President Mahmoud Abbas will meet with his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak Wednesday to discuss a US request to return to indirect talks given Israel’s refusal to stop settlement construction in the West Bank.
Abbas and Mubarak will also tackle the Palestinian national dialogue brokered by Egypt.
Abbas flew to Cairo Tuesday after a meeting with US envoy George Mitchell in Ramallah. The envoy returned to the region for the first time in three months, in the wake of a US admission that negotiators failed to secure a promise from Israel to halt settlement construction, the condition set by Palestinians before a return to talks which ended along with a settlement construction freeze on 26 September.
Mitchell asked both leaders to negotiate on core issues of borders, refugees and security in indirect talks mediated by the US, where as previously leaders were engaged in face to face discussions about only borders and security as a preliminary hurdle.
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the US request, though the country's daily newspaper Haaretz said the leader was eager to push recognition of Israel as a Jewish state onto the agenda.
Though Abbas met with Mitchell later on Tuesday, the Palestinian leader has not agreed to the request for a chance in the political process, and will first consult with Arab leaders.
Following the meeting, Mitchell alongside Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat told reporters that the discussion was "fruitful" and centered on the revised conditions of the peace process. He reiterated that the goal of the United States is to end the Palestinian–Israeli conflict and to achieve a peace agreement that guarantees security, dignity and well-being of both peoples.
For his part, Erekat said no negotiations would go forward as long as settlement building continued, and added that the future of peace talks is on Israel's shoulders.
In Cairo
Abbas met Arab League secretary-general Amr Mousa in the Cairo airport when he arrived for the visit, and updated him on the results of his meeting with Mitchell. After that, the Palestinian president met with Egyptian foreign minister Ahmad Abu Al-Gheit and chief of Egyptian general intelligence Omar Suleiman.
On Wednesday evening, Abbas will attend meeting of Arab foreign ministers who make up the committee charged with following up on the Arab Peace Initiative. The conveners will discuss Mitchell's proposal, and Abbas will explain ideas exchanged between PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when the former was in Washington last week.
Egyptian news sources quoted foreign minister Abu Al-Gheit saying Arab foreign ministers would demand that Israel put its cards on the table and share its vision for a Palestinian state living by its side. He said the objective was to ensure that the 1967 borders were to be the basis of the state.
Front Page Features