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| Palestinian Ashrawi to receive Australian peace prize amid controversy
SYDNEY, Nov 6 (AFP) - Palestinian activist Hanan Ashrawi was set to receive Australia's major peace prize Thursday in the shadow of a row over the award, as Prime Minister John Howard said he did not think she deserved it. Adding fuel to a debate which has split along political lines, Howard said former Palestinian prime minister Mahmud Abbas also known as Abu Mazen would have been his choice, blaming Palestinian President Yasser Arafat for the failure of the peace process. Serious & personalized business, investment and technology intelligence for a serious advantage - BizVantage! "I simply say that on the scale of merit I would certain would have put Abu Mazen and some others well ahead of her," Howard told Sky television. Ashrawi has refused to be bowed by the storm, stating after a lecture on Wednesday night that she had received many messages of support and could not understand the level of hate towards her in a place so far from the Middle East. "I have never seen such a mobilisation for hate language and rejection as I saw in a very, very, small minority," she told ABC radio. Jewish groups have opposed the award ever since it was announced in August, leading Sydney mayor Lucy Turnbull to withdraw from the award ceremony. It was especially embarrassing as the city is the major sponsor of the 50,000 Australia dollar (34,500 US dollar) prize. Turnbull has been accused of playing politics with the issue as her husband, Malcolm Turnbull, a leading light of Howard's Liberal party, is seeking selection as a candidate in a safe parliamentary seat with a large Jewish population. On Thursday, however, Turnbull made a last-minute offer to meet privately with Ashrawi. "We gave her an invite to come and have a private conversation in the Town Hall -- not in the context of the Sydney Peace Prize -- but we haven't heard from her," Turnbull said. "I made my decision based on my inquiries and my conscience and I'm sticking to that decision." Turnbull said she believed Ashrawi supported the destruction of Israel, something Ashrawi denies. In her speech on Wednesday night, Ashrawi said a two-state solution was still possible in the Middle East and condemned Palestinian suicide bombings of Israeli civilians. New South Wales state Premier Bob Carr defended the award. Carr, from the rival Labor party which is in opposition at national level, has refused to bow to heavy pressure not to present the award. "Here is a woman who talks the language of peace," Carr said. "We respect Israelis who come to this country. We treat them with respect. Here is someone from the other side. Let's treat her with respect and allow her, as a democracy should, to put her case." Ashrawi heaped warm praise on Carr on Wednesday as she spoke out against Palestinian suicide bombing attacks on Israeli civilians. Ashrawi served as spokeswoman of the Palestinian negotiating delegation between 1991 and 1993. After Arafat's Palestinian Authority was created, she served as minister of higher education from 1996 through 1998. She founded the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy in 1998. The Sydney Peace Foundation is a non-profit organization attached to the University of Sydney. Other recipients of its prize have included Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, East Timorese leader Xanana Gusmao and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson. It is Australia's only major peace prize. cmc/rmj Australia-Palestinians
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