Fw: bush rebuked by former US diplomats

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "J. David Alcantara" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Cc: "Danays Alvarado" <[email protected]>; "Comite Latino"
<[email protected]>; "George DeCarlo" <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 2004 3:01 PM
Subject: bush rebuked by former US diplomats


> The full text of a letter from some 50 retired US diplomats urging
President
> Bush to reverse his Middle East policy.
>
> Dear Mr President:
>
> We former US diplomats applaud our 52 British colleagues who recently sent
a
> letter to Prime Minister Tony Blair criticising his Middle East policy and
> calling on Britain to exert more influence over the United States.
>
> As retired foreign service officers we care deeply about our nation's
> foreign policy and US credibility in the world.
>
> We also are deeply concerned by your April 14 endorsement of Israeli Prime
> Minister Ariel Sharon's unilateral plan to reject the rights of three
> million Palestinians, to deny the right of refugees to return to their
> homeland, and to retain five large illegal settlement blocs in the
occupied
> West Bank.
>
> This plan defies UN Security Council resolutions calling for Israel's
return
> of occupied territories.
>
> It ignores international laws declaring Israeli settlements illegal.
>
> It flouts UN Resolution 194, passed in 1948, which affirms the right of
> refugees to return to their homes or receive compensation for the loss of
> their property and assistance in resettling in a host country should they
> choose to do so.
>
> And it undermines the Road Map for peace drawn up by the Quartet,
including
> the US. Finally, it reverses longstanding American policy in the Middle
> East.
>
> Your meeting with Sharon followed a series of intensive negotiating
sessions
> between Israelis and Americans, but which left out Palestinians.
>
> In fact, you and Prime Minister Sharon consistently have excluded
> Palestinians from peace negotiations.
>
> Former Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo voiced the
> overwhelming reaction of people around the world when he said: "I believe
> President Bush declared the death of the peace process today".
>
> By closing the door to negotiations with Palestinians and the possibility
of
> a Palestinian state, you have proved that the United States is not an
> even-handed peace partner.
>
> You have placed US diplomats, civilians and military doing their jobs
> overseas in an untenable and even dangerous position.
>
> Your unqualified support of Sharon's extra-judicial assassinations,
Israel's
> Berlin Wall-like barrier, its harsh military measures in occupied
> territories, and now your endorsement of Sharon's unilateral plan are
> costing our country its credibility, prestige and friends.
>
> It is not too late to reassert American principles of justice and fairness
> in our relations with all the peoples of the Middle East.
>
> Support negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis, with the United
> States serving as a truly honest broker.
>
> A return to the time-honored American tradition of fairness will reverse
the
> present tide of ill will in Europe and the Middle East - even in Iraq.
>
> Because the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the core of the problems in
> the Middle East, the entire region - and the world - will rejoice along
with
> Israelis and Palestinians when the killing stops and peace is attained.
>
> Signatories include
>
> Andrew I Killgore, Ambassador to Qatar, 1977-1980
> Richard H Curtiss, former chief inspector, US Information Agency
> Colbert C Held, Retired FSO and author
> Thomas J Carolan, Counsel General Istanbul, '88-'92
> C Edward Bernier, Counselor of Embassy, Information and Culture,
Islamabad,
> Pakistan
> Donald A Kruse, American Consul in Jerusalem
> Ambassador Edward L Peck, former Chief of Mission in Iraq and Mauritania
> John Powell, Admin Counselor in Beirut, '75-'76
> John Gunther Dean, last position held US Ambassador to India
> Greg Thielmann, Director, Office for Strategic Proliferation and Military
> Affairs, Bureau of Intelligence and Research
> James Akins, Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
> Talcott Seeyle, Ambassador to Syria
> Eugene Bird, Counselor of Embassy in Saudi Arabia
> Richard H Nolte, Ambassador to Egypt
> Ray Close, Chief of Station Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 1971-1979
> Shirl McArthur, Commercial Attache, Bangkok
>
>