CAIRO, 30 July 2007 — The Arab League chief said yesterday that a Middle East peace conference called for by US President George W. Bush should be sponsored by either the UN or the Quartet of Mideast mediators, made up of the United Nations, United States, European Union, and Russia.
Amr Moussa expressed his opinion a day before Arab foreign ministers were scheduled to meet in Cairo to formulate a response to Bush’s proposal.
“We have suggested that the Quartet should take the initiative for an international peace conference, or it should be in the framework of the Security Council,” Moussa told reporters.
The Arab League chief also said the participants at the conference should focus on concrete issues and not content themselves with diplomatic niceties.
“It (the conference) should deal with the establishment of a Palestinian state and not be an occasion for salutes or greets,” he added.
On July 16, Bush proposed an international gathering be held later this year aimed at restarting peace talks. The president said his call was a “moment of choice” in the Middle East, and US officials have expressed hope that moderate Arab countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel would attend.
Moussa’s remarks seem to reflect widespread Arab concern that the conference could generate significant diplomatic fanfare without tangible results. Some Arab commentators have also accused Bush of proposing the meeting to deflect attention from his administration’s problems in Iraq. Besides discussing the potential summit, Arab foreign ministers are also expected to assess today the results of last week’s talks between Israeli officials and the foreign ministers from Egypt and Jordan.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit and his Jordanian counterpart, Abdul Ilah Khatib, traveled to Israel on behalf of the 22-member Arab League to formally present an Arab peace initiative. The plan was relaunched at an Arab summit in Saudi Arabia in March and envisions full Arab recognition of Israel in return for withdrawal from lands captured in the 1967 war.
Aboul Gheit spoke positively of the talks upon his return to Egypt and speculated that other Arab countries may join in future contacts with Israel. The Arab League will decide its next step during today’s meeting, he added.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates are scheduled to visit Egypt tomorrow to rally support for Bush’s proposed conference in a meeting with a small group of Arab foreign ministers in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh.
Washington’s close Arab allies have welcomed the Bush proposal, but have stressed the importance of making the Arab peace initiative key to any talks.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has welcomed the proposal. Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel and remains isolated in Gaza, has rejected Bush’s offer, while Syria has said it may be “just words” for now.
A 1991 Mideast peace conference in Madrid, sponsored by Bush’s father, former President George Bush, paved the way for the Oslo peace accords and the establishment of the Palestinian Authority. But repeated stalemates have since left many skeptical that a repeat of that gathering would lead to a major, and enduring, breakthrough.
