Bush said ready to take 'active' role in Mideast

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, who headed an international committee that investigated recent violence in the Middle East, said Sunday he believes the Bush administration is prepared to "take active leadership" to guide Israelis and Palestinians to a solution of their decades-old conflict.

In an interview on CNN's Late Edition With Wolf Blitzer, the Maine Democrat said "it is unlikely that there will be any substantial progress toward a final settlement without active American leadership and participation."

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Secretary of State Colin Powell is "well aware" the United States must remained involved, he said.

Critics have said the Bush administration's efforts in Middle East diplomacy have been less active than those of the previous administration.

But Mitchell said circumstances in the region have changed so much in recent months that any comparison between the two administrations' efforts may not be valid.

"The active participation by the president and secretary of state depends on the circumstances which exist," he said. "Right now, it may not be [appropriate] but I think the administration is prepared, when it will be appropriate, to take active leadership."

Mitchell said the current diplomatic effort in the region by senior U.S. diplomat William Burns is designed to establish a framework for the steps the Israelis and Palestinians need to take to restore confidence, which Mitchell said has been "shattered."

"Because of the high level of mistrust, no party is going to take a step unless they know something else is going to happen and so on down the line," Mitchell said.

"And you've got to organize an effort that can be the rebuilding of confidence. I think that's what's needed right now, and I believe that's what the administration is trying to do."

Mitchell's committee issued a report last week calling for an immediate cease-fire by both sides and a resumption of joint security cooperation. After those steps, it has also recommended:

• A freeze on Jewish settlement construction.

• Denunciation of terrorism.

• Limits on the use of lethal force by the Israeli military.

• The end of firing on Israeli soldiers and civilians from Palestinian-controlled areas.

• Negotiations to resolve underlying causes of the conflict.

The committe was established during peace talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in October 2000 -- peace talks that failed. Represented at the summit were Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the United Nations, the European Union, Egypt, Jordan and the United States.