bruut geweld
16 september 2004, 22:54
U.S. Middle East Policy
Former US Diplomats’ Letter Criticizing Bush’s Mideast Policy
From the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (http://www.wrmea.com/)
May 4, 2004
Sixty former US diplomats, many of them high ranking, sent the following letter criticizing President George W Bush’s mideast policy.
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC
Dear Mr. President:
We former US diplomats applaud our 52 British counterparts who recently sent a letter to Prime Minister Tony Blair criticizing his Middle East policy and calling on Britain to exert more influence over the United States. As retired foreign service officers we care deeply about our nation’s foreign policy and US credibility in the world. At the request of our government and military colleagues, we have added their names as well.
We also are deeply concerned by your April 14 endorsement of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s unilateral plan to reject the rights of three million Palestinians, to deny the right of refugees to return to their homeland, and to retain five large illegal settlement blocs in the occupied West Bank.8O
This plan defies UN Security Council resolutions calling for Israel’s return of occupied territories. It ignores international laws declaring Israeli settlements illegal. It flouts UN Resolution 194, passed in 1948, which affirms the right of refugees to return to their homes or receive compensation for the loss of their property and assistance in resettling in a host country should they choose to do so. And it undermines the road map for peace drawn up by the Quartet, including the US.
Finally, it reverses longstanding American policy in the Middle East. Your meeting with Sharon followed a series of intensive negotiating sessions between Israelis and Americans, but which left out Palestinians.
In fact, you and Prime Minister Sharon consistently have excluded Palestinians from peace negotiations. Former Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo voiced the overwhelming reaction of people around the world when he said, “I believe President Bush declared the death of the peace process today.”
By closing the door to negotiations with Palestinians and the possibility of a Palestinian state, you have proved that the United States is not an even-handed peace partner. You have placed US diplomats, civilians and military doing their jobs overseas in an untenable and even dangerous position.
Your unqualified support of Sharon’s extra-judicial assassinations, Israel’s Berlin Wall-like barrier, its harsh military measures in occupied territories, and now your endorsement of Sharon’s unilateral plan are costing our country its credibility, prestige and friends. This endorsement is not even in the best interests of the State of Israel.
It is not too late to reassert American principles of justice and fairness in our relations with all the peoples of the Middle East. Support negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis, with the United States serving as a truly honest broker.
A return to the time-honored American tradition of fairness will reverse the present tide of ill will in Europe and the Middle East-even in Iraq. Because the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the core of the problems in the Middle East, the entire region – and the world – will rejoice along with Israelis and Palestinians when the killing stops and peace is attained.
Sincerely,
Andrew I. Killgore, Ambassador to Qatar, 1977-1980
Richard H. Curtiss, chief inspector, U.S. Information Agency
Colbert C. Held, Middle East Regional Officer
Thomas J. Carolan, Consul General, Turkey, 1988-1992
C. Edward Bernier, Counselor of Embassy for Information and Culture, Pakistan 1995-1996
Donald A. Kruse, American Consul in Jerusalem
Ambassador Edward L. Peck, former Chief of Mission in Iraq and Mauritania
John Powell, Admin Counselor of Embassy in Lebanon, 1975
John Gunther Dean, Ambassador to India
James Akins, Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
Talcott Seelye, Ambassador to Syria
Eugene Bird, Counselor of Embassy in Saudi Arabia
Richard H. Nolte, Ambassador to Egypt
Ray Close, Chief of Station Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 1971-1979
Shirl McArthur, Commercial Attache, Thailand
David Fredrick, Country Director Peace Corps Morocco 1986-1990
Bill Rugh, Ambassador to UAE and Yemen
James Curran, Deputy Chief of Mission Togo 1973-1975
Joseph Cheevers, Office of Inspectors General 1987
Robert L. M. Nevitt, Minister for Press Affairs for the U.N.
John Brady Kiesling, Political Counselor, Greece
E. William Tatge, Counselor for Commercial Affairs, France
Henry Precht, Deputy Chief of Mission, Egypt
John O. Sutter, FSO, The Asia Foundation's Representative for Indonesia, 1982-1984
James J. Halsema, Counselor for Public Affairs, Egypt
Nancy LeRoy, Public Affairs Officer, Mexico
Thomas M. Martin, USIA Congressional Liaison Officer,
Robert C. McLaughlin, USIA Madrid
Edward Alexander, Counselor for Public Affairs, East Berlin, 1976-1979
Roman Lotsberg, Admin Officer, Office of European Affairs
Dr. Shirley Hill Witt, Cultural Affairs Officer, Zambia, 1994-1996
Arthur L. Lowrie, Political Advisor to the Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command
Carleton Coon, Ambassador to Nepal 1981-1984
Jane Coon, Ambassador to Bangladesh, 1981-1984
George B. Roberts, Ambassador to Guyana, 1979-1981
Robert V. Keeley, Ambassador to Greece
John E. Marsh, First Secretary, Embassy Kuwait, 1971-1973
Thomas W. Fina, Consul General, Milan, 1973-1979
Harland H. Eastman, Consul General, Tangier, Morocco, and Tel Aviv, Israel
Arthur Mudge, Director, USAID Mission to Sudan, 1980-1983
Ronald I. Spiers, Undersecretary of State for Management
Albert L. Seligmann, Director, Office of Japanese Affairs, 1981-1983
Orin D. Parker, President, America-Middle East Educational Services, 1979-1988
Robert C. Amerson, Counselor for Public Affairs, Italy
Christian Freer, Colonel, AUS ret., former chief of CIA stations and War Plans staff
Thomas J. Hirschfeld, Deputy U.S. Rep MBFR Negotiations
Edward R. M. Kane, Deputy Chief of Station, CIA, Iraq
Col. Richard Hobbes, US Army Retired, Politico-Military Adviser to NEA 1974-1977
Col. David Antoon, US Air Force, Retired
Brig. General Augustine A. Verrengia, USAF Ret.
Greg Thielmann, Director, Office for Strategic Proliferation Military Affairs, Bureau of Intelligence and Research
Robin Berrington, Cultural Attache, Japan
Gary S. Usrey, Deputy Chief of Mission, Morocco
Owen Roberts, Ambassador to Togo
Chas W. Freeman, Jr. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Assistant Secretary of Defense, 1993-1994
Edwin Paul Kennedy, Jr., Regional Affairs Officer for N. African, Near Eastern, and S. Asian Affairs, USIA
Thomas J. Scotes, Ambassador to Yemen, 1975-1978
Michael Mennard, Ph.D., Regional Public Affairs Officer, India
Francois M. Dickman, Director Arabian Peninsula Affairs 1972-76, Ambassador to UAE 1976-79 and Kuwait 1979-83
Terrell E. Arnold, Former Deputy Director Office of Counterterrorism and Consul General, Brazil
al wat oudere brief,maar materie is actueel .
Dit is dus de kritiek van EIGEN USdiplomaten op de smeerlapperij die men momenteel uithaalt in Palestina en dit onder goedkeurend oog van de Vs, ze leggen eveneens de vinger pijnlijk op de wonde WAT nu juist de kern van het probleem is :"Because the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the core of the problems in the Middle East." Fijn dat ook kritiek uit eigen rangen (en zeker niet de minste ) op deze praktijken geuit wordt.
Former US Diplomats’ Letter Criticizing Bush’s Mideast Policy
From the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (http://www.wrmea.com/)
May 4, 2004
Sixty former US diplomats, many of them high ranking, sent the following letter criticizing President George W Bush’s mideast policy.
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC
Dear Mr. President:
We former US diplomats applaud our 52 British counterparts who recently sent a letter to Prime Minister Tony Blair criticizing his Middle East policy and calling on Britain to exert more influence over the United States. As retired foreign service officers we care deeply about our nation’s foreign policy and US credibility in the world. At the request of our government and military colleagues, we have added their names as well.
We also are deeply concerned by your April 14 endorsement of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s unilateral plan to reject the rights of three million Palestinians, to deny the right of refugees to return to their homeland, and to retain five large illegal settlement blocs in the occupied West Bank.8O
This plan defies UN Security Council resolutions calling for Israel’s return of occupied territories. It ignores international laws declaring Israeli settlements illegal. It flouts UN Resolution 194, passed in 1948, which affirms the right of refugees to return to their homes or receive compensation for the loss of their property and assistance in resettling in a host country should they choose to do so. And it undermines the road map for peace drawn up by the Quartet, including the US.
Finally, it reverses longstanding American policy in the Middle East. Your meeting with Sharon followed a series of intensive negotiating sessions between Israelis and Americans, but which left out Palestinians.
In fact, you and Prime Minister Sharon consistently have excluded Palestinians from peace negotiations. Former Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo voiced the overwhelming reaction of people around the world when he said, “I believe President Bush declared the death of the peace process today.”
By closing the door to negotiations with Palestinians and the possibility of a Palestinian state, you have proved that the United States is not an even-handed peace partner. You have placed US diplomats, civilians and military doing their jobs overseas in an untenable and even dangerous position.
Your unqualified support of Sharon’s extra-judicial assassinations, Israel’s Berlin Wall-like barrier, its harsh military measures in occupied territories, and now your endorsement of Sharon’s unilateral plan are costing our country its credibility, prestige and friends. This endorsement is not even in the best interests of the State of Israel.
It is not too late to reassert American principles of justice and fairness in our relations with all the peoples of the Middle East. Support negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis, with the United States serving as a truly honest broker.
A return to the time-honored American tradition of fairness will reverse the present tide of ill will in Europe and the Middle East-even in Iraq. Because the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the core of the problems in the Middle East, the entire region – and the world – will rejoice along with Israelis and Palestinians when the killing stops and peace is attained.
Sincerely,
Andrew I. Killgore, Ambassador to Qatar, 1977-1980
Richard H. Curtiss, chief inspector, U.S. Information Agency
Colbert C. Held, Middle East Regional Officer
Thomas J. Carolan, Consul General, Turkey, 1988-1992
C. Edward Bernier, Counselor of Embassy for Information and Culture, Pakistan 1995-1996
Donald A. Kruse, American Consul in Jerusalem
Ambassador Edward L. Peck, former Chief of Mission in Iraq and Mauritania
John Powell, Admin Counselor of Embassy in Lebanon, 1975
John Gunther Dean, Ambassador to India
James Akins, Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
Talcott Seelye, Ambassador to Syria
Eugene Bird, Counselor of Embassy in Saudi Arabia
Richard H. Nolte, Ambassador to Egypt
Ray Close, Chief of Station Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 1971-1979
Shirl McArthur, Commercial Attache, Thailand
David Fredrick, Country Director Peace Corps Morocco 1986-1990
Bill Rugh, Ambassador to UAE and Yemen
James Curran, Deputy Chief of Mission Togo 1973-1975
Joseph Cheevers, Office of Inspectors General 1987
Robert L. M. Nevitt, Minister for Press Affairs for the U.N.
John Brady Kiesling, Political Counselor, Greece
E. William Tatge, Counselor for Commercial Affairs, France
Henry Precht, Deputy Chief of Mission, Egypt
John O. Sutter, FSO, The Asia Foundation's Representative for Indonesia, 1982-1984
James J. Halsema, Counselor for Public Affairs, Egypt
Nancy LeRoy, Public Affairs Officer, Mexico
Thomas M. Martin, USIA Congressional Liaison Officer,
Robert C. McLaughlin, USIA Madrid
Edward Alexander, Counselor for Public Affairs, East Berlin, 1976-1979
Roman Lotsberg, Admin Officer, Office of European Affairs
Dr. Shirley Hill Witt, Cultural Affairs Officer, Zambia, 1994-1996
Arthur L. Lowrie, Political Advisor to the Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command
Carleton Coon, Ambassador to Nepal 1981-1984
Jane Coon, Ambassador to Bangladesh, 1981-1984
George B. Roberts, Ambassador to Guyana, 1979-1981
Robert V. Keeley, Ambassador to Greece
John E. Marsh, First Secretary, Embassy Kuwait, 1971-1973
Thomas W. Fina, Consul General, Milan, 1973-1979
Harland H. Eastman, Consul General, Tangier, Morocco, and Tel Aviv, Israel
Arthur Mudge, Director, USAID Mission to Sudan, 1980-1983
Ronald I. Spiers, Undersecretary of State for Management
Albert L. Seligmann, Director, Office of Japanese Affairs, 1981-1983
Orin D. Parker, President, America-Middle East Educational Services, 1979-1988
Robert C. Amerson, Counselor for Public Affairs, Italy
Christian Freer, Colonel, AUS ret., former chief of CIA stations and War Plans staff
Thomas J. Hirschfeld, Deputy U.S. Rep MBFR Negotiations
Edward R. M. Kane, Deputy Chief of Station, CIA, Iraq
Col. Richard Hobbes, US Army Retired, Politico-Military Adviser to NEA 1974-1977
Col. David Antoon, US Air Force, Retired
Brig. General Augustine A. Verrengia, USAF Ret.
Greg Thielmann, Director, Office for Strategic Proliferation Military Affairs, Bureau of Intelligence and Research
Robin Berrington, Cultural Attache, Japan
Gary S. Usrey, Deputy Chief of Mission, Morocco
Owen Roberts, Ambassador to Togo
Chas W. Freeman, Jr. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Assistant Secretary of Defense, 1993-1994
Edwin Paul Kennedy, Jr., Regional Affairs Officer for N. African, Near Eastern, and S. Asian Affairs, USIA
Thomas J. Scotes, Ambassador to Yemen, 1975-1978
Michael Mennard, Ph.D., Regional Public Affairs Officer, India
Francois M. Dickman, Director Arabian Peninsula Affairs 1972-76, Ambassador to UAE 1976-79 and Kuwait 1979-83
Terrell E. Arnold, Former Deputy Director Office of Counterterrorism and Consul General, Brazil
al wat oudere brief,maar materie is actueel .
Dit is dus de kritiek van EIGEN USdiplomaten op de smeerlapperij die men momenteel uithaalt in Palestina en dit onder goedkeurend oog van de Vs, ze leggen eveneens de vinger pijnlijk op de wonde WAT nu juist de kern van het probleem is :"Because the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the core of the problems in the Middle East." Fijn dat ook kritiek uit eigen rangen (en zeker niet de minste ) op deze praktijken geuit wordt.