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Friday April 5, 2002

Sen. John Kerry in S.F. takes tough stance on Arafat

JOE ESKENAZI
Bulletin Staff

"It will take only one mega-terrorist event in any of the great cities of the world to change the world in a single day."

Sen. John Kerry wrote that in 1997. In 2001, he saw it happen.

And while scientific reports indicate it was burning jet fuel that doomed the World Trade Center, Kerry blames a lack of military intelligence.

"John Walker got into the Taliban, but the CIA can't. What does that tell you?" said the Massachusetts Democrat on a recent trip to San Francisco to raise funds for his third Senate race.

"The best single defense we have today, the most important weapon in the war against terrorism, is intelligence, good intelligence. We're way behind the curve in terms of human intelligence-gathering capacity as well as mutual legal-assistance efforts. You've got to know who they are, where they are, what their plans are and hit them before they hit you. That's intelligence."

Kerry believes the United States is sorely lacking in intelligence efforts in "many of the parts of the world where we're threatened." He traveled to several of these sites in the Mideast recently in a little-publicized fact-finding trip.

Kerry, in his own words, presented Arab leaders with a "blunt" message: Stop saying one thing behind closed doors and another in your state-controlled newspapers.

Meeting with Saudi leaders including Crown Prince Abdullah, Kerry said he "told them point blank that, as far as I can tell, nothing in their relations with the population is preparing the people for peace. They publicly make statements to the U.S. that they're willing to make peace with Israel and they won't do it in private; they won't lay the groundwork allowing the street to come along with them and make peace. Bin Ladenism grows precisely by not trying to move the population."

The Saudis, among other Arab nations, are hurting their cause by playing "two games," according to Kerry. In one, they negotiate for peace diplomatically, yet in the other, they "foment hate and violence and terror." Kerry criticized the Saudis for publishing anti-Semitic textbooks and funding radical Islamist schools throughout the Muslim world.

"They have to say publicly that they embrace what they agreed upon at Taba," he said, referring to the 2001 Israeli-Palestinian negotiating sessions in this Egyptian resort city.

At Taba, he said, the Arab nations "effectively negated the 'right of return,'" but that's not what they're saying in the state-controlled press. There are similar contradictions on "the issue of Jerusalem as a capital or even the question of Israel existing as a permanent state. They are all completely contrary in their newspaper rhetoric with their people than what they actually say in private, diplomatic discussions."

Kerry saved some of his harshest language for Yasser Arafat, whom he met face-to-face with a strict insistence on no press, no publicity and especially no photographs to lend the Palestinian leader "any legitimacy."

"I wanted to confront him on the question of violence. I wanted to say how spent Congress is with his procrastination. I want him to understand that if he was waiting for people in the U.S. to put any undue pressure on Israel, if he thought there's some legitimacy to the notion that he couldn't do more about violence, I want him to understand we feel very strongly he has to do more."

Kerry wished President Bush had done more as well. "I think the non-engagement of the administration up until last week or so has allowed [the situation] to spiral downward," he said.

On the other hand, he believes no steps toward peace can be taken until Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon shows a few more of his cards.

"He may have a plan, but I didn't hear it and a lot of people I've talked to haven't heard it. Sharon has not put anything on the table that explores a sort of 'where do you go from Taba?' Basically, he's just said 'Don't do Oslo.' I think it's very tricky to be reduced only to hopes of security when you'd moved so far down the road toward larger hopes for peace. Somehow, we have to get back to that discussion. Rapidly."

Regarding the ethereal Saudi peace plan, Kerry said reducing Israel to its 1967 borders "is not workable." He regards the plan as an icebreaker, not a final offer. He was encouraged, however, when Saudi leaders he spoke to also saw the plan as something other than a finished product.

"Some people are dismissive of the Saudi offer. But it has to be taken in the larger context," he said. "If the U.S. works hard enough, it may be able to take advantage and make something happen."

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