Subscribe to Print Edition | Sat., February 23, 2008 Adar1 17, 5768 | | Israel Time: 03:00 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Advertising
Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert being welcomed to the Royal Palace in Aqaba by Jordanian King Abdullah on Tuesday. (AP)
Last update - 17:46 15/05/2007
PM: I'm ready to negotiate Saudi peace plan with Arab leaders
By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent, and News Agencies

While visiting Jordan Tuesday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert invited 22 leaders of Arab nations to convene and invite Israel to negotiate the Saudi peace plan without preconditions. Olmert added that if they were willing to invite him somewhere for talks, then "I'm ready to come."

The Saudi peace plan calls normalized ties between Israel and the Arab world in return for a full Israeli withdrawal from lands captured in the 1967 Six-Day War.

"We heard about the Arab peace initiative and we say come and present it to us. You want to talk to us about it, we are ready to sit down and talk about it carefully," Olmert told reporters.
Advertisement
Jordan's King Abdullah, however, told Olmert during their meeting in the seaside resort of Aqaba that Israel first had to take concrete steps to improve relations with the Palestinians.

The king stressed first and foremost to Olmert that talking about new settlements or expanding existing ones is in contradiction of Israel's desire for peace, said Amjad Adayleh, the director of the information department at the Royal Palace.

Olmert told the king that such reports were baseless, Adayleh said.

He added that Abdullah also urged Olmert to lift an economic blockade on Palestinians, making it easier for them to cross borders and immediately unfreeze all Palestinian funds held by Israel.

A palace statement added that Abdullah "called on Olmert to agree with the Palestinians to put a specific timeframe to implement the Arab peace initiative over a short period."

David Baker, an official in the Prime Minister's Office, described the meeting as "very productive, warm and important."

"Both leaders discussed ways of promoting the Israeli-Palestinian process," said Baker. "The talks were very broad and in depth in which Prime Minister Olmert and the king of Jordan discussed ways of strengthening Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas] and the moderates in the Palestinian Authority."

"They also spoke about humanitarian issues concerning the Palestinians," added Baker.

Olmert, who participated in a conference of Nobel laureates in Petra, answered the questions of author Elie Wiesel from the podium, saying that Israel's politics consists of an unending battle against attempts to irritate the government.

In regard to last year's war in Lebanon, Olmert said that the lesson learned from the Second Lebanon War is that when a powerful terror organization begins gaining sophisticated weapons and declares its intentions to use them, "it must be taken seriously. Don't go to sleep hoping that it won't follow through on its threat."

Olmert added that he is concerned over the safety of Israel's children, and the pain of the Palestinian children. "When I decide not to respond to Qassam fire, it is because I am not convinced that a response would not end up killing a 12-year-old girl who didn't commit any crime, only he who fired the Qassam took her in his jeep."

Vice Premier Shimon Peres will meet with Jordan's king separately next Sunday during the World Economic Forum conference which will take place in Jordan. Peres will discuss with the king his plan to build a channel stretching from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea and to establish economic and tourist enterprises along it, with the cooperation of Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.

Upon his return to Israel, Olmert is expected to participate in a large-scale military drill simulating a multi-front attack.
Bookmark to del.icio.us  
 
Sderot under fire
Iron Dome system found to be helpless against Qassams.
Hollywood hasbara
Actor Will Smith receives damages over alleged praise for Hitler.
  1.   For Fear of Hurting a Child 13:29  |  Chaim Gorenstein 15/05/07
  2.   Sacrificing Israeli children for the sake of pal children? 13:34  |  Absolute Sweden 15/05/07
  3.   Who invited him there ? He is ready, almost ready... 13:45  |  Sal 15/05/07
  4.   Olmert`s care for 12 year old children 13:50  |  Alan 15/05/07
  5.   Sound-bite 13:56  |  whodey 15/05/07
  6.   Olmert is a cynical bastard 13:58  |  Bruno 15/05/07
  7.   Now will the Arabs answer our conditions are not negotiable 14:02  |  PETER SM 15/05/07
  8.   this joke reminded me of Olmert :-) 14:15  |  redmike 15/05/07
  9.   A human life is a human life. 14:21  |  mitchell kaplan 15/05/07
  10.   Labor Kadima and Olmert Palestinian Agents 14:38  |  Sam Weinstein 15/05/07
  11.   good. now it`s the arab turn to make a move. 14:44  |  Roy 15/05/07
  12.   Mitchell # 9...I agree....BUT they use their children as shields 14:48  |  The Equalizer 15/05/07
  13.   He could not be trusted with security of Israel - Olmert resign 15:03  |  Norman 15/05/07
  14.   WHODEYbite-this.The# of Israelis Pals Tried to kill with Qassems? 15:10  |  PETER SM 15/05/07
  15.   PETER SM 15:33  |  whodey 15/05/07
  16.   Olmert 16:32  |  Nemesis 15/05/07
  17.   Chaim Gorenstein is a War-Criminal 16:43  |  Ibn Filastin 15/05/07
  18.   Good Diplomatic Move (finally!) 17:07  |  Puregoldj 15/05/07
  19.   *Jordan* Take a `Concrete Step` 18:01  |  Solon 15/05/07
  20.   #4 - children as legitimate targets??? 20:44  |  Rick 15/05/07
  21.   olmert again 20:51  |  D 15/05/07
  22.   #6, Bruno 21:03  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 15/05/07
  23.   Negotiate This.... 21:11  |  Kate 15/05/07
  24.   #20..Rick..re:#4 21:14  |  Nemesis 15/05/07
  25.   I do agree with MR.OLMERT 21:15  |  AL WALID 15/05/07
  26.   #22..CJK 21:22  |  Nemesis 15/05/07
  27.   ENOUGH olmert 21:27  |  Arnold Seid 15/05/07
  28.   Distraction 21:30  |  Brod 15/05/07
  29.   PA Minister resigns... 21:32  |  Polybios 15/05/07
  30.   To #17 ...ibn "filastin" 21:34  |  Imik 15/05/07
  31.   What we need is PEACE not WARS. 21:38  |  Hamza 15/05/07
  32.   Yes, by cratering them.. 21:45  |  Micha 15/05/07
  33.   What do the Palestinians have to do? 21:47  |  Steven 15/05/07
  34.   #5 Sound Bites back 21:52  |  Kate 15/05/07
  35.   #26, Nemesis 22:23  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 15/05/07
  36.   Hamza #31 22:25  |  Brod 15/05/07
  37.   #24 22:27  |  Rick 15/05/07
  38.   Israel should negociate with Arabs but not with Olmert leading... 22:30  |  Rafa 15/05/07
  39.   #20, your comments are stupid 22:36  |  Rafa 15/05/07
  40.   #20 Rick 22:40  |  * BEN JABO 15/05/07
  41.   God`s Children 22:46  |  HeatherRoss 15/05/07
  42.   Negotiations 22:52  |  P. J. Casey 15/05/07
  43.   #31..Hamza 22:54  |  Nemesis 15/05/07
  44.   #5 Sound bite 22:55  |  * BEN JABO 15/05/07
  45.   #37 Rick 22:59  |  * BEN JABO 15/05/07
  46.   #35..Cipora 23:00  |  Nemesis 15/05/07
  47.   What future do you prefer 23:22  |  Louis 15/05/07
  48.   Whodey.repeat how many Israelis have Pals TRIED to kill 23:30  |  PETER SM 15/05/07
  49.   #45 - Ben Jabo - I can`t disagree 23:41  |  Rick 15/05/07
  50.   #49 Rick 23:58  |  * BEN JABO 15/05/07
  51.   Ibn Falistin #17 00:00  |  Avi Yerushalmi 16/05/07
  52.   PM: I`m ready to negotiate Saudi peace plan with Arab leaders 00:23  |  Garybear 16/05/07
  53.   Palestinian Pluralism: "Imik" and Yerushalmi 00:33  |  Ibn Filastin 16/05/07
  54.   Jewish Home Verses Jewish State 00:45  |  Ibn Filastin 16/05/07
  55.   Even Olmert can`t be this stupid 01:29  |  Dr. Dave 16/05/07
  56.   even if 02:08  |  noah 16/05/07
  57.   Whodey #5 03:32  |  GABE! 16/05/07
  58.   If You Can`t Negotiate With Winograd... 03:33  |  Yoram 16/05/07
  59.   Relax guys, the headline is misleading 04:49  |  Johnboy 16/05/07
  60.   Mr. Gorenstein 06:09  |  Otto Rand 16/05/07
  61.   To Alan from Beth Shemesh 06:18  |  Otto Rand 16/05/07
  62.   Saudi Peace Plan - watch out for the wording 09:07  |  * BEN JABO 16/05/07
  63.   Ibn Falastin 19:50  |  * BEN JABO 16/05/07
  64.   Ben Jabo 00:03  |  Ibn Filastin 17/05/07
  65.   Stop giving Israel away 01:00  |  Christina 17/05/07
  66.   Falstin 01:06  |  Christina 17/05/07
  67.   Message #20 01:15  |  Christina 17/05/07
  68.   Dear Christina 03:12  |  Ibn Filastin 17/05/07
  69.   Question for Christina 04:11  |  Ibn Filastin 17/05/07
  70.   Does anyone remember the old TV show 19:09  |  * BEN JABO 17/05/07
  71.   To Ibn Filastin 22:38  |  Smash 17/05/07
  72.   Falastin - Zionism 22:44  |  Christina