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Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdelelah al-Khatib attending the opening ceremony of the Arab League summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday. (Reuters)
Last update - 19:09 26/03/2007
Sources: Arab states may offer to repackage Saudi peace plan
By Aluf Benn, Avi Issacharoff and Gideon Alon, Haaretz Correspondents, Haaretz Service and News Agencies

Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia may propose repackaging the 2002 Saudi peace initiative, Arab diplomats said Monday in private discussions.

The leaders were seeking fresh ways to moderate their position without being seen as giving in to Israeli or American demands to change the offer, said the diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions.

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister suggested Monday that Arab leaders would be willing to consider changes in their 2002 peace offer to Israel to make it compatible with new developments.
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Under the repackaging plan, the Arab leaders would insist Israel accept the initiative in principle before returning to any talks, but would also agree that the Palestinians and Arab countries would be ready to soften their conditions once negotiations began, the diplomats said.

Following a meeting of Arab foreign minsiters in Saudi Arabia on Monday, Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdelelah al-Khatib said the proposal would be presented without any changes.

"The Arabs have agreed to reactivate the Arab initiative without changes," al-Khatib told Reuters. "We reiterated that all Arab nations will adhere to the initiative as it is."

The offer, initiated in 2002 by Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, offers Israel recognition and permanent peace with all Arab countries in return for full Israeli withdrawal from lands captured in the 1967 Six-Day War. It also calls for setting up a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and allowing Palestinian refugees to return to former homes in Israel.

Israel rejects full withdrawal from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and it strongly opposes the influx of large numbers of Palestinian refugees into its territory.

Jordan urges Israel to respond positively to plan
Meanwhile, Jordan's King Abdullah II urged Israel on Monday to respond positively to the Arab peace plan, saying Israel and the Palestinians should seize the moment to make peace.

Abdullah made the comments during talks with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is touring the region urging Arab leaders to amend their plan so it can be a basis for a new push for the peace process.

The public words from Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal regarding possible changes to the initiative came as Arab League foreign ministers convened in Saudi Arabia Monday to prepare for a leaders summit expected to focus on how to revive Middle East peace efforts.

Arab leaders have, until now, publicly rejected Israeli calls for them to make changes to a 2002 Arab peace offer, as a first step toward ending the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

But al-Faisal, in his opening remarks, suggested change was under consideration.

"It is expected from us to take notice of new developments, which require additions and developments in whatever is offered from our leaders about the issues and problems - in order for our resolutions to be compatible with what is dire and new," al-Faisal said.

"The kingdom is keen that this summit should come out with one Arab voice toward issues of destiny and in particular the Palestinian issue," he said.

Hamas political bureau chief, Khaled Meshal, told Saudi officials Sunday that his party would not oppose the Arab Peace initiative, which is expected to be reaffirmed during the Arab League summit in Riyadh this weekend.

However, the Palestinian unity government does not intend to announce its official support for the initiative and will make due with the kind of statements made during the Mecca agreement, in the form of "commitment to the Arab decisions."

PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, who will accompany Abbas to the summit in Riyadh, is not expected to express his support for the initiative.

Meanwhile Monday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he is unaware of a new peace initiative being proposed by the U.S.

Rice said Sunday that the U.S. is planning to hold separate talks with Israel and the PA aimed at achieving an accord that will lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

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      1.   Lets hope Israeli and Palestinians kids can get Peace 02:55  |  MOE 26/03/07
      2.   Palestinian state 03:05  |  Brod 26/03/07
      3.   Shalom-Salam-Peace 03:48  |  AAA 26/03/07
      4.   Rice 04:17  |  Jack 26/03/07
      5.   THERE WILL NEVER BE PEACE BETWEEN ISRAEL AND 04:32  |  MK 26/03/07
      6.   "PALESTINIAN" "KIDS" ARE TRAINED AS SUICIDE BOMBERS 04:35  |  JP 26/03/07
      7.   the promised land 04:54  |  maria 26/03/07
      8.   the dishonest broker 04:55  |  ravi 26/03/07
      9.   The useless imposing herself ro her own reasons 04:56  |  Mark Lincoln 26/03/07
      10.   Brod 05:24  |  mordechai 26/03/07
      11.   PALESTINE 05:36  |  maria 26/03/07
      12.   mk..no5 05:45  |  ravi 26/03/07
      13.   Peace? - If HAMAS accepts 3 conditions + UNCONDITIONAL RELEASE of 06:03  |  Vittorio 26/03/07
      14.   #5 06:03  |  Ahmed 26/03/07
      15.   Contiguous State? 06:12  |  Jeff 26/03/07
      16.   the arabs who now call themselves "palestinians"... 06:26  |  maria 26/03/07
      17.   to #11 maria... 06:28  |  ZacAttack 26/03/07
      18.   Demented or Faithful... 06:36  |  Giles Martin 26/03/07
      19.   Masonic handshake 06:40  |  dave 26/03/07
      20.   US NEEDS A NEW ADMINISTRATION 07:25  |  indrajaya 26/03/07
      21.   # 7 Thanks Maria! 07:36  |  GIRISH 26/03/07
      22.   #17 To ZackAttack re maria (#11) 08:13  |  Hastaroth 26/03/07
      23.   absurd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 08:17  |  trish 26/03/07
      24.   it depends on how you spell P.E.I.CE. PAESE 08:27  |  paul harris 26/03/07
      25.   ISRAEL BEING SOLD OUT 4 OIL 09:51  |  SEAN 26/03/07
      26.   Haaretz Talkback: When Zionism marries with Star Wars, and 09:53  |  Andreas 26/03/07
      27.   Pal State is nonsense. 10:24  |  Vital 26/03/07
      28.   ravi before we interfere in israel`s business 10:33  |  dalit 26/03/07
      29.   ravi we have killed far more moslems then israel 10:35  |  dalit 26/03/07
      30.   ravi do you know how easy it is to kill 10:38  |  dalit 26/03/07
      31.   ravi "the mk tribe" 10:40  |  dalit 26/03/07
      32.   Post Sept 11 10:40  |  Dan 26/03/07
      33.   Israel trying to "soften Rice statements"....... 10:42  |  Swiss (Dino) 26/03/07
      34.   NOT AGAIN!!! 10:42  |  jim 26/03/07
      35.   what is the point of pretending that the pals 10:45  |  sophie 26/03/07
      36.   Too Bad 10:47  |  Joel A. Levitt 26/03/07
      37.   ravi the poorest palestinian has more material resources 10:49  |  dalit 26/03/07
      38.   Rewarding Hamas and Palestinian rejectionism 10:49  |  Shalom Freedman 26/03/07
      39.   ravi just the thought of you turning your back on us 10:52  |  dalit 26/03/07
      40.   Hamas TV, killing Israelis is `more precious` than children 10:52  |  Ken Jurist 26/03/07
      41.   ravi have you heard about the strikes among indian 10:55  |  dalit 26/03/07
      42.   ravi have you heard about the strikes among indian 10:55  |  dalit 26/03/07
      43.   to #31 dalit 10:55  |  asad 26/03/07
      44.   Hi Maria 10:55  |  An American 26/03/07
      45.   more eyewash and whitewash 10:57  |  raymond deane 26/03/07
      46.   indrajaya why do you hate the majority in indonesia 10:58  |  javaneseman 26/03/07
      47.   Historically, the Arabs of Eretz Israel/Palestine have exhibited 11:00  |  Nadav 26/03/07
      48.   Maybe "No Israel" is the Only Real Solution 11:06  |  Chacho Stardust 26/03/07
      49.   Another great sentence by Rice; you go Girl! 11:08  |  Judith, Haifa 26/03/07
      50.   eric "the wheelchair bound leon klinghoffer 11:10  |  yoel levy 26/03/07
      51.   eric then asks "why did they not throw his wife overboard" 11:13  |  yoel levy 26/03/07
      52.   eric "i get my information from the jewishtribalreview" 11:15  |  yoel review 26/03/07
      53.   Moe -- Last time I checked, there was not a state 11:18  |  Anat 26/03/07
      54.   #22, Hastaroth. Read the British white paper 1922 11:19  |  A Bethlehemite 26/03/07
      55.   #25 Sean 11:20  |  Labhras 26/03/07
      56.   Why no peace? Read the comments here: 11:23  |  Mike 26/03/07
      57.   What? Condi`s Still Around? 11:35  |  Kelvin Klein 26/03/07
      58.   #5, MK is disillusioned 11:47  |  VIPER 26/03/07
      59.   #7 maria 11:50  |  Labhras 26/03/07
      60.   Saudi plans and Olmert`s political lifespan 11:54  |  Allan Leibler 26/03/07
      61.   What a strange Headline 12:02  |  Phillies Wright 26/03/07
      62.   # 17 Zacattack 12:06  |  Lynn 26/03/07
      63.   # 20 Indrajaya 12:08  |  Lynn 26/03/07
      64.   # 44 An American 12:17  |  Lynn 26/03/07
      65.   #47 Nadav 12:24  |  Labhras 26/03/07
      66.   #50 Yoel Levy Which Post # ??/ 12:29  |  Labhras 26/03/07
      67.   15: Jeff in Atlanta: No draft needed just go enlist they will be 12:35  |  Tupac 26/03/07
      68.   #45 raymond deane 12:44  |  Labhras 26/03/07
      69.   Maria: What about Russian and European Immigrants 12:46  |  Tupac 26/03/07
      70.   43 Asad is right about India 12:47  |  lakshmi 26/03/07
      71.