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 15 May 2008 13:03 BST

Cheney warns Middle East peace needs "painful concessions"

Sunday, 23 Mar 2008 18:02
The US vice president will meet with Palestinian leaders later today
US vice president Dick Cheney has said peace in the Middle East will require "painful concessions" from both Israel and Palestine.

Following a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, he said the creation of a Palestinian state was "long overdue".

He had earlier emphasised that the US had an "enduring and unshakeable" commitment to Israel and said it had a right to defend itself from rocket attacks, terrorism and "forces dedicated to Israel's destruction".

Mr Cheney's visit came as part of a Middle East tour during which he will also visit Iraq, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia.

And speaking after his meeting with president Abbas, he stressed the US commitment to a Palestinian state.

"Achieving that vision will require tremendous effort at the negotiating table and painful concessions on both sides," he explained.

"It will also require a determination to defeat those who are committed to violence and who refuse to accept the basic right of the other side to exist.

"A difficult but immutable truth must continue to be told: terror and rockets do not merely kill innocent civilians, they also kill legitimate hopes and aspirations of the Palestinian people."

Earlier in the day he met with the prime minister Ehud Olmert of Israel and spoke of internal as well as regional threats to Israel's security.

Mr Cheney said: "We want to see a resolution to the conflict, an end to the terrorism that has caused so much grief to Israelis, and a new beginning for the Palestinian people."

The American vice-president promised Israel that the US would never pressure it to take steps to "threaten its security" and said that Palestinian leaders could be certain of his goodwill in the negotiations as well.

Mr Cheney added that Israel had made sacrifices in the past in order to make peace with neighbours who accepted its existence and wanted to cooperate with the country.

The vice president added: "We must not, and will not, ignore the darkening shadows of the situations in Gaza, in Lebanon, in Syria and in Iran and the forces there that are working to derail the hopes of the world."

US president George Bush had earlier said that he was aiming for a peace deal before leaving office at the end of 2008. End of story

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