Jordan Times
Monday, January 25, 2010
Jordan renews support for
Palestinian Authority, Abbas
By Mohammad Ben Hussein with agency dispatches
AMMAN/OCCUPIED JERUSALEM - His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday underlined the
need for continued US efforts to resume peace negotiations effectively and in a
manner that leads to the implementation of the two-state solution within a
regional context.
At a meeting yesterday, King Abdullah and US special envoy to the Middle East
George Mitchell looked into means to overcome obstacles to resuming
Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations in accordance with clear standards and
terms of reference and a specific time frame.
His Majesty also underlined the need to continue extending support to the
Palestinian Authority and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Mitchell briefed the King on results of his talks with Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and Abbas.
Earlier Sunday, Mitchell held talks with the Palestinian president in the latest
effort to push forward the stagnating peace talks.
The meeting took place at the residence of the Palestinian Ambassador in Amman
Ata Khairi, where he expressed the US’ full commitment to achieving a
comprehensive peace settlement in the region.
“I told President Abbas that President [Barack] Obama, Secretary of State
[Hillary] Clinton and the United Sates are fully committed to comprehensive
peace in the Middle East, including the two-state solution to the Middle East
conflict, which includes the creation of an independent and viable Palestinian
state, which we believe is the only realistic solution to the conflict," said
Mitchell, as he urged Arab countries to commit to full normalisation with Israel
as part of the solution to the region’s troubles.
Mitchell vowed to exert all efforts to achieve the goals set by President Obama
to put an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
"We remain fully committed to this objective; we intend to continue to pursue
our efforts until that objective is achieved," he told reporters after talks
with Abbas, whom he also met in Ramallah on Friday.
The top US diplomat arrived in the Kingdom as part of efforts to revive peace
talks, hampered by Israel’s construction of settlements in the West Bank and
Jerusalem.
Mitchell’s diplomatic tour included Lebanon, Syria and Israel, where he
discussed ongoing efforts to salvage the troubled peace process.
Netanyahu said on Sunday he heard "interesting ideas" from the US envoy on
resuming peace talks with the Palestinians but gave no indication any
significant progress had been made.
Minutes after meeting Mitchell, Netanyahu reaffirmed at the weekly Cabinet
session his intention, also voiced by previous Israeli prime ministers, to
retain major settlement blocks in the occupied West Bank in any peace deal.
"Today I heard some interesting ideas for renewing the [peace] process," the
right-wing leader told the Cabinet, without elaborating.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told reporters after the Mitchell-Abbas
meeting here that the Palestinian leadership is also committed to peace talks,
but Israel must drop its settlement programme.
“Abbas concluded the second meeting with Mitchell in 48 hours, and reiterated
our deep commitment to peace,” said Erekat, insisting Israel must stop
settlement construction if it wants peace.
“When we say stopping settlements, this is not a Palestinian condition but an
Israeli obligation,” said Erekat, who accused Israel of further expanding its
settlement activities in the Palestinian territories.
“We took note that before Mitchell arrived, Israel announced [building] a
university in a settlement in the West Bank and that the Jordan Valley will
remain under Israeli control. It is time that Israel dropped this condition,”
said Erekat, adding that Israel is playing a media campaign targeting the
Palestinians.
“It’s not a public relations campaign. If Israel continues to point the finger
at us, nothing will be achieved” he said.
Also Sunday, Abbas discussed with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Ben Zayed
Al Nahayan efforts to bring about peace and the latest developments in the
region.
Following the meeting, which also took place at the residence of the Palestinian
envoy, Nahayan told a press conference that Abbas acquainted him with the
outcomes of Mitchell's meetings during his visit to the region. He underlined
the UAE's commitment to supporting efforts to push the peace process forward,
calling on Hamas to expedite the signing of the Egypt-sponsored reconciliation
deal already signed by Fateh to bring an end to internal Palestinian disputes.