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Musharraf Under Fire at Home for Outreach Toward Israel
By Patrick Goodenough
CNSNews.com International Editor
September 2, 2005
Page 2 of 2
Contacts like the meeting also "help strengthen the moderates on the Palestinian side - those who recognize that dialogue and acceptance must always be preferred to hatred, terror and extremism," he said.
The Palestine Liberation Organization and the self-rule Palestinian Authority (P.A.) have long urged Arab and Muslim states to isolate Israel diplomatically.
Although Musharraf said PA head Mahmoud Abbas had given the meeting his approval, P.A. Information Minister Nabil Shaath said in response to the Pakistani initiative: "I hope that this step will not encourage any Arab country to normalize its relations with Israel in this period."
Along with more than 170 other heads of states, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will be in New York this month for the U.N. world summit. Israel media are speculating that he may meet with Musharraf while both are there.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack called the Istanbul meeting a positive development.
He said the U.S. has encouraged countries around the world that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel to establish them "and to begin building relationships of trust based on mutual respect and mutual respect for sovereignty and transparency."
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