Bush declines to meet Arafat during United Nations visit

War on Terrorism: Middle East

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The Bush Administration yesterday flatly ruled out a meeting between President George Bush and Yasser Arafat when the Palestinian leader arrives in the US to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Mr Arafat was warmly received at the White House during the Clinton years but he will be kept at arm's length by Mr Bush.

The president's national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, said last night that Mr Arafat needed to work harder to "root out terrorists". "You cannot help us with al-Qaida and hug Hizbullah – that's not acceptable – or Hamas," she said, referring to two militant Islamic groups branded as "terrorist" by Washington. "The President continues to make that clear to Mr Arafat and there are no plans to meet with Mr Arafat in New York."

Although the relationship between the two men – previously non-existent – improved after Mr Arafat rushed to support the US's anti-terror coalition, the Bush Administration appears to have concluded that an encounter between the former guerrilla leader and the newly crowned hero of the free world's "war on terror" would go down badly at home – given the mood after 11 September.

It would also cause anger in Israel, which could undermine efforts to calm the Middle East during the American-led assault on Afghanistan.

Israel's Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, has shown little willingness to listen to outsiders, including the US. Concerns abound in Washington that a Bush-Arafat meeting might have provoked anger from Israel's right wing, which would prompt the bullish ex-general into taking further punishing military measures against the Palestinians.

More television images of Arabs being killed by Israeli soldiers would set back the Allies' drive to build consensus in the Arab and Islamic world.

Mr Arafat's trip is to the UN General Assembly, where he will make a speech. It is therefore not an official visit to the American leadership. But, in recent days, Arab nations and the Palestinians had been lobbying hard in Washington for a Bush-Arafat meeting.

Several key issues underlie the diplomatic manoeuvring. The United States is ultimately the only power who can mediate in this conflict. It has yet to bend to pressure from Tony Blair (who was yesterday said to be brandishing a new EU peace initiative, which Israel immediately dismissed), the EU and the UN to fully engage in the task of reviving the Middle East "peace process", with the renewal of substantive negotiations.

Remembering the disaster which struck Bill Clinton, Mr Bush is likely to avoid serious peace negotiations unless success is assured. This is far from the case: there are strong doubts over whether Mr Sharon wants a deal, or whether Mr Arafat has the political strength to sign up to one. Reports yesterday that Mr Sharon and Shimon Peres, his Foreign Minister, have a new plan based on Israel's withdrawal first from the Gaza Strip – were greeted with scepticism by well-placed sources.

The US priority is to establish calm, by getting both sides to enforce the ceasefire and then implement the Mitchell report. Even this is no easy task. Mr Arafat has yet to stop Palestinian guerrilla attacks.

And Mr Sharon has done all he can to avoid the Mitchell recommendations – not least because it demands a complete freeze on illegal Israeli settlement building, which he has supported throughout his career. It has flourished during his eight months in power.