Jordan Times
Sunday, March 20, 2005
Mulki says no
contradiction between Amman proposal and Beirut initiative
By Alia Shukri Hamzeh
AMMAN — Jordan's recent proposal on ending the
Arab-Israeli conflict was not a deviation from the 2002 peace initiative,
adopted in Beirut, a senior official said on Saturday.
Government Spokesperson Asma Khader said the proposal, to be presented by Jordan
to the March 22-23 Algiers summit, reiterates commitment to the Arab Peace
Initiative. “The proposal was based on resolutions unanimously adopted by Arab
leaders,” Khader told the press yesterday. “It was not a new initiative or
resolution. It seeks to revive and activate the Arab initiative.”
The proposal, a copy of which was handed to reporters, states that the
“strategic choice of peace can be achieved in line with the international
legitimacy and requires a similar commitment by Israel.”
It also reiterates willingness by Arab countries to end the conflict with Israel
and normalise ties with the Jewish state in the event of achieving a
comprehensive peace.
In 2002, Arab leaders unanimously offered the Jewish state normal relations and
security guarantees in return for an Israeli withdrawal from all territories
occupied during the 1967 war, the establishment of a Palestinian state and a
“fair” solution to the issue of refugees based on UN resolutions.
In Algiers, where Arab foreign ministers were meeting to prepare for the summit,
support seemed to be growing among for the proposal, which was expected to
dominate the two-day meeting, news reports said.
An Arab delegate, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press
that 13 of the Arab League's 22 members are showing implicit support for the
Jordanian proposal, which some see as a possible way out of the cycle of Mideast
violence and a way to compel Israel to meet its requirements under the US-backed
roadmap to regional peace.
However, nine other Arab states, including Syria, had reservations over the
current draft. Diplomats have asked the Jordanian and Palestinian sides to come
up with a new drafting for the proposal in an apparent bid to make it acceptable
to all sides, AP reported.
The proposal was criticised for “neglecting direct reference to Israel's return
of occupied Arab territories in exchange for normalisation of ties.”
But Foreign Minister Hani Mulki said on Saturday there was no contradiction
between Jordan's draft resolution and the Beirut initiative.
“This resolution starts by affirming the Arab initiative and affirming the
relevant UN resolutions,” he was quoted by Reuters as saying. “It is not true
that the draft means abandoning the right of return [of Palestinian refugees] or
the fact that East Jerusalem will be the capital of the Palestinian state.”
He added that Jordan “submitted this resolution for the sake of Arab interests
and to serve the Arab parties which have not yet achieved peace with Israel,
namely Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinians.”
“The aim was to take advantage of the current circumstances in the region to
convey the desire of the Arab world for peace,” he said.