Bush sidesteps statehood issue for Palestinians

CAMP DAVID, Md. -- President Bush on Saturday sidestepped Arab pleas to impose a deadline for Palestinian statehood while Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak defended Yasser Arafat and urged, "Give this man a chance."

Ending weekend talks on the Mideast crisis, Bush and Mubarak agreed that the Palestinian Authority must enact political reforms to give Israel the confidence to negotiate peace. But they parted at the Camp David presidential retreat still divided over whether Arafat is the man to deliver those changes.

"Chairman Arafat, as far as I'm concerned, is not the issue," Bush said at a news conference. "The issue is whether or not the Palestinian people can have a hopeful future. I have constantly said I am disappointed in his leadership. I think he has let the Palestinian people down."

Bush greeted Mubarak at "a place where we like to welcome our friends." Mubarak praised Bush's leadership.

The diplomatic niceties could not disguise their differences on Arafat, a timetable for a Palestinian state and even how much Mideast violence each nation was willing to tolerate.

"I don't think that violence will come to an end unless the people feel that there is hope for peace and there is something to show that peace is coming," Mubarak said. "If they didn't feel that, they will not stop violence. It will continue forever."

A hard edge in his voice, Bush replied: "My attitude about violence is this: People have responsibilities to do everything they can to stop violence."

He has urged Mubarak and other Arab leaders to curb Mideast terrorism and stop inciting violence through state-run media

"Chairman Arafat must do everything in his power to stop the violence, to stop the attacks on Israel. I mean everything," Bush said, thumping a lectern set outside one of the retreat's cabins.

Accusing Israel

Bush gave a brief opening statement. Mubarak, speaking in Arabic, delivered a lengthy assessment of the crisis. He accused Israel of "assassinations" and "illegal confiscation's" and demanded that Israeli troops withdraw from territories occupied since 1967.

As Mubarak went on, Bush fidgeted -- folding and unfolding his hands, tapping his polished shoes. Vice President Dick Cheney, recovering from a leg injury, listened nearby from a golf cart.

Mubarak came to the talks hoping Bush would set a deadline for Palestinian statehood and ease his criticism of Arafat.

Bush disappointed him on both points.

"Well, we're not ready to lay down a specific calendar, except for the fact we need to get started quickly, soon, so that we can seize the moment," Bush said.

A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that while Bush is not prepared to offer a timetable or statehood deadline now, he has not ruled out embracing either idea down the road.

The president meets Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the next step in consultations that Bush said will produce a new U.S. road map to peace. He provided no specifics, but advisers say the president is likely to make concrete suggestions for negotiations -- perhaps a timetable of sorts.

He is not expected to offer a detailed peace plan because he has concluded that until democratic institutions begin forming in the Palestinian region, proposals for tough issues such as border lines and Jewish settlements could not be implemented, advisers say.

"Here's the timetable I have in mind. We need to start immediately in building the institutions necessary for the emergence of a Palestinian state which, on the one hand, will give hope to the Palestinian people and, on the other hand, say to the world, including the neighborhood, that there is a chance to defeat ... terror," Bush said.

Mubarak raised U.S. hopes by joining Bush in urging Arafat to halt violence and restructure his government.

"Look, we should give this man a chance," Mubarak said. "We are working very hard with cooperation with the United States for the reform in the Palestinian Authority. Such a chance will prove that he is going to deliver or not. If he's going to deliver, I think everybody would support him. If he's not going to deliver, his people will tell him that," he said.

Bush, taking pains to find common ground with Mubarak, noted that the Egyptian president did not commit to dealing with Arafat forever, but only asked for time to see if he will deliver.

The senior White House official said Bush interpreted the remark to mean that Mubarak agrees with him that Arafat must reform or be deemed irrelevant by his own people.

Bush had invited Mubarak to the secluded retreat hoping he would play an instrumental role in leading Palestinians to the peace table, much like his predecessor, Anwar Sadat, did in forging the first peace accord between Israel and an Arab state. Islamic radicals assassinated Sadat after he signed that 1979 Egypt-Israeli treaty.