The European Press Views the Middle East: European Press; Mitchell Report Offers Little Hope

"It is just the sort of crisis management the [George W. Bush] administration had hoped to avoid," commented a June 26 BBC report. "But once again, reality has intervened," despite "a growing lobby in Congress to cut off all contacts with the Palestinians and to close their offices in Washington. The difference this time," it continued, "is that [Colin Powell] has no illusions about a comprehensive peace deal. The American aim is just to stabilize the situation." The Economist asked on May 25 whether the Israeli army was simply "trigger-happy troops set loose." Suspicions about individual behavior, the magazine said, are less relevant than the clear fact that the army, given its head by [Ariel Sharon], has made a deliberate decision to take the fight to the Palestinians, even at the risk of escalation and of deepening Israel's international problems. It went on to say that the killing on May 14 of five junior Palestinian police guards at a quiet checkpoint on the outskirts of Bituniya revealed "the army's new attitude and tactics." "The Israeli army, it seems," the magazine continued, "has blurred its previous distinctions between defense and attack as it redefines the conflict, seeking to wrest the initiative, and to pre-empt Palestinian tactics." Gen. Pervez Musharraf's assumption of Pakistan's presidency on June 20 was condemned by newspapers in Europe as another turn away from democracy. The general, ruling as "chief executive" since he overturned the elected government of Nawaz Sharif in 1999, removed the incumbent figurehead, President Rafiq Tarar, and dissolved legislatures suspended since the coup. The Financial Times of June 21 was unconvinced by the Musharraf camp's claims that the presidency would give him "greater credibility" in a July summit with India and that it would provide "stability, continuity and faster progress" in reforms. While the newspaper praised Musharraf for cracking down on corruption and imposing fiscal discipline, it criticized his failure to implement political reforms, "leaving doubts about whether next year's elections can be really fair. Far from ensuring stability," it concluded, "his move is likely to upset international confidence in his regime."