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April 1, 2005 |
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THE PALESTINIAN PRIME MINISTER ASKS WASHINGTON TO ADOPT A "CLEAR AND FIRM" POLICY AGAINST ISRAELI SETTLEMENT ACTIVITIES. ISRAEL CONTINUES ITS EXPANSIONS IN LARGE AREAS OF THE WEST BANK. Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard, chaired the cabinet's weekly session at Al-Yamamah palace in Riyadh. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session, Iyad Ibn Amin Madani, the Minister of Culture and Information, said that the Cabinet was briefed on the outcomes of the Arab 17th Summit held in Algeria. The Cabinet expressed its satisfaction over the decisions taken by the Summit which supported Arab joint actions and renewed commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative as an Arab plan to achieve a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the region. The Arab leaders supported Lebanon's right to sovereignty and the practice of its political options. They also emphasized the importance of reforming the system of the United Nations including the regaining and enhancement of the role of the General Assembly in preservation of international peace and security and the limitation of the use of veto to the minimum extent. The Summit stressed the necessity that Arab countries should pay their annual shares fully on time along with their dues as scheduled in Tunisia Summit. The Cabinet praised the great efforts exerted by Algeria's President Abdulaziz Bouteflika to fully accomplish the Summit's tasks and commended his address at the conclusion of the Summit in which he reminded the leaders of the Document of Covenant of Reconciliation, Rapprochement, and Solidarity which was approved by Tunisia Summit. According to the document, the leaders vowed to lay stress on unity, solidarity and decisive and effective joint actions to achieve Arab higher interests and to be committed to faithfully and fully implementing their decisions. Then the Cabinet was informed of the contents of messages, talks, meetings and contacts exchanged between the Kingdom and a number of Arab and friendly countries on the latest developments in the region and the world and the Kingdom's position towards them. The Minister noted that Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Interior briefed the Cabinet on the results of his visit to the Sudan, his talks on bilateral relations, issues of common concern, the signing of an agreement of combating narcotics trafficking and psychotropic substances smuggling along with an agreement on security cooperation between the two countries. The Minister of Culture and Information said the Cabinet then reviewed local items on its agenda and issued the following decisions: The Cabinet approved a draft memorandum of understanding pertaining to political consultations between the foreign ministries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Albania, aiming at exchanging view points of the two countries towards regional and international issues of mutual concern. The Director General for Customs Department or his deputy was authorized to sign a draft agreement between the International Customs Organization and its member states in North Africa and Middle and Near East regarding verbatim interpretation in Arabic Language within technical training courses and seminars covering customs works. The Cabinet ratified the agricultural quarantine bill for the member states of the Riyadh-based Gulf Cooperation Council, which has been passed by the 22nd GCC summit held in Muscat, Oman. The new law aims at preventing the entrance and spread of agricultural pesticides, protecting the environment and plant resources and facilitating trade among the GCC member states. The Cabinet also ratified the penalties to be imposed on violators of the law which goes into effect after 90 days from its publishing in the official gazette. The new law nullifies the current agricultural quarantine regulations. The Cabinet approved the amendment of some articles of the system of the General Corporation for Water Desalination issued in 1973 to read as follows: Article 1: "The GCWD is an independent public corporation which enjoys a legal personality and all rights necessary to practice its activities. Administratively, its head reports to the Minister of Water and Electricity." Article 3, paragraph C: "Concluding foreign agreements and contracts for selling and purchasing water, electric power and steam with the producing and distributing parties, be they government or private sector organizations." Article 4: "The establishment's board of directors is formed of the Minister of Water and Electricity as chairman, its Governor as Vice Chairman and each of the Undersecretaries of the ministries of Water and Electricity, Municipal and Rural Affairs, Finance, Petroleum and Mineral Resources, and Economics and Planning and two representatives of the private sector as members." Article 6, paragraph F: "Setting up, purchasing, selling, leasing and renting real estate buildings to achieve the purposes of the organization." The Cabinet instructed the GCWD to expedite measures to restructure the organization and forward the study to the higher authorities. The Cabinet approved the appointment of Mohammed Ibn Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud Al-Fayez as Consultant for Regions Affairs at the Ministry of Interior; Abdullah Ibn Mohammed Ibn Farhan Abu-Zira'a as Information Technology Consultant at the Ministry of Interior; and Salih Ibn Ahmed Ibn Abdul Rahman Al Sa'adi as Director General for the General Auditing Bureau in the Eastern Region. On a different scale President Mahmoud Abbas confirmed that the truce will support Internationally and regionally the issue of our people and lifting its sufferings. In a press conference held in October City in Egypt, in the light of the Palestinian National dialogue sessions, Abbas said the truce, which is announced by Palestinian factions, has positive and tangible outcomes in favour of citizens and the Palestinian issue as well it helps in pushing the peace process forward. President Abbas stressed that the Palestinian Leadership will not accept a one-side truce, calling on PM Ariel Sharon to abide by what he has committed in Sharm Al-Sheikh recent Summit in order to reach a state of calm and pave the way for returning to negotiations table. President Mahmoud Abbas described the outcome of Palestinian National dialogue Palestinian factions on Cairo as fruitful national success. He told reporters in Ramallah, as he returned home, that all factions agreed upon unconditional state of calm. President Abbas made it clear that after the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from Jericho and Qalqiliya, there would be another withdrawal from the rest of Palestinian cities, as well ending the issue of the deportees and the wanted. In response to a question about the possibility to meet the Israeli PM, Ariel Sharon, the President said that there is nothing could prevent such meeting, adding but what is important is the achievements on the ground. Meanwhile King Abdullah II confirmed the necessity of assisting Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in order to help him build Palestinian security institutions, and create a viable Palestinian state. The Jordanian monarch reiterated that the road map was the only outlet to achieve a true peace and end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The King's remarks were made during his meeting with a U.S. Congress delegation. "Jordan is committed to helping Iraqis restore security and stability in their country and enable them to achieve their aspiration for peaceful and free life, the King affirmed. The King briefed the visiting delegation on the outcome of his recent visit to Washington, including his talks with US President George Bush and US senior officials, particularly on ways to push the peace process forward, strengthening bilateral economic relations and the importance of US assistance to Jordan to help the country succeed its development projects. King Abdullah reviewed Jordan's reform plans affirming that Jordan was forging a head to achieve reforms in all fields, and in a way that guarantees grassroots participation in decision-making process and pinpoint their priorities and basic needs. King Abdullah noted that the national agenda contains national objectives for the upcoming ten years. The consecutive governments will be committed to achieving programs, strategies and national policies included in this agenda, the King said. The U.S. delegation highly appreciated King Abdullah's effort to realize peace in the region and commended Jordan's respectable position in the Middle East and international community. On the other hand Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei accused Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon of distracting the world with Israel's withdrawal from Gaza. Qorei's remarks came following his meeting with the French Secretary of State for Victims' Rights, Nicole Guedj, in Ramallah. He warned that Jerusalem is facing very critical hazards, adding that Israel's plans will undermine everything. He called on the international community to immediately intervene to stop Israel's settlement expansion, expressing his full rejection to such plans. Meanwhile, Qorie said, during the weekly meeting of the Government, that the Government will ask the American Administration to clarify its stance towards Israel's settlement. He affirmed that the USA realizes that the Israeli settlement blocs make it impossible to establish a viable Palestinian state. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei asked Washington to adopt a "clear and firm" policy against Jewish settlement activity in the West Bank with Israel vowing to expand existing communities. "We want a clear and firm American position concerning the Israeli government's plans to enlarge three settlement blocks in the West Bank and continue to build the wall," Qorei's office quoted him as saying. The premier made the remarks in talks with US Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch and Deputy National Security Advisor Elliott Abrams in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Qorei said the United States was aware of the "destructive threats" such plans pose to the road map, the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the entire Middle East peace process. In his own meeting with the same US officials, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said there is no question of freezing Israel's planned expansion of Maaleh Adumim, the largest Jewish settlement in the West Bank. Welch and Abrams pressed Sharon for "clarifications" on the plan, a Sharon aide said. But Qorei said pussyfooting around was not enough. "Contenting yourself with asking for clarifications from Israel on its activities without adopting a firm position... will encourage (Sharon) to take unilateral decisions over the West Bank," he said. Washington has called for an end to settlement activity in keeping with Israel's commitments under the road map plan for peace but has stayed neutral on the latest plans to build up areas such as Maaleh Adumim. Meanwhile the Israeli Parliament rejected a bill for a referendum on the first evacuation of Jewish settlements from occupied land Palestinians want for a state. The 72-39 vote removed what Sharon had called a stalling tactic by opponents of the pullout. The Palestinian National Authority condemned the Israeli siege and closure of the Palestinian lands. Chief of the Negotiations Department at the Palestine Liberation Organization Dr. Saeb Erakat said in a statement to correspondent of Jordan News Agency in Gaza, that the closure and blockade imposed by the occupation forces come within the collective punishment practiced by Israel against the Palestinian people. At the opening of the "Peace in Palestine" Conference in Kuala Lumpur, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat called for an immediate resumption of political negotiations with the Jewish state. Erakat made the remarks in a prepared speech: "Unilateralism only invites extremism and signals a rejection of a negotiated solution to the conflict," he said. "We again reiterate our call for immediate resumption of political negotiations," Erakat said, adding: "To that end, the Palestinians look to the EU, to the US, the other members of the Quartet (Russia and the UN), and to our Arab neighbours to intensify involvement in order to revive the political process and to re-establish a political framework based on a political vision of the two-state solution and the terms of reference of the peace process." Welcoming the Israeli unilateral plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and some northern parts of the West Bank, which "represents a glimmer of hope," he added: "We hope this marks the beginning of a process that leads to further withdrawals from occupied Palestinian territory. We do not want Gaza-first to become Gaza-last." Erakat called for the Israeli plan to withdraw from Gaza to be part of the UN-adopted roadmap peace plan. "The withdrawal therefore should be part of and consistent with the provisions of the Roadmap. It must lead to the creation of a self-sufficient, independent economy that is not dependent solely on aid," he said. The illegal Israeli settlements remain the principal obstacle to ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Erakat said. "Continued Israeli theft of Palestinian land is a constant signal to Palestinians that the current Israeli government has no intention to fulfill the vision of two-states or to live within recognized and secured borders." Confirming that the Palestine National Authority would "do all it can to maintain public law and order, to prevent attacks against Israel and Israelis," he urged Israel to "reciprocate This means that Israel must declare a comprehensive ceasefire with the PNA," he said. Saeb Erekat, the official in charge of the negotiations file in the PLO, said the continued expansion of the settlements jeopardizes the Palestinian leadership's attempts to negotiate a peace agreement. "Any settlement continuation at a faster pace puts our effort to revive the peace process into danger," he told the Associated Press. "Everywhere we go in the West Bank we see settlement construction that undermines all the efforts being exerted to revive hope in the minds of Palestinians that the peace is durable." Israel plans to build 3,500 new housing units on occupied West Bank land to connect a major Jewish settlement to Occupied East Jerusalem, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed on Monday, March 21. It said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ordered the construction of two neighbourhoods between Maaleh Adumim and East Jerusalem last week under proposals to cement Israel's hold on "Greater Jerusalem." Israeli government sources confirmed the report apart from the number of homes. One source told Reuters that the figure would be in the "low thousands". Israel captured and annexed East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and declared the holy city the "eternal undivided capital of Israel". Under Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan, Israel is to evacuate all settlements in the Gaza Strip and four others in the West Bank later this year. Israeli officials disclosed in February plans to build a new settlement in the West Bank to be an extension to the Gush Etzion settlement bloc to take in settlers evacuated from Gaza. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that aerial photographs commissioned by Israel's Defense Ministry showed extensive construction on settlements. The photographs were taken on orders of Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz after a report drawn up by former Israeli chief prosecutor investigating the construction of the West Bank outposts, The Guardian reported. Under the internationally-backed "roadmap" peace plan, Israel is required to freeze all settlement building on territories it occupied after the 1967 war. The new Israeli scheme, which is part of a larger settlement drive, drew ire from the Palestinians, who warned that peace efforts were at risk. The Palestinians, whose President Mahmoud Abbas joined Sharon last month in declaring a ceasefire and later secured a pledge from resistance factions to halt anti-Israel attacks, accused Israel of poor faith in peacemaking. Israel intends to retain large settlement blocs in the West Bank even where Washington objects, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has told his cabinet. His remark followed a report last week - subsequently disproved - that the US ambassador in Israel, Daniel Kurtzer, had said that Washington had not agreed to Israeli retention of some settlements in a final peace agreement. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice declared that President George W. Bush had indeed declared last April it would be "unrealistic" to expect Israel to vacate all of the West Bank in view of the creation of major Israeli population centres in that area during the past three decades. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice criticized Israel in unusually sharp terms, warning that its plan to expand the Israeli West Bank settlements was "at odds with American policy" and called for a 'full stop' on these plans, which could threaten progress toward peace with the Palestinians at a critical moment. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Rice said Israeli explanations of plans to add 3,500 housing units to the "Maaleh Adumim" settlement were "not really a satisfactory response." "It's concerning that this is where it is, and around Jerusalem," Rice said. "We will continue to note that this [settlement expansion] is at odds with American policy. So, full stop," she said. The peace effort remains at a "fragile" stage and Palestinian President Abbas needs help from outside as he tries to reform the government and bring its security services under control, she said. She said US officials expected Israel "to be careful about anything" including settlements, new laws or the route of a barrier being built to separate Israelis from Palestinians that could affect the outcome of peace negotiations. "We have noted our concerns to the Israelis" in diplomatic meetings this week with the government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Rice told the Los Angeles Times. However, the two countries have different views about the extent of the area to be retained. The US is pressuring Israel not to include large areas of settlements within the barrier it is building on the West Bank, which is seen by many as marking a future border. Mahmoud Abbas declared that the Palestinians objected to Israeli retention of any West Bank territory. "Our position towards settlements is known - we consider them illegal from beginning to end," he said. The European Union's foreign policy chief has accused Israel of breaching the international community's road map for Middle East peace by moving to expand the biggest settlement in the occupied West Bank. "The High Representative expresses his concern after the Israeli decision to issue building permits for the E1 project in Maaleh Adumim," the EU's Javier Solana said in a statement. "This decision contravenes the commitment of the parties to abstain from any unilateral measure that could affect the final settlement as the Quartet recalled in London on March 1," he said, referring to the group of international mediators - the United States, Russia, the EU and the United Nations. The EU expected Israel to respect its obligations under the road map, which included a freeze on Jewish settlements in occupied territories, Solana said. The peace plan, adopted in 2003, provides for reciprocal steps by the Israelis and the Palestinians, leading to the creating of a provisional Palestinian state. Israel is supposed to halt all settlement activity in the first phase, in return for security measures to end violence which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is implementing. Sources said that Israel plans to build thousands of new homes linking Maaleh Adumim, situated between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea on land captured from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East War, to Jerusalem. The decision is seen as a move to compensate supporters of right-wing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for his plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip this year, uprooting 8500 settlers in 21 settlements, and easing the passage of the state budget by the end of March, without which his government will fall. The international community regards the Israeli settlements, home to 235,000 Jews, as illegal and an obstacle to peace. Israel disputes this. At the US State Department asked about the meeting that David Welch and Elliot Abrams had with Mr. Sharon, Adam Ereli Deputy Spokesman said: I don't have a lot of detail to share with you. Our Assistant Secretary David Welch and the Deputy National Security Advisor, Elliott Abrams, have met with a number of Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Sharon, Vice Premier Peres and Minister of Defense Mofaz. They are talking about a number of topics, including Gaza withdrawal, opportunities to end violence and make progress on the roadmap, and ongoing cooperation and dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian officials. In all their meetings, Ambassador Welch and Mr. Abrams are stressing the importance of both sides taking steps that reinforce efforts to make peace. With regard to the settlement activity, I can tell you that we're obviously raising the issue with both Israeli and Palestinian officials. I don't have any details for you on the discussions they've had. On the Israeli side they'll be raising the issue with -- and discussing the issue with the Palestinians, but I can tell you it is obviously the subject of discussions. On the other hand international support for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is more vital than ever since, despite renewed hopes for progress, there is a sense that setbacks are inevitable, including Israel's failure to freeze settlement expansion, the top United Nations political officer told the Security Council. "I would like to stress here the UN's concern over Israel's failure thus far to dismantle settlement outposts and freeze settlement expansion," Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast said in his latest monthly briefing, citing reports of a Government decision to build at least 3,500 new housing units this year in Maaleh Adumim, near Jerusalem. "The Road Map states clearly that Israel should dismantle outposts and freeze settlement activity, and the Quartet position is that neither party should undertake actions that threaten to prejudge final status talks," he added of the peace plan sponsored by the Middle East diplomatic Quartet the UN, European Union, Russia and the United States. The plan calls for parallel and reciprocal steps by both sides leading to two States living in peace, originally by the end of 2005. "We believe that a halt to such action is needed now, to preserve hope for a viable future for the Palestinian people," Mr. Prendergast declared. He said Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who visited the region last week, strongly believes that active support and encouragement from the Quartet and the international community are more essential than ever. He noted that in talks Mr. Annan had with the leaders of both sides, the Israelis emphasized their overriding concern that the Palestinian Authority bring to justice those who perpetrate terrorist acts, while the Palestinians stressed the need for Israel to ease the closures that cause suffering in the occupied territory. "The respective presentations by the parties impressed on the Secretary-General the immediate and pressing need to rebuild trust and restore confidence. He urged the parties to engage in direct dialogue and negotiations. Peace processes, he warned, cannot afford stagnation," Mr. Prendergast added. He said Mr. Annan had stressed that Israel's proposed withdrawal from Gaza was not an end in itself but an important step in a broader process and should be consistent with the Road Map, noting that Palestinian leaders fear it might become "Gaza First and Gaza Last." He called on Israel to abide by its legal obligations and find alternative ways to address its legitimate security concerns other than the barrier it is building on occupied land in the West Bank, which was declared illegal in an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that called for it to be torn down. "There are many obstacles and challenges. But the deadlock has been broken," he said in summing up the changes since last month's summit between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas with the Palestinians vowing to stop acts of violence and Israel pledging to cease military activities. "It goes without saying that continuation of the current process remains primarily the responsibility of the parties. But we, the international community, should stand ready to assist them along the stony path from violence and terror, bloodshed and suffering towards a better life of peace and security." Palestinian Deputy Premier and Minister of Information Nabil Shaath said that Israel was trying to absolve itself from Sharm el-Sheikh understandings. "Israel is trying to avoid implementing the agreements, especially with regard to the Israeli withdrawal from five Palestinian regions in the West Bank," he said in Ramallah. Israel is delaying handing over control of the northern West Bank town of Qalqilya to the PNA, claiming that the Palestinians have not met demands in handing over wanted anti-occupation activists. Israeli "defense" minister Shaul Mofaz has ordered the delay, Israel Radio reported. Mofaz alleged, in a closed cabinet meeting, that Palestinian intelligence agents were involved in bringing Strella missiles into Gaza through smuggling tunnels under the Egyptian border. "Last week, several Strellas were smuggled in by Palestinian military intelligence. If the Palestinians don't get a hold of the Strellas, we will," Mofaz was quoted as saying. Shaath refuted Mofaz's accusations as an attempt to undermine the truce and to absolve Israel of its obligations according to the Sharm el-Sheikh understandings. "I hope these reports are not a prelude to an upcoming Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people," he said. On the other hand Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Perez had warned from delaying the hand over of Gaza through a referendum. He added that the withdrawal should be implemented hand in hand with a series of other measures such as lifting the ban of people and merchandise movements, the modernisation of borders checkpoints and the preservation of houses left by settlers. Mahmoud Abbas from his side said the Palestinian Authority and all Palestinians are committed to the right of return of Palestinian refugees living in Arab countries. |
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