MIDDLE EAST: Reflecting sensitivity to growing domestic and international criticism of the administration's Middle East strategy, the White House yesterday insisted it wants to help develop a political track to the stalled peace process.
But the US emphasis simply on bringing the sides together rather than offering an outcome scenario is likely to be seen in Europe and the region as more of the same.
In the meantime, the US appears willing to let the Israelis complete their current military operations, which are expected to continue for another two weeks. President Bush has not been willing to specifically call for withdrawal from the Palestinian territories, simply warning the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Ariel Sharon, that he must not lose sight of the objective of peace.
"There are two vital guidelines that the President is seeking to advance and they can work independently, they can work together," the White House spokesman, Mr Ari Fleischer, told reporters, referring to the security and political issues.
Much criticism has focused on what has been seen as an exclusive emphasis on security.
Mr Fleischer said Israel and the Palestinians needed, with the help of the US, to focus on dialogue as well as the security situation. "That is, the security arrangements that help enhance political prospects as a result of a ceasefire, but the political dialogue is an essential part of the dialogue," he added.
"The President thinks it would be easier to get into Mitchell [the Mitchell plan\] as a result of Tenet [the Tenet plan\] being implemented. In other words, it's easier to get to the political process once a cease-fire goes into effect," Mr Fleischer said.
"But the President has always been open to whatever allows for the most constructive dialogue to take place."
He said the President was deeply sensitive to the political dimension and had been the first US President to speak in the UN about the need for a Palestinian state.
But Mr Fleischer's emphasis on Mitchell falls well short of suggestions that the US should itself table a comprehensive settlement package. Mitchell only promises further dialogue towards such an objective, a dialogue many believe has been made impossible by a combination of the violence and Israel's current leadership.
Mr Fleischer said that the US had yet to examine the documents found by Israelis which the Israelis claim show links between Mr Yasser Arafat and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, but he warned that such contacts would be a violation of the Oslo accord.
Speaking earlier in the Pentagon, the Secretary of Defence, Mr Don Rumsfeld rejected press speculation that the US might be willing to hand over a captured al-Qaeda leader, Abu Zubaydah, to countries less squeamish about torture. Mr Rumsfeld, who refuses to talk about details of the detention, said the US would remain responsible for his questioning.
