January 26, 2007

PRINCE SAUD AL-FAISAL REVIEWS REGIONAL ISSUES WITH THE TURKISH PRIME MINISTER. THE ACCORD AND PRISONERS OF WAR DOCUMENTS REMAIN AT THE FOREFRONT OF PALESTINIAN NATIONAL DIALOGUE. KING ABDULLAH II AND SOLANA DISCUSS THE PEACE PROCESS. THE PALESTINIANS EXPRESS HOPE THAT THE QUARTET WILL SET DATES FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ROAD MAP. Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, who paid a brief visit to Turkey held talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. They discussed the developments of the situation in the Middle East. Turkish sources said that the talks were held in closed session limited to Erdogan and Prince Saud Al-Faisal and focused on a number of regional issues, the developments in the situation in the Middle East particularly the situation in Iraq and developments in the efforts to stop the internal fighting and to preserve the unity and stability of Iraq. On the Palestinian arena President Mahmoud Abbas met with Khaled Mishaal in Damascus. Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, who was accompanying President Abbas in an official visit to Syria, made the announcement Earlier, Erakat told reporters in Damascus after Abbas met Syrian Vice-President Farouq al-Shara that "the meeting between Abu Mazen (Abbas) and Abu al-Waleed (Meshaal) will take place tonight." Erekat said that "our message is forbidding infighting, stopping instigation and the formation of a national unity government." Palestinian two movements of Fatah and Hamas were seeking to continue dialogue on forming a unity government after their leaders' meeting in Damascus. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah movement and governing Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas)' exiled politburo chief Khaled Meshaal held a three-hour meeting. The two sides failed to reach an agreement on forming a national unity government, but expressed their willingness to continue the Fatah-Hamas dialogue to reach the target. Describing his talks with Meshaal as "fruitful", Abbas told a press conference that talks on forming a unity government would continue, adding "we discussed the national unity government. We hope the dialogue will continue." For his part, Meshaal said that disagreements still remain between Hamas and Fatah and internal dialogue would continue in Gaza and West Bank. "There are still points of disagreement, but we will try to resolve them through a national dialogue until we form a national unity government," Meshaal said. A joint communique read out to the reporters said that discussions on the question of a Palestinian government of national unity had "made progress" and the talks would resume in two weeks. The communique defined the meeting as brotherly and positive which was a big step forward toward the unity government and could reassure the Palestinians in different areas. It said the two sides have agreed to prohibit inter-Palestinian fighting and stop provocative media campaigns against each other, adding that steps should be taken within a month to restructure the Palestinian Liberation Organization and activate it. According to the communique, both leaders also rejected a Palestinian state "with temporary borders" as proposed by Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. EU senior politician and Middle East expert said there is an opportunity to launch a new political process and resolve conflict in the Middle East. "There is an opportunity that should not be missed to improve living conditions of the Palestinians or open a political process to settle the conflict," EU foreign policy Chief Javier Solana said during a news conference at the conclusion of his visit to Jordan on Sunday. "What we need is the political will. " Time has come to change the method and approach of crisis management that has been followed so far and replace it by conflict resolution," he said. "We know very well that the crisis management method has not yielded fruit; rather it has prolonged and deepened suffering of people, said Solana before heading for Tel Aviv, the second leg of his Middle East tour. He added the tour aimed to rally friends in the Arab world and wield efforts and political will to start this political process as soon as possible. Europe would like to start a political process that gives the perspective to the people, the Palestinians and the countries in the region that a solution can be reached, Solana told reporters. He said his talks with officials in the United States and in the region showed that they have had the needed political will. He added that he will meet U.S Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and will have talks with the Quartet Committee in February in addition to his talks with leaders from the region with the main objective is to bring about the needed momentum and to give the political process a push forward. His Majesty King Abdullah is playing a pivotal role in peace making and can influence events in more than way, he said. Answering a question on Israel's measures designed to complicate the situation for the Palestinians, Solana said "we have to put aside the crisis management approach, which has brought all these difficulties, and take another path." There is a lot that should be done to improve Palestinian people's lives and restore stability, he added. In reply to a question on the proposed temporary Palestinian state Solana said "The Palestinian people are clear; they don't want a temporary state," noting that negotiating a temporary state would take the same amount of effort and time needed to discuss the final status solution. He hoped that this what he would see in Israel. President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas exiled politburo Khaled Meshaal asserted that efforts for forming unity government are still continuing and will be completed within a couple of weeks. They also agreed to back in action the rebuilding of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) by a month as drawn by Cairo announcement in 2005. Speaking at a joint press conference with Meshaal in Damascus, after a closed meeting that lasted one hour and a half, Abbas said the two leaders 'agreed to forbid Palestinian bloodshed and we must do our best to avoid any frictions or clashes and inciting campaigns' and vehemently rejected a provisional sates within temporary borders. Abbas said the two leaders discussed the issue of a national unity government and 'we hope to continue our dialogue in this issue and stressed our commitment to the Palestinian principles.' Meshaal also stressed that there was agreement to continue talks and that dialogue is the 'only allowed language for solving our political differences.' 'There are certainly controversial points,' but it will be solved through dialogue to be continued inside the Palestinian Territories within two weeks, Meshaal said. Both Abbas and Meshaal stressed their rejection of a Palestinian state within temporary borders, an idea that has been floated by Israel. 'We completely reject the idea of a state with temporary borders.' Abbas said in comments which were echoed by Meshaal. A joint communiqué read by Ziad Abu Amre, one of the mediators, hailed the meeting as 'brotherly and positive,' saying it dealt with the latest developments in the Palestinian arena, especially the formation of national unity government, and that there were efforts by both sides to make big strides. The two leaders were meeting at the Meridian Hotel in Damascus, meeting first with aides before a closed door one-on-one meeting between Meshaal and Abbas. Attending the open meeting were Hamas deputy leader Mousa Abu Marzouk and other members of Hamas' political bureau - Izat Rashak, Mohammad Naser and Sami Khater. The two leaders issued the communique that was read by Ziad Abu Amro, member of the Palestinian Legislative Council. The press release stressed on four major points; 1. Stopping and rejecting the internal clashes, and smear campaigns. 2. Resuming the efforts to form a National Unity Government through two-week talks led by the National Dialogue Committee in Gaza. 3. Starting procedures to reactivate the Palestinian Liberation Organization within a month starting from today's date. 4. Rejecting all forms of temporal solutions to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. On his part, president Abbas, said that he and Mashal agreed to act in order to stop the smear and incitement campaigns, and clashes between members of Fateh and Hamas. Abbas also said that Fateh and Hamas representatives will meet in Gaza for further talks on the formation of the government. Meanwhile, Mashal confirmed that Hamas believes that only the language of dialogue should be used and allowed in order to resolve the political differences, and expressed rejection to any solutions that would undermine the Palestinian legitimate rights. He added that there are still some issues that remained unsolved, but further talks will be held in order to achieve the Unity Government. The Abbas-Mashal conference came after two meetings between representatives of Fateh and Hamas, and a closed meeting between Abbas and Mashal. On the other hand Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas informed Lebanese leaders that he would postpone until further notice a visit to Beirut, Lebanese local Naharnet news website reported. The postponement was announced by both the Lebanese presidential palace and the office of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. Earlier report said that Abbas was due in Beirut to talk with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Premier Fouad Seniora over the regional issues and conditions of Palestinian refugees in the country. On the other hand Mohammad Nazzal, member of Hamas politburo, has said that the Abbas-Meshaal meeting was the "first chance" gathering but not the last-chance meeting. After the inconclusive talks in Damascus between President Mahmoud Abbas and Khaled Meshaal, leader of the ruling Hamas movement, Palestinians were preparing to press on with efforts to form a national unity government. A statement from the umbrella group of Palestinian factions said a meeting would take place in Gaza City between representatives of Fatah and Hamas, but gave no further details. "We hope to achieve an inter-Palestinian understanding through this dialogue, because the Palestinian people and the factions have no alternative," Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan said. Speaking for Fatah, Tawfiq Abu Khusa said, "We need a government capable of lifting the blockade, reducing the suffering of our people and getting the Palestinian cause back on the international agenda." Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, speaking from Damascus, echoed Abu Khusa, while stressing that the new government's political program would have to be "acceptable to the Palestinians, the Arabs and the international community." On the other hand Israel transferred over 100 million dollars in frozen funds to the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority. Since Hamas took over the government in March, Israel has withheld hundreds of millions of dollars in customs duties collected on behalf of the Palestinians, plunging the territories into severe economic crisis. "This morning we transferred 100 million dollars to an account of the Palestinian presidency," a senior official in Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office told Agence France Presse. Commenting on the transfer, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said: "I would like to underline that this was Palestinian money Israel was holding. The money Israel freezes every month represents 60 percent of the income of the Palestinian Authority." The money is part of more than 600 million dollars Israel has collected since Hamas took office after winning a landslide election victory over Abbas' Fatah party in January. Meanwhile Israeli and Palestinian negotiators called for direct peace talks and said they wished to stick to a 24-month timeline to reach a final agreement. Saeb Erekat, senior Palestinian negotiator, and Ephraim Sneh, Israeli deputy defense minister, told a media briefing that a peace accord was necessary. "It may take six months to conclude these principles and another 18 months to conclude and iron out the details," Sneh told journalists at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum held in the Alpine ski resort of Davos. "There is no need of mediation," he said. "We can do it directly. It is the best way. But we need international as well as regional backing and support." Erekat said the recent peace efforts by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as "very practical." Erekat said Israel and the Palestinians wished for "direct, bilateral negotiations" and that third party involvement was needed only in regional terms. "We need help in making sure that everyone in this jungle is ready to build a road out," Erekat said. "No one can negotiate on the part of the Palestinians and the Israelis." Palestinian factions, including mainstream rival movements of Fatah and Hamas, agreed on resumption of the stalled national dialogue in Gaza and nailed down the agenda for it. The resumption of national dialogue was agreed following Sunday's meeting between President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas' exiled politburo chief Khaled Meshaal in Syrian capital of Damascus. "Leaders of factions and political powers agreed on the agenda for the dialogue," said Salleh Nasser, a member from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP). According to Nasser, the newly agreed agenda included "the formation of a unity government, the activation of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), democratizing social and professional unions and forming a unified front of resistance." He added that the participants also agreed on forming a minor committee to draft the platform for the unity government, which would come out within 48 hours and be discussed on Friday. The aim of the dialogue is to form a national unity government capable of ending a 10-month-old embargo imposed on the Palestinians by Israel, the United States and foreign donors due to Hamas' rejection to recognize Israel and condemn violence. In Cairo Jibril Rajoub Palestinian Security Advisor met with the Egyptian Foreign Minister and briefed him on the results of the Palestinian national dialogue. On the other hand President Mubarak returned home from Libya where he took part in the three-way consultaive summit he held with Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, Leader of the Libyan revolution and Algerian President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika. Ambassador Suleiman Awwad, the Presidential spokesman said President Mubarak discussed with Gaddafi and Bouteflika the Egyptian initiative for reactivating the peace process on the Palestinian-Israeli track and the Egyptian vision for establishing comprehensive peace in the region. This vision was also discussed by President Mubarak and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during her recent tour of the region. President Mubarak had also discussed the same vision with Javier Solana, the EU Foreign Policy and Security Commissioner. Ambassador Awwad said regarding the situation in Africa, the three leaders discussed latest developments in Africa, prior to the coming African summit which will be held in Ethiopia, at the end of this month. Talks were basically focused on the situation in Darfur, enhancing the institutional framework of the African Union, and reactivating Arab action ahead of the Arab summit which will be held in Riyadh next March. The Presidential spokesman said the three-way summit ran for 150 minutes. Furthermore, President Mubarak has assigned Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul- Gheit to preside over Egypt's delegation to the consultation summit of al Sahel and Sahara gathering to be held in Sirte.