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Bush Going to Mideast to Advance Peace
EFL.President Bush is planning to travel to the Middle East early next month to advance the peace process amid fresh signs of progress in ending the violence between Israelis and Palestinians. A military support plane left Washington on Sunday morning, carrying personnel who will lay the groundwork for a summit in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt. Another possible site being explored was the royal retreat at Aqaba, Jordan. Bush tentatively plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas in Egypt to prod them into putting the peace ``road map'' into effect. Administration officials were still weighing whether Bush would meet with the two leaders together or separately. Doesn't mater, as long as Abbas is frisked. It was possible Bush would make another stop in the region as well, the leading choice being Doha, Qatar, to visit troops. No doubt Sen. Robert Byrd (D-KKK) will object to such a photo-op. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Bush's plans could change. Political events in the region Sunday gave the plan momentum, but future developments could just as easily derail it. The administration wanted the support team in position so Bush could make a last-minute decision. Forecast: lots of splodydopes in the week before the trip. But others said the plan was quickly firming up, with a strong focus on the Egypt summit. Before the Iraq war, Sen. Richard Lugar said he was told by the president that he was going to lead the road map process because of its importance to world peace. A leading Democrat in the Senate urged the administration to become more closely involved in the peace process and said the president should go ahead with the meeting. ``The Bush administration has effectively been disengaged from the ground in the Middle East What's the old saying about how the Paleostinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity? Posted by: Steve White 2003-05-26 |
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