Bill Sykes' Newsletter
from America.
(Summer 2003)
An ex-Brit gives his views-(without fear
or favor)---of the American Scene
A mission to promote peace.
 Secretary
Powell’s current mission to promote and establish
a "Road Map for Peace" doesn’t appear
to be destined for much success. Before, or shortly after
visiting Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Russia, turmoil erupted
in all three places. Firstly in the Gaza Strip where Israeli
troops killed and wounded several Arab people after Colin
Powell’s visit, and then just before or after a
visit to Saudi Arabia three ex-patriot compounds were
attacked by gunmen who demolished buildings with explosive
laden car bombs killing thirty four people, nine of whom
were American and ten of whom were the perpetrators of
this terrible crime against innocent civilians.
 On
to Russia, where in the time that Colin Powell was meeting
with President Putin, Chechnya rebel suicide bombers,
(one of which was a female), killed over seventy people
and injured hundreds more.
Are you aware that there are some 40,000 Americans living
in Saudi Arabia, (which land wise is approximately one
fifth the size of the United States), and 12,000 of them
live in American compounds in the capital city of Riyadh.
The "road map" that may lead to nowhere.
I have yet to see any details published of what
this so called "Road Map" contains. I would
suggest that the Israeli government will not give back
the lands seized from Syria and Jordan in the 1967 six
day war, or remove the settlements  subsequently
built on Arab lands. So what’s the point? The Arabs
will continue killing Jews and the Jews will continue
killing Arabs. The cessation of these killings by both
sides is of paramount importance to any peace agreement.
There has to be compromises on both sides in order to
come to a peace agreement, and that means that the Israelis
will have to reinstate Arab lands, remove the Israeli
settlements, and agree to the formation of a viable Palestinian
State, and the Palestinian Arabs will have to immediately
stop the suicide bombings. Easier said than done. Even
that will not guarantee that the problem will be solved
for many years to come.
There does not appear to be any immediate solution to
the Israeli/Arab problem, as the spate of suicide bombings
against Israeli targets indicates that certain factions
of the Palestinian Arab population, either do not believe
that the American "Road Map" is in their best
interests, or they have a passionate desire to avenge
the seizing of their lands and the killing of their people
by Israeli armed forces.
We welcome feedback about any of the contents
of these newsletters. Please send all correspondence to
bill_sykes@huddersfield1.co.uk
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