Det danske Fredsakademi
Kronologi over fredssagen og international politik 4. maj 2004 / Time Line May 4, 2004
Version 3.005/04/2004
Reverse The Reversal by 53 Former U.S. Diplomats : Retired
U.S. diplomats urge President Bush to rethink his Israel
policy.
http://tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/10338
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 UN Security Council resolutions calling for
Israel's return of occupied territories.
It ignores international laws declaring Israeli settlements
illegal.
It flouts UN 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 United States. Finally, it reverses long-standing
American policy in the Middle East.
Your meeting with Sharon followed a series of intensive negotiating
sessions between Israelis and Americans, but which left out
Palestinians.
In fact, you and Prime Minister Sharon consistently have excluded
Palestinians from peace negotiations.
Former Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo voiced
the overwhelming reaction of people around the world when he said:
"I believe President Bush declared the death of the peace process
today."
By closing the door to negotiations with Palestinians and the
possibility of a Palestinian state, you have proved that the United
States is not an even-handed peace partner.
You have placed U.S. diplomats, civilians and military doing their
jobs overseas in an untenable and even dangerous position.
Your unqualified support of Sharon's extra-judicial assassinations,
Israel's Berlin Wall-like barrier, its harsh military measures in
occupied territories, and now your endorsement of Sharon's
unilateral plan are costing our country its credibility, prestige
and friends.
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.
Andrew I.Killgore, Ambassador to Qatar, 1977-1980
Richard H. Curtiss, former chief inspector, US Information
Agency
Colbert C. Held, Retired FSO and author
Thomas J. Carolan, Counsel General Istanbul, '88-'92
C. Edward Bernier, Counselor of Embassy, Information and Culture,
Islamabad, Pakistan
Donald A. Kruse, American Consul in Jerusalem
Ambassador Edward L. Peck, former Chief of Mission in Iraq and
Mauritania
John Powell, Admin. Counselor in Beirut, '75-'76
John Gunther Dean, U.S. Ambassador to India
Greg Thielmann, Director, Office for Strategic Proliferation and
Military Affairs, Bureau of Intelligence and Research
James Akins, Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
Talcott Seeyle, Ambassador to Syria
Eugene Bird, Counselor of Embassy in Saudi Arabia
Richard H. Nolte, Ambassador to Egypt
Ray Close, Chief of Station Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 1971-1979
Shirl McArthur, Commercial Attache, Bangkok
David Fredrick, Country Director Peace Corps Morocco 1986-1990
Bill Rugh, Ambassador to UAE and Yemen
James Curran, Deputy Chief of Mission Togo 1973-1975
Joseph Cheevers, Office of Inspectors General 1987
Robert L. M. Nevitt, Minister for Press Affairs for the U.N.
John Brady Kiesling, Political Counselor, Greece
E. William Tatge, Counselor for Commercial Affairs, France
Henry Precht, Deputy Chief of Mission, Egypt
John O. Sutter, FSO, The Asia Foundation's Representative for
Indonesia, 1982-1984
James J. Halsema, Counselor for Public Affairs, Egypt
Nancy LeRoy, Public Affairs Officer, Mexico
Thomas M. Martin, USIA Congressional Liaison Officer
Robert C. McLaughlin, USIA Madrid
Edward Alexander, Counselor for Public Affairs, East Berlin,
1976-1979
Roman Lotsberg, Admin. Officer, Office of European Affairs
Dr. Shirley Hill Witt, Cultural Affairs Officer, Zambia,
1994-1996
Arthur L. Lowrie, Political Advisor to the Commander in Chief, U.S.
Central Command
Carleton Coon, Ambassador to Nepal 1981-1984
Jane Coon, Ambassador to Bangladesh, 1981-1984
George B. Roberts, Ambassador to Guyana, 1979-1981
Robert V. Keeley, Ambassador to Greece
John E. Marsh, First Secretary, Embassy Kuwait, 1971-1973
Thomas W. Fina, Consul General, Milan, 1973-1979
Harland H. Eastman, Consul General, Tangier, Morocco, and Tel Aviv,
Israel
Arthur Mudge, Director, USAID Mission to Sudan, 1980-1983
Ronald I. Spiers, Undersecretary of State for Management
Albert L. Seligmann, Director, Office of Japanese Affairs,
1981-1983
Orin D. Parker, President, America-Middle East Educational
Services, 1979-1988
Robert C. Amerson, Counselor for Public Affairs, Italy
Christian Freer, Colonel, AUS ret., former chief of CIA stations
and War Plans staff
Thomas J. Hirschfeld, Deputy U.S. Rep MBFR Negotiations
Edward R. M. Kane, Deputy Chief of Station, CIA, Iraq
Col. Richard Hobbes, US Army Retired, Politico-Military Adviser to
NEA 1974-1977
Col. David Antoon, US Air Force, Retired
Brig. General Augustine A. Verrengia, USAF Ret.
Greg Thielmann, Director, Office for Strategic Proliferation
Military Affairs, Bureau of Intelligence and Research
Robin Berrington, Cultural Attache, Japan
Gary S. Usrey, Deputy Chief of Mission, Morocco
Owen Roberts, Ambassador to Togo
Chas W. Freeman, Jr. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Assistant
Secretary of Defense, 1993-1994
Edwin Paul Kennedy, Jr., Regional Affairs Officer for N. African,
Near Eastern, and S. Asian Affairs, USIA
Thomas J. Scotes, Ambassador to Yemen, 1975-1978
Michael Mennard, Ph.D., Regional Public Affairs Officer, India
Francois M. Dickman, Director Arabian Peninsula Affairs 1972-76,
Ambassador to UAE 1976-79 and Kuwait 1979-83
Terrell E. Arnold, Former Deputy Director Office of
Counterterrorism and Consul General, Brazil
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