Last update - 00:00 01/03/2005
PM's bureau: PA state hinges on end to terror
By Aluf Benn and Peter Hirschberg, Haaretz Correspondents, Haaretz Service and Agencies
LONDON - The London summit on Palestinian reform should have emphasized that the Palestinians will not be able to "fulfill their national ambitions" until they put an end to terrorism, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's bureau said Tuesday in reaction to the day's conference.
The Quartet of road map sponsors issued a statement at the conference condemning Friday night's suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, which killed five Israelis, and called for "immediate action by the Palestinian Authority to apprehend and bring to justice the perpetrators."
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas also condemned Friday's terror attack, saying at the summit that "extremist" elements were determined to derail the peace process.
"A few days ago, Israeli civilians were targeted in a suicide attack in Tel Aviv," he said. "We reaffirm our strong condemnation of this attack and for this approach. This again demonstrates that the extremist forces still insist on destroying any efforts at a peace process, negotiations and resolving the conflict by peaceful means."
But while an unnamed Palestinian official said the Palestinians were "very upset" by the Quartet statement that condemned the bombing, Israel indicated the statement - which also called for a viable Palestinian state - did not go far enough.
"Israel thinks that all the leaders who participated in the conference should have emphasized that the Palestinians must fulfill their obligations to stop terror, and that until then they will not be able to fulfill their national ambitions," Israel Radio quoted the Prime Minister's Bureau as saying in a statement. No Israeli officials participated in the conference.
Sharon's bureau also said the PA must fight terror and institute internal reforms before the road map, which calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state, could be implemented.
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said from Hungary on Tuesday that unless Abbas took action to dismantle militant groups, peace efforts would be stymied.
"It has to be understood that as long as they do not take the strategic decision to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure, we cannot make real progress toward peace," he told Army Radio. "No economic assistance will help as long as the area remains one of violence."
The Palestinian finance minister said donor nations promised the PA $1.2 billion for 2005. The sum "is more than [was pledged] before, and even more is expected," Salam Fayad told The Associated Press, noting that last year, the Palestinians received promises of just under $1 billion in aid.
The Quartet, meanwhile, said a new Palestinian state must be "truly viable" and not consist of scattered territories. The group also called for direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
"Noting the fragility of the current revived momentum in discussions, the Quartet encourages the two parties to continue on the path of direct dialogue and negotiation," the four Mideast brokers said.
Blair: Summit set out practical steps
The Palestinian Authority said at the summit that it would streamline its competing security and intelligence services to three branches, consider appointing a chief of police and increase police presence of the streets of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, as well as trying to liaise closely with Israeli security forces.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who hosted the one-day conference, said it had set out the "practical steps needed" to create a viable Palestinian state in the future.
"What we have today is an agreement - not just on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, which has got to usher in such a state, but also on behalf of the whole of the international community - as to the practical steps, the foundation stones necessary to create that viable state," he said at a news conference at the close of the conference.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday that prospects for peace between Israel and the Palestinians are the best in many years.
She said the United States would do everything it could to bring peace to the region, including sending a new U.S.-led group to coordinate Palestinian security reforms.
"We will keep doing all we can in the months and years ahead," she said at the news conference.
Quartet: Pullout must be consistent with road map
In the Quartet statement, the group welcomed the summit held between Abbas and Sharon in Egypt last month, where Abbas announced a halt to violence against Israelis and Sharon pledged a halt to military action against the Palestinians.
"The Quartet urges the full implementation of the mutual commitments made at the summit by both parties and urges all countries to support their efforts," the statement said.
The Quartet commended Israel's planned withdrawal from Gaza and part of the West Bank, but insisted again that it must happen "in a manner consistent with the road map."
"The Quartet reiterates its view that no party should undertake unilateral actions that could prejudge the resolution of final status issues" such as the borders of a future Palestinian state, the right of Palestinian refugees to return home, settlements and the status of Jerusalem.
In Israel, the Prime Minister's Bureau said the PA must fight terror and institute internal reforms before the road map could be implemented, Israel Radio reported.
"Israel once again emphasizes that there will be no progress in the diplomatic process under the road map until the Palestinian Authority acts resolutely against terrorism and dismantles [the terror] infrastructure," Sharon's bureau said. "Israel also demands that the Palestinians carry out political reforms."
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, meanwhile, called on the Quartet to put its statement on the road map into action.
"We are willing to carry out and are committed to all our security obligations emanating from the road map ... but at same time, the Quartet must show that the Gaza disengagement is part of the road map and not an alternative to it," he said.
"They must demonstrate that Israeli government will stop settlements and stop building up of the wall," said Erekat, referring to the West Bank separation fence. "That's the real challenge."
The Quartet countries are joint sponsors of the stalled 2003 road map peace plan that envisaged the establishment of a Palestinian state by this year. The road map also called for Israelis to halt all settlement activity, and the Palestinians were to crack down on militant groups in the West Bank and Gaza.
The Quartet, which consists of the United Nations, Russia, the European Union and the United States, also said Israel and the Palestinian Authority should hold direct dialogue and negotiation to push forward the peace process.
Abbas: PA security steps must be part of path to end occupation
Abbas on Tuesday told the London Meeting on Supporting the Palestinian Authority that any security measures adopted by the Palestinians would have to be part of a broader political path that would "put an end to the occupation."
Speaking during the talks, which are aimed at strengthening the PA, Abbas said he hoped the gathering would ultimately lead to an international conference that would take place in accordance with the road map peace plan, and would deal with substantive issues such as refugees and the settlements and refugees.
"I would like to stress that we as Palestinians are forging ahead with reordering our internal affairs and are committed to honoring our obligations under the road map... We have only one demand, and that is reciprocity in commitment based on the original text of the road map as presented by the Quartet."
Abbas also said that the PA was determined to abolish the multiplicity of security forces and unite them under a single command.
"I believe that the Palestinian people, as well as its National Authority, have sent very important messages to the world, and specifically to our Israeli neighbors, which merit serious consideration and engagement," Abbas said.
"The most important of these messages is our sincere preparedness to exert 100 percent effort in the domain of security. To that end, we deployed our troops on the ground and we took a final decision concerning the consolidation of the security agencies according to the basic law. We continue to implement this decision, which also includes multiple lines of authority and reinforcing plurality."
Abbas said Tuesday morning that the London summit will lead to an international peace conference in the near future, Israel Radio reported.
Blair said there was "probably no more pressing political challenge than to move this process forward."
Blair added that the Middle East conflict was "probably the cause most used and abused by those who try to rally support for extremism." He said that while the issue of territory had to be negotiated as part of talks leading to a final settlement, there was also the issue of Palestinian democracy.
He outlined "five steps" which, he said, he and U.S. President George W. Bush believed would lead to a just solution. Two of those - Palestinian elections and the outlining of an overall vision for a two-state solution to the conflict - had already been completed. The third, he said, was taking place at the London conference, which was meant to help the PA in areas of governance, economic development and security also. The fourth step, Blair said, was Sharon's disengagement plan, and the fifth step, a return to the road map.
Several dozen protestors gathered outside the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in central London with placards denouncing Mahmoud Abbas.
"U.S. puppet Abbas sells Palestine," read one banner, as demonstrators also shouted through loud-hailers, "end the occupation."