Jordan Times
Sunday, December 2, 2007
World should ensure parties honour commitments - King
AMMAN (Agencies) - His Majesty King Abdullah on Saturday said that intensified international efforts are required in the coming stage to ensure that all parties to the Middle East conflict honour their commitments to a peaceful solution.
In a phone call, the King discussed with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice means to proceed with the peace process after last week’s Annapolis meeting.
King Abdullah said it was also important to build on the meeting's outcome. Rice said she appreciated King Abdullah's endeavours to bring about a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday in Amman that he "did not receive any guarantees from the American administration regarding the upcoming negotiations with Israel".
"All I can say is that we felt seriousness from President [George W.] Bush and Secretary [of State Condoleezza] Rice and the whole American administration towards resolving the Palestinian problem," he said.
"But we can't claim that we have any guarantees on the negotiations and their outcome."
"We're depending on the righteousness of our cause and on the international community, including the United States, which is sympathetic towards the Palestinian issue," added Abbas during a brief stopover at Amman’s Marka Airport. He later flew out to Saudi Arabia.
Former Palestinian premier Ahmed Qureia, speaking separately with reporters at the airport, said the Palestinians were determined to "achieve statehood" by the end of next year.
Abbas arrived here from Egypt where he stated there would be meetings in Moscow and Paris to follow up on the Annapolis meeting.
Abbas gave his comments after meeting with President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo.
He also said that a special negotiating team led by Qureia will handle negotiations with Israelis, which is due to launch December 12.
"There was this myth that there were talks or a deal," in Annapolis, Abbas said. "The purpose of the Annapolis meeting was to launch talks without going into details."
"There will be two stations after Annapolis: one in Paris and the second in Moscow where there will be another conference to review what the negotiations have achieved," he added, without elaborating.
Abbas did not say whether the Moscow meeting would focus on the Syrian-Israeli track as has been widely speculated.
In addition to negotiating team, Abbas said that a "supreme committee of all Palestinian leadership" will be formed to follow up negotiations, he didn't give further details on which factions will be represented in this committee.
Hamas and other armed groups have strongly opposed the resumption of peace talks with Israel, saying Abbas does not have political legitimacy to speak on behalf of all the Palestinians, after the Islamic group seized control over Gaza Strip in June.
Abbas told reporters that he is open for talks with Hamas. "We have had talks with Hamas for the past four or five years," he said.
"We don't mind having talks because they are part of the Palestinian people and we will not give up this part of the people and we will not ignore them. We consider it an important movement," he added.
"When it ends its coup, we will be ready to talk to it."