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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.
Sincerely,
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
(I believe here may be others but have had trouble finding the
official web site of the American Educational Trust who published
this letter.)
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