The Hindu : 'No need to go to Israel'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 02, 2003

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'No need to go to Israel'

By Amit Baruah

NEW DELHI SEPT. 1. The Palestinian Foreign Minister, Nabil Sha'ath, has said that he disagreed with growing Indian efforts to coordinate anti-terrorist actions among New Delhi, Tel Aviv, and Washington.

In an exclusive interview to The Hindu on Sunday, Dr. Sha'ath said: "I know it is the position of some of your Ministers. First of all, I see no need to go to Israel to reach the United States. The United States is open to India. I do not think you need that intermediary."

Dr. Sha'ath, who left India at the end of a three-day visit on Sunday night, had come just days before the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, makes the first-ever visit at the Head of Government level to New Delhi from September 9 to 11.

"Many people, who felt that Israel was the address of the United States, failed. And I give the example of Central and Eastern Europe. They all went to Israel to seek relations with the United States; they found it much easier to approach NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) than to approach Israel to do their bidding."

Dr. Sha'ath, who called on the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and the Leader of the Opposition, Sonia Gandhi, said Israel would like to make it look as if all Palestinian resistance was terrorism.

"Identifying with that puts you in a position of being anti-Palestinian when there is no need to do so. Being against what happened in New York and Washington is universal."

"President (Yasser) Arafat gave his blood to the New York victims. Why? Indonesia was not subject to terrorism? Morocco was not subject to terrorism? Why just pick Israel? Palestinians were not subject to terrorism?" Dr. Sha'ath wanted to know.

Asked if there was a message being sent out by the fact that Mr. Sharon would be in New Delhi on the second anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the U.S., he felt that, probably, this was the way the Israeli Prime Minister wanted it.

"I am not so sure this is what India chose. His propagandists are very busy trying to pick symbols for always linking him with 9/11. As a victim, of course," he said.

On Iraq, he said going to the United Nations would "probably" help. Ending American occupation of Iraq, transferring responsibility to the U.N., will eventually lead to free elections and bring about a sovereign Iraqi Government.

Stating that there was a link between the Iraqi and Palestinian issues, Dr. Sha'ath stressed that the U.S. President, George W. Bush, seeking a road map after the "military victory" in Iraq was no coincidence.

"If the United States goes back to the United Nations, the U.N. takes over; if a U.N. force produces law and order then the lesson to send multinational forces to Palestine becomes more urgent. And, we feel that international presence in Palestine today might be the single most important requirement for peace," he said.

Declaring full support for the road map towards a Palestinian State proposed by the U.S., the European Union, the U.N. Secretary-General and Russia, he, however, had doubts about its implementation. "If it (the road map) will work, it will produce a lot of good for our people, therefore, for the whole world. Will it work is a combination of what we do, the Israelis do, what the Americans do."

Making it clear that Israel would not openly destroy the road map but undermine it in other ways, Dr. Sha'ath said: "Will the U.S., nevertheless, be able to prevail to get Israel to move is a moot question? If I were a journalist today, I would say no, it doesn't look very hopeful. As a politician, I have got to give it a real effort."

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