President Bush has rejected the suggestion that Israeli government officials misled him on the establishment of new settlements in the West Bank.
“I don’t think that’s the case, that somebody’s saying one thing and then going off and just doing something behind his back,” Bush said during an early morning news conference Wednesday at the White House.
The president has frequently emphasized that he considers the establishment or expansion of Jewish settlements in the territories as an obstacle to peace.
While not mentioning the settlements issue directly, Bush said, “There’s plenty of room to critique this and to wish for more progress from one country or another.”
“But there’s a lot going on,” he said, adding: “I want to stay personally involved myself.”
Bush said he is “moderately optimistic” about the chances of reaching an Arab-Israeli peace.
“I want to be a part of this, because I think we have an opportunity now,” the president said. “And I think countries that the United States has helped recognize that. And I think Israel understands that,” as do Saudi Arabia and Egypt, he said.
But Bush said he did not decide to send Secretary of State James Baker back to the Middle East on his fourth trip to the region since the end of the Persian Gulf War because he sees any chance of a “breakthrough.”
However, the “negative reports” in the media after Baker’s last trip to the region were not justified, the president said. “I think there’s still a real opportunity here,” he added.
Bush said he made this assessment after being briefed by Baker “and talking to some leaders around the world.”
Baker leaves for the Middle East on Friday night and will meet with Syrian President Hafez Assad in Damascus on Sunday. He then goes to Egypt, where he will meet Sunday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and with Soviet Foreign Minister Alexander Bessmertnykh, who began his own Middle East tour Wednesday.
The next stop is Amman, Jordan, before going to Israel on May 15 and 16.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
