(Ha'aretz) Aluf Benn - After the press conference at Camp David by U.S. President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the president stood by his promise to Ariel Sharon and rejected the proposal of his British guest to step up the pressure on Israel in an effort to fend off the growing criticism of the war in Iraq. The paragraph on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was pushed to the sidelines, and Bush reiterated, without overt enthusiasm, his commitment to the implementation of the "road map." It seems that Bush made it clear to his guest that he is not pleased with the expression of any doubts regarding his commitment to a solution to the conflict, and that he did not think there was any reason to reimburse the British for their support with Israeli concessions. At the Prime Minister's Office they say that Sharon does not oppose the implementation of the road map. On the contrary, he would like to push the diplomatic process when he has a Palestinian partner. The dispute revolves around the wording of the plan. Israel is demanding to present its comments on the road map before the official document is made public.
2003-03-28 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive