Jordan Times
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
King presses Olmert to endorse Arab plan, set peace timetable
By Mohammad Ghazal
PETRA — King Abdullah on Tuesday called on Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to
endorse the Arab Peace Initiative and set a timetable with the Palestinians to
implement the plan.
“The Arab Peace Initiative reflects the Arab states’ desire for peace, and is an
appropriate framework for a just, comprehensive and lasting resolution to the
conflict between Israelis and Palestinians,” the King told Olmert at a meeting
in Aqaba after the two leaders attended the opening of the third Conference of
Nobel Laureates in the ancient city of Petra (see
reports , and the
full text of the King’s remarks at the conference).
Negotiations on the basis of the peace blueprint, which offers Israel normal
ties if it withdraws from land occupied in 1967, “can also end decades of
conflict in the region and provide Israel with security and stability”, a Royal
Court statement quoted the King as saying.
“Time is not on the side of either Israelis or Palestinians,” the Monarch
warned. “Both sides must agree to a political process with a timeline for the
implementation of the initiative and enter into negotiations on the most
controversial issues.”
During a meeting with the Israeli premier, the first since December, King
Abdullah stressed the need for “practical steps to build bridges of confidence,
facilitate the relaunch of the peace process and renew negotiations with the
Palestinian side”.
The King told Olmert that Israel must release Palestinian funds in order “to
demonstrate its desire for peace and support for the Palestine Authority under
President [Mahmoud] Abbas’ leadership,” the statement said.
“The King also called for urgent action to alleviate the Palestinians’ sixty
years of suffering under Israeli occupation.”
Meanwhile, the Monarch reiterated that any plans to expand settlements in
Palestinian land and escalation against the Palestinians “thoroughly contradict
the desire for peace”.
Referring to Israeli media reports on the construction of new settlements in
occupied Jerusalem, the King said Jordan rejects such measures as “severe
transgression of Palestinian and Arab rights in the holy city”.
Olmert denied the report, saying “there is no truth whatsoever to reports
concerning the construction of new settlements or the expansion of existing
ones”.
Israel’s Haaretz newspaper disclosed on May 10 plans to build three new Jewish
neighbourhoods in and around Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, Agence France-Presse
reported.
The plan which foresees the construction of more than 20,000 housing units has
been drawn up by a municipal committee and must still be approved by national
authorities, Haaretz said.
The report triggered condemnation from the Palestinians, the Arab League and the
United Nations.
In Petra, Olmert told Nobel laureates he was ready for talks with Arab leaders
on the peace initiative, which also calls for the creation of a Palestinian
state and the return of refugees.
“I invite these 22 leaders of the Arab nation that are ready to make that kind
of peace with Israel to come, whenever they want, to sit down with us and start
to talk and present their ideas,” Olmert said in Petra. “If you want to talk to
us about it, we are ready to sit down and listen to you very carefully. We will
have, of course, comments about it. We will exchange views.”
Abbas’ spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina, who was present at the Petra conference,
accused the Israelis of foot dragging.
“The peace process is frozen... nothing is happening but we hope it will happen
soon. We are ready for peace negotiations but the Israelis are not ready,” he
told AFP.
The King’s meeting with Olmert is the latest in diplomatic efforts to build
support for relaunching Palestinian-Israeli peace talks in line with the Arab
Peace Initiative.