Jordan Times
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Israeli pullout should
be comprehensive FM
By Alia Shukri Hamzeh
AMMAN Jordan's position on assuming a security
role in the West Bank and Gaza Strip depends on current talks between Egypt,
Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), a senior official said on Tuesday.
We will wait for the results of the discussions under way between Egypt, Israel
and the Palestinians to make sure the environment is suitable to help us
contribute to this process, Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher told a joint press
conference with his French counterpart Michel Barnier.
Confirming that the PA asked Jordan and Egypt to assume a role in training
Palestinian police after Israel withdraws from Gaza, Muasher insisted that this
must be part of a comprehensive plan to help end the Israeli occupation of all
Palestinian territories.
We want to make sure that the Israeli pullout is part of a comprehensive
agreement... a total ceasefire, an end of violence and the beginning of a
political process, he said.
Cairo has offered to send up to 200 personnel to the Gaza Strip to train 30,000
policemen to help maintain security there during and after next year's announced
Israeli pullout. But ten Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Islamic
Jihad, opposed yesterday any Egyptian and Jordanian role in the security of the
Palestinian territories.
Both Muasher and Barnier agreed that the Israeli pullout from Gaza should be a
first step towards implementing the internationally backed roadmap to the Middle
East peace which envisions the creation of an independent Palestinian state by
2005.
In talks with Barnier, who is on his first visit to the Middle East as foreign
minister, His Majesty King Abdullah expressed Jordan's readiness to assist in
training Palestinian security forces and stressed the importance of a larger
role by France and Europe in the peace process.
The King told Barnier that a successful Israeli withdrawal from Gaza Strip
should be based on the roadmap.
On his part, Barnier urged a more active role by the Quartet members the US,
UN, EU and Russia saying it was up to them to supervise the implementation of
the peace plan. He called on Palestinians and Israelis to abide by the roadmap.
He told the conference that Europeans as a whole were ready to commit themselves
to the peace process and towards aiding the PA in economic and infrastructure
rebuilding.
Barnier also told reporters it was premature to discuss an international
presence in the Gaza Strip, but stressed that such a move would be required to
ensure the success of the current phase in the peace process.
The French minister said Monday in Cairo that his country was prepared to take
part in an international presence in the Gaza Strip following the Israeli
withdrawal.
On the prospect of sending troops to Iraq under the NATO flag, Barnier
reiterated his country's position that there will be no French military
presence there now, later or at any time.
We will work within the framework of the UN resolutions to help Iraqis rid
themselves of this circle of violence and occupation without any military
presence, he said, warning that any NATO military presence there would have
negative repercussions.
NATO is expected to debate dispatching forces to Iraq during its upcoming summit
in Istanbul later this month. The alliance, already split over last year's
US-led war, is being pressed for a bigger role than its current logistics one.
But France and Germany have expressed resistance to the notion and are blocking
any presence of NATO troops on the ground.
Barnier arrived in Amman Monday evening following a short trip to Cairo. He is
expected to visit the Palestinian territories in a separate trip later this
month (June 29-30) to meet Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Prime Minister
Ahmed Qureia and other officials.