CAIRO: Israeli President Shimon Peres has endorsed the “spirit” of a broad Arab initiative as an “opportunity” that can bring peace to a Middle East, still torn by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
It was the first time Peres spoke in support of the long-stalled initiative in an Arab country, adding significance to his remarks. The US ally Egypt is a regional heavyweight and was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israeli in 1979.
During a visit yesterday to Egypt, Peres held talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh. The two later held a joint press conference.
Peres said while he doesn’t accept all of the Saudi plan and it “needs to be negotiated” further, its spirit is “correct.” However, Mubarak openly disagreed with Peres’ one-track approach — saying the Saudi initiative is not “open for negotiations.” Mubarak said Palestinians and Israelis should first reach an agreement through bilateral talks, before all Arab states normalize relations with Israel.
Meanwhile, three Palestinian groups yesterday called on Egypt to resume inviting the Palestinian factions for reconciliations talks slated to be held in Cairo on Nov. 9, “with no exceptions.”
In a press conference held in Gaza City, the groups close to Hamas, Al-Ahrar Brigades, Popular Resistance Front, and Al-Naser Brigades said they did not receive any invitation letter from Egypt to attend the Cairo intra-Palestinian dialogue, asserting that Egypt should not exclude any of the Palestinian groups.
Well-informed Palestinian sources also said that Hamas’ reservations on the Egyptian draft plan for restoring the Palestinian unity did not involve essential articles.
“Hamas does not oppose key points in the draft plan but it has reservation on some side points,” the sources told local news agency “Maan” yesterday.
The sources said that the main point of contention is the timing to hold presidential elections. In the Egyptian draft plan, Egypt proposes for presidential elections to be held simultaneously with parliamentary elections, while Hamas wants new elections at the end of President Mahmoud Abbas’ tenure in January 2009. But the sources added that Hamas will accept to extend Abbas’ tenure if an agreement on the time of the presidential elections and the formation of a national unity government is reached.
— With input from Hisham Abu Taha
