A top Palestinian official rejected US President George W. Bush's characterization of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as a "man of peace", describing him instead as a "man of war".
Nabil Shaath, Palestinian minister for international cooperation and one of the chief negotiators in the Middle East peace process, told reporters in Stockholm that Bush's declaration was "a quandary of justice, of facts." "Mr Sharon is the man of war," he said.
Bush made his remark on Thursday after he was briefed by Secretary of State Colin Powell on his Middle East tour, which ended Wednesday without a ceasefire agreement to end almost 19 months of bloodshed.
Shaath, in Stockholm for talks with Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson and Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, criticized Bush for his lack of resolve on the Middle East issue.
"Unfortunately, the president of the United States in his latest proclamations and speeches ... did not show the sufficient concern, even-handedness and commitment of the world's greatest power and the sponsor of the peace process, to act in accordance with international legitimacy and international resolutions," Shaath was quoted as saying by AFP.
"His continued calls for withdrawal immediately, without delay, now, have retreated, for no obvious reason that we can understand except maybe domestic concerns," he added. (Albawaba.com)
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