Salah Nasrawi
Associated Press
CAIRO: Arab nations on Thursday backed the Palestinian president’s refusal to immediately restart direct talks with Israel despite heavy US pressure.
The Arab foreign ministers endorsed the idea of direct negotiations, said Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, but left the timing up to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has laid down several conditions.
The US and the Europeans have been pushing a reluctant Abbas to dive back into face-to-face negotiations with Israel, which broke off in 2008.
“We haven’t discussed when and how the direct negotiations will start – this is a matter for the Palestinian side to decide,” the Qatari premier said.
The Arab foreign ministers also sent a letter to President Barack Obama explaining the Arab position on direct negotiations and their requirements for talks.
Sheikh Hamad said the ministers had originally been against endorsing direct talks, but due to the serious situation in the region they were willing to give it a try.
“We have confidence in America and in President Obama [wanting] to reach peace, but the question is can that be achieved?” he said, expressing doubt that it would be possible under the administration of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The US responded to the announcement, saying it was “encouraged” by signs of support for the resumption of direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.
“We’re encouraged by what we’ve heard today from Cairo,” State Department Philip Crowley spokesman told reporters, adding that President Obama’s administration is hopeful negotiations will resume soon.
This week, the Associated Press obtained a Palestinian document that revealed that US peace envoy George Mitchell warned Abbas that if he does not agree to direct talks, Obama will not be able to help the Palestinians achieve a state of their own.
But the Palestinian president said he first wants to see progress in indirect talks that have been taking place since May under US mediation, specifically movement on the issue of borders for a future Palestinian state.
He has also called for a halt to further settlement building.
Netanyahu, who has appealed for direct talks, has refused to be pinned down on a framework for negotiations.
The Israeli prime minister has accepted the idea of Palestinian statehood with conditions, but has ruled out giving up control of East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want as their capital, and which international law deems as a necessary condition.
“In response to the Arab League’s decision, the prime minister said he is willing to begin direct, honest talks with the Palestinian Authority already in the next few days,” said a statement from his office.
On settlements, Israel has instituted a nominal 10-month slowdown in construction in the West Bank, but not East Jerusalem. That is due to expire in September and Netanyahu this week strongly indicated it would not be extended.
Netanyahu’s extremist coalition partners insist the freeze cannot be renewed for ideological reasons, but they have not threatened to pull out of his government and force an election.
Polls show the hardliners have no guarantee of remaining in power if an election is held.
Netanyahu opposes all conditions for renewing direct talks, including a settlement construction freeze. In any event, Palestinians have rejected the current limits as insufficient, because they do not include construction in Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem.
“The issue of settlements, along with all the other core issues … should be discussed in the negotiations,” Netanyahu spokesman Mark Regev told the Associated Press on Thursday.
This week Netanyahu indicated that he would not extend the freeze. As the expiration date approaches, Prime Minister Netanyahu can be expected to seek a political compromise to try to satisfy both the US and his coalition partners.
UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said Thursday that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak will meet UN chief Ban Ki-moon Friday to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip and Israel’s settlement policy.
The spokesman told a press briefing that the two leaders would discuss a range of issues, including “the situation in Gaza and the need to continue Israel’s freeze on settlement activity.”
In an interview Thursday, Abbas said he would require written assurances either from Netanyahu or the Americans on borders and settlements to start the direct talks.
Egypt said a day earlier it has received US assurances that may help in restarting direct talks but refused to make the details public. – With AFP, The Daily Star
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