White House, in About-Face, Tackles Mideast

Prodded by the findings of a prestigious international commission and shaken by escalating violence, the Bush administration changed course Monday and plunged into Middle East mediation, filling the post of peace envoy, which it had planned to leave vacant.

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell appointed Ambassador to Jordan William Burns, who is awaiting confirmation as assistant secretary of State for the Near East, to take the lead in U.S. efforts to persuade Israel and the Palestinians to break an eight-month cycle of violence.

Powell made the announcement after endorsing the report of a commission headed by former Senate Democratic leader George J. Mitchell of Maine. The carefully balanced report gave both the Israelis and the Palestinians something to like and something to loathe.

It called for an immediate end to violence, urging the Palestinian Authority to jail terrorists and to stop anti-Israeli attacks. At the same time, it called on the Israeli army to use “nonlethal” means to combat the Palestinians and end the escalating use of deadly weaponry such as tanks, heavy artillery and warplanes.

The report also urged Israel to freeze all settlement activity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including the expansion of existing settlements.

“It’s now time for both sides, with the help of the international community and the United States, to move forward on the basis of this report,” Powell said.

Just last week, Powell said the administration did not believe that the post of Middle East peace envoy was a “full-time job.” But after several more days of escalating violence, the secretary said the conflict cannot continue “without the whole region breaking into an even more serious conflagration.”

Although Powell insisted that the administration never put the Middle East on the back burner, Arabs, Israelis and nongovernmental U.S. experts seemed to agree that Powell’s response to the Mitchell report marked a watershed.

“You saw for the first time the administration accept the reality that it has to become more deeply involved on a day-to-day basis. This can no longer be left to the regular diplomatic channels,” said Geoffrey Kemp, a White House Middle East expert in the Reagan administration.

“The harsh reality is that without a more active American involvement, the situation between the Palestinians and the Israelis will get worse, the American position in the Middle East will get worse, and America’s enemies like [Iraqi President] Saddam Hussein will get stronger,” Kemp said.

Burns, once a deputy to Dennis B. Ross--who put in 12 frustrating years as the U.S. peace envoy--was assigned that role in addition to his duties as assistant secretary of State. But Middle East experts said Burns might be forced to devote most of his time to the seemingly moribund peace process.

Powell said Burns will report directly to him and to President Bush. Powell added that he will review his own role as soon as Burns completes an initial round of talks.

Even though Monday’s action gave the Middle East a higher profile, Powell emphasized that Bush does not plan to emulate former President Clinton, who became so immersed in the regional conflict that he was sometimes called, only partly in jest, the State Department’s Israel-Palestinian desk officer.

“The United States is not putting forward a peace plan today,” Powell said. Instead, he said, the administration is calling on both sides to step back from the abyss.

“It is now up to the leaders in the region to show that they have heard this clarion call from this committee in a loud and clear way and take actions that are available to them on both sides to . . . have a cessation of hostilities,” he said.

U.N. Chief, EU Endorse Report

The Mitchell commission was established in September during a summit attended by Clinton, Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. The cease-fire that was negotiated at the summit fell apart immediately, but the commission went on to complete its work. The report also was endorsed by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the European Union.

In addition to Mitchell, the commission included former Turkish President Suleyman Demirel, European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, former Sen. Warren B. Rudman (R-N.H.) and Norwegian Foreign Minister Thorbjorn Jagland.

Although Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon complained earlier that the panel was interfering in Israel’s internal affairs, the high prestige of the commissioners made their report impossible to ignore.

The report gave Powell needed political cover to call for a freeze on Israeli settlement activity, using the most direct terms since James A. Baker III was secretary of State in the first Bush administration.

“Both sides must avoid unilateral acts that prejudice the outcome of permanent status negotiations and that could be perceived by the other side as provocative during this very delicate time,” Powell said.

“In this connection, we note the report’s observations on the negative impact of continued settlement activity on the prospects for peace. We believe that this issue is an essential confidence-building measure that must be addressed by the parties.”

Sharon’s government has agreed to stop building new settlements but insists that it must allow for the “natural growth” of existing ones.

Israel Television’s diplomatic correspondent, Karen Neubach, reported that the government was pleased with Powell’s announcement because his “language regarding settlements was softer than that of Mitchell.” But U.S. analysts said there was no doubt that the administration adopted the commission’s proposals, including the settlement freeze.

Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority accepted the Mitchell report, though both made it clear that they objected to parts of it.

Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, in Moscow to consult with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin, said Israel is ready to work with Powell and the administration to settle the conflict.

“It is timely, and Israel will be receptive,” said Peres, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize for earlier efforts to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians. “I think that the peace clock has started to move.”

Sharon told reporters in Jerusalem before Powell’s announcement that “Israel accepts the outlines of the Mitchell report.” Asked about a settlement freeze, Sharon said, “We have made our position clear regarding settlements, and it is well known.”

It was also clear that Sharon will face internal political problems if Washington presses him to implement the report’s recommendations. The Yesha Council, the umbrella group representing Jewish settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, sent Sharon a telegram warning against accepting the report. Some members of his Cabinet objected to some of the recommendations.

Powell Urges Immediate Steps

Arafat’s office issued a statement expressing approval for the U.S. recommendations, especially the call for a settlement freeze.

“The Palestinian Authority welcomes the comments by Colin Powell that he shall work with the parties to fulfill the decisions,” it said.

Powell called on Israel and the Palestinians to take several immediate steps: Both parties should agree to an unconditional end to hostilities and reaffirm their commitment to existing agreements and understandings. The two parties should then resume security cooperation and then adopt confidence-building measures. Both sides should hold off from any unilateral acts that would poison the negotiating atmosphere. Finally, Israelis and Palestinians must get back to the negotiating table.

“At the end of the day, it is not something that the U.S. can impose--leaders need to look beyond the passion of the moment and take the actions necessary to bring the cycle of violence to an end,” Powell said.

“It is clear now more than ever that there can be no military solution to this conflict,” he added. “Negotiations provide the only path to a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.”

*

Times staff writers Mary Curtius in Jerusalem and John Daniszewski in Moscow contributed to this report.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

PEACE POINTS

An international panel’s report on the Middle East calls for:

* An unconditional and immediate halt to violence, followed by a cooling-off period, then peace talks.

* A complete stop to expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

* The Palestinian Authority to make clear that “terrorism is reprehensible and unacceptable.”

* “Immediate steps to apprehend and incarcerate terrorists operating within the Palestinian Authority’s jurisdiction.”