Vice President Dick Cheney is looking to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to make a one hundred percent effort to stop violence and terrorism, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said, briefing reporters in Washington March 19.

In Israel, Cheney met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and U.S. Envoy Anthony Zinni, Boucher said. Boucher said firm action by Arafat to enforce a cease-fire and to stop terrorist attacks would create an "appropriate environment for a constructive meeting" between Cheney and Arafat.

"We will expect Arafat to begin immediate and serious steps to get a cease-fire started and to begin implementation of the Tenet work plan. This includes a clear public commitment to the Palestinian Authority's Tenet obligations, unambiguous orders to the Palestinian security services to enforce the cease-fire, and a serious effort to stop the terror attacks. If these conditions can be achieved, we will have an appropriate environment for a constructive meeting," Boucher said.

The spokesman said the U.S. government believes that the Israeli government should give "serious consideration" to allowing Arafat attend an Arab League summit in Beirut March 27-29.

Boucher said Zinni has made "some progress" toward arranging a cease-fire and implementing the Tenet work plan on security cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

"[H]e's organized the first high-level trilateral meeting in several weeks to discuss ways of how to get that implementation of the Tenet work plan. He's focused the parties for the first time on concrete ways to implement the security work plan," Boucher said.

Following is an excerpt from Boucher's March 19 briefing containing his comments about the Middle East:

Question: Can you tell us where the state of play is in the Middle East today, please?

Mr. Boucher: I'm not sure I'm adding too much to it. As you've seen, the Vice President is in Israel, and he has had meetings with Prime Minister Sharon, been talking and working with General Zinni. The Vice President said he expects 100 percent effort from Chairman Arafat to stop the violence and terrorism. That's always been our administration's position. We will expect Arafat to begin immediate and serious steps to get a cease-fire started and to begin implementation of the Tenet work plan.

This includes a clear public commitment to the Palestinian Authority's Tenet obligations, unambiguous orders to the Palestinian security services to enforce the cease-fire and a serious effort to stop the terror attacks. If these conditions can be achieved, we will have an appropriate environment for a constructive meeting.

General Zinni has discussed with the Vice President the status of his efforts to achieve a cease-fire and to move into implementation of the Tenet work plan. He will continue to update the Vice President in the days ahead, and in the end, the Vice President made clear that General Zinni's assessment of progress on Tenet implementation will determine how the administration proceeds.

So that's where we are.

Question: Richard, what's your position at the moment on whether Arafat should be free to go to Beirut, and what do you think of Prime Minister Sharon's threats not to let him back unless he fulfills -- if he violates certain conditions set by Sharon?

Mr. Boucher: The position remains the same as it was before. We think the Israeli Government should give very serious consideration to this matter, to allowing Chairman Arafat to travel to the Arab League Summit. What we're all trying to do is to create the conditions where any of these high-level meetings can be useful, can be constructive. General Zinni is out there to accomplish the objective of creating the environment and getting security for both sides, and our goal -- our views on these things will all be directed at whether or not they serve that purpose.

Question: Just to follow up, he didn't mention the threat not to let him return? Is that helpful?

Mr. Boucher: I don't have any specific comment on these things. We have said before in this matter of travel to or fro that the Israeli Government needs to consider seriously what would be in its interests. I'll leave it at that.

Question: What is your understanding of the conditions that Arafat would have to meet before the possible meeting that the Vice President offered could take place?

Mr. Boucher: As I just noted, that really it will be based on General Zinni's -- the Vice President has already said this -- but it will be based on General Zinni's assessment of progress on the Tenet implementation on the achievement of the cease-fire that we're looking for.

Question: So it wasn't necessarily offered because we think that progress has been made toward that already, but more as an incentive? It wasn't expected in the short term as much as it may have been hoped?

Mr. Boucher: I don't know that anybody has set a timing or location for such a meeting at this point. General Zinni is still trying to move forward on achieving the cease-fire and getting the implementation of the Tenet work plan. He has made some progress. We have had the first -- he has organized the first high-level trilateral meeting in several weeks to discuss ways of how to get that implementation of the Tenet work plan. He has focused the parties for the first time on concrete ways to implement the security work plan.

The discussions so far in our view have been professional, they have been serious, they have been constructive, and so the meetings will continue. And his assessment of how they continue and how we can achieve those goals will be instrumental in deciding what the next high-level meeting might be.

Question: Has the Secretary spoken with either the Vice President or with General Zinni since -- in the last two or three days, or has the reporting just been through the normal State Department diplomatic channels?

Mr. Boucher: I'd have to double-check on all the calls, but I think there's basically been some of each. He has been keeping in touch, and I'm not sure -- I don't know everybody he has talked to internally. But yes, he has been keeping in touch with the party, the traveling party, as well as getting all the normal reporting through Ambassador Burns, who is on the trip. And obviously he is in close touch with us as well.

Question: Richard, has he spoken to Yasser Arafat in the last few days?

Mr. Boucher: No.

Question: Two things. One is, in the next high-level security talks that Zinni will be involved in, are you still -- your understanding is that's going to be tomorrow?

Mr. Boucher: That's what we're looking for.

Question: Okay. And now on a related subject.

Question: I haven't finished on -

Question: All right.

Question: Yes, well, what's your assessment of how well the withdrawal is going, and are you satisfied with the pace of it?

Mr. Boucher: We have -- I'll give you the same answer to the pace question as I gave yesterday. I'm not trying to assess the pace on a daily basis, but we continue to welcome the evidence of Israeli withdrawals. We're looking for that process to continue until the withdrawal is complete. Indeed, there are some reports already that indicate it may be nearing that point. But we're looking for a complete withdrawal, and we are glad the Israelis are taking steps in that direction.

Question: Richard, yesterday the Voice of America began airing a US Government editorial that said that the Saudis should stop -- should move to reign in anti-Semitic language in their media and press -- in fact, not just the Saudis, but all Arab governments should -- referring specifically to an article, a column that appeared in Al-Riyadh, I believe, on the 10th, which repeated the blood libel against the Jews. I am wondering if this is something that you guys diplomatically are taking up with the Saudis and with other Arabs, or if it's just something that you are broadcasting into the ether and hoping that they kind of get it by listening, get the message by listening to VOA. I'm sure they do.

Mr. Boucher: I don't know. I'll check and see what diplomatic approaches have been made. Certainly I can confirm that our policy is against anti-Semitism wherever it exists. And wherever we have occasion to raise these issues, we do -- and, frankly, in the Arab world, but elsewhere as well.

Question: It mentioned it specifically in reference to the Saudi Crown Prince's proposal and the specific -

Mr. Boucher: I haven't read the whole editorial so I'm not going to analyze it.

Question: Right. Well, I'm wondering, if you could find out if this is something that you guys are raising with Saudi diplomats through official channels, or if it's just something that's going out over VOA, I would appreciate it.

Mr. Boucher: I'll find out for you.

end excerpt

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