WASHINGTON (voa) – President Bush is urging Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to order an end to suicide bomb attacks while calling on both sides to return to the path of peace.
Mr. Bush says the civilized world must band together to stop suicide attacks, which he describes as “simple terror.”
Responding to reporters questions, the president said Mr. Arafat and the Palestinians should not be treated as an entities that harbor terrorists because they have agreed to a peace process.
Mr. Bush says we wants Mr. Arafat to denounce the suicide attacks and get back to work on the ceasefire plan put forward by CIA Director George Tenet that he has already agreed to.
Mr. Bush also told reporters that while Israel should protect itself, it is also is important for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to keep open a pathway to peace.
Also Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke by telephone with Mr. Sharon. U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Reeker says the United States is gravely concerned about the situation in the West Bank. The spokesman called on Israel to show maximum restraint in its operation.
The White House has not publicly asked Israel to withdraw from Palestinian areas, but the United States did vote in favor of a U.N. Security Council resolution that calls in general terms for an Israeli withdrawal.
