Jordan Times
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
King says no peace deal
at expense of Jordan
Monarch, Abbas urge revival of negotiations on eve of Bush’s visit
to Kingdom
JT with agency dispatches
KING ABDULLAH ON Tuesday reiterated that Jordan will not accept an “unjust
settlement” of the Palestinian issue or any deal that could undermine the
Kingdom.
“Jordan will not accept an unjust settlement of this issue, nor will Jordan
accept any settlement that comes at its expense,” the King said in the Speech
from the Throne at the opening of the fourth ordinary session of Parliament (see
report and full text of the speech).
The Monarch said the government was committed to offering all possible support
to the Palestinians “so that they can regain their rights and establish their
independent state on Palestinian soil, in accordance with the resolutions of
international legitimacy and international peace initiatives”.
In an interview with BBC correspondent in Amman Saad Hattar, the King said there
was “no pressure on Jordan to play any role on behalf of the Palestinians”. “We,
in Jordan, will always remain strong supporters for the Palestinian people, who
undergo the greatest suffering and injustice in the history,” the King said.
On Tuesday, King Abdullah told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at a meeting
in Amman that the need today for real progress in the peace process and end
violence was greater than ever, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
The Monarch on Sunday warned the Middle East was facing three civil wars in the
Palestinian territories, Lebanon and Iraq, unless the international community
takes strong action.
“I keep saying Palestine is the core. It is linked to the extent of what’s going
on in Iraq. It is linked to what’s going on in Lebanon. It is linked to the
issues that we find ourselves with the Syrians. So, if you want to do
comprehensive — comprehensive means bringing all the parties of the region
together,” he told ABC News.
On the eve of a visit by US President George W. Bush, the King and Abbas
discussed means to revive Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, and the Monarch
called on the international community to work rapidly for this objective.
The King said he planned to devote a large part of his talks Wednesday with Bush
to reiterate that a just solution to the Palestinian issue must be a top
priority to achieve regional stability.
Meanwhile, a senior Palestinian official was quoted by Reuters as saying that
Abbas told Jordan that talks on a unity government with Hamas have hit a
“dead-end” and he will pursue other options.
The “other options” could include the dismissal of the Hamas-led government and
the appointment of a new prime minister, moves that would signify a new hardline
against Hamas that could shake up the Palestinian political process, Reuters
reported.
Rice to meet Abbas
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice put Washington’s heft behind new Mideast
peace overtures on Tuesday, scheduling a last-minute meeting with Abbas in the
West Bank later this week, the Associated Press said.
The meeting was announced a day after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called
on the Palestinians to return to peace talks, saying his country would be
willing to leave most of the West Bank in exchange for a “real peace”.
Israel and the Palestinians also agreed late Saturday on a ceasefire to end five
months of fighting in the Gaza Strip, and Rice’s visit was seen as a further
push to use the momentum from that agreement to start a new round of peace
talks.
Rice, who is accompanying Bush on the Jordan trip, will meet Abbas on Thursday
in the West Bank town of Jericho, said Saeb Erekat, a top Abbas aide.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack confirmed Rice’s plan
to meet with Abbas, saying the security situation will be on the agenda.
Rice also “could possibly have a meeting” with an Israeli official, McCormack
said. “We’ll look at the scheduling and the timing,” he said. Israeli officials
said there were no plans for Rice to meet with Israeli leaders. Olmert met with
Bush and Rice in Washington two weeks ago.
The United States was the main engine behind the phased roadmap peace plan,
which calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. The
plan foundered shortly after it was presented in 2003, with both sides failing
to live up to their initial obligations.
Subsequent efforts to get the sides talking again suffered another blow in
January, when Hamas fighters won Palestinian parliamentary elections. Israel and
the West boycotted the new government, imposing crippling economic sanctions on
the Palestinian Authority to try to force the Islamic group to moderate its
anti-Israel views.
Tensions exploded in June when Hamas-linked fighters captured an Israeli
soldier, sparking a five-month Israeli military offensive in Gaza. But the
ceasefire that went into effect early Sunday has raised hopes that new peace
moves could be on the horizon.
In his speech Monday, Olmert said Israel would release frozen funds to the
Palestinian Authority, free Palestinian prisoners and ease checkpoints if
Palestinians choose the path of peace.
Abbas said Tuesday that Olmert’s speech was a “positive” step towards
peacemaking.
If Olmert’s “intentions are good, then we can build on this [his initiative] in
order to put forward a plan for future negotiations on all issues related to the
Palestinian cause”, Abbas said in Jordan.
The ceasefire remains fragile, with fighters still firing homemade rockets at
Israel since the truce took effect. Fighters launched two more rockets at Israel
on Tuesday night, Palestinian witnesses said. There were no reports of injuries.
Olmert said Tuesday night that he was “a bit frustrated” that the rocket fire
had not stopped.
“I hope the Palestinians will meet their commitment to the ceasefire just as we
are,” he said, adding that Israel plans to continue to show restraint in
responding.
But Defence Minister Amir Peretz warned there was a limit to Israel’s patience.
“Whoever agrees to a ceasefire must be able to impose it,” Peretz said.
“Violations of ceasefire understandings will provoke a harsh response on our
part.”
Military officials said Israel has agreed in principle to let Abbas bring 1,200
Jordan-based Palestine Liberation Organisation forces into Gaza to help monitor
the ceasefire.
The Palestinians were informed of Israel’s decision, the officials said, but
Erekat said no deal had been finalised.
Meanwhile, Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman was scheduled to arrive in
Israel on Wednesday for meetings with Israeli officials, Israeli foreign
ministry spokesman Mark Regev said, declining to provide details. Suleiman has
been trying to mediate an agreement between the Palestinians and Israelis that
would secure the release of the captured Israeli soldier in exchange for
Palestinian prisoners.
Also Tuesday, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas left Gaza for
his first trip abroad since taking office in March. Haniyeh was to hold meetings
in Egypt on Wednesday. He will also visit Lebanon, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar,
Syria and Iran to seek political and financial support for his government.
Abbas and Hamas have been negotiating for months to form a coalition government
that would be made up of independent experts as part of an effort to end the
international sanctions.
On Tuesday, a top Hamas lawmaker said that the talks had made no progress over
the past two weeks.
In a statement posted on the official Hamas website, Yehiya Musa, who was
involved in the national unity government talks, said Abbas was insistent that
the top Cabinet posts go to independents, but Hamas felt that not giving those
positions to politicians would be a humiliation for the group.