Sharon Says He’s Prepared to Make ‘Painful Concessions’

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, reaching out to the Middle East in an unprecedented direct appeal through an Arab newspaper Saturday, said that he was ready to make “painful concessions” to end the region’s half-century of conflict.

Sharon’s interview with Al Ahram, Egypt’s most prominent newspaper, was an attempt to soften the widespread Arab animosity toward the Israeli prime minister at a time when Egypt is pushing hard for an Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement.

“I want the Egyptian or Arab people to see me as a security man, a farmer and a politician who is looking for stability and peace,” Sharon said.

The two-hour interview with the government newspaper was conducted in Hebrew at Sharon’s office in Jerusalem and published in Arabic. It was his first interview with an Arab newspaper since he became prime minister in 2001.

“Generals are always seen as people who want wars. The truth is otherwise,” Sharon said. “I think it is important ... that our generation who lived through it all really takes over the mission of pushing the peace process.”

In a summit this month at Sharm el Sheik, Egypt, Sharon and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas agreed to end more than four years of violence between their people. But for many Arabs, Sharon is still reviled as a warmonger.

He is blamed by Egyptians for the deaths of many Egyptian POWs during the 1967 Middle East War and the 1973 war with Syria and Egypt. He is also accused of orchestrating Israel’s invasion of Lebanon.

He is scorned for his role in the 1982 massacres in two refugee camps in Lebanon, where hundreds of Palestinians were killed by Israeli-allied militiamen. Sharon was forced out of his job as defense minister after an Israeli commission of inquiry found him indirectly responsible.

Sharon told Al Ahram that he had faith that he, Abbas and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak could “take the opportunity to push the Israeli, Egyptian and Palestinian people forward, toward a future characterized by calm, security, peace and regional welfare.”

He hinted that he would like to see a Palestinian state established during his term -- saying that he had no intention of leaving office soon -- but emphasized that Israeli security was foremost.

“I am determined to exert all efforts to reach a political settlement,” he said.

“I can offer painful concessions for a real peace, peace for generations to come. But I am not ready to offer any concession when it comes to the security of Israeli citizens.”

He refused to discuss traditional sticking points in the peace negotiations. Such points include the fate of Jerusalem, the return of Palestinian refugees and the borders of a Palestinian state.

However, he did say that the controversial barrier Israel is building to separate itself from the West Bank will not mark the borders of a new Palestinian state.