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From Palestine to Kashmir, from Algeria to Afghanistan, and from the Mediterranean to
the Indian Ocean, the Muslim world is in deep crisis. Instead of being settled, the years-
long issues facing the world of Islam have compounded, and there is no hope of their
long-lasting settlement in the foreseeable future.

The Middle East peace settlement is being derailed by intransigent outlook of just one
person, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel. Although he agreed to the
January protocol on Hebron, Netanyahu does not appear to be willing to implement the
Phase B of the-Oslo agreemenfs, which call for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all
the villages of the West Bank. Even the Hebron protocol and become possible only after
the hawkish Israeli leader realised that he could no more sustain the growing Western
pressure upon Israel because of which Israel was fast being cornered in the international
community.

Hebron was the first Palestinian town in the West Bank from where Israel withdrew its
troops as part of Phase A of the Oslo treaties on Palestine. Even this withdrawal was
partial, since some
20 per cent of the town with 400 of its Jewish settlers, and, for their protection, 1200
Israeli soldiers, is still under Israeli occupation. There are other fundamental issues of
settlement about which the -. Israeli leadership remains as adamant as before, despite the
fact that its Palestinian and Arab counterparts have shown the necessary. flexibility. The
Jewish settlement!!, East Jerusalem, security of the borders and Safe Areas are some of
such issues. As regards Syria, it refuses to negotiate peace with Israel unless its leaders
are ready to hand over the Golan Heights to Syria. The list of factors contributing
to' the perpetuation of crisis in the Middle East is endless.

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Things are not fine either in the Persian Gulf. The United States is fast tightening its
noose around Iran. Its forces are now physically present not just in the ocean itself but in
the very • Sheikhdoms of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The US ,Central Command
is expanding its warship strength in the Persian Gulf.

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Certainly a serious development, if seen in the backdrop of world media news about a
possible American strike against strategic targets in Iran.

In the case of Iraq, even if the Security Council has allowed Iraq to export a limited
quantity of its oil and buy food in return with some of the amount thus earned, a common
Iraqi reportedly remains hard pressured due to the non-availability of the essential items
of life.

The reason is that a big chunk of the revenue generated from the so-called Oil-for-Food
package is being consumed by sources not Iraqi. Some 33 per cent of the amount is being
given to the powers that fought against Iraq, primarily Kuwait, as compensation. This is
in addition to the money that the government of Iraq is allocating out of its Oil-for-Food
package earnings for the salaries of the UN officials monitoring the destruction of Iraq's
alleged weapons of mass destruction.

In Afghanistan, even if Taliban are now well-entrenched and hold Kabul, the wars is not
over yet. Let the winter finish and mountain snow melt, a new round of intra-Afghan
warfare may begin. Anti-Taliban factions, most importantly those of Dostum and Masood
have not accepted defeat. In addition, there appears to be no end in sight to the external
support available to the various warning factions of Afghanistan, which has all along
been a key factor behind the continuing, rather growing, turmoil in the country. The
United Nations has also shown no interest in settling the affairs of the war-torn
Afghanistan, ever since, after winning its crusade against the Soviet Union, the United
States abandoned it. As regards Pakistan and Iran, they are still following
different • approaches to bring about peace in Afghanistan. That they do not accept this
difference of approaches, is besides the point.

The story does not end with Palestine, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. In North Africa, the
political crisis and its military dimension have not yet ended. The Islamic Salvation
Front, which. was denied government formation in 1989 even though it had won the
election, has renewed its militancy. Dozens of innocent civilians were killed in a recent
bomb attack by FIS activists.*

Then, in Cyprus, the critical circumstances facing the Muslim Turks of the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus have assumed grave proportions due to two reasons. One is
the Greek . Cypriot decision to deploy Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missiles in South
Cyprus which is administered by a Greek Cypriot Administration. This latest offensive
act by the Greek Cypriot106

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leadership, which was condemned widely in the world, endangers not only the security of
the Mediterranean island of Cyprus but of the entire region, including Turkey. And, with
Turkey, Greece is not yet ready to discuss the issue of islands in the Aegean Sea.

The second serious development that will surely mar the Cyprus peace process, once it
takes place, is the Greek Cypriot application for membership of the European Union. The
EU has said that it will start deliberation on the matter in April next year, the time when
the Greek Cypriot leaders intend to start deployment of S-3GO. an EU membership of the
island without the willingness of Turkish Cypriots - who, under the 1960 agreements on
Cyprus, are as equal a citizen of the island as Greek Cypriots - means disaster: Neither
Turkish Cypriots nor Turkey will accept an indirect union of the island with Greece
which is what the Greek Cypriot move for EU members these offensive acts being taken
unilaterally by the Greek Cypriot leaders may lead to the outbreak of war in Cyprus.

Besides Cyprus, Bosnia remains short of a total settlement. The Serbs who led the
genocide are still free and have not been tried by the Hague-based Tribunal for war
criminals. Some of those who were tried and found guilty are free as well. Last but not
least, the Kashmir issue remains unsettled despite the fact that the UN resolutions clearly
specify as to what the international community should do in order to settle the problem of
Kashmir. The Indians continued butchering innocent Kashmiris and continue
stagemanaging the elections there. Yet they remain immune from international criticism.

Indifference and hypocrisy are perhaps two words which describe these approaches. It's
about time they ended. For peace and security in the international order is not possible
without managing the Muslim world crisis. - .