FT.com / World / Middle East & Africa: "Aid donors warn Israel on occupied territories | By Harvey Morris in Jerusalem | Last Updated: November 27 2003 21:15
International aid donors have issued a final warning to the Israeli government that they may halt activities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip unless Israel eases the restrictions they face in the territories.
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Donor officials said they had decided against an immediate suspension of aid activities, partly to avoid influencing current peace moves and also because ordinary Palestinians would be the first to suffer.
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But the donor warning underlined frustration at failure to win improvements on the ground, where aid workers have encountered delays, obstruction and occasional abuse.
Saturday, November 29, 2003
Saturday, November 22, 2003
Suicide bombers in Turkey were turkish: "People think what's happened in Istanbul was a result of America's policies in the world,"
Excite - News: "PM Says Bombers Were Turks, Protesters Rap US | Nov 22, 7:15 am ET By Daren Butler
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Four suicide bombers who killed more than 50 people in Istanbul over the past week were Turkish citizens, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday, as some in Turkey turned their anger on the United States.
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Erdogan also reaffirmed Turkey's belief that the bombers had links with foreign groups.
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Some protesters blamed U.S. policies for the blasts.
"People think what's happened in Istanbul was a result of America's policies in the world," said one demonstrator in Ankara who asked not to be named. He said it was dangerous for Turkey to be close to the United States, whose invasion of neighboring Iraq was deeply opposed by most Turks.
A placard carried by a demonstrator in Istanbul read "We know who the murderers are" under pictures of U.S. President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Bush said Friday Turkey, a NATO ally long held up by the United States as a model for Islamic democracy, had become a new front in the "war on terror."
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Four suicide bombers who killed more than 50 people in Istanbul over the past week were Turkish citizens, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday, as some in Turkey turned their anger on the United States.
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Erdogan also reaffirmed Turkey's belief that the bombers had links with foreign groups.
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Some protesters blamed U.S. policies for the blasts.
"People think what's happened in Istanbul was a result of America's policies in the world," said one demonstrator in Ankara who asked not to be named. He said it was dangerous for Turkey to be close to the United States, whose invasion of neighboring Iraq was deeply opposed by most Turks.
A placard carried by a demonstrator in Istanbul read "We know who the murderers are" under pictures of U.S. President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Bush said Friday Turkey, a NATO ally long held up by the United States as a model for Islamic democracy, had become a new front in the "war on terror."
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
Preaching democracy is no substitute for a sustained effort to bring about a just settlement in Palestine
Argument: "Mark Mazower: Democracy in the Middle East won't favour the US | Preaching democracy is no substitute for a sustained effort to bring about a just settlement in Palestine | 10 November 2003
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What makes Arab opinion anti-American is not some sweeping rejection of modernity, or the American way of life, but simply opposition to American foreign policy. People in the Middle East see the US, not as some disinterested Wilsonian force descending from on high to improve their lives, but rather as the Great Power which more than any other over the past half century has intervened to defend its own strategic interests by supporting the very dictatorships it now claims it wants to see vanish.
The truth is that, as long as US foreign policy is unwilling to push Israeli governments towards a proper peace deal, future Arab democracies are likely to be at least as anti-American as the existing despotisms. Is Washington too naive to realise this, or too ideologically driven by neo-conservative theories of how it won the Cold War?
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What makes Arab opinion anti-American is not some sweeping rejection of modernity, or the American way of life, but simply opposition to American foreign policy. People in the Middle East see the US, not as some disinterested Wilsonian force descending from on high to improve their lives, but rather as the Great Power which more than any other over the past half century has intervened to defend its own strategic interests by supporting the very dictatorships it now claims it wants to see vanish.
The truth is that, as long as US foreign policy is unwilling to push Israeli governments towards a proper peace deal, future Arab democracies are likely to be at least as anti-American as the existing despotisms. Is Washington too naive to realise this, or too ideologically driven by neo-conservative theories of how it won the Cold War?
European Union lambasts Israel barrier plans
BBC NEWS | Middle East | EU lambasts Israel barrier plans: "Palestinians say the barrier will cause hardship | Tuesday, 18 November, 2003
The European Union has strongly criticised the Israeli Government's plans for a barrier in the West Bank.
The EU also raps other actions by Israel which, it says, make life intolerable for Palestinians, in a strongly-worded statement.
It says the continued building of Israeli settlements in the West Bank is an obstacle to peace.
But Israeli officials deny any damage to EU-Israeli relations and vow to continue forging partnerships.
The EU statement has challenged the heart of the Israeli government's policies.
It calls for the dismantling of the barrier through the territories, which the Israeli Government says is needed to stop devastating suicide attacks.
The Europeans say that the barrier is already cutting thousands of Palestinians off from essential services.
They say that it could make a two-state solution physically impossible. "
The European Union has strongly criticised the Israeli Government's plans for a barrier in the West Bank.
The EU also raps other actions by Israel which, it says, make life intolerable for Palestinians, in a strongly-worded statement.
It says the continued building of Israeli settlements in the West Bank is an obstacle to peace.
But Israeli officials deny any damage to EU-Israeli relations and vow to continue forging partnerships.
The EU statement has challenged the heart of the Israeli government's policies.
It calls for the dismantling of the barrier through the territories, which the Israeli Government says is needed to stop devastating suicide attacks.
The Europeans say that the barrier is already cutting thousands of Palestinians off from essential services.
They say that it could make a two-state solution physically impossible. "
Monday, November 17, 2003
Bush Pulls Out of Speech to Parliament [... likes free speech but only when it isn't embarassing. ed.]
Mirror.co.uk - Bush Pulls Out of Speech to Parliament: "Nov 17 2003 | By Bob Roberts, Political Correspondent
GEORGE Bush was last night branded chicken for scrapping his speech to Parliament because he feared being heckled by anti-war MPs.
The US president planned to give a joint address to the Commons and Lords during his state visit to Britain.
But senior White House adviser Dr Harlan Ullman said: 'They would have loved to do it because it would have been a great photo-opportunity.
'But they were fearful it would to turn into a spectacle with Labour backbenchers walking out.'
Previous world leaders, including Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and Francois Mitterand, have all given speeches to the Lords and the Commons while visiting Britain.
Tony Blair gave a joint address to the American Senate and Congress in July.
But earlier this year, Bush was embarrassed when he was heckled by MPs in Australia.
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Bush will deliver his speech to an invited audience rather than Parliament, where he may have faced heckling.
GEORGE Bush was last night branded chicken for scrapping his speech to Parliament because he feared being heckled by anti-war MPs.
The US president planned to give a joint address to the Commons and Lords during his state visit to Britain.
But senior White House adviser Dr Harlan Ullman said: 'They would have loved to do it because it would have been a great photo-opportunity.
'But they were fearful it would to turn into a spectacle with Labour backbenchers walking out.'
Previous world leaders, including Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and Francois Mitterand, have all given speeches to the Lords and the Commons while visiting Britain.
Tony Blair gave a joint address to the American Senate and Congress in July.
But earlier this year, Bush was embarrassed when he was heckled by MPs in Australia.
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Bush will deliver his speech to an invited audience rather than Parliament, where he may have faced heckling.
Transatlantic told you so: Europeans fear too that their worst predictions may be coming true: Iraq becoming a breeeding ground for al-Qaida
Guardian Unlimited | World dispatch | Transatlantic told you so: "Europeans feel that the growing violence in Iraq is proving them right to have opposed the war, writes Ian Black | Friday November 14, 2003
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With early elections and an interim Iraqi government now back on Washington's agenda, France is no longer the bad guy it had been, as US officials concede that many of its arguments were valid. "The French were right," ran the main headline in one US policy journal the other day. "Bush accepts the French position," said Le Figaro.
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Europeans fear too that their worst predictions may be coming true: Iraq, argue French and German security officials, is becoming a breeding ground for the al-Qaida terrorists whose September 2001 attacks created the current crisis. Before the war, there was never any evidence of links between Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.
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With early elections and an interim Iraqi government now back on Washington's agenda, France is no longer the bad guy it had been, as US officials concede that many of its arguments were valid. "The French were right," ran the main headline in one US policy journal the other day. "Bush accepts the French position," said Le Figaro.
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Europeans fear too that their worst predictions may be coming true: Iraq, argue French and German security officials, is becoming a breeding ground for the al-Qaida terrorists whose September 2001 attacks created the current crisis. Before the war, there was never any evidence of links between Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.
Thursday, November 13, 2003
White House, 9-11 Panel OK Documents Deal: White House was warned that al-Qaida might try to hijack U.S. passenger planes
Excite News: "White House, 9-11 Panel OK Documents Deal | Nov 13, 8:02 AM (ET)
WASHINGTON (AP) - The independent commission on the Sept. 11 attacks says it has reached an agreement with the White House that will allow the review of classified intelligence documents previously withheld.
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The White House confirmed last year that one such report in August 2001, a month before the attacks, mentioned that al-Qaida might try to hijack U.S. passenger planes. National security adviser Condoleezza Rice has described the report as an analysis, rather than a warning, and said hijacking was mentioned in a traditional sense, not as it was used on Sept. 11.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The independent commission on the Sept. 11 attacks says it has reached an agreement with the White House that will allow the review of classified intelligence documents previously withheld.
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The White House confirmed last year that one such report in August 2001, a month before the attacks, mentioned that al-Qaida might try to hijack U.S. passenger planes. National security adviser Condoleezza Rice has described the report as an analysis, rather than a warning, and said hijacking was mentioned in a traditional sense, not as it was used on Sept. 11.
Saturday, November 08, 2003
Perle Warns Germany To Stop Backing France
Perle Warns Germany To Stop Backing France: "11-6-3
BERLIN (AFP) - Senior US defence adviser Richard Perle urged Germany Tuesday to stop following France on the international political stage and said that the Franco-German relationship is harming ties with the United States.
'The idea that Germany must submit to French ideas has to be looked at,' Perle told about 200 defence experts gathered in Berlin for a two-day security conference.
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In a heated exchange, former French chief of staff, Admiral Jacques Lanxade, accused Perle of trying to divide Paris and Berlin and blamed the Pentagon adviser for inciting public ill-feeling in Europe towards Washington.
BERLIN (AFP) - Senior US defence adviser Richard Perle urged Germany Tuesday to stop following France on the international political stage and said that the Franco-German relationship is harming ties with the United States.
'The idea that Germany must submit to French ideas has to be looked at,' Perle told about 200 defence experts gathered in Berlin for a two-day security conference.
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In a heated exchange, former French chief of staff, Admiral Jacques Lanxade, accused Perle of trying to divide Paris and Berlin and blamed the Pentagon adviser for inciting public ill-feeling in Europe towards Washington.
"Flagrant US bias" toward Israel drives Arab hatred: League chief
"Flagrant US bias" toward Israel drives Arab hatred: League chief: Thursday, 06-Nov-2003 6:50AM | Copyright 2003 by Agence France-Presse (via ClariNet)
CAIRO, Nov 6 (AFP) - Washington's 'flagrant' bias toward Israel is the driving force behind anti-American sentiment in the region, not its support for authoritarian Arab governments, Arab League Secretary Amr Mussa charged here Thursday.
Mussa told a press conference that remarks by US National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice 'show that the United States still has a wrong analysis of the situation in the Middle East.'
Rice said that in a speech to be delivered later Thursday, Bush would call for a faster pace of political reform in the region and acknowledge that US support for authoritarian regimes had provoked anti-American feelings.
However, Mussa replied: 'The reason for Arab hatred of the United States is the flagrant bias of 99.9 percent of Americans toward Israel, who have ended their role of honest broker in the Arab-Israeli peace process.'"
CAIRO, Nov 6 (AFP) - Washington's 'flagrant' bias toward Israel is the driving force behind anti-American sentiment in the region, not its support for authoritarian Arab governments, Arab League Secretary Amr Mussa charged here Thursday.
Mussa told a press conference that remarks by US National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice 'show that the United States still has a wrong analysis of the situation in the Middle East.'
Rice said that in a speech to be delivered later Thursday, Bush would call for a faster pace of political reform in the region and acknowledge that US support for authoritarian regimes had provoked anti-American feelings.
However, Mussa replied: 'The reason for Arab hatred of the United States is the flagrant bias of 99.9 percent of Americans toward Israel, who have ended their role of honest broker in the Arab-Israeli peace process.'"
Friday, November 07, 2003
In Mideast, Reaction to Bush Speech Is Dismissive
In Mideast, Reaction to Bush Speech Is Dismissive: " In Mideast, Reaction to Bush Speech Is Dismissive | By NEIL MacFARQUHAR | Published: November 7, 2003
AIRO, Nov. 7 — Commentators across the Middle East today largely dismissed President Bush's speech calling for wider democracy in the region, labeling it something for domestic consumption to justify the war in Iraq rather than signaling a real change in United States policy.
Political analysts, while welcoming the idea of ending decades of support for dictatorships, dwelt on the usual gap between reality and what the Bush administration says about the Middle East.
The most common conclusion was that until the United States does something concrete to force Israel to free millions of Palestinians kept under military occupation, all American statements about greater democracy and freedom will ring hollow.
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"We are familiar with these diseases and we recognize his role and the role of successive U.S. administrations in spreading and sustaining them," she wrote. "What is needed, is a realization that the fundamental problem remains that of Palestine, and the scandalous U.S. bias in favor of Israel and against the Arabs, their interests, and their aspirations."
AIRO, Nov. 7 — Commentators across the Middle East today largely dismissed President Bush's speech calling for wider democracy in the region, labeling it something for domestic consumption to justify the war in Iraq rather than signaling a real change in United States policy.
Political analysts, while welcoming the idea of ending decades of support for dictatorships, dwelt on the usual gap between reality and what the Bush administration says about the Middle East.
The most common conclusion was that until the United States does something concrete to force Israel to free millions of Palestinians kept under military occupation, all American statements about greater democracy and freedom will ring hollow.
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"We are familiar with these diseases and we recognize his role and the role of successive U.S. administrations in spreading and sustaining them," she wrote. "What is needed, is a realization that the fundamental problem remains that of Palestine, and the scandalous U.S. bias in favor of Israel and against the Arabs, their interests, and their aspirations."
Perles move on: Iran "Up To Eyeballs" In Terror
XTRAMSN: News: World News: Iran "Up To Eyeballs" In Terror: "Iran 'Up To Eyeballs' In Terror | 07/11/2003 11:19 AM | Mark Trevelyan, Security Correspondent - Reuters
Influential Pentagon adviser Richard Perle says Iran is 'up to its eyeballs in terrorism' and the United States should quietly be encouraging a democratic revolution from within.
'Is there any doubt about Iran's support for terrorism, about their payments to Hamas and Hizbollah?' Perle said in a speech in Berlin, referring to Islamic radical groups.
Speaking later to Reuters, he said there was 'massive discontent' among Iranians with their ruling Islamic clerics. "
Influential Pentagon adviser Richard Perle says Iran is 'up to its eyeballs in terrorism' and the United States should quietly be encouraging a democratic revolution from within.
'Is there any doubt about Iran's support for terrorism, about their payments to Hamas and Hizbollah?' Perle said in a speech in Berlin, referring to Islamic radical groups.
Speaking later to Reuters, he said there was 'massive discontent' among Iranians with their ruling Islamic clerics. "
Bush Challenges Iran, Syria, Egypt on Democracy
Excite - News: "Bush Challenges Iran, Syria, Egypt on Democracy | Nov 6, 6:47 pm ET | By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush on Thursday challenged Iran and Syria and key ally Egypt to adopt democracy, and, in an unusual concession, said past policies of supporting non-democratic Arab leaders had failed.
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"Sixty years of Western nations excusing and accommodating the lack of freedom in the Middle East did nothing to make us safe, because in the long run stability cannot be purchased at the expense of liberty," Bush said.
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Washington has for decades supported authoritarian governments throughout much of the Muslim world, including Jordan, Morocco and Saudi Arabia, as well as Egypt, that are seen by many of their own citizens as corrupt and illegitimate in both political and religious terms.
This support has aggravated anti-American sentiment in the region, with opposition groups saying withdrawal of U.S. backing would open the way to popular, democratic change.
It was Bush's latest attempt to justify the invasion of Iraq as necessary to foster democracy in the region at a time when he is under fire for mounting U.S. troop casualties.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush on Thursday challenged Iran and Syria and key ally Egypt to adopt democracy, and, in an unusual concession, said past policies of supporting non-democratic Arab leaders had failed.
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"Sixty years of Western nations excusing and accommodating the lack of freedom in the Middle East did nothing to make us safe, because in the long run stability cannot be purchased at the expense of liberty," Bush said.
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Washington has for decades supported authoritarian governments throughout much of the Muslim world, including Jordan, Morocco and Saudi Arabia, as well as Egypt, that are seen by many of their own citizens as corrupt and illegitimate in both political and religious terms.
This support has aggravated anti-American sentiment in the region, with opposition groups saying withdrawal of U.S. backing would open the way to popular, democratic change.
It was Bush's latest attempt to justify the invasion of Iraq as necessary to foster democracy in the region at a time when he is under fire for mounting U.S. troop casualties.
France demanded clear information from the United States on why six French nationals are being held in the Guantanamo Bay
Excite - News: "France Wants U.S. Information on Guantanamo Prisoners | Nov 7, 10:12 am ET
PARIS (Reuters) - France said on Friday it had demanded clear information from the United States on why six French nationals are being held in the Guantanamo Bay U.S. military base and planned to send another delegation there.
The six were arrested in early 2002 and are currently held by the United States military as 'enemy combatants,' and not prisoners of war who are granted a wide range of protections under international law."
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Lawyers for four of the French prisoners last month asked the United Nations to investigate evidence they were being subjected to psychological torture, citing accounts that they suffer periods of solitary confinement and lack of exercise.
A United Nations human rights body has already described the detention of French and Spaniards in Guantanamo as illegal.
One of the lawyers for the Frenchmen has said that there is no evidence of them having been involved in terrorism.
PARIS (Reuters) - France said on Friday it had demanded clear information from the United States on why six French nationals are being held in the Guantanamo Bay U.S. military base and planned to send another delegation there.
The six were arrested in early 2002 and are currently held by the United States military as 'enemy combatants,' and not prisoners of war who are granted a wide range of protections under international law."
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Lawyers for four of the French prisoners last month asked the United Nations to investigate evidence they were being subjected to psychological torture, citing accounts that they suffer periods of solitary confinement and lack of exercise.
A United Nations human rights body has already described the detention of French and Spaniards in Guantanamo as illegal.
One of the lawyers for the Frenchmen has said that there is no evidence of them having been involved in terrorism.
Monday, November 03, 2003
59% of Europeans found Israel posed "a threat to peace in the world,"
Haaretz Article: "03/11/2003 15:27 | EU downplays damning poll, says won't affect Mideast policy | By Adar Primor, Haaretz Correspondent, and The Associated Press
European Union officials sought Monday to minimize the significance of a survey in which more Europeans named Israel as a threat to world peace than any other country, saying the question had been 'misleading' and that the answers would not
affect EU policy.
The EU poll, conducted in mid-October, found 59 percent of EU citizens said "yes" when asked if Israel posed "a threat to peace in the world," less than the 53 percent who believed Iran and North Korea were a threat.
On Sunday, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom rejected claims that the poll ranking Israel was proof of European anti-Semitism.
European Union officials sought Monday to minimize the significance of a survey in which more Europeans named Israel as a threat to world peace than any other country, saying the question had been 'misleading' and that the answers would not
affect EU policy.
The EU poll, conducted in mid-October, found 59 percent of EU citizens said "yes" when asked if Israel posed "a threat to peace in the world," less than the 53 percent who believed Iran and North Korea were a threat.
On Sunday, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom rejected claims that the poll ranking Israel was proof of European anti-Semitism.