[Vision2020] MidEastern democracy

Fri Jan 27 18:15:14 PST 2006

"America's most beloved ex-president "
based on what is this said? Carter is an embarassment! 'Bush needs to work
with Hamas even if they are a terriorist group' what a terrible turn of
events that would be. I thank God that Bush is much smarter than that!

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <whayman at adelphia.net>
To: "Art Deco" <deco at moscow.com>
Cc: "Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Friday, January 27, 2006 1:42 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] MidEastern democracy

Another take on the situation?

Warren Hayman

Published on Friday, January 27, 2006 by the Toronto Star

Jimmy Carter's Secret Hamas Summit
Tried to bring Hamas to table
Summit fell apart a decade ago

by Mitch Potter

JERUSALEM - The mood was disaster-in-progress when the unflappable Jimmy
Carter stepped into the room yesterday to share a few quiet moments with the
Toronto Star.
The official returns were flowing in, showing a Hamas victory almost beyond
anyone's calibration.

The hard fist of political Islam didn't just enter the Palestinian
parliament. It is the parliament.As the numbers sunk in, CNN, BBC, Sky and
Fox went into "breaking news" mode, quickly bulking up with pundits uttering
obituaries for peace. The greening of Palestinian politics now had consigned
the region to another hopeless eternity, it seemed.At 81, clear-eyed and
calm, America's most beloved ex-president — who yesterday sanctified the
Palestinian election as head of the 950-strong international observer
mission — took the earthquake in stride.With the debate turning to whether
the Palestinians' major international benefactors, the European Union and
the United States, should allow themselves to maintain contact with a
government led by Hamas — a group that has not unequivocally abandoned its
founding principle of the destruction of the state of Israel — Carter let us
in on a fascinating anecdote he has never spoken of publicly.Ten years ago,
Carter himself sat dow!
 n with Hamas in an attempt to bridge the gap between PLO chief Yasser
Arafat and the then-fledgling militant Islamic group. As a personal favour
to the late Palestinian leader, and in the spirit of the newly minted Oslo
Accords, Carter went hunting for Hamas, to lasso them into the political
process."Arafat asked me if I would contact Hamas and see if they would
accept the new government with him as president, and to find out what their
demands might be," Carter said.A series of meetings ensued with various
Hamas leaders in the Israeli-occupied territories, and Carter initially
found himself confounded by the multi-headed hydra of leadership,
Hamas-style. But some of those he spoke to showed interest. Even 10 years
ago, there were indications Hamas might be ready to make the great leap
forward into reason and rationality — and perhaps even to accept Israel as
its legitimate partner in a future that would become two states living side
by side.Finally, a secret summit was a!
 rranged for Cairo involving every voice that mattered to Hamas. And ju
st as Carter was preparing for the flight to Egypt, Hamas called it
off."They cancelled the meeting. Either they decided no, or they decided I
wasn't the right person. But they cancelled," said Carter."That's the way it
was then. Clearly there was no discernable person who could speak on behalf
of Hamas and I'm not sure there is yet."Carter didn't rule out modern-day
disaster in the 17 minutes and 29 seconds he gave the Star yesterday. But he
would like everyone to take a deep breath and consider an opposite scenario.
To his way of thinking, any notion of peace was already a political fiction
long before Hamas came calling. Maybe, just maybe, confronted with the
reality of responsibility, Hamas will be the one to awaken it."Firstly,
nobody knows what will happen now. The Palestinian government just resigned
a few minutes ago. I suspect even Hamas doesn't know," said Carter. "My
guess is right now (Hamas) are trying to absorb the enormity of their
unexpected victory. They are!
  assimilating what has happened."So it means everything is in Hamas's
hands. And how they'll deal with it is quite interesting to consider. It
might be a healthy thing for them to have the responsibility. Ask yourself,
`Can Hamas maintain order among their own people?' If so, that will be a
notable achievement, and it's something Fatah has not been able or willing
to do."Carter, the broker of peace between Israel and Egypt, has never
really let go of this part of the world. He was here almost exactly a year
ago, in the same capacity as chief election monitor, when Mahmoud Abbas was
elected to succeed Arafat. On that occasion he stayed up till 4 a.m.
reviewing the count. Then, rather than making for bed, he chose to go
birding, rounding up his binoculars to catch the dawn on the leafy grounds
of Hebrew University, secret service guardsmen in tow. It is unlikely he
will be birding today. Carter is off to see Abbas one more time this
morning, to survey what's left of the broke!
 n pieces of Fatah.As for the death of peace hopes, Carter offered a st
eely gaze, and unleashed a laundry list of reasons why the question is
ridiculous. "Remember, we're not interrupting a major, successful, promising
peace process. There haven't been any peace talks for the last 3 1/2 years.
For almost three years, the elected leader of the Palestinian people
(Arafat) was imprisoned in two or three rooms in Ramallah and was not
permitted to leave his office," said Carter."And then once Mahmoud Abbas was
elected a year ago, we thought this would open a fairly immediate
opportunity for peace talks. But there haven't been any peace talks. There
hasn't been any real effort to strengthen Abbas's international stature, or
his economic ability to manage his government's needs or meet his people's
needs. There hasn't been any willingness on the part of outside forces to
equip his security people with the ability to control violence."He's been
put into a holding pattern. So we're not interrupting a peace process by
this election. And it may be that wh!
 at I consider to be a stalemate could possibly be invigorated. I won't say
reinvigorated because there's no vigour there now."But if a victorious Hamas
is to take the Palestinians forward, a discernable voice must arise. Hamas
can no longer be a multi-headed hydra, saying both yes and no to
negotiations from its many mouths. A cohesive leadership is essential, and
it must say what it really wants. That will require some breathing space as
the dust over Ramallah settles, and the newly elected work toward forming a
new government. But time is of the essence, insofar as the Palestinian
Authority is destitute.By Carter's reckoning, the Authority will run out of
funds to pay its workers — everyone from policemen to schoolteachers, at the
end of February. He's urging Western donors to find a way to work around
their objections to Hamas and continue giving, at least until Hamas makes
its intentions known. And he's calling on the cash-rich Arab world, now
"inundated with oil reve!
 nues," to step up with financing to get Palestinians through this cris
is.Former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt, one of Carter's colleagues in
the mission to Jerusalem, yesterday framed the situation thus: "The motives
for a two-state solution can be said to be even strong in a situation where,
after all, what we have asked for — the establishment of democracy in these
territories — has occurred."The fact that we got democracy functioning
should not really be used as an argument for withdrawing our
engagement."Carter professes no insight into whether Hamas is capable of the
challenge of leadership. But he's old enough to have seen many in this
region make the transition from terror to power with aplomb."Despite the
concerns expressed about the character of Hamas, we have to hope for the
best. My prayer is the Hamas leaders, now serving in positions of
unprecedented authority, will lead the Palestinian people on a peaceful,
non-violent path toward a two-state solution."

Copyright Toronto Star Newspapers Limited

---- Art Deco <deco at moscow.com> wrote:
> Bill,
>
> Good questions.
>
> There is only one person on this list than can give us complete, decisive,
persuasive answers to them:  Pat Kraut!
>
> Let 'er rip, Pat.
>
> W.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: Bill London
> To: vision2020 at moscow.com
> Sent: Friday, January 27, 2006 10:05 AM
> Subject: [Vision2020] MidEastern democracy
>
>
> Anyone else notice the funny corner Bush has painted himself into?
>
> The Bush manifesto to enforce "democracy" in the MidEast resulted in
American applause for the recent vote for a government in Palestine -- until
the results were in.
>
> When Hamas (which the Americans have long labeled a terrorist group) won
the election, Bush rejected that democratic decision.  After rejecting the
democratically-elected government, what now?
>
> The same process is happening more slowly in Iraq.  As the American forces
continue their occupation, they radicalize the Iraqi people.  The result
will be a democratic vote to elect a radical theocratic anti-American
government.  Then what?
> BL
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
>
>
> _____________________________________________________
>  List services made available by First Step Internet,
>  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>                http://www.fsr.net
>           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> /////////////////////////////////////////////////////

_____________________________________________________
 List services made available by First Step Internet,
 serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
               http://www.fsr.net
          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com