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Last Updated: Monday, 2 June, 2003, 13:44 GMT 14:44 UK
Papers sceptical on peace talks

Some Israeli newspapers question Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's support for the roadmap, saying that it has come as a result of direct pressure from US President George W Bush.

Most Arab newspapers, however, doubt Israel's commitment to peace. They urge the US and the international community to push for lasting peace in the Middle East.


It is undoubtedly pleasant to hear the word "occupation" emerging from Sharon's lips, but at most, this is a different tone.

Ha'aretz - Israel


The prime minister goes to the Aqaba conference when a respectable part of his cabinet opposes his political line. It is also safe to assume that the coalition majority that supports the current government does not support Sharon's policy.

Only the Likud can remove Sharon from office and form a nationalist government capable of preventing Israel's withdrawal from the territories and the re-division of Jerusalem.

Hatzofe - Israel


If Abu Mazen [Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas] succeeds in reaching an agreement on the cessation of terror attacks with Hamas and other factions, the moment of truth will also come for the government of Israel in implementing the roadmap.

Ha'aretz - Israel


It was not the change in Sharon, if at all, that now moves the paralysed wheels of the peace process, but Bush's turnabout. Bush is investing the political prestige and political fortune he acquired following the war in Iraq in the Middle East.

The blank cheque and the generous credit Bush gave Sharon in the last two-and-a-half years is now due for payment, and Bush arrives in Aqaba to collect the debt.

Ma'ariv - Israel


The US is seeking to stop the so-called sources which fund terrorist organisations and operations. In return, the Palestinians and the Arabs are expecting the US to control its flow of financial assistance to Israel.

Bush lied to the world to justify his war to occupy Iraq. He now wants to regain his political credibility in Palestine and Israel.

Al-Ayyam - Palestinian


It is illogical that the US moves with its forces to liberate the Iraqis and abandons the Palestinians to face the problems they are currently facing.

Al-Ahram - Egypt


The roadmap is a complicated issue, but very important. It shows that the US is able to impose on Sharon what it wants and when it wants it to happen.

Al-Mustaqbal - Lebanon


The time has come for President Bush to put pressure on Ariel Sharon. And the time has also come to find out how serious the US president is in implementing his statements.

Al-Sharq al-Awsat - London


It is an opportune time for the US president to go into the history books as the first president who laid the foundation to end the Arab-Israel conflict.

Al-Ahram - Egypt


Israel is the only one in control of the success and failure of the roadmap.

Al-Watan - Qatar


The Palestinian cause is the best example to test the international will for peace and to know if the world is changing towards a positive direction in order to match noble human principles.

Al-Jazirah - Saudi Arabia


If the G8, Sharm el-Sheikh and Aqaba summits want to register a positive memory in the minds of the people, they must make recommendations compatible with the principles of real, just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

Al-Thawrah -Yemen


No to imperialism. No to the occupation of Palestine.

Al-Jamahiriyah - Libya


BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.





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SEE ALSO:
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