Saturday 4 May 2002

Global Mideast Peace Summit Planned. An international peace conference is being planned for early summer, probably in Europe, to try to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict. The crucial session could be held without Yasser Arafat. [AP World News] While this sounds positive, why must it wait until 'early summer', and why should the possibility of going ahead without Yasser Arafat even be considered? Recent TV interviews with Israeli officials at the time of the eventual lifting of the siege in Ramallah yet again harped on the 'impossibility' of negotiating with Arafat and dragged out the old chestnut of progress being dependent on his removal. Sounds to me like the Israelis are fully aware of his position and realise that they will be forced into greater concessions with him in the equation rather than without.       What's to negotiate, anyway? The Saudi proposal sounds fine: Israel withdraws to the borders it occupied way back when and we take it from there. 12:17:49 AM  Your view

Bush, Europeans Promise More Talks. President Bush and European leaders on Thursday tried to defuse tensions that are threatening to spark a full-blown trade war but reported no breakthrough on the most contentious issue [~] new American tariffs on steel. [AP World News] How could I have missed this further instance of Dubyoo's blatant disregard for international agreements? The unilateral imposition of steel tariffs was greeted with total disbelief here in Europe, and certainly did nothing to change the public perception of the US government's isolationist tendencies. 12:04:58 AM  Your view

		© Copyright 2002 Jim MacCormaic . Last update: 29/09/2002; 06:02:51 am .