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from The Guardian - April 20, 2002 http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,687669,00.html> Bush says Israeli invasion of Jenin must be investigated Julian Borger in Washington, Chris McGreal in Jenin and Ewen MacAskill in Jerusalem The White House called yesterday for an international inquiry into civilian casualties caused by the Israeli military assault on Jenin, and asked the Israeli government to allow UN and Red Cross investigators into the devastated West Bank town. As the Israeli army pulled out the last of its troops, President George Bush's spokesman, Ari Fleischer, said: "The president has called for the United Nations and the Red Cross to be permitted to have unhindered access to Jenin. The president believes what's important is transparency so all the facts can be developed." Mr Fleischer suggested it might be in the interests of Ariel Sharon's government to allow the investigation, quoting the US assistant secretary of state, Richard Armitage, as saying: "There is a mythology sometimes to these events where numbers are bandied about." "What's important is to find the facts, and that's why the president has said that it's important to allow the UN and the Red Cross in to find out," he said. The Israeli foreign minister, Shimon Peres, last night invited UN secretary-general Kofi Annan to launch a fact-finding mission. Mr Peres telephoned Mr Annan and said that, "should the secretary-general send someone to look into the facts of what happened in Jenin and elsewhere, it would be welcome," a UN spokesman said. Tony Blair joined leaders across Europe in backing the call for an international inquiry by the Red Cross. Mr Blair, intent on presenting himself as scrupulously even-handed, said: "Yes, what is happening in Jenin is appalling and tragic. So is large numbers of totally innocent Israeli citizens being blown up in cafes, restaurants and even during religious services." He urged a new Middle East peace initiative, with EU involvement. A day after President Bush dubbed Mr Sharon "a man of peace", Mr Fleischer said Israel was "honouring" the timetable it had provided the president for its proposed withdrawal from West Bank towns. Yesterday the Israeli army confirmed it had pulled out of Jenin but declared it a closed military area and began cutting access by blocking roads. As the soldiers withdrew, 35 Palestinians killed in two weeks of the worst fighting since Israel launched its raids into West Bank towns were buried in common graves. It was not known if the dead men were fighters or civilians. Palestinian residents say many hundreds more who died remain under the rubble of buildings crushed by Israeli bulldozers. So far, 39 Palestinians and 23 Israeli soldiers are confirmed killed. In Gaza, which has been relatively quiet for the past few weeks, a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up yesterday at an Israeli military checkpoint. Two soldiers were slightly injured. Elsewhere in Gaza and the West Bank, the Israeli army shot dead seven Palestinians, including two boys, nine and 14, during a curfew, and two gunmen said by Israel to have been trying to infiltrate a Jewish settlement. ______________________ (c) 2002, The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/ ===== Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace. Weekly peace walks around Lake Merritt in Oakland. Starts & ends at the colonnade between Grand & Lakeshore Avenues, 3 P.M., every Sunday. Info: (510)763-8712, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or http://www.webwm.com/LMNOP __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Games - play chess, backgammon, pool and more http://games.yahoo.com/ --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
