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| Middle East |
| White House invites Sharon unexpectedly for talks |
| 2002-06-04 |
| Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is to meet next Monday with President George W. Bush at the White House for a discussion of Middle East and bilateral issues, the White House announced last night, unexpectedly. "The visit of the Prime Minister comes in the context of ongoing consultations among senior U.S. and Israeli leaders aimed at promoting peace and security in the Middle East," White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said in a statement. "Ariel? G.W. here. Howzit goin'? Say, why don't you pop over here next week and we'll see if we can't get this Middle East thing ironed out?" The surprise meeting comes only one month after Sharon's last visit to Washington on May 7. Wonder what's going to blow up this time? The Bush-Sharon meeting will follow consultations between Bush and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at the president's Camp David retreat in Maryland this weekend. Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Shara is also expected next week in Washington. It was unclear how the announcement of Sharon's trip would affect Shara's plans. It was also unclear whether the US would try to facilitate a meeting between Sharon and Mubarak. Kinda coincidental to have two major players there and then to ask Sharon to drop by... Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs William Burns and CIA Director George Tenet are in the Middle East trying to lay the groundwork for an overhaul of the Palestinian Authority and build momentum for a multilateral peace summit, possibly later this summer. They are expected back in Washington later this week before the Bush-Mubarak meeting Saturday. I love these diplomatese terms. "Build momentum." It sounds like we're going somewhere. If they were honest, they'd refer to it as "overcoming inertia," or "dealing with the obstreperous." I could never be a diplomat. (You read Rantburg, you probably guessed that.) Bush's meetings with Mubarak and Sharon - following on the heels of meetings with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah and Jordan's King Abdullah -represent the president's deepest, personal engagement yet in the peace process. The unexpected announcement of the Bush-Sharon meeting caught some US and Israeli officials in Washington by surprise. So maybe there is something going on... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #1 "I could never be a diplomat. (You read Rantburg, you probably guessed that." Nah. Nebber would have guessed. ;-) However I'm no good at it either. I'm tempted to drag all of em in a room, take away all their toys (guns, bombs, other shit..) and use a baseball bat to wake em up to what Mamma Lu expects of these leaders to do and be well behaved. |
| Posted by: Mary Wehmeier 2002-06-04 23:45:27 |