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Major Diplomatic Assets Such as Road Map and Bush's Letter Must Be Defended
[Ynet News] Dov Weisglass - The Road Map conditioned a final-status agreement with the Palestinians on, among other things, the reorganization of the PA in a way that would prevent terror as much as possible. President Bush's letter to Prime Minister Sharon set out, among other things, the American administration's position on two issues pertaining to a final-status agreement: There will be no withdrawal to the 1967 borders and large Jewish settlement blocs will remain in Israeli hands; and there will be no return of refugees to Israel. The Road Map - and the inherent principle of ending terror as a condition for engaging in diplomatic talks - is a diplomatic document accepted by all nations, and was validated by a Security Council resolution. It was also approved with a binding decision by the Israeli government. The president's letter to the prime minister is an integral part of the disengagement plan, which was approved by a government resolution. In the U.S., the president's letter was approved by a vast majority in Congress. These are important diplomatic assets. The Palestinian argument widely voiced ahead of the upcoming international conference completely ignores this. The writer was former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's bureau chief and senior adviser.