February 23, 2007

CROWN PRINCE SULTAN IBN ABDUL AZIZ: THE PALESTINIAN LEADERS PROVED THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE AND TRUSTWORTHY. WHAT THEY ACHIEVED IN MAKKAH WITH AN INDEPENDENT AND FREE WILL IS A NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT FOR ALL THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE. THE ABBAS-RICE-OLMERT TRILATERAL MEETING DEALS WITH DIFFERENCES. RICE IN BAGHDAD TO REVIEW "THE SECURITY PLAN." THE JORDANIAN MONARCH URGES RICE TO IMPLEMENT THE AMERICAN PROMISES TO THE PALESTINIANS. Crown Prince Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, received a telephone call from Acting Palestinian Premier Ismail Haniyah who briefed him on the steps taken to implement the Makkah agreement. The Palestinian Premier emphasized to the Crown Prince that the agreement would not have been possible without the support and care by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Sultan for the Palestinian leaders during their stay in Makkah. The Premier hailed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's noble and pioneering stands due to its political weight in the Arab region and the world in supporting the Palestinian cause. The Crown Prince expressed great happiness about the achievement which stopped the Palestinian bloodshed and bolstered Palestinian unity. The Crown Prince said, "The Palestinian leaders proved they are responsible and trustworthy. What they achieved in Makkah with an independent and free will is a national achievement for all the Palestinian people. It restored smiles and joy to the brotherly Palestinian people and the Arab and Islamic nations." The Crown Prince congratulated the premier on being charged with the task of forming a national unity government and wished him and the Palestinian leaders success in the tasks ahead. On the other hand Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas have agreed to meet again soon, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said following talks with the two leaders. She described talks as "useful and productive" and said that all sides had affirmed their commitment to a two-state solution during the first three-way summit of its kind in nearly four years. "The president and prime minister agreed that they would meet together again soon," Rice told reporters in a brief statement after more than two and a half hours of talks in a luxury Jerusalem hotel. "They reiterated their desire for American participation and leadership in facilitating efforts to overcome obstacles, rally regional and international support and move forward toward peace." "In that vein I expect to return to the region soon," she said, on her 10th visit to Jerusalem as secretary of state and her fourth in five months. "All three of us affirmed our commitment to a two-state solution, agreed that a Palestinian state cannot be born of violence and terror, and reiterated our acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the roadmap. "The president and prime minister discussed how to move forward on mutual obligations in the roadmap in regard to the implementation of phase 1," she added, referring to a peace plan stuck in the mud since its launch in 2003. Rice also said they had discussed long-standing international conditions on the Palestinian government in order to overturn a diplomatic and economic boycott on the outgoing Hamas-led administration. "The president and prime minister also discussed issues arising from the agreement for the formation of a Palestinian national unity government and the position of the Quartet that any Palestinian Authority government must be committed to non-violence, recognition of Israel and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including regarding the roadmap," she said. "The president and prime minister discussed their views of the diplomatic and political horizon and how it might unfold toward the two-state vision of (US) President (George W.) Bush," Rice added. Following is the Rice Abbas Olmert Statement Jerusalem, February 19, 2007, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met today, February 19. It was a useful and productive meeting. The leaders affirmed their commitment to a two-state solution, agreed that a Palestinian state cannot be born of violence and terror, and reiterated their acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the Roadmap. The President and the Prime Minister discussed how to move forward on mutual obligations in the Roadmap in regard to the implementation of Phase I. The participants called for respecting the ceasefire declared in November. The President and the Prime Minister also discussed issues arising from the agreement for a Palestinian national unity government, and the position of the Quartet that any Palestinian Authority government must be committed to non-violence, recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including regarding the Roadmap. The President and the Prime Minister discussed their views of the diplomatic and political horizon and how it might unfold toward the two state vision of President Bush. The President and the Prime Minister agreed that they would meet together again soon. They reiterated their desire for American participation and leadership in facilitating efforts to overcome obstacles, rally regional and international support, and move forward toward peace. In that vein, Secretary Rice expects to return soon. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held talks with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice before the trilateral meeting defending his unity deal with Hamas after US and Israel threatened to shun a coalition government. Pledging to continue to "probe the diplomatic horizon," Rice travelled to the occupied West Bank to meet the Palestinian leader just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said prospects for peace had dimmed. In Riyadh, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz thanked Palestinian leaders including President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah and Khaled Meshaal of Hamas for showing forbearance and magnanimity in reaching an agreement in Makkah in order to end their fratricidal fighting. King Abdullah made this comment while receiving the chairman and members of the Human Rights Commission. "I invited Palestinian leaders to Makkah after praying to God. By the Grace of God, they came here and reached an understanding because their intention was good," the king said. While cautioning Palestinians against their "belligerent and spiteful enemy," the king promised them Riyadh's unwavering support. The deal in Makkah ended weeks of internal fighting that killed more than 90 Palestinians. But Western officials said the agreement fell short of meeting policy terms set by international mediators. "Abu Mazen (Abbas) specified (to Rice) that his paramount, cardinal interest is to end the Palestinian inner-fighting, to end the chaos and lawlessness," said Saeb Erekat, a senior Abbas aide. With Abbas seated at her side at the start of the 2-1/2 hour meeting, Rice said she hoped the trilateral talks would be "an opportunity to understand the current situation and commit and recommit to existing peace agreements." Olmert told his Cabinet that US President George W. Bush had agreed in a telephone call to boycott Abbas' planned unity government with the Hamas group if international terms were not satisfied. The Quartet of Middle East mediators, comprising the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations, have insisted that any Palestinian government must recognize Israel, renounce violence and abide by interim peace accords. "A Palestinian government that does not accept the Quartet's conditions cannot receive recognition, and there will not be cooperation with it," Olmert, said in broadcast comments. Palestinians had also hoped the power-sharing pact, which contained a vague promise to "respect" previous peace deals, could persuade Western donors to restore direct aid cut off to the Palestinian Authority after Hamas won election a year ago. At the start of her talks with Abbas, Rice said she looked forward to hearing more from him on the unity arrangement. Abbas said he and Rice would discuss the Makkah agreement and explore "the horizon for the peace process." Earlier, in talks with Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz, Rice was asked whether there was agreement to boycott a unity government. She did not respond, although she said such a decision had not yet been made. Senior Palestinian officials said Abbas replied angrily to a US official who warned him that Washington would have no contact with unity government ministers, including Fatah members, if the Quartet's terms were not met. Abbas tried to persuade Rice to give the Hamas-Fatah coalition a chance, his aides said. During the meeting, Rice said the US position is unchanged, a senior American official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the talks were private. He said the US would withhold judgment until the Palestinian government is formed. "We will reach our own conclusions," he said. The Palestinian officials said Abbas, in turn, told Rice that his deal with Hamas was the best he could get, suggesting it's unlikely there will be a change in the government's program. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity. In the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyah accused the US and Israel of trying to sabotage the Palestinian unity deal which has helped halt months of deadly fighting. Addressing some 2,000 supporters, Haniyah also said he would go ahead with forming the coalition government. "The American and Israeli interference aims to destroy the basic principles and the basis of the Palestinian cause...and to divert our cause," he said. The European Union, Israel and the United States have insisted the new government meet the three conditions in exchange for ending their boycott. While Abbas says the new unity government will honor existing agreements with Israel, implicitly recognizing the Jewish state, Washington has remained publicly noncommittal and Israel has rejected the deal outright. Following lunch at the five-star David Citadel Hotel, Olmert said Israel would not work with a Palestinian government that snubbed the international conditions. "We will not recognize any government which does not respect these commitments. We will not cooperate with this government nor with any of its ministers," he told a meeting of his centrist Kadima party. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Abbas had argued that the new government should be judged on having recognized his authority to negotiate with Israel, and that they should understand the separation between political parties and the government. In Gaza City, Palestinian prime minister-designate Ismail Haniyeh told the weekly meeting of his Hamas-led Cabinet he "regretted that the American administration always behaves according to the logic of isolation and boycott which has proved to be a failure." Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan slammed what he called US "blackmail" and called on Washington to recognize the Palestinian government. Rice said the two leaders "reiterated their acceptance of previous agreements and obligations," and that Olmert and Abbas would meet again soon. Rice did not give a date, but said she expected to return to the region soon. On the other hand President Mahmoud Abbas chaired a meeting of the Fatah Central Committee in Ramallah. During the meeting, President Abbas briefed the Committee of the results of his meeting with the Israeli PM Ehud Olmert and the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The Committee discussed the issue of forming a national unity government, affirming its full support to Makkah Agreement. It called for reactivating the international efforts to push the peace process forward in accordance with the international legitimacy resolutions. The Committee stressed the necessity to end all forms of internal fight and arms chaos, affirming that national unity is the basis for establishing an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as a capital. Head of the PLO Negotiations Affairs Department, Saeb Erikat, said Monday that President Mahmoud Abbas stressed on the Palestinian stance which calls for implementing the Road Map and the two-state vision of President George Bush. Following the Jerusalem trilateral meeting, involving President Abbas, Israeli PM Ehud Olmert and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Erikat told WAFA that the parties have agreed to maintain the truce, adding they discussed mechanisms to make the two-state vision of President Bush a realistic political track. He said there are no work mechanisms at the current period, adding President Abbas and PM Olmert agreed to meet again. Secretary General of the League of Arab States, Mr. Amr Moussa stressed the necessity to lift international siege imposed on the Palestinian people. In a statement to Kuwaiti News Agency (KUNA) in al-Khartoum, Mr. Moussa said that the formation of the Palestinian national unity government is the democratic national well of the Palestinian people. Moussa added that the Ministerial Committee to follow up the implementation of the Arab Summit's resolutions and commitments would convene today to reactivate the Arab League Council's decision to break siege imposed on the Palestinian people. Meanwhile designated Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyah, continued his Consultations to form a national unity government by meeting a delegation from the Democratic Front. During the meeting, Haniyah briefed the delegation on Makkah agreement and his efforts with other factions to form the national unity government. On the other hand President Mahmoud Abbas had arrived in Amman launching a tour in Arab and European countries. During his tour President tries to work on lobbying a support for ending the siege against the Palestinian people, pushing the peace process forward and support Makkah agreement. The President met with King Abdullah II of Jordan, and will visit, the UK, Germany and France. In Gaza Designated Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyah received in Gaza the Head delegation of International Committee of the Red Cross(ICRC), Mr. Christopher Harnisch. Following the meeting, Mr. Harnisch told reporters that it was very good meeting and the attitude of the Primer was very constructive. "As with all authorities, we would continue having contacts with them either through the office we have in Gaza or through my self. I think it is our willingness to have good and constructive relations," Harnisch said. He added that "it is my introductory meeting since I have arrived to the country some weeks ago and wanted to present my self to review also activities that the (ICRC) has been conducting in the Occupied Palestinian Territory for a very long time and to express also of the concerns with the ICRC has had listened to the recent fighting in the Gaza Strip, specially concerning about the protection of the medical facilities, hospitals and clinics." We also touched the issue of the detainees in Israel and the issue of Israeli soldiers hear in Gaza, Harnisch concluded. In London Amnesty International (AI) has called on the Palestinian President and Prime Minister to make it a top priority of the new unity government to create a security force that respects the human rights of all Palestinian people and operates within the rule of law. Amnesty International calls on to the two leaders to take prompt action to: Take measures to ensure that all killings, abductions and any other attacks against civilians are investigated promptly, thoroughly and impartially, and that those responsible for such crimes are brought to justice in proceedings that comply with internationally recognized standards for fair trial and without recourse to the death penalty; Ensure that the recruitment and training of members of the security forces and the prosecutorial authorities is free from partisan political control and that they are accountable to the community they serve; Ensure that no groups or individuals are allowed to use or carry firearms/ammunition in a manner that may jeopardize the security of others; Issue clear and unambiguous instructions to all members of the security forces that anyone who abuses their power or violates human rights will be brought to account, including, if appropriate, through criminal prosecution; Put in place a mechanism to ensure independent, impartial and non-partisan oversight of the security forces. In the past six weeks alone, more than 80 people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories have been killed and others injured in spiralling inter-factional violence between armed groups and security forces loyal to President Abbas' Fatah party and Prime Minister Haniyah Hamas party. "Those responsible for the violence have included members of rival Palestinian security forces, including the Presidential Guards loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Executive Force formed by the Palestinian Authority's Hamas government," said Amnesty International's Secretary General Irene Khan, who has written to the President and Prime Minister outlining the organisation's calls. "Instead of upholding the law and confronting violence by Palestinian armed groups, these forces have joined in and exacerbated the problem." On the other hand Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made an unannounced visit to Baghdad for meetings with U.S. and Iraqi officials, arriving in the embattled capital as the Iraqi government reported initial success in a new security effort. Rice cautioned that long-term success will depend on how the Iraqi government uses any period of relative calm resulting from the crackdown on rampant sectarian violence. She told reporters accompanying her that U.S. and Iraqi troops are "off to a good start" in implementing the security plan, which she noted "was not ever intended to be a single day, but to ramp up over time." Rice added, "If, in fact, militias decide to stand down and stop killing innocent Iraqis . . . that can't be a bad thing," the Associated Press reported. "But how the Iraqis use the breathing space that that might provide is what's really important." Shortly after her arrival, Rice held a town hall-style meeting with U.S. Embassy and military personnel in the heavily fortified Green Zone. In a pep talk to about 250 Americans at the former Iraqi presidential palace that now houses the US Embassy, Rice alluded to a debate taking place in Washington over the war in Iraq. The Senate was scheduled to vote on a nonbinding resolution, passed by the House last Friday, that expresses disapproval of President Bush's plan to send 21,500 additional troops to Iraq to help carry out the Baghdad security operation and reinforce Anbar province. "Some do not think this war was the right war to fight," she said. "Some believe we in the administration haven't fought it quite right." But she told the diplomats and service members gathered in a spacious palace lounge that the work they are doing is "noble" and "necessary." Rice thanked them for their "sacrifice" and assured them that "it's appreciated across the board." Among the officials accompanying her was Karen P. Hughes, a long-time Bush confidant who currently serves as undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs. In Amman King Abdullah II said it was imperative to ensure sustained engagement of the international community, especially the US, in reviving the Middle East peace process and returning Palestinians and Israelis to the negotiating table. During a meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, on a tour of the region, King Abdullah II said he hoped that Washington would continue to play a major role in the peace process by creating the necessary environment for a resumption of negotiations on the basis of the two-state solution outlined in the Arab Peace Initiative and the Middle East Road Map. The King said the US needed to support the Palestinian negotiator so that Palestinians could secure their internationally recognized legal rights, foremost among them the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on Palestinian territory. The longer time passes without a framework that would help Palestinians and Israelis move forward, the greater the risk of an escalation of tensions, which is not in the interest of anyone, he said. King Abdullah II urged the US to support the Arab Peace Initiative, which, he said, reflects the sincere will of the Arab states to achieve peace with Israel in exchange for its withdrawal from occupied Arab lands. He said the initiative constitutes a framework for a comprehensive solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. King Abdullah II told Rice that Jordan was concerned about Israeli excavation works near Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. He said the international community is obliged to prevent Israel from violating the sanctity of the mosque. The King also said that Jordan supported all efforts to foster security and stability in neighbouring Iraq as well as to achieve national reconciliation among Iraqis. He reasserted the importance of including all Iraqis in national reconciliation efforts to ensure their success. He said this would minimize the interference of those who seek to divide Iraqi society. While in Amman, Rice briefed King Abdullah on her trilateral meeting with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday. She said the US remained committed to Middle East peace and to an independent Palestinian state living in peace alongside Israel. The US Secretary acknowledged King Abdullah's constructive role in the peace process, adding that his efforts serve the aspirations of the people of the region to live in peace and security. She also addressed the situation in Iraq and the joint effort of US and Iraqi forces to prevent the deterioration of security in Iraq. King Abdullah II urged the Palestinians to work in the coming stage towards finding the best means to end the economic blockade and move forward in the peace process. During a meeting with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the King called on the Palestinians to focus their efforts on ensuring the success of the Makkah deal, and build on it with a view to enhancing the unity of the Palestinians and enabling them to regain their legitimate rights. Jordan, he said, will make intensive efforts in the coming stage to rally support for ending the blockade imposed on the Palestinians and strengthen their negotiating position in accordance with the road map peace plan, the Arab peace initiative and the two-state solution formula. King Abdullah II reiterated Jordan's support to the Palestinian people and their causes, at the top of which the establishment of their independent state on their national soil. On the Palestinian unity government, he said Jordan respects the will of the Palestinian people and the deal that had been reached by the Fatah and Hamas factions in Makkah. He said the new Palestinian government should strengthen the internal front and ease the economic hardships facing the Palestinians. The King was briefed by Abbas on his meeting with the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Abbas also reviewed his Arab and European tour, which is designed to rally political and financial support for the Palestinians. Abbas said in a statement to Jordan News Agency following his talks with the King, that the meeting touched on the current situation in the region. He expressed his full conviction in the Makkah deal, adding it reflects keenness on the interest of Palestinians. "We explained to the Israelis that the deal came to defend the unity of the Palestinians and their national interests," Abbas said. Commenting on his meeting with the US secretary of state and the Israeli prime minister, he said it was "difficult and tensed", adding it will be followed by other meetings.