AMMAN/GAZA CITY, 12 February 2007 — Israel must accept the new national unity government being set up by the Palestinians, President Mahmoud Abbas said in Amman yesterday. “This is a Palestinian issue and an Arab issue and it is up to the Israelis to deal with the fait accompli,” Abbas said on arrival. He also stressed that it would be the Palestinian presidency and the Palestine Liberation Organization which would lead any peace negotiations with Israel.
“This is clear to everyone, including Israel, the (Palestinian) government or other parties. It is not up to them to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ if the talk is about official negotiations between us and the Israelis,” he added. Abbas made the remarks after briefing Jordanian Prime Minister Maaruf Bakhit on Thursday’s agreement between his Fatah faction and the rival Hamas to set up a national unity government.
The accord makes no explicit reference to Israel or to respecting interim peace deals signed by the Palestine Liberation Organization, which Hamas never joined.
But Abbas, who flew in from Cairo, has repeatedly insisted that the new government must “respect” the peace deals signed by the PLO.
Abbas will meet King Abdallah today and tomorrow he will hold talks in Amman with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Earlier in Cairo, Abbas said that a meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would set the stage for final status talks in the long-stagnant Middle East peace process.
“The three-way meeting with Rice and Olmert on Feb. 19 will pave the way for the start of the final peace process,” Abbas said after meeting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
“We had previously agreed with Rice that we must head toward a final settlement and begin negotiations over the issues of borders, settlements, refugees and the state,” he told reporters.
“We will lay out a timeframe for implementation at the beginning of the negotiations.” Abbas also said Rice would on Feb. 21 meet the so-called “Arab quartet” — Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — which play a “crucial role” in the peace process. Abbas was in Cairo to brief Mubarak on the results of the Makkah agreement.
He said he will formally appoint current premier Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas as prime minister of the new government on Thursday. “According to the constitution Haniyeh will resign and I will immediately and formally appoint him on Feb. 15,” Abbas said.
Western donors have frozen aid to the Palestinian government since Hamas, which they regard as a terrorist outfit, took office after a shock election win in January 2006.
— With input from agencies
