Abbas leaves Washington with support from Bush

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said today he received assurances from President George Bush that he will promote an Israel-Palestinian settlement on an ”accelerated basis.”

A day after his meeting with Bush, Abbas praised the multiple steps Bush has taken at the diplomatic level and in advancing economic development in the Palestinian territories.

Speaking to a small group of reporters shortly before ending a three-day trip to Washington, Abbas said the upcoming visit of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is another indication that “the administration is committed to the peace process and to reaching a successful conclusion.”

Palestinian leaders were leaving Washington with the political and economic support they had hoped for.

Bush praised Abbas, the recently elected president of the Palestinian Authority, as a man who believes in peace and democracy. Bush gave the Mideast peace process a boost and pledged to help make the dream of Palestinian statehood a reality.

“We meet at a time when a great achievement of history is within reach, the creation of a peaceful, democratic Palestinian state,” Bush said yesterday as he stood next to Abbas in the White House Rose Garden.

“You have made a new start on a difficult journey, requiring courage and leadership each day. And we will take that journey together,” Bush said to Abbas, successor to the late Yasser Arafat, who never received an invitation to the Bush White House.

Bush announced that the US would give £27 million in direct aid to the Palestinian Authority for housing and infrastructure projects designed to improve the lives of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip once Israel withdraws this summer.

The overwhelming majority of US aid to the Palestinians in the past has been funnelled through third parties. The new payment signified a show of confidence in Abbas’ leadership.

Palestinian officials said they were pleased with the results of the three-day trip to the US

“It was a success for the Palestinian side and for the efforts to achieve peace in the region,” Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser Al-Kidwa said. ”I don’t think we’ve heard such a clear and comprehensive US position in the past.”

Bush, expressing support for Palestinian political and territorial demands, called on Israel to withdraw from Palestinian towns, take steps to improve the daily lives of Palestinians and halt Jewish settlement construction on Palestinian land.

Bush also reaffirmed US commitment to the internationally backed road map peace plan that calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

“Israel should not undertake any activity that contravenes road map obligations or prejudice final status negotiations with regard to Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem,” the president said.

The long-stalled road map plan calls on Israel to freeze all settlement activity. It also calls on the Palestinians to dismantle militant groups. Neither side has so far fulfilled their obligations.

Of particular concern for Abbas is Israel’s recently declared plan to build some 3,500 homes in Maaleh Adumim, the West Bank’s largest settlement. The project will eventually link the settlement to traditionally Arab east Jerusalem, isolating it from the rest of the West Bank and destroying Palestinian hopes of making east Jerusalem their future capital.

Yesterday, Bush warned Israel against following through on the project.

“Israel must remove unauthorised outposts and stop settlement expansion,” he said.

Bush’s statements gave Abbas a much needed boost and likely will strengthen the Palestinian leader’s standing ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections where his main challenger is the Islamic militant group Hamas.

US support will also bolster Abbas’ position in future peace talks with Israel.

Abbas noted recent Palestinian accomplishments, including steps taken toward financial and security reform. In return, he asked for US help in granting the Palestinians their freedom.

“Time is becoming our greatest enemy,” Abbas said. “It is time for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to end right now. It is the time for our people, after many decades of suffering … to enjoy living in freedom.”

In one of his strongest statements yet, Bush said the borders of a future Palestinian state, including the fate of Jerusalem, must resemble the borders before Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza 38 years ago. He said any changes made to these borders must be mutually agreed upon by the two parties.

Later, a senior Bush administration official who refused to be identified said the president stood by past statements supporting Israel’s claims to the settlements.

Negotiations on final status issues, such as borders and the fate of millions of Palestinian refugees and their descendants, are some months away, at least, if not longer.

Israel has refused to return to the negotiating table until it completes its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and four small West Bank settlements this summer.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has also said he will not talk peace with Abbas unless the Palestinian leader disarms militant groups sworn to the destruction of Israel.

Abbas, who projected himself as the peaceful successor to Arafat, has been reluctant to confront the armed groups, citing fears of civil war.