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U.S. Plans Low-Key Approach in Return to Mideast Role

(Washington Post) Glenn Kessler - The Bush administration, which returns to Middle East peacemaking with the arrival of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Jerusalem Sunday, plans to take an initially low-key approach that would rely much more on nations in the region carrying the public diplomatic burden, U.S. officials said. Much of the U.S. effort will be symbolic or monetary as the administration waits to see whether the Israelis and Palestinians can build trust among themselves. Bush administration officials also are disdainful of the Clinton administration's deep involvement in the peace process, which they believe amounted to micromanaging. While Ghaith Omari, political adviser to Palestinian Chairman Abbas, called for "an objective third party that can actually help us move forward," administration officials say such pleas are diplomatic code for the U.S. putting pressure on Israel. "Everyone is looking for the United States to go back to our traditional role of delivering the Israelis," another administration official said.
2005-02-07 00:00:00
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