US embassy cable - 02HARARE2858

UNCLAS HARARE 002858 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/PDPA, AF/S, AF/RA 
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
PARIS FOR NEARY 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, KPAO, KMDR, ZI 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION MEP; HARARE 
 
 
  1.   Under headline "U.S. stumbling block to 
      Palestinian state" the pro-government weekly "The 
      Sunday Mirror" dedicated its December 22 editorial to 
      accusing the United States of stalling the peace 
      process in the Middle East.  Excerpts: 
 
  2.   "Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will next month 
      send a delegation to London for talks on a peace 
      blueprint, which envisages an end to two years of 
      violence in the region and a Palestinian state by 2005. 
      However, the call by Israel on the United States. . .to 
      go slowly on the `road map' until Israeli elections on 
      January 28 has poured cold water on expectations that a 
      definitive document on the peace plan would be produced 
      soon.  America's veto last week of a United Nations 
      resolution blaming Israel for the killings of three 
      U.N. staff in Palestinian territories and its excessive 
      use of force raises serious questions about the 
      commitment of both Israel and the U.S. to the peace 
      plan.  It appears the unholy alliance between America 
      and Israel is the single most significant impediment in 
      the way of a lasting solution to the Palestinian 
      crisis.  While U.S. President George W. Bush has 
      expressed his commitment to the establishment of a 
      Palestinian state, last week's veto underscored the 
      hypocrisy in American foreign policy on Palestine. 
      America's blatant bias towards Israel will certainly 
      determine their response to the resolutions that will 
      come out of the London peace conference, which has been 
      called by British prime Minister, Tony Blair." 
 
WHITEHEAD