White House speaks of new opportunity for Middle East

IT WAS unlikely to be mere coincidence. As reports that Yasser Arafat had slipped into a coma and might be dying reached the United States yesterday, the White House was speaking of "a new opportunity" to restart the Middle East peace initiative.

It is no secret that the US administration thinks of Mr Arafat as perhaps the biggest obstacle to a settlement with the Israelis. His control over the Palestinian establishment and his interference in the peace process have led the Americans to all but give up.

"We have a new opportunity before us to move forward on the ‘road map’ and get to the two-state vision that the president outlined," the White House spokesman, Scott McClellan, said. "We will remain actively engaged working with the parties to accomplish that goal."

Of Mr Arafat’s condition, Mr McClellan said: "I think right now it’s important that he gets the medical care that he needs. And we’re continuing to monitor his situation. That’s where it is. I don’t think it’s appropriate to go beyond that."

When the president, George Bush, was asked for his reaction, he said: "My first reaction is God bless his soul. And my second reaction is we will continue to work for a free Palestinian state that’s at peace with Israel."

Mr Bush has said he supports a Palestinian state alongside Israel and the "road map" international peace plan, which imposes obligations on both sides. But for most of the two years since he began to ostracise Mr Arafat, his administration has made only sporadic attempts to bring Israelis and Palestinians together.