Jordan Times
Tuesday, February 8, 2005
Palestinians, Israelis set to
declare ceasefire
By Alia Shukri Hamzeh, Jordan Times with agency dispatches
SHARM EL SHEIKH, February 8 - Israel and the Palestinians will announce a formal
ceasefire to halt four years of bloodshed when their leaders meet for a landmark
summit in Egypt on Tuesday, both sides said on Monday.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are
to meet in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh for the highest-level meeting
between the sides since a Palestinian uprising broke out in 2000.
As well as stopping the violence, the summit, hosted by Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak and attended by His Majesty King Abdullah, is billed as a step towards
reviving the internationally-backed “roadmap” for a Palestinian state alongside
a secure Israel.
Signaling a new US commitment in the region after Yasser Arafat's death,
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice named a security coordinator to protect the
budding peace moves and said Sharon and Abbas would visit the White House in the
spring.
Palestinian and Israeli officials said the deal on a truce had been reached in
pre-summit talks.
“We have agreed to declare a mutual ceasefire,” Mohammad Dahlan, a close Abbas
aide who has been in the talks, told Reuters. “This ceasefire means a halt to
all actions against Palestinians and Israelis in accordance with the roadmap.”
An Israeli official said: “The Palestinians are expected to announce an end to
terrorism and violence. We will announce a halt to military operations on
condition there is an end to terrorism and violence.”
But it was unclear whether the ceasefire would be respected by fighters, who
have followed a de facto truce for more than two weeks at the behest of Abbas
after he urged them to help him revive peace-making.
In Gaza, Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar said the Islamic group hoped Abbas would not
make any declaration without getting approval from the various factions.
The factions have said Israel's promise to free 900 out of 8,000 Palestinian
prisoners, to pull back troops from some West Bank cities and to stop targeting
top faction leaders are not enough.
Diplomats said the talks between the two sides began Sunday under the
supervision of Jordanian and Egyptian officials.
They added that Jordan and Egypt were working towards reaching a four-point
declaration of principles: A joint ceasefire, mutual commitment to the roadmap
to the Middle East peace process, the resumption of talks with Syria and
Lebanon, and an Israeli withdrawal from five West Bank cities.
A Jordanian official, meanwhile, said the Palestinians were expecting to reach
an agreement with the Israelis over the release of prisoners and removal of
around 300 “security” barriers from Palestinian towns and cities.
Israel last week approved the release of 900 Palestinian prisoners, who were not
involved in attacks against the Jewish state.
US general given security role
Underscoring the US view that the first step to negotiations must be an end to
violence, Rice named Lieutenant General William Ward as security coordinator —
stopping short of assigning an envoy to oversee peace-making.
Ending a visit to the Middle East, she said both Sharon and Abbas had accepted
invitations to the White House in the spring for talks with President George W.
Bush.
“There should be no doubt about the commitment of the United States to this
process at this time — no doubt about the commitment of the president, no doubt
about my personal commitment,” Rice said at Abbas' West Bank headquarters.
Rice's predecessor, Colin Powell, made only infrequent trips to the area.
Rice said Ward would “assist the Palestinian Authority to consolidate and expand
their recent efforts on security and encourage resumption of Israeli-Palestinian
security coordination.”
He was previously commander of the NATO Stabilization Force in post war Bosnia
and had previous assignments to Egypt, Somalia, Germany and South Korea.
Rice said he would travel to the region in the next few weeks to make an initial
assessment.
The last monitoring group involved the CIA but stopped work after militants
killed three Americans in Gaza in 2003.
Bush has pledged $350 million in aid to the Palestinians. Rice announced $40
million would be given to them within 90 days in a “quick action program” to
help in job creation and rebuilding infrastructure.
Rice called on both sides to the conflict to carry out their obligations to the
peace process, citing a “fight against terrorism” by the Palestinians and “no
unilateral changes to the status quo” on the part of Israel.
She praised Israel's planned pullout from the occupied Gaza Strip this summer as
“historic and monumental.”
Palestinians have welcomed any withdrawal from occupied territory, but cite
Sharon's vow to hold on to large West Bank settlement blocs in any future peace
deal.
Entering the Israeli-battered compound, where Arafat was confined for nearly
three years, Rice's motorcade swept past his tomb without stopping, a snub
indicative of Washington's view of the iconic leader as having been an obstacle
to peace.