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TRUDE B. FELDMAN

Special to The Jewish News

A White House interview
on the Mideast
after the Gulf War.

26

FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 1991

resident George Bush says he will "lean
on everyone in the region" to bring about
his Mideast peace proposal, which he has
no plan of abandoning, despite numerous
setbacks.
And while the president acknowledges
that Saddam Hussein's hold on Iraq is a
"major regret," he defends his decision
not to send troops into Baghdad to topple
the Iraqi leader. "If we did," Mr. Bush said,
"we'd probably be bogged down in horrible urban guer-
rilla warfare."
In his first one-on-one interview on Middle East issues
since the Persian Gulf war, Mr. • Bush also revealed his
vision as to how the area would fit in to his new world
order and reflected on the consequences of his decisions.
During the in-depth Oval Office interview the
president displayed a comprehensive knowledge of
the Mideast powder keg, its complexities and its limita-
tions. He believes that now is the time for the United
States to use its strengthened credibility with both
Arabs and Israelis to end their differences.
Despite Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir's re-
jection of the latest U.S. proposals for a peace conference,
the president said there is improvement in his personal
relationship with Mr. Shamir.
The U.S. will not threaten or bully Israel by reducing
aid, Mr. Bush said, but the growing settlements on the
West Bank "do not contribute at all" to peace talks.
Following are excerpts from the exclusive interview:

