US general on peace mission booed as he lays wreath at site of bombing

Anthony Zinni, the US envoy to the Middle East, was booed yesterday as he laid a wreath of yellow flowers at the site of a suicide-bomb attack that killed 10 people and injured scores of others a few metres from his hotel in Jerusalem.

As Mr Zinni clasped his hands and bowed, the angry crowd pushed against police barriers and shouted: "Go home". Many believe the bombings in Jerusalem and Haifa were timed to coincide with his visit. But Mr Zinni vowed that his job heading President George Bush's most determined effort yet to broker peace would continue.

He is used to tough situations. Before he retired in July 2000, the Marine general was commander-in-chief of the US Central Command, which covers Afghanistan and central Asia.

This time his job is to wage peace. Mr Zinni was dispatched by Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, for "as long as it takes". Mr Powell said he had total confidence in Mr Zinni's ability to succeed where legions of others have failed ­ his credentials as a soldier set to impress the security-fixated Mr Sharon. "You'll see what pushing and prodding is when Tony Zinni gets on the ground," Mr Powell said.

But plenty of others have voiced scepticism. Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, ran a cartoon showing Mr Zinni ­ his chest decorated with ribbons and his epaulets full of stars ­ about to step into a pile of dog mess.

The Bush administration's approach to the Middle East has been at best lukewarm. At worst, it was founded on the determination not to be dragged into long, unsolvable negotiations that could tarnish the President's prestige with failure ­ a consequence that hurt the previous president, Bill Clinton.

But Mr Bush was forced to shift that position after 11 September, when it became clear that the so-called war on terrorism had to go hand-in-hand with finding a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian struggle. America now faces the problem of responding to any military retaliation from Israel without upsetting the Arab and Muslim countries it relies on for support for its campaign in Afghanistan.