AP
U.S. Envoy Pressures Israel on Elections
Date: 11-21-04
An American envoy said Sunday that Israel has to facilitate Palestinian elections, putting pressure on the Jewish state hours before Secretary of State Colin Powell's planned arrival to try to restart Mideast peace talks.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State William Burns, making the first visit to the Palestinian areas by a senior U.S. official in months, met interim Palestinian Authority President Rauhi Fattouh, the successor to Yasser Arafat until elections are held Jan. 9. Arafat died Nov. 11 in Paris.
"I am here to stress strong American support for the Palestinian election," Burns said, adding Washington expects the same from Israel. Burns met earlier with Israel's national security adviser, Giora Eiland.
"We are determined to do everything we can to help in that process and we also support steps by Israel which are needed to facilitate this election," Burns said, but he did not elaborate.
The Palestinians want the U.S. to pressure Israel to pull its troops out of Palestinian towns during the elections, to avoid intimidating voters.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Israel has "every intention of redeploying so as to allow them to have their process of election."
He said the new Palestinian leadership "could help us by coming down on the terrorists," but he did not state that as a condition for easing security measures for the election.
"After all, a successful Palestinian Authority is good for Israel. We'd like to have a partner on the other side," Regev told Associated Press Television News.
Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat said the Palestinians are also trying, through the Americans, to set up a meeting on elections arrangements with their Israeli counterparts, he said.
"We are expressing a readiness to meet with the Israeli side in order to coordinate with them immediately the administrative and security arrangements," Erekat said.
Like Israel, the Americans had refused to deal with Arafat, charging that he was involved in terror. Burns said he hoped the Palestinian elections and an Israeli plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements could jump-start the stalled "road map" peace plan.
"We all know that there are many challenges and obstacles on the road ahead but the U.S. is determined to do everything we can to help," Burns said.
The Palestinians were also hoping for financial assistance from the Americans, and Burns said the U.S. was "determined to do everything we can to help in that (election) process."
Reflecting increased international diplomatic activity in the wake of Arafat's death, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw is to visit the region this week, and Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos is expected Dec. 2.
In violence Sunday, Israeli troops shot and killed an armed Palestinian who tried to attack a Gaza road used by Jewish settlers, the Israeli army and Islamic Jihad said.
The army said the Palestinian was carrying a rifle, ammunition and hand grenades. The incident occurred in an off-limits area not far from a crossing point into Israel.
The military said soldiers chased after another armed man, but Islamic Jihad said he escaped unarmed.
Source
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