Jordan Times
Friday, May 11, 2007
'Diminishing’ peace
chance must be seized — King
AMMAN (Agencies) — King Abdullah on Thursday urged prompt and intensive efforts
to seize a “diminishing” peace opportunity in the Middle East.
The King told a group of Israeli peace activists and opinion leaders, who were
invited by former prime minister Abdul Salam Majali, that they should promote
the Arab Peace Initiative in the Jewish state, the Jordan News Agency, Petra,
reported.
The Israeli opinion leaders held talks with their Jordanian counterparts on ways
of reviving the stalled Middle East peace process and agreed to meet again next
week with Palestinian counterparts, Agence France-Presse said.
The Israeli delegation included peace activists, academics and current and past
members of the Knesset.
Majali, who last week visited Israel to press for resuming peace talks based on
the Arab peace bid, told AFP that “another meeting will be held next week with a
bigger Israeli and Jordanian participation and will also include Palestinians”.
Petra said Majali described the peace plan as “a brave decision on the part of
the Arabs”, adding it should be reciprocated “by the other side in order to
strengthen the peace camp on both sides”. “Peace-loving people are faced with
the challenge of reviving the peace process in the hearts of civilians, if it is
not on the agenda of politicians,” said Majali.
Rabbi Michael Melchior, a former Israeli deputy foreign minister and current MP,
said there was a “golden opportunity” to be seized to “bridge the gap” between
Israel and the Palestinians, Petra said.
The Arab League in March readopted the peace initiative, which offers Israel
normal relations in exchange for its withdrawal from all land seized in 1967,
the creation of a Palestinian state and the return of Palestinian refugees.
Israel rejected the plan when it was first launched in 2002, but recently said
it could be a basis for talks, provided there are amendments to the refugee
issue.
The informal talks came as Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni met in Cairo on
Thursday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and her Egyptian and Jordanian
counterparts to discuss the Arab Peace Initiative.