Stop Shunning Arafat, Allies Tell the U.S.

By Massimo Calabresi

Since he took office, President Bush has refused to meet with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Amid growing worldwide calls for him to do so when both were in New York City last week to address the U.N. General Assembly, Bush's National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice, explained the stonewalling. "You cannot help us with al-Qaeda," she said, "and hug [terrorist groups] Hizballah or Hamas." But the U.S. approach has others apopleptic. Even back in August, before Sept. 11 raised the stakes, de facto Saudi leader Crown Prince Abdullah sent a blunt message to Bush: "You've left us no choice but to take steps irrespective of what effects they have on U.S. interests." Last week Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal was similarly scathing: "He cannot be an honest broker and only meet with one side." Even the closest U.S. ally is growing tense. Britain's Tony Blair has jetted in and out of the region for weeks, acting as shadow Secretary of State for Colin Powell, who went to the region three times this year and won't go back again without any tricks in his diplomatic bag. A senior British official told TIME last week that the U.S. must move soon on a new Middle East agenda to ease the tension. U.S. officials tell TIME they are preparing several steps. Among them: the U.S. and Israelis are essentially in favor of a Palestinian and European plan for third-party monitoring of any terrorists Arafat arrests. And U.S. officials are at work on a major speech, perhaps by Powell, on the U.S. vision for the region. But for now, peace will have to find its own way.

--By Massimo Calabresi