RAMALLAH: Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni yesterday said that Israel and the Palestinians must reach "responsible" accords if they are to avoid violent clashes.
Livni said during a meeting with the Foreign Press Association in Israel that "any attempt to try and bridge the gap between Israel and the Palestinians in any way other than a detailed agreement may lead to violent clashes." "I am well aware of the expectations the international community has of these negotiations, but we have to create a responsible agreement," she added.
Livni sounded the cautionary note against increased US pressure just days before Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits the region. In her remarks, Livni played down Washington's timeline for a deal this year. "What is more important is the content and the nature of the understanding," she said.
Livni said she and her Palestinian counterpart in the negotiations, former Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei, were going beyond "vague ideas" about the percentage of West Bank land that Israel would yield. "We need to line the borders on the map," she said.
Talking about the next government in Israel, Livni said she will try to form such a government if she wins next month's primary election of the ruling Kadima party, as as polls indicate she is likely to do. "I believe that what we called in the past left and right is something that belongs to the past," she said.
