UK fury at Israeli travel ban
2003-01-07 14:07
London - The British press reports a "furious row" between foreign secretary Jack Straw and his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, about Israel's decision to prevent Palestinian Authority delegates travelling to London next week for a conference.
Israel's decision to block Occupied Territories delegates after the Tel Aviv bomb blasts on Sunday probably will result in the cancellation of the conference on reform of the PA's structures.
Straw rang Netanyahu to try to persuade him to change his mind, but received a rebuff from the former prime minister who urged Britain to adopt United States President George W Bush's position "that leaders compromised by terrorism cannot be partners for peace", according to the Daily Telegraph.
Netanyahu said: "You in Britain are doing the exact opposite."
Straw responded: "Instead of concentrating on dealing with terrorism, it is striking at delegates."
The foreign office would confirm only that the conversation had taken place, but would provide no details.
Suicide kindergarten camps
Netanyahu was reported to have released a statement in which he said: "The Palestinian leadership does not need to meet abroad in order to close suicide kindergarten camps, to stop incitement to murder and to fight terrorism."
Blair announced the mini-summit last month, inviting delegates from the Occupied Territories, the United States, Russia, the United Nations, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, but not from Israel.
British officials have sought to emphasise a difference in policy concerning the Middle East to that followed by the US, seeing the Palestinian issue in the wider context of other Middle East problems.
In an address on Tuesday to British diplomats, called to London for a two-day conference, Blair is expected to urge the US to focus on issues like the failing Middle East peace process, global warming and world poverty, as well as terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.
According to the BBC, Blair will say that it is "massively" in Britain's interest to maintain its alliance with the US, but that it should "use that alliance to influence them to continue to broaden their agenda". - Sapa-DPA
- SAPA