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Amr Mousa: U.S. Must Become Honest Broker of Peace
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| Amr Mousa: U.S. Must Become Honest Broker of Peace |
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 (IslamOnline) - Arab League Secretary-General Amr Mousa on Tuesday urged the U.S. to take stronger steps towards becoming an honest broker of peace in what he called a “deadlock” in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and discussed the pivotal role of Arab Americans in building strong relations between the U.S. and the Arab world.
“We are facing a situation where one party [Israel] feels like it has all the support and immunity and the other party [the Palestinians] feels oppressed, weak and occupied. An equation is not there - the conditions for a deal are not there.
“The weaker party will never be able to achieve the desired result so long as it remains occupied,” Mousa said.
Speaking at the National Press Club in Washington D.C., Mousa stated that the Arab League, and Arab countries as a whole, qualifies the continued atrocities committed by Israel in the Occupied Territories and the breakdown of negotiations as a “worst case scenario.”
“We in the Middle East face a very serious situation where the peace process seems to many to be a thing of the past. The situation in the Occupied Territories, the actual interaction around the conditions of peace between Israel… and Palestine has deteriorated, and we are now going [into] a worst-case scenario.”
“The situation in the Occupied Territories exceeds what is shown [in the media]… Palestinians are under attack and suffering from a policy of destruction, of targeted killings, of closures and of so many others…”
He went on to say the world is only privy to a small part of the greater picture of the conflict and that voices of conscientious objectors in the region must be heard. “Their description of the horrors committed in the Occupied Territories should not go unnoticed.”
The head of the coalition of 22 Arab States - started in 1945, sixth months before the establishment of the United Nations - called upon the United States to utilize its standing as a “world leader” to promote world peace.
“The role of the U.S., in our judgment, is that of a friend; an honest broker that would call on both parties, and help both parties achieve their rights…. The role of honest broker… is essential.”
He also addressed repeated remarks by the U.S. and Israel that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat “must do more to rein in terrorism,” despite the restriction of his movements and the destruction by Israel of his police and peacekeeping resources. Arafat remains quarantined in Ramallah, where Israel has kept him confined for two months.
“We have to let both parties know that the current state of affairs cannot continue or else both parties will lose. Both societies do suffer; both societies live in a state of tension - this situation is harmful to all, not only to the two parties but the totality of the Middle East.”
“But we cannot address one without addressing the other. If you ask whether both sides should do more, I say yes.
“To call on Arafat to stop the attacks…that is fine. But you should call on [Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon to stop the atrocities being committed in the Occupied Territories. Arafat can only do more if the Israelis do more,” Mousa asserted.
Addressing the fact that Arafat has been alienated by Israel in the peace process, Mousa went on to say that Israel has no right to decide with whom it will negotiate from the Palestinian side, and that Arafat is the decided leader of the Palestinian people and must be respected as such.
Mousa also called for an end to the illegal Israel occupation of Palestinian lands, saying that whenever there is occupation, anywhere in the world, it will be met with resistance.
“As long as there is occupation, there will be resistance. We cannot say that resistance is wrong, and then keep silent about the occupation. It is necessary to work through political means… but also to recognize that if occupation continues, unabated the resistance will continue.”
Asked about U.S. President George W. Bush’s qualification of Iraq, Iran and North Korea as an “axis of evil,” Mousa said, “The evil we [the Arab League] see is the evil in the Occupied Territories. As for the evil outside, as seen by President Bush, well that is an outline of U.S. policy and our [Arab League] view is not that same.”
He also went on to state that the League of Arab States would not condone any U.S. actions, specifically military actions, against any Arab states, including Iraq.
“It is the unanimous position of the Arab League that we do not condone or accept any actions against an Arab country. It will not be condoned,” he emphasized.
Mousa also addressed the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington D.C., asserting condemnation for the crimes and emphasizing that the attacks were not caused by a feeling of hatred by the Arab world towards the United States, as the Bush Administration has repeatedly declared, but rather by a strong disagreement with certain aspects of U.S. foreign policy, specifically regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
“We’re all, in the Arab world and in the Arab League, focused on how to combat terrorism…
“Why do they [the attackers of September 11] hate America?” Mousa asked in reference to the seeming catchphrase the U.S. has adopted when referring to the attacks.
“There is no hate for America… There is admiration for America, [but] there is deep disagreement for certain policies.”
Mousa also emphasized the pivotal role of Arab Americans in bridging the gap between the U.S. and the greater Arab world.
“Arab Americans are essential because they are full Americans,” he stated.
“The Arab American community could play a strong role in coordinating and building a relationship and network between the Arab League, the Arab World and the United States.”
Mousa’s visit comes two days before Sharon’s fourth scheduled visit to the White House since Bush’s inauguration as president. Arafat has yet to be invited to meet with the Bush Administration, in what many American Muslims/Arabs consider a double standard on the part of the U.S.
When asked what steps are being taken by the Arab League to put a halt to the alienation of Arafat by both the U.S. and Israel, Mousa told IslamOnline, “It is only normal that heads of state come to visit - we cannot blame Sharon for that… But I hope that the outcome of the visit will be to peace and not to further humiliate the Arab side…
“There have been many visits by the Arab leaders; the issue is not who visits but the issue is how to move things in a cogent way.
“I hope that this policy of isolating Arafat will be reconsidered…Arafat is the president of the Palestinians… no matter what policy or steps Israel takes will make us change our position.”
Mousa is scheduled to meet with members of the Arab American community in Washington on Tuesday night to further address Arab Americans’ roles in strengthening ties between the United States and the Arab world. The event is hosted by the American Arab Anti Discrimination Committee, the nation’s largest Arab American grassroots political organization.
The Muslim/Arab American community has organized demonstrations during every Sharon visit to the U.S., and has scheduled a rally to be held in front of the White House during Thursday’s meeting with Bush.
With additional reporting by Ayesha Ahmad, IOL Correspondent
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