BBC (Tuesday): Bush under fire from US ex-envoys

[Jack Rabbit]

From the BBC Online
Dated Tuesday May 4 12:26 GMT (5:26 am PDT)

Bush under fire from US ex-envoys

About 50 retired US diplomats have written to President George W Bush to criticise current American policy towards the Middle East.
The former US envoys complain that Mr Bush's approach is losing the US "credibility, prestige and friends".
They are critical of what they say is Washington's unabashed support for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
The Middle East "Quartet" of the US, Russia, the UN and EU meets shortly to discuss the stalled peace process.

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[Jack Rabbit]

1. Text of US diplomats' letter to Bush

From the BBC Online
Dated Tuesday May 4

US diplomats' letter to Bush

Dear Mr President:

We former US diplomats applaud our 52 British colleagues who recently sent a letter to Prime Minister Tony Blair criticising 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 US 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 UN Security Council resolutions calling for Israel's return of occupied territories.
It ignores international laws declaring Israeli settlements illegal.

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