Former diplomats attack Bush - 53 United States diplomats

[dArKeR]

Fifty-three former United States diplomats on Tuesday accuse the White House of sacrificing America's credibility in the Arab world -- and the safety of its diplomats and soldiers -- because of the Bush administration's support for the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon.

The strongly worded rebuke, which paid tribute to last week's broadside from more than 50 former British diplomats against the government's policy in Iraq, marked a rare public display of dissent for state department personnel.

Its central charge that the Bush administration is unfairly tilted towards Sharon arrives at a time when Washington's strategy in the Middle East is in tatters. George Bush has invested heavily in Sharon's proposal for an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and gone a step further by endorsing a continued Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank.

http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=65765&t=1

[Leilani]

1. Let s see if this story gets any media attention

I will not hold my breath.

[DBoon]

2. Quick look at Web sites

BBC - Check
Guardian - Check
CNN - not a word....
Reuters.com - not a word....
abc news - not a word....

[dray178355]

8. Just FYI

CNN just did a live "item" on the letter.

[dusty64]

9. I'm afraid there

was not a inkblot about this in my local rag. Anyone else?

[Democat]

3. This story will get less press than any random right wing press release

Any right wing press release bashing Kerry will get more coverage than this.

[G_j]

4. interesting: 52 British Ex-Diplomats Assail Blair on Mideast

British Ex-Diplomats Assail Blair on Mideast


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/27/international/europe/27BLAI.html?th=...

April 27, 2004

British Ex-Diplomats Assail Blair on Mideast
By PATRICK E. TYLER

LONDON, April 26 — In a rebuke of British and American policy in the Middle East, 52 former ambassadors and senior government officials signed a letter on Monday criticizing Prime Minister Tony Blair for his unflinching support for the Bush administration's approach to occupied Iraq and to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The letter, delivered to Mr. Blair's office and released to the news media, asserted that those policies were "doomed to failure."

Among those signing the letter were former ambassadors to Israel, Iraq and other Middle Eastern capitals, as well as senior British envoys to the United Nations.

They accused both governments of abandoning important principles of impartiality in the Holy Land, while engaging in poor planning and military overkill against Iraqi resistance forces in the Sunni Muslim areas west of Baghdad and in Shiite Muslim strongholds around Najaf.

"It is not good enough to say that the use of force is a matter for local commanders," the letter said, adding, "Heavy weapons unsuited to the task in hand, inflammatory language, the current confrontations in Najaf and Falluja, all these have built up rather than isolated the opposition."

..more..

[Zinfandel]

5. Does BushCo care? As long as the corporations keep rolling and

exploiting for profit...they see no problems, (but they better make sure they donate to the campaign).

Another story that will be buried by the big five media conglomerates.

[berry]

6. Here's a link to the letter they're sending.

I posted this in GD and indeed it did sink. But maybe here it will stay up longer. I wanted to just post a link here to the other thread but couldn't figure out how to do that. Oh well. So I'll just copy the whole post.


There is a notice about ex-diplomats giving a press conference tomorrow May 4 at the Nat'l Press Club about a "Letter to the President(sic)" deploring the * stance on Israel/Palestine. They are calling for more signatures (they have about a dozen now) from other ex-diplomats, but also from anyone interested for a supplementary signature page. Go to http://www.wrmea.com / if you're interested in adding your name.

<<The American Educational Trust, publishers of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, will host a press conference in the Lisagor Room of the National Press Club, 529 14th St, NW, Washington, DC at 12:00 noon on Tuesday May 4, 2004, to announce and discuss the following letter to President Bush. If you are a former diplomat and would like to sign the letter, please call the Washington Report at 202-939-6050, extensions 104, 106, or 0, or email us at [e-mail] . If you are a non-diplomat, you may sign on in the supplementary list. Please include a title, and the place and position of your last post if you were an foreign service officer. Thank you.>>
Here's part of the letter:

<<Dear Mr. President:
We former U.S. diplomats applaud our 52 British colleagues who recently sent a letter to Prime Minister Tony Blair criticizing his Middle East policy and calling on Britain to exert more influence over the United States. As retired foreign service officers we care deeply about our nation's foreign policy and U.S. credibility in the world.

We also are deeply concerned by your April 14 endorsement of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's unilateral plan to reject the rights of three million Palestinians, to deny the right of refugees to return to their homeland, and to retain five large illegal settlement blocs in the occupied West Bank. This plan defies U.N. Security Council resolutions calling for Israel's return of occupied territories. It ignores international laws declaring Israeli settlements illegal. It flouts U.N. Resolution 194, passed in 1948, which affirms the right of refugees to return to their homes or receive compensation for the loss of their property and assistance in resettling in a host country should they choose to do so. And it undermines the Road Map for peace drawn up by the Quartet, including the U.S. Finally, it reverses longstanding American policy in the Middle East.
....

It is not too late to reassert American principles of justice and fairness in our relations with all the peoples of the Middle East. Support negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis, with the United States serving as a truly honest broker. A return to the time-honored American tradition of fairness will reverse the present tide of ill will in Europe and the Middle East—even in Iraq. Because the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the core of the problems in the Middle East, the entire region—and the world—will rejoice along with Israelis and Palestinians when the killing stops and peace is attained.>>

[LittleApple81]

7. Remember earlier on when Kiesling resigned and went

on TV saying Bush's policies were totally against what the US stood for? He was attacked and his statements disappeared from the media. A patriot not heeded. Now the others finally got a spine.

[TiredTexan]

10. kick n/t

[dArKeR]

11. Former diplomats attack Bush - MG

Fifty-three former United States diplomats on Tuesday accuse the White House of sacrificing US's credibility in the Arab world -- and the safety of its diplomats and soldiers -- because of the Bush administration's support for the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon.

The strongly worded rebuke, which paid tribute to last week's broadside from more than 50 former British diplomats against the government's policy in Iraq, marked a rare public display of dissent for state department personnel.

Its central charge that the Bush administration is unfairly tilted towards Sharon arrives at a time when Washington's strategy in the Middle East is in tatters. George Bush has invested heavily in Sharon's proposal for an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and gone a step further by endorsing a continued Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank.

http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=65765

[T_i_B]

12. Kick

:kick:

[bearfan454]

13. Kick for Democracy.

yes.

[0007]

14. btt

[damnraddem]

15. Hey, if you're already bankrupt, ...

why not run up a little more debt?

[RPM]

16. True Patriots

Every one.

There is hope.

[dArKeR]

17. Group of former US diplomats criticize Bush in open letter - TT

Around 50 former US diplomats said President George W. Bush's Middle East policy was costing the US credibility, prestige and friends, in an open letter to be made public yesterday.

The letter expresses the signatories' support for 52 retired British diplomats who also sent a letter to Prime Minister Tony Blair last week.

"We former diplomats applaud our 52 British colleagues who recently sent a letter to Prime Minister Tony Blair criticizing his Middle East policy and calling on Britain to exert more influence over the United States," the letter from the US diplomats begins.

Harshly criticizing Bush for his support for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the letter said:

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/05/05/2003154222

[maggrwaggr]

18. c'mon, they're just disgruntled ex-employees! Partisan at that!

Probably Kerry supporters!

[The_Casual_Observer]

19. So, where were all these mainstream guys before the invasion/

genocide?? Why was it left up to Ramsey Clark and Scott Ritter to make the rally circuit prior to March 2003?

[T_i_B]

20. Letter from diplomats tells Bush: Middle East policy is 'dangerous'

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=518227

More than 60 former US diplomats yesterday lambasted George Bush for running a one-sided Middle East policy, claiming that the President's open-ended support for Israel was costing the US "credibility, prestige and friends".

In a public letter to the President, inspired by a similar protest delivered to Tony Blair last week by 52 former British ambassadors, the diplomats call on the administration to return to being a "truly honest broker" in negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, and to "reassert American principles of justice and fairness".

[kayell]

21. kick