RAMALLAH, 24 June 2004 — Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat insisted yesterday that any Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip be accompanied by a withdrawal from the West Bank to allow the creation of a Palestinian state. Speaking after a meeting with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, Arafat said the talks “formed part of the efforts designed to advance the peace process and to ensure the application of the road map”.
“The withdrawal from Gaza which the Israelis are speaking about must be accompanied by a withdrawal from the West Bank and be fully incorporated under the terms of the road map to enable creation of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.”
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is planning to unilaterally evacuate all settlers and troops from Gaza and four settlements in the northern West Bank by the end of next year, in the absence of any progress in the internationally drafted road map peace plan, which aims for Palestinian statehood in 2005.
Suleiman, who did not make any comment to reporters, was understood to have laid down Cairo’s terms for getting involved in the pullout.
The general, President Hosni Mubarak’s pointman on the Middle East, also met with Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei and national security adviser Jibril Rajub in Ramallah.
Qorei said that discussion had focused on how to “consolidate the inter-Palestinian dialogue to reach a common denominator, bring an end to the impasse in the peace process and reorganize the Palestinian security services.”
After his talks in Ramallah, Suleiman traveled to Jerusalem where met Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, government sources said. He was later expected to meet Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz. His visit comes after 10
A source close to Qorei said Suleiman wanted to secure concrete approval for any future role from the Palestinian leadership. “He wants a response from Arafat, official approval from all institutions — the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization), the president’s office and the PLC (Palestinian Legislative Council) for the Egyptian role,” the source said.
“Without this approval, the Egyptians will not interfere,” he added.
Cairo has offered to send up to 200 personnel to Gaza to train a 30,000-strong Palestinian force to maintain security.
Jordan said Tuesday that Amman’s decision to take on security responsibilities would depend on the outcome of talks between Israel, Egypt and the Palestinians.
Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority are all united in wanting to ensure that the pullout plan does not create a security vacuum.
Sharon was quoted by public radio Wednesday as saying that while Egypt had an important role to play, it could not act as an Israeli-Palestinian mediator.
“We attach vast importance to Egyptian activity in the Gaza Strip and along the border, but I don’t intend to allow Egypt to become a mediator between Israelis and Palestinians,” said the premier.
In Cairo, US Assistant Secretary of State William Burns backed Egypt’s initiative after meeting officials there. “We’re confident that we are going to be able to make progress,” he said. Sharon’s plan to remove all 21 settlements from the Gaza Strip and four of 120 from the West Bank won Cabinet approval in principle this month, but the removal of Jewish enclaves still needs another vote.
Medics said Israeli troops killed a Palestinian in Gaza yesterday. The army said it had shot a gunman. Palestinian security sources said the 22-year-old man was a farmer. The army said it killed the bodyguard of an Islamic Jihad member during an operation to arrest him the West Bank city of Nablus.
