U.S., Allies Plan Peace Conference

The United States said Thursday that it is planning an international peace conference to accelerate a political settlement of the half-century-old Mideast conflict.

The conference, backed by the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia, could be held as early as next month, according to U.S. officials. The conference supporters, dubbed “the quartet,” came together last month to co-sponsor the peace process.

The conference will seek to build on the easing of tensions in the West Bank, particularly the end of a monthlong siege at the Ramallah headquarters of Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat. The international community then hopes to use its collective clout to prod the Israelis and the Palestinians to address their differences before the situation on the ground can deteriorate again.

“This is a time for prompt action to take advantage of this new window of opportunity that has been presented to us. And we intend to do just that,” Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said at a news conference with top officials representing the other sponsors of the peace effort.

The announcement came as President Bush declared that the newly energized peace process was gaining momentum. “I’m optimistic we’re making good progress,” he said at a news conference with EU officials.

Powell said details of the peace conference, including venue, participants and timing, were still to be worked out. But the gathering is likely to be held at the level of foreign ministers.

The initial goal will be to “pull together ideas and create momentum and figure out a way to move forward,” a senior State Department official said.

“We committed ourselves to the promotion of serious and accelerated negotiations toward a settlement,” Powell said.

In the meantime, the secretary appealed to the Israelis, the Palestinians and the rest of the Arab world to “rise to the challenges ahead.”

But the co-sponsors have not yet determined whether the conference will be the beginning of a longer process or, as many in the Arab world prefer, a lengthy session to thrash out the terms of a final agreement.

There was no immediate comment from the Israelis or Palestinians. It was the middle of the night in the Mideast when the announcement was made.

A well-placed U.S. official involved in the effort said the organizers hope to “light a fire” under the peace process, which has been stalled by 19 months of intermittent violence.

“Basically you have the four parties commit to holding this conference--come hell or high water and despite the preferences of the parties. The world’s major leaders have given notice that they’re serious and they won’t take no for an answer,” he added.

The last international conference on the Mideast was held in Madrid in 1991, after the Persian Gulf War altered the regional balance of power. It paved the way for the past decade of progress, including the 1993 Oslo accords between Israel and the Palestinians and the 1994 peace treaty between Israel and Jordan.

Announcement of plans for a new conference came on the eve of critical talks next week. Bush will host Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Tuesday and Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Wednesday.

Talk of a conference has been in the background of recent U.S. efforts. Sharon had suggested a summit between Israeli and Arab leaders--but without Arafat, a proposal Arab nations immediately rejected.

Even this week, proposals to hold a regional or international conference appeared to be vague ideas not formally endorsed by the administration. Bush recently referred to such a conference as one of several options. So the announcement came as a surprise at the news conference that included Powell, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Russian Foreign Minister Igor S. Ivanov, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Foreign Minister Josep Pique of Spain, which currently has the rotating EU presidency.

The conference is part of a three-pronged strategy to cover security and economic issues as well as produce a final political settlement.

“They all have to be integrated,” Powell said. Such a move is not likely to be welcomed by the Israeli government. Sharon has insisted that full security guarantees must precede any talk of a political settlement.

The emerging peace strategy will be based on principles outlined in Bush’s April 4 address on the Mideast, the peace offer initiated by Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and accepted unanimously by the 22-member Arab League in March, and several U.N. resolutions, Powell said.

To help restore security, the U.S. and its allies will press Arafat to exert “maximum effort” to restore calm and rebuild his security forces. They also stressed the need to assess Palestinian capabilities, establish responsible security institutions and find ways for Palestinian and Israeli security forces to cooperate.

Powell said both CIA Director George J. Tenet, who has played a role in establishing a framework for security contacts in the past, and special U.S. envoy Anthony C. Zinni would be available to play roles in this phase.

U.S. officials suggested later that Tenet or Zinni--or both--might be headed to the region after resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian standoff at Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity.

To address the economic issues, Powell said, the U.S. and its partners would give urgent attention to reconstruction of “strong, accountable, democratic and market-oriented” institutions for the Palestinians.

“The people in the region are in great need” of jobs, food, access to markets, medical supplies and other essentials, he said. “We are united in our determination to bring that about.”

To help the process, Powell called on Israel to lift closures of Palestinian areas and on the Palestinians to ensure no new violence that would lead to another Israeli clampdown. He pledged that the quartet would move quickly on both the political and economic tracks.

Despite the U.S. role in orchestrating the deal ending Israel’s siege of Arafat’s headquarters, the administration had some tough words for the Palestinian leader.

“It’s very important for Chairman Arafat to show the world that he’s capable of leading,” Bush said. “He’s had some chance to grab the peace and hasn’t done so in the past, and therefore he has let down the Palestinian people. He’s now free to show leadership.”

Bush also warned Arafat that a viable Palestinian state cannot be based on “a foundation of terror or corruption.”

The United States and its Arab allies are pressing Arafat behind the scenes to take specific steps over the next few days to arrest extremists, close down bomb-making facilities and send out a tough, well-publicized message condemning all violence against Israel, administration officials said. These actions are considered critical to prove Arafat’s commitment to the peace process, which the president needs to be able to urge Sharon to move forward.

Powell said it was time for Arafat to move “in a new direction--to denounce terrorism, denounce violence” and to proclaim that “this is the time to find a peaceful way forward.”

The secretary, whose 10-nation swing through the region last month gave impetus to the current effort, said he had “the most direct conversations possible” with Arafat to explain what the Palestinian leader needs to do. “He knows what is expected of him,” Powell said.

In contrast, Powell had strong praise for Arab allies. The quartet praised the “new attitude” demonstrated by the Arab League and the Arab willingness to play a more effective and more aggressive role in the peace process.

“We look forward to working with them,” Powell said. He said Saudi Arabia’s peace offer must play a “very, very important and helpful role” as the process advances.

On another issue certain to anger many Israelis, Powell warned that the construction of settlements on occupied territory must be stopped and that unspecified action would have to be taken concerning those already in place.