|
Arafat aide: Israeli occupation 'motivated' Sinai bombers
Fri., October 08, 2004 Tishrei 23, 5765By Nathan Guttman, Haaretz Correspondent, and Agencies A senior Palestinian official blamed Israel's occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip for motivating the perpetrators of Thursday's bombings in the Sinai Peninsula, in which at least 26 people were killed, many of them Israelis. Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's top adviser, Nabil Abu Rudeinah, also drew a direct link with the heavy death toll in Israel's current massive operation in the Gaza Strip, which borders on the Sinai. "The continuation of Israel's occupation and aggressions fuel the world's anger," he said. The United States on Friday condemned the bombing at the Taba Hilton Hotel in Egypt and expressed sympathy for its victims. "We condemn the attack in the strongest possible terms," said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. "We express our most sincere sympathies to the Egyptians, the Israelis and all the other victims of this vicious attack." U.S. consular and security officers from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo were sent to Taba. Similar personnel from the embassy in Tel Aviv were dispatched to the Israeli side of the border. Two American employees of the U.S. embassy in Israel and their families were slightly injured in the bombing at the Taba Hilton Hotel in Egypt, Boucher said. Meanwhile, U.S. Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on Friday sent his condolences to the victims of the Sinai attacks, and said that a clear message must be sent that global terrorism would not succeed. In a statement, Kerry said that attacks such as the ones in Sinai only strengthened the resolve to fight terrorism, as well as the determination to catch or kill terrorists and wipe out their organizations. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday condemned "in the strongest terms" the attacks, and offered condolences to families of the victims and their governments. "I wish to emphasize again that no cause can justify acts of terror perpetrated against civilians," Annan said in a statement. He said the sites of the attacks have represented "tangible examples of peaceful coexistence in the Middle East." Annan called on authorities to speedily bring the attackers to justice. French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder condemned the attacks in a joint statement, saying the bombings underscored the need for a united front against terrorism. "Many innocent Egyptian workers and Israeli holidaymakers have paid the highest price of a cycle of violence that must stop," European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said. Schroeder also called for a revival of the road map for Middle East peace. "There is no other solution to peace in the Middle East than what is laid out in the road map for peace. Despite all this brutality we have to continue to pursue this goal," he said. Posted by: Mark Espinola 2004-10-08 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=45443 |