Media Reaction: Middle East;Dhaka

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SUBJECT: Media Reaction: Middle East;Dhaka


Summary: "The Daily Star" and "New Age," both English
dailies, welcome negotiations and diplomacy from both the
Palestinian people and Israel and hope for a positive
development for both sides.

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MIDDLE EAST
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"Middle East Talks: Dawning of A New Era?
Independent English language "The Daily Star" editorially
comments (02/11/05):

We sincerely hope that the meeting between Israeli Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas signals a turning point in the long-standing conflict
between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
We can only consider the latest developments to be positive.
Any initiative that helps the Palestinians towards self-
determination and nationhood and relieves them of the burden
of foreign military occupation must be considered a good
thing. Similarly, we would welcome a situation where
Israelis could live in peace and security and maintain
friendly relations with its neighbor to the east.
Obviously, negotiation is the way forward. Israel -- and the
U.S. -- have long held that the principal stumbling block to
peace was the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and
argued that there could be no negotiation as long as he
remained in power. Well, now they have their wish. Let us
hope that the Israelis will now agree to negotiate in good
faith with Mahmoud Abbas rather than to dismiss him out of
hand and use unrealistic expectations as to the extent of
his control over militants as an excuse to drag their feet.
Things look more promising than they have for many years. We
only hope that this is not another false dawn as we have
seen many times in the past, and that this time the
expectations and promise are turned into concrete action for
the benefit of the long suffering peoples of the region.

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"A Cautious Beginning for Abbas"
English daily "New Age" editorially comments (02/11/05):

If there is anything the Middle East is in need of today, it
is clearly a climate of peace and calm after all these
months of trouble. If the Abbas-Sharon deal can work,
something of a breakthrough may actually be seen at the end
of the day.
The stubborn way in which President Bush and Mr. Sharon
refused to deal with Yasser Arafat in the final years of his
life did not in any way advance the cause of peace. Mr.
Arafat was considered, in a terrible example of bad
judgment, as an obstacle by Washington and Tel Aviv. Perhaps
there was much about Arafat_fs policies that was not
correct, but what he stood for was significant for his
fellow Palestinians. Now that he is dead, there is that hint
of a suspicion that his successor may not be able to stand
up to Israel and the United States when it is a matter of
reaching a comprehensive, broad-based deal for the
Palestinians.
There is also the important question of how militant
organizations like Hamas observe the Abbas-Sharon agreement.
In recent months, the leading figures of Hamas have
systematically been wiped out through targeted Israeli
assassinations. That has inevitably made Hamas weak and has
raised questions about its ability to strike in the way it
used to. That may be a good thing for the deal. But one will
simply have to wait and see.
Thomas