FRANCE: Its author does not even call his two-page "non-paper" a peace initiative. But proposals by the French Foreign Minister, Mr Hubert Védrine, have gathered momentum and are the subject of talks this week in Washington, New York, London, Berlin, Paris, Brussels and Spain. Lara Marlowe reports from Paris
Mr Védrine credits the Israeli Foreign Minister, Mr Shimon Peres, with the original idea of making recognition of the Palestinian state the point of departure - not the end goal - of negotiations. Ironically, Mr Peres now disapproves of the French peace plan, which added a requirement for elections in the Israel-occupied territories.
Mr Nabil Shaath, one of the principal Palestinian negotiators and the special envoy of President Yasser Arafat, says he expects what are widely referred to as "the French ideas" to be approved by an informal meeting of European foreign ministers in the Spanish town of Caceres tomorrow and Saturday. "There is a little hope that we are beyond the abyss," Mr Shaath said after his meeting with Mr Védrine here yesterday
As the Israeli Prime Minister calls on President Bush today, Mr Shaath will discuss the plan with the European Commissioner for External Affairs, Mr Chris Patten, and the Belgian Foreign Minister, Mr Louis Michel, in Brussels. He will then fly to Spain to meet the Spanish Foreign Minister, Mr Jose Pique.
Yesterday, Mr Shaath sought the support of Mr Jack Straw in London and Mr Joschka Fischer in Berlin. "The role of the Europeans will be to obtain a commitment from the US, and to put pressure on [Prime Minister] Sharon," Mr Shaath said. The European leaders have expressed "a total commitment" to end Mr Sharon's two-month siege of Mr Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah, he added.
At a time of vocal French criticism of the US, Washington may be less than receptive to ideas from Paris. The French seem to believe the sheer weight of European and Arab opinion will sway Mr Bush. The "simplistic attitude" of the US in "reducing all the problems of the world to the war on terrorism is not a serious approach," Mr Védrine told French radio yesterday. The US approach world affairs "in a unilateral way, without consulting others, according to their interests," he added. Four months before the French government will be changed by a general election, Mr Védrine apparently feels he has nothing to lose by taking on the Americans. "Europeans today are unanimous in disagreeing with the White House's Middle East policy," he said.
"They consider it an error to blindly support Ariel Sharon's policy of total repression." But will this new found "unanimity" survive British reticence? Mr Shaath said that Mr Straw expressed two reservations. The British Foreign Minister "would like to see the Americans join in" and also feared that violence could not only sabotage the plan but provoke a new escalation.
In recent days, Mr Védrine also criticised Mr Bush's definition of an "axis of evil" composed of Iran, Iraq and North Korea and US treatment of prisoners taken from Afghanistan to Cuba.
Mr Védrine first spoke publicly of his peace plan on January 31st, after the Saudi newspaper Al Hayat leaked details of his "non-paper", which proposes elections "on the theme of peace" in the occupied territories. Mr Joschka Fischer has since proposed a simple referendum. The mandate of the present Palestinian legislature expired in 2000.
Elections would reaffirm the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority and drive home to Palestinians and Israelis that a majority want peace, the document says. Mr Peres opposes it on the grounds that a defeat - in the form of an Islamist victory - could be devastating.
At the same time, the French propose recognition of a Palestinian state by Israel and its admission to the UN. This would create a "psychological shock" and "reinvolve Palestinian society in nation-building". Without recognition of their state, elections would be meaningless to Palestinians, it adds.
Mr Shaath thanked France for "putting the horse in front of the cart" by stressing that only a political solution can resolve security problems. He said Palestinians welcome the involvement of Europe and a renewed democratic process. But they would want Israel to accept the June 4th, 1967, borders and to allow Palestinians in Jerusalem to vote.