From: "WOMEN IN ISLAM" <[log in to unmask]>


 Washington is not neutral, says Mandela

 JOHANNESBURG, June 1: Former South African president Nelson Mandela said on
 Friday the United States was not an impartial peacemaker in the Middle East
 and a multinational initiative was needed to end the violence.

 Mandela, speaking at a news conference after talks with French Prime
 Minister Lionel Jospin, said the United States should join Egypt, Saudi
 Arabia, Britain and France to mediate a settlement. "It is completely wrong
 that the United States must be the mediator in this conflict. Everybody
 knows the United States is a friend of Israel," he said.

 Mandela was flanked by the French premier, who is on a two-day official
 visit to South Africa as part of French efforts to extend its influence
 beyond its former colonies, mainly in West Africa. He said the five
 countries together stood a stronger chance of negotiating peace in the
 violence-torn region.

 "Those five together should now negotiate a settlement. One advantage is
 that if there is a settlement, it is guaranteed it will have universal
 support. "Whereas if a settlement is brought about by one country, even if
 it is a superpower, there is no guarantee it will have support." At least
 450 Palestinians, 91 Israelis and 13 Israeli Arabs have been killed in the
 eight-month-old Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation in the West
 Bank and Gaza Strip.

 A limited ceasefire announced by Israel last week was rejected as a
 propaganda ploy by Palestinian leaders and has failed to stop the bloodshed.
 Mandela renewed South Africa's support for the Palestinians and their
 leader, Yasser Arafat. "As far as we are concerned what is being done to the
 Palestinians is a matter of grave concern. We are the friends of Yasser
 Arafat. We are the friends of the Palestinians. We support their struggle,"
 he said.-Reuters

 Source: "NEWS" <[log in to unmask]> >>

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