(Albawaba-Jordan) - U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage on Tuesday rejected a suggestion that a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict would stop a wave of "global terrorism." "It was only (lately) that Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda leadership could even find it in themselves to mention the word Palestinian," Armitage told reporters after talks in Cairo. "So I reject the notion that a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, overwhelmingly important as it is, would stop the terrorism that has been directed against the United States, Western interests, and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia," he said. "I can accept the point that they will make use of conflict in the occupied territories for their own ends, but it is not the root cause of al-Qaeda terrorism," he added. "The support of the U.S. for Israel is something that is a bedrock principle of the United States," said Armitage.
2003-11-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive