Wednesday, June 26, 2002

Europe Lauds Bush Speech, but Rejects Arafat Ouster
Even the British, Mr. Bush's staunchest allies, parted company with his rebuke of Mr. Arafat, saying they would accept whomever the Palestinians chose as their leader. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told the House of Commons that if Mr. Arafat were re-elected, Britain "would deal with him."

"We deal with the leaders that are elected," he said, "and, in the case of dictatorial regimes, with those that are not elected."

Asked specifically about Mr. Arafat's future, Prime Minister Tony Blair's spokesman said, "The key point is that there needs to be somebody who can represent the views of the Palestinian people, who can take up this vision and deliver." He said that Mr. Blair shared Mr. Bush's view that Mr. Arafat "has let the Palestinian people down."

Mr. Arafat has been a frequent visitor to European capitals, and Europeans have helped finance the elections and activities of the Palestinian Authority. The European public has generally found more favor with Mr. Arafat than Americans have. But while the leaders of the 15-nation bloc have continued to recognize Mr. Arafat as the legitimate leader of the Palestinians despite Israeli and American efforts to marginalize him, they have cooled toward him as suicide bombings carried out by Palestinians have continued.

Significantly, officials did not defend Mr. Arafat's record but stressed only that it was up to the Palestinians to choose their own leader. They also supported calls for sweeping reform of the Palestinian institutions.

"I think it's positive that he is so strongly confirming the idea of a Palestinian state," said the Swedish foreign minister, Anna Lindh, before adding, "But I can't support the idea of having as a condition that Arafat will leave as the leader of the Palestinians." Norway, host of the secret talks in 1993 that led to the now-abandoned Oslo peace accords, also took issue with the argument that Mr. Arafat must go.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, prime minister of Denmark, which takes over the presidency of the European Union on July 1, also said that Mr. Arafat has not done enough to stop the violence. But, he added, "We will not demand that Arafat or any other leader in the region is removed."
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/26/international/middleeast/26EURO.html

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