News Powell leaves Mideast empty-handed, while Arafat calls Israeli pledge a sham

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U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell ended his peace mission April 17 with little to show apart from a pledge from Israel to end its reoccupation of West Bank cities within "a week or so."

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said the Israeli pledge was a sham, and one of his aides accused Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of hindering Powell's efforts.

Israel blamed Arafat for refusing to sign a ceasefire, but Powell told a news conference the term could become relevant only after Israel ends its offensive on the West Bank.

Powell said the United States was "disappointed" with Arafat's performance in fighting violence.

Powell arrived in Jerusalem on April 11 to reinforce U.S. President George W. Bush's demands for an immediate Israeli pullout from West Bank cities, action by Arafat to halt violence and agreement from both sides to revive peace talks.

Effectively dropping the U.S. insistence on an "immediate" withdrawl, Powell said he had stressed to Sharon the urgency of completing the pullout and was taking him at his word when he promised to do so "in the next few days or a week or so."

Powell pledged to return to the region, but set no date

A senior adviser to Sharon said Powell's main achievement was to get a withdrawal "timeline" from Sharon, adding, "unfortunately Yasser Arafat has not reciprocated."

Arafat, speaking after talks with Powell, raged at Israel for confining him to his Ramallah headquarters since the outset of Israel's offensive March 29.

He reminded reporters Israel had announced troop withdrawals from two West Bank cities, only to return, and were also making "shameful attacks" on Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity.

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米国務長官、パレスチナ停戦仲介に失敗

パウエル米国務長官は17日、アラファト・パレスチナ議長と会談、テロ対策を求めたが、逆にイスラエル軍撤退が先決と主張された。イスラエル側からも撤退を拒否され、停戦仲介は失敗に終わった。

Shukan ST: April 26, 2002

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