Posted on 01/12/2005 2:15:11 PM PST by anotherview
Jan. 12, 2005 22:06 | Updated Jan. 12, 2005 22:37
Israel to tell EU's Solana: No instant peace negotiations
By HERB KEINON
Mahmoud Abbas meets with EU's Javier Solana in Ramallah
Photo: AP
Israel will not begin political negotiations with the Palestinian Authority simply because Mahmoud Abbas was elected chairman, Israeli officials are expected to tell visiting European Union Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana on Thursday.
"We don't want the Europeans to give off the impression that because there has been an election we can now start political negotiations. We are not there yet," one senior diplomatic official said.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is expected to meet Abbas within two weeks time, but Israel has consistently maintained that these talks will only deal with security issues and will not constitute any form of negotiation.
Solana - on the last leg of a four-day regional visit that included the PA, Jordan and Egypt - has recently indicated on numerous occasions that with Abbas as PA chairman, it is time to encourage a speeding up of the road map process. Israel's concern is that "speeding up" means jumping over the first phase of the road map, which calls for Palestinian reform and action against terrorism.
The official said Israel is bracing for requests by Solana and other European leaders to make gestures to Abbas in order to consolidate his position. Among these gestures are a redeployment of IDF troops out of the Palestinian population centers, and a release of security prisoners.
Israel, the official said, "is not in the business of gesture politics. We will respond to action on the ground."
Solana, according to the official, will hear from Israel that there is no use "speeding things up for its owns sake, and that Israel is looking for performance. The benchmark for moving forward is not because it is urgent, but because the Palestinian leadership on the ground is taking its commitments to fight terrorism seriously."
Solana will be the first foreign visitor to arrive since Monday's swearing in of the new Likud-Labor government. In what is likely to be the template for these types of visits, Solana will be meeting the government's Big Four: Sharon, Vice Prime Ministers Shimon Peres and Ehud Olmert, and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom.
Solana is also scheduled to meet Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and senior security establishment officials.
Israel, according to the diplomatic official, will urge the EU to "stay in synch" with the Israeli and US position that the PA elections are an important first step on the road to democracy - but not sufficient; and that there is still a need get rid of the armed militias and create functioning and viable democratic institutions.
"We don't want the Europeans to give the Palestinians the impression they can wiggle out of their security commitments," the official said.
Israel is also expected to press on Solana the need for Europe to lobby the Arab countries to contribute more to the PA's economic rehabilitation.
Peres alluded to this at a speech to the World Jewish Congress in Jerusalem on Wednesday, saying it is absurd that the Arab world, and first and foremost Saudi Arabia, are not among the "donor countries" to the PA.
All the Arab countries together have given about a billion dollars to the PA, Peres said, a sum which he said is less then what Saudi Arabia should be giving alone.
"The Arab League needs to turn into the Arab League for Peace" and economically help their Palestinian brethren, he said.
The EU would like Israel to surrender tomorrow. That would certainly speed things up, wouldn't it?
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is expected to meet Abbas within two weeks time, but Israel has consistently maintained that these talks will only deal with security issues and will not constitute any form of negotiation.
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This is fair enough and best for both sides.
If they manage to sort out some sort of security then they can talk more.
After 50 years does anyone think peace talks will go quickly?
Peace talks for Abbas will mean "how can I kill more infidels".
History has shown that to be true numorious times. I often wonder why negotiations are even done.
"I often wonder why negotiations are even done."
Because fools like Carter and Clinton kept the Israelis from taking the Palestinians out.
I hope the only reason Bush has not authorized Israel to act is he is busy elsewhere. After decades of indoctrination, most Palestinians have a terrorist mindset.
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