Israel's Foreign Minister Shimon Peres was quoted on Saturday saying dialogue in the Middle East must continue despite a much-criticized Israeli air strike on a residential area of the Gaza Strip. In an interview with the German news magazine Der Spiegel, Peres said Tuesday's attack which killed 15 Palestinians was "one hundred percent a mistake".
"Yes it was a miscalculation, one hundred percent a mistake. The outcome shows clearly we used the wrong weapon. The bomb caused more harm than good," Peres told Der Spiegel, in an interview released ahead of publication on Saturday.
"Mistakes have happened in other wars -- look at Kosovo or Afghanistan. The biggest mistake is war itself."
The attack drew vows of revenge by Palestinian groups but Peres said there was still a chance to resolve the conflict. "Let's wait and see. The Palestinians themselves are suffering most from the terror campaign. Because they have resorted to bloody attacks, they have lost their credibility worldwide," Peres said.
Peres said he has "doubts" about Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's commitment to peace in the Mideast, according to the German magazine. However, Peres pledged to stay in Sharon's coalition, telling the German magazine, "As long as I can serve as a balancing factor, I'll stay."
He termed his talks with Palestinian officials toward that end as "a very positive meeting" which "ought to be continued", Der Spiegel quoted him as saying. Peres said he saw a will to reform on the Palestinian side. "The good will is there. Whether they can turn their plans into reality we will have to wait and see. For example, the new interior minister presented a new security plan. The new finance minister promised me, he wanted to change a lot," Peres said.
But Peres said he has written off Palestinian Authority Chairman leader Yasser Arafat. "Yasser Arafat has lost all credibility," he told the magazine.
The Israeli Foreign Minister is scheduled to leave Sunday for France, to hold talks with French President Jacques Chiraq. He will then travel to the United States for an international economic conference to be attended by Jordanian King Abdullah. Additionally, Peres is planned to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powel National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
