EU Opposed to US’ Proposal of Removing Arafat

There are divided responses the international society over the new Middle East Peace Proposal, which requested the resignation of Yasser Arafat as a precondition of the foundation of Palestinian independent country, by the US President Gorge W. Bush. BBC of the UK even expressed on the 25th, “no one address has made a hot debate like this before.”

The responses of Arabic press are fierce. The Arab News of Saudi Arabia criticized, “The peace proposal by the President Bush completely supported the Israeli situation, so it gave Palestine and Arabic circle indignation and indignity.” The Arab News also reproached, “Bush’s address was a vision of eternal war,” and “the address consisted of 1,867 words and he only used 137 words to request something to Israel, but he used more than 1,000 words to request something to Palestine.”

However, Jordan and Egypt welcomed the peace proposal for the moment. The Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said, “President Bush’s Middle East Peace Proposal was balanced and it did not request the resignation of Arafat bluntly.”

The most European countries opposed to the request of the change of the Palestinian leaders saying, “It is a problem that Palestinians should solve by themselves.” The European Union valued in its statement on the 25th, “President Bush’s peace proposal is a ‘New Step’ to solve the Middle East crisis,” but said, “It is Palestinians’ duty and right to select their leader through the free and democratic election.”

BBC also reported that the British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Foreign Minister Jack Straw also opposed to the request of the resignation of Arafat on the 26th, so a crack between President Bush and Prime Minister Blair can be predicted. The overseas press analyzes that the opinions are divided because it is not clear whether the Middle East Proposal is to focused on the ‘elimination of Arafat’ or really on the ‘execution of forming the Palestinian independent country.’

The New York Times reported that President Bush made his mind even firmer on the elimination of Arafat after the hearing of the information from CIA recently that Arafat supported a terrorist organization, which committed a suicide bombing terror in Jerusalem.

Sung-Kyu Kim kimsk@donga.com