(Ha'aretz) Aluf Benn - The new American Middle East strategy has four components: Regime changes in Iraq, Iran, and the Palestinian Authority An active war against terror, including sending advisers to states such as Yemen Working to block the spread of weapons of mass destruction Working over the long term to change the face of societies in the region through democratization - a process that will begin in Iraq and the PA. In a cable to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon presented Israel's positions on the eve of the meeting of the Madrid Quartet (the U.S., UN, EU, and Russia) in New York: The Palestinians must dismantle and disarm the militia groups in the territories and unite the various security forces under a single minister who has not been involved in terror. There must be an end to the terror and absolute quiet. Security reform must be put into practice immediately, followed by administrative, economic, and legal reforms. International financial aid must not be transferred to Arafat, as some of the money is channeled toward terror.
2002-07-15 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive