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Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, right, speaking with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani during the Arab summit in Riyadh on Thursday. (AP)
Last update - 01:15 05/04/2007
Saudi source: No talks before Israel accepts Arab peace plan
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent, and The Associated Press

Saudi Arabia said Tuesday that Israel must first accept the Arab peace initiative before it would agree to any direct talks with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Olmert has called for a summit with the Saudis in order to discuss the peace process, following an Arab League decision to re-launch a 2002 peace initiative that calls for an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 boundaries and a just and agreed solution to the refugee problem.

A Saudi source told The Associated Press that Israel must accept the proposal "before any meeting is considered."
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The source's comments, given on condition of anonymity, were the first Saudi response to the prime minister's offer.

Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni have expressed reservations regarding several of the proposal's clauses, specifically the clause regarding the refugee issue, although have said the initiative contains many positive elements.

It has been previously reported that Saudi Arabia is holding secret contacts with Israeli officials, but is refusing public talks.

The foreign ministers of 10 Arab states will meet in Cairo in two weeks to call on Israel to accept the peace initiative approved at the Arab League summit in Riyadh last week, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa announced on Tuesday.

The foreign ministers "will call on the government of Israel and on all Israelis to accept the Arab peace initiative and use the existing opportunity to renew the direct negotiations on all tracks," Moussa was quoted as saying.

The 10 countries that will be represented are members of the Committee for Furthering the Arab Peace Initiative. Moussa heads the committee, which includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Syria, Lebanon, Qatar, Tunisia, Bahrain and the PLO.

According to the Arab press, the purpose of the conference would be to offer Israel normalization in relations in return for a withdrawal to the 1967 lines. Part of the program would include the establishment of a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem.

The Saudi Arabian government announced on Monday that it was now Israel's responsibility to undertake steps that would enable progress in contacts with Arab states.

"First and foremost, Israel must recognize that peace requires that it end its continued and inhuman attacks against the Palestinian people," the Saudi statement read
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  1.   Israel just accept the Saudi Intiative for a just peace 01:24  |  MOE 04/04/07
  2.   The most important step was not done yet: PA should accept....... 01:32  |  Vittorio 04/04/07
  3.   "HaaretZ2 wants to hide the "return og refugees" being a demand 01:42  |  Absolute Sweden 04/04/07
  4.   The Arab Initiative. 01:48  |  ottomatik 04/04/07
  5.   immediatly, upon all arabs leaving all jewish lands 01:49  |  ralph 04/04/07
  6.   DON`T GIVE THEM THE ENTIRE WEST BANK 01:55  |  DemocracyRules 04/04/07
  7.   Will someone please explain! 01:58  |  paul 04/04/07
  8.   to MOE 02:21  |  joseph 04/04/07
  9.   Don`t give in 02:28  |  Nechama 04/04/07
  10.   Complete submission 02:37  |  KT 04/04/07
  11.   THREE LESSONS 02:47  |  Mohamed MALLECK 04/04/07
  12.   Finnaly arabs have clever leaders Israel has stupidest ever 02:51  |  zionist forever 04/04/07
  13.   Occupied Palestine, 02:53  |  Joseph 04/04/07
  14.   Israeli political system takes the slaves attitude 03:08  |  zionist forever 04/04/07
  15.   CounterProposal: Federated Republic 03:16  |  Siddhartha 04/04/07
  16.   No to interference 03:24  |  Brod 04/04/07
  17.   arab peace proposal 03:27  |  tom 04/04/07
  18.   MORE BAD HUMOR 03:40  |  DemocracyRules 04/04/07
  19.   DEMANDS; NOT COMPROMISE 03:42  |  Brant 04/04/07
  20.   All one can say, with this ping pong peace proposals and counter 03:55  |  Smadar 04/04/07
  21.   Trust the wahabbis in a peace treaty? 04:00  |  bernard ross 04/04/07
  22.   They call on Israel to accept the peace initiative.. 04:09  |  Stright 2 the point 04/04/07
  23.   to # 10, I think there is a problem of communication/language 04:23  |  Simon Mohammed 04/04/07
  24.   arab fms 04:42  |  ljf-canada 04/04/07
  25.   Simon Mohammed #23 04:51  |  KT 04/04/07
  26.   Muslims are getting a reputation for lying 05:59  |  Gary 04/04/07
  27.   Peace with knuckledraggers? 06:00  |  Ken 04/04/07
  28.   Arabs Rebuff Ban`s Plan To Aid Darfur 07:54  |  Ken Jurist 04/04/07
  29.   1: Moe has no clue what "just" is 08:16  |  David Teich 04/04/07
  30.   #7 Paul, let me explain 08:26  |  Johnboy 04/04/07
  31.   Arabs and Leftists would surely call the Saudi initiative 08:27  |  Joseph E . 04/04/07
  32.   The Saudi Initiative, or just a trap. 08:27  |  Mike 04/04/07
  33.   arab promis 08:34  |  ax 04/04/07
  34.   Let`s not Forget UN Security Council Resolution 242 09:06  |  An Arab Neighbor 04/04/07
  35.   AND WHAT ARE THEY DOING IN RETURN ?/ 09:35  |  paul harris 04/04/07
  36.   #38 ANOTHER FABLE FROM JOHNBOY!! 09:40  |  paul harris 04/04/07
  37.   Normalization? 09:43  |  Robert 04/04/07
  38.   Impossible 09:43  |  Chan de Frey 04/04/07
  39.   It is time the Arab League became serious and 09:45  |  Beni 04/04/07
  40.   the missing partner for peace-Israel 09:51  |  Issy HASS 04/04/07
  41.   5 years ago, Israel requested what is now being requested of it 10:01  |  AA 04/04/07
  42.   #15 - great idea; maybe later? 10:03  |  Neylan 04/04/07
  43.   #30 Johnboy 10:10  |  JACK 04/04/07
  44.   Not accept but discuss it........ 10:17  |  Swiss (Dino) 04/04/07
  45.   acceptance of whose plan? 10:20  |  Beverley Pekema 04/04/07
  46.   I have some advice for the Saudis 10:20  |  paul 04/04/07
  47.   Israel`ll accept its demise,it became a state without any will 10:23  |  Absolute Sweden 04/04/07
  48.   We should organise a `Jewish League` 10:24  |  Nechama 04/04/07
  49.   israel does not accept diktats from medieval states 10:26  |  isaac singer 04/04/07
  50.   a medieval state that chops heads and limbs 10:27  |  isaac singer 04/04/07
  51.   Remember, Don`t Reinvent 242 10:29  |  Fed Up 04/04/07
  52.   few bookshops in the middle east 10:32  |  isaac singer 04/04/07
  53.   few authors in the middle east 10:34  |  isaac singer 04/04/07
  54.   Ballistics on your earlier post 10:48  |  Learning 04/04/07
  55.   #29 It appears David Teich has his definitions backwards. 10:50  |  Johnboy 04/04/07
  56.   Maria -this msg for you 10:58  |  Learning 04/04/07
  57.   Die or we will kill you 11:01  |  trumpeldor 04/04/07
  58.   #3 Actually, Absolute Sweden.... 11:01  |  Johnboy 04/04/07
  59.   #40 issy. HASS or is that HESS?? from Ra`anana?? 11:03  |  Ari ben Yisrael 04/04/07
  60.   BEWARE OF THE ARAB TROJAN HORSE 11:07  |  GENERX 04/04/07
  61.   #34 11:07  |  Moshe 04/04/07
  62.   #44 Swiss (Dino) 11:10  |  Yonatan 04/04/07
  63.   No to Saudi crap 11:11  |  Brod 04/04/07
  64.   ballistic as a black woman do you have no interest 11:11  |  ya mustapha 04/04/07
  65.   Buying Time 11:15  |  isratinian 04/04/07
  66.   #34 11:17  |  Moshe 04/04/07
  67.   #46 pre conditions are asked from the Pal. 11:19  |  Ben Sina 04/04/07
  68.   #40 11:20  |  Moshe 04/04/07
  69.   Ya Mustafa - do you do standup? 11:28  |  Chachmeister 04/04/07
  70.   #51 Fed Up. Regarding 242, all I can say is: Huh? 11:34  |  Johnboy 04/04/07
  71.   #11 11:36  |  Moshe 04/04/07
  72.   #44 MY DAY IS SPOILT DINO WROTE SOMETHING SENSIBLE 11:39  |  paul harris