Bush calls Sharon in clear signal U.S. stance is changing

WASHINGTON — A telephone call from President-elect George W. Bush to Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon is only one of several signals the incoming administration is sending to the Middle East that things are changing.

Bush's choice for secretary of state, Colin Powell, has told Israeli representatives and American Jewish lobbyists in Washington that the president-elect prefers that Israel and the Palestinian Authority reach agreement with Clinton rather than wait for the succeeding administration.

The Powell message was the latest by the incoming Bush administration that it will deal differently with Middle East peace efforts. This includes an end to the promises by outgoing President Bill Clinton of multi-billion dollar packages for Israel and the Palestinians as part of a peace accord.

Similar messages have been relayed by Bush foreign policy advisers to the Palestinians, U.S. government sources said.

Bush telephoned Sharon, who is challenging Prime Minister Ehud Barak in elections for the post on Feb. 6 only one day before the Middle East summit meeting was called off. Sharon said his conversation with Bush was "very friendly. As far as I am concerned the door there [at the White House] is open."

U.S. officials said Powell and Condoleeza Rice, Bush's designate as national security adviser, are being briefed on the current efforts by the Clinton administration to reach a framework agreement for an Israeli-Palestinian peace treaty. Clinton had submitted proposals to Israel and the PA and had set a Wednesday deadline for a response.

"Expect him [Powell] here each day this week," State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said. "He and his transition team are working hard at reviewing materials, reviewing prospective candidates, obviously, for jobs that will need to be filled, and they'll continue doing that this week."

On Thursday, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat were scheduled to meet in the Red Sea resort of Sharm e-Sheikh to discuss the Clinton plan. On Wednesday, Barak convened his security Cabinet to discuss the Clinton plan.