US President George W. Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert on Tuesday sought to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas, calling him a moderate voice and the only true leader of the
Palestinian people.
Bush and Olmert, in a meeting at the White House, both spoke
positively of the prospects for new meetings between Abbas and the
Israelis.
"I'm going to make every possible effort to cooperate with him,"
the prime minister said. Bush called Abbas "the president of all
the Palestinians" and "a voice for moderation".
Bush and Olmert met in the aftermath of turmoil that left Abbas,
a Western-backed moderate, in control of one Palestinian government
in the West Bank and his Islamist rival Hamas in control of the
separate Gaza Strip. "Like you, I want to strengthen the
moderates," Olmert said. He said it was vital to strengthen
security for Israel.
"Our hope is that President Abbas and Prime Minister (Salam)
Fayyyad - who's a good fellow - will be strengthened to the point
where they can lead the Palestinians in a different direction,"
Bush said.
Olmert said he will be talking to Abbas but spoke of several
prerequisites for progress towards peace.
They included a much more responsive Palestinian government and
increased security efforts, Olmert said.
Bush said Hamas attacked the unity government. "They made the
choice of violence," Bush said. He said that Abbas was "a voice
that is a reasonable voice amongst the extremists in your
neighborhood."
The United States and European Union moved quickly to shore up
Abbas. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday announced an
end to an economic and political embargo on the Palestinians.
Israel has seemed likely to free up millions in tax revenue it
collects on behalf of the Palestinians, assuming it could ensure
that the money flowed only to Abbas' operation in the West
Bank.
Rice was to brief members of Congress Tuesday about the Bush
administration's decision to restart the flow of aid to Abbas'
government. The United States, more than a year ago, withheld money
for fear it would benefit Hamas radicals governing alongside
him.
(China Daily via agencies June 20, 2007 )
