniya spoke shortly before Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was due to meet United States President George W Bush in Washington. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has told US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice that he is willing to give the Palestinians up to nine months to see if they would be willing to negotiate, before Israel moves to unilateral steps, such as the consolidation of the main Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Olmert in talks with Rice in Washington, detailed his "convergence plan", but she did not comment on it, Israel Radio reported. In a dinner attended by the two, Olmert restated his commitment to the US-endorsed Road Map peace plan. The two also met to prepare for Olmert's meeting with President George W. Bush later in the day. Olmert and Rice also discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the status of the Palestinian Authority and the Iranian nuclear programme. On the Iraqi arena President George W. Bush said the inauguration of Iraq's new government marks a new era in relations with the country that the United States has occupied for more than three years. "The formation of a unity government in Iraq is a new day for the millions of Iraqis who want to live in peace," Bush said. "And the formation of the unity government in Iraq begins a new chapter in our relationship with Iraq." Bush said he called President Jalal Talabani, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and parliament speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani to congratulate them on working together. "I assured them that the United States will continue to assist Iraqis in the formation of a new country because I fully understand that a free Iraq will be an important ally in the war on terror, will serve as a devastating defeat for the terrorists and Al Qaeda and will serve as example for others in the region who desire to be free." But Bush's popularity has hit a low of around 30 percent in recent weeks, raising worries among fellow Republicans that Democrats could win control of Congress in November elections. Unabated violence in Iraq is seen as Bush's biggest foreign-policy challenge. Britain's Prime Minister, Tony Blair, flew to Baghdad to discuss an issue crucial to the Baghdad government, as well as to the politics of the war in London and Washington: when British and American troops can start to withdraw. Blair said the trip was intended to mark the milestone passed, when the new Iraqi prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, took office at the head of a national unity government of Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds with a four-year mandate. Formally, at least, that brought Iraq to the end of the political timetable laid down in late 2003 for its evolution from an occupied country back to full-fledged political independence. The British leader said "It took us three years to get to this point, and it has been longer and harder than any of us would have wanted it to be," he said, with Mr. Maliki standing beside him. "This is a new beginning, and we want to see what you want to see, Iraq and Iraqis taking charge of their own destiny." At the news conference, Blair said there was a "very, very clear set of circumstances," involving Iraqi combat readiness, that would dictate any withdrawals. "We have to move as fast as we can on it, but it has to be done in a way that protects the Iraqi people," he said. A joint statement by Mr. Blair and Mr. Maliki suggested a key factor would be the Maliki government's judgment. "The multinational force, for its part, is committed to staying until the Iraqi government is satisfied that Iraqi forces can take on the security responsibility themselves," it said. Mr. Maliki said that British troops would withdraw from Amara, one of the four provinces they patrol in southern Iraq, this summer, and that 16 of Iraq's 18 provinces, all but Baghdad and the war-torn region of Anbar, would have Iraqi troops in the lead by the end of the year. In Baghdad, British officials say the leaders spoke about the eventual departure of foreign forces from Iraq. Maliki has said his top priority is halting insurgent attacks and stemming sectarian violence that has wrecked the country for the past three months. Maliki said that unless sectarian militias are disbanded, Iraq could face civil war. As the violence continues unabated, many Iraqis seem deeply skeptical that this new government can turn things around. In Rome Italy's new Prime Minister Romano Prodi has said the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was a "grave error." "We consider the war in Iraq and the occupation of the country a grave error," Prodi told the upper house of parliament as he outlined the program of his new government which was sworn in the day before. "It has not resolved, but complicated the situation of security," he said. Prodi, a center-left politician who prevails over a wafer-thin majority in government, was jeered by center-right senators who yelled "shame, shame." "It is the intention of this government to propose to parliament the return of our troops from Iraq," Prodi said, adding that his government intended to continue Italy's historically good relations with Washington. Prodi did not give a date for a withdrawal, saying a "technical timeframe" would have to be agreed with all sides involved. Military experts say the allies would want to spread withdrawal out over several months. On the other hand in Washington President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair made unusual acknowledgments of error regarding Iraq last Thursday, but they also said the seating of a democratically elected government after three years of fighting should inspire the world to ensure the success of a free Iraq. Despite an assertion by the new Iraqi Prime Minister that Iraq may be able to manage its own security by the end of 2007, neither Bush nor Blair gave any indication of a time frame for the drawdown of military forces. Bush called reports that the Pentagon hopes to scale back the U.S. deployment from 135,000 troops to about 100,000 by year's end "speculation." "We want to make sure . . . we complete the mission," Bush said in a televised White House news conference. "I want our troops out. Don't get me wrong. . . . I fully understand the pressures being placed on our military and their families. But I also understand that it is vital that we . . . do the job." In an appearance in the East Room, a session devoted largely to sombre discussion of the war but also marked by banter between two leaders who communicate frequently, Bush and Blair offered candid acknowledgments about missteps made. For Bush, an admission of regrettable "tough talk" since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, was an uncharacteristically personal comment. "Saying `Bring it on'--kind of tough talk, you know, that sent the wrong signal to people," Bush said sombrely in response to a British reporter's question. "I learned some lessons about expressing myself maybe in a little more sophisticated manner. You know, `Wanted dead or alive,' that kind of talk. I think in certain parts of the world it was misinterpreted. And so I learned--I learned from that." Bush was referring to comments he had made that came to symbolize what some saw as swaggering, belligerent style: Shortly after the attacks he said he wanted Osama bin Laden "dead or alive" and on another occasion he said of the Iraqi insurgents, "Bring it on." Bush also referred to the U.S. military's abuse of inmates at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. "We've been paying for that for a long period of time," he said. Blair said that in retrospect, he may have underestimated how long it would take to establish a democracy in Iraq. "I'm afraid in the end we're always going to have to be prepared for the fall of Saddam Hussein not to be the rise of democratic Iraq, that it was going to be a more difficult process," Blair said. Blair came to Washington for talks with Bush after meeting with new Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki earlier this week.