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Ahead of President Bush's expected Middle East policy speech, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said the Palestinian Authority was corrupt and cavorted with terror.
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| By Ellis Shuman June 17, 2002 |
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Days ahead of U.S. President George W. Bush's expected speech detailing his revised "Middle East vision," National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said that the administration did not see the Palestinian Authority as a basis for the future Palestinian state. Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat responded by saying the Palestinians don't accept orders from anyone.
"Frankly, the PA, which is corrupt and cavorts with terror... is not the basis for a Palestinian state moving forward," Rice said in an interview published over the weekend by the San Jose Mercury News.
Rice indicated that the Bush administration would
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"The PA, which is corrupt and cavorts with terror... is not the basis for a Palestinian state"
- Condoleezza Rice
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work to help establish democratic institutions for the Palestinians. The Palestinians would have to determine Arafat's role, she said. "Everybody focuses too much on the personality. If you build the institutions and they are legitimate reformed institutions, they will serve the Palestinian people better, and Arafat - the chips will fall where they may."
"Israel is going to have to make difficult decisions"
Rice reiterated the United States' longstanding opposition to the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. But she said the administration felt it was more important to focus efforts on the "highest leverage points'' - reforming the structure of the Palestinian territories, increasing Arab involvement in the peace process and "getting Israelis to do something about the life of their neighbors, which is frankly horrendous.''
Rice indicated the U.S. would have to push the government of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to make some difficult decisions regarding a future Palestinian state. "Israel is going to have to do some very hard things,'' Rice said. "They're going to have to make some hard choices about how much it's ready for peace, too.''
While stating her belief that Sharon's government was committed to the peace process, Rice was confident that Israeli citizens could determine the future course of negotiations. "I believe that there's one great thing about democracy, which is if the current Israeli government isn't willing to make those decisions and the Israeli people want to make those decisions, they have a mechanism for actually changing the government,'' Rice said.
Rice said that President Bush had no plans to push forward peace initiatives promoted by former President Bill Clinton. "We're not going back down that road,'' she said.
Arafat today blasted Rice's statements regarding the Palestinian Authority. "We are doing what we see as good for our people and we do not accept any orders from anyone," he said while touring schools in Ramallah.
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