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Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. (Daniel Bar On / Jini)
Last update - 00:28 03/05/2008
Livni: PA must ensure terrorists don`t exploit our W. Bank moves
By News Agencies
Tags: Condoleezza Rice, Israel 

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Friday told Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad that Israel expects the PA to fulfill its security obligations after new Israeli measures to ease life in the West Bank.

"Many of these measures involve significant security risks for Israel," she said, according to the released remarks. "We expect the [Palestinian Authority] to live up to its obligations in order to ensure that these steps will not be exploited by terrorists and endanger further progress."

Israeli diplomats released the remarks, made by Livni in private meetings in London with Fayyad and other leaders earlier in the day, in response to Fayyad's charges that negotiations could collapse unless Israel halts settlement construction and fulfill its commitments set out in the road map peace plan.
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The diplomats said Livni had told Fayyad that 60 road blocks, one major checkpoint, and other impediments to Palestinian freedom of movement had been removed, and that an additional 5,000 work permits have been granted to help Palestinians seeking work inside Israel.

But she said Israel needs assurances that the Palestinians will actively fight terrorism before it takes any further steps.

Fayyad had said that, "Israel has failed to meet any of its obligations from the road map, including a freeze in settlement activity," he said. "That is most troubling. Unless that changes, the political process is being stripped of its meaning."

Fayyad, who is in London for diplomatic talks, said Israel has not complied with any of the obligations set out at the U.S.-backed Annapolis peace conference in November.

The Palestinian prime minister gave a highly pessimistic progress report after meeting with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. He said the Palestinian government had met its commitments by reforming its financial sector and praised the donor community for providing additional money desperately needed by the Palestinian authority.

There was confusion about whether Livni would attend the news conference where Fayyad spoke out against Israel. A paper placeholder bearing her name was put on the news conference table early in the afternoon but was removed 20 minutes before the conference started.

Fayyad said the Palestinian Authority needed roughly $1 billion to meet its obligations for the second half of this year.

But he said Israel had refused to take steps that would allow normal economic activity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Quartet backs Egypt mediation in Gaza Strip, easing of blockade

Fayyad's remarks came after the Middle East peace Quartet - the U.S., Russia, the European Union and the United Nations - urged Israel to cease all settlement activity in the West Bank and shift its strategy toward the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

The top diplomats from the Quartet members said they backed Egyptian efforts to broker an informal truce between Israel and Palestinian militants and to ease a crippling embargo of the coastal territory.

The stance by the Quartet of Middle East peace mediators increases pressure on Israel to ease its blockade, tightened last June after Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement.

"Principals strongly encouraged Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Egypt to work together to formulate a new approach on Gaza that would provide security to all Gazans, end all acts of terror [and] provide for the controlled and sustained opening of the Gaza crossings for humanitarian reasons and commercial flows," the international body said in a statement.

The Quartet also called on Israel to freeze continuing settlement construction in the West Bank to keep the peace process from collapsing.

The Quartet added that Israel should cease all activity that could undermine confidence.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the Quartet also believes Israel must dismantle all outposts put in place since March 2001.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said negotiators would keep pushing for a breakthrough at future meetings, because there was no substantial progress at Friday's talks.

"It's hard work, it's labor intensive, it's time consuming, but I do think there is a chance for an agreement," she said at a news conference after the meeting in London.

Rice said earlier Thursday that Israel and the Palestinians must agree "once and for all" on final borders between the two entities and settle the contentious matter of settlement expansion in the West Bank.

"Israeli and Palestinian negotiators should decide once and for all where to draw the line between Israeli and Palestinian territory, ending the argument over Jewish housing expansion on disputed ground," Rice told reporters en route to London for talks on Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Kosovo.

Rice also warned that the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank do not equal a fait accompli that the houses or towns would remain in Israeli hands under a final settlement of the six-decade conflict.

The settlement issue has seriously clouded the progress of peace talks that were inaugurated with high hopes by U.S. President George W. Bush more than six months ago. There has been little visible progress since, and Palestinians suspect Israel is increasing the pace of expansion in a deliberate land grab while closed-door negotiations continue.

"Ultimately the best answer is to determine what's going to be in Israel and what's going to be in Palestine," Rice said before meetings with negotiators and leaders on both sides in London and the Mideast.

"Determining final borders is the best thing we can possibly do," Rice said, suggesting she has heard Palestinian, Arab and other complaints that there is little momentum and less clarity in peace talks that are supposed to frame an independent Palestinian state before Bush leaves office.

While Rice said the opportunity for a two-state peace agreement may be shrinking because of the radicalization of young Palestinians, she said it was far too early to give up hope for striking a deal by the end of the year.

"I do believe that the window for the two-state solution will not be forever open and in fact I think you could argue that it has gotten narrower and narrower over time," she said.

But she added: "I think it is far too early to start [having] any sense of despair about the end of the year."

The United States is acting as proctor for the talks but has not offered its own solutions in public.

Rice's remarks also reflect the conclusion - accepted privately on all sides but rarely uttered - that some disputed Israeli-occupied areas would remain a part of a redrawn Israel. The Bush administration has as much as promised Israel it could keep some sensitive land, but Rice was effectively warning the close U.S. ally not to carry the policy too far or assume it has no consequences.

"I do not, and the U.S. government does not, accept that anything done prior to agreement can ... present a fait accompli or determine the final outcome of this," Rice said.

She did not single out any particular Israeli project as improper, but
repeated the U.S. diplomatic criticism of housing expansion in general.

"It's not helpful," she said.

The West Bank abuts Israel and has been under varying degrees of Israeli
military control for decades.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he does not want Israel to remain an occupying power, but Israel is reluctant to cede too much control lest militants take advantage and hurt or kill Israelis.

The West Bank would form the bulk of a future independent Palestine under a plan endorsed by the United States and much of the world.

Participants in the current talks say they are addressing difficult questions that have doomed previous peace efforts. Borders are among the hardest of those questions. The issue is particularly fraught in Jerusalem, holy to both Muslims and Jews.

"It's far too early to start any sense of despair about the end of the year," Rice said.

At the same time, she acknowledged that Palestinians are losing patience. The United States and moderates among both Israeli and Palestinians fear an explosion of violence and a political windfall for Hamas and other militant anti-Israel groups if negotiation yields nothing tangible.

"I do believe the window for the two-state solution is not open forever," Rice told reporters traveling with her.

"I think you could argue it's gotten narrower and narrower over time," she said.

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      1.   What dear Condi tries to say 02:39  |  John 02/05/08
      2.   can ISrael have tel aviv ? 03:04  |  alan 02/05/08
      3.   Rice demonstrates daily she is too thick for this job... 03:28  |  Dr. L. Brnd 02/05/08
      4.   The Only Way Out. 04:09  |  Cool B 02/05/08
      5.   NO to Rice 04:16  |  Brod 02/05/08
      6.   Condi - It`s just a short hip, skip & jump to Iraq 04:27  |  * BEN JABO 02/05/08
      7.   Secretary Rice is correct, give outline of borders... 05:05  |  Smadar 02/05/08
      8.   borders 05:18  |  Shmuelshachor 02/05/08
      9.   Borders are not a theoratical matters. 05:19  |  Akram Zekaria 02/05/08
      10.   4 Cool B - Land Can Be Traded 05:32  |  Mark of Lewiston 02/05/08
      11.   Brod`s One-State 05:37  |  Mark of Lewiston 02/05/08
      12.   6 Ben Jabo - Demanding Competence? 06:07  |  Mark of Lewiston 02/05/08
      13.   3 L Brnd - You left out . . . 06:15  |  Mark of Lewiston 02/05/08
      14.   8 Akram - There was no Historic UK 06:21  |  Mark of Lewiston 02/05/08
      15.   Construction Goes On 06:22  |  Steve 02/05/08
      16.   Smadar - Right On! 06:27  |  Mark of Lewiston 02/05/08
      17.   Jewish attachment to the Land of Israel 06:32  |  Steve 02/05/08
      18.   Wrong #9, land trades not required by UN242. Voters won`t agree. 06:39  |  Dr. L. Brnd 02/05/08
      19.   18 L Brnd - 64% Swiss Cheese Ain`t Gonna Fly 07:04  |  Mark of Lewiston 02/05/08
      20.   Why, Why, WHY? 07:10  |  Walter 02/05/08
      21.   Once the borders are settled everything else will follow.The only 07:17  |  lakshmi 02/05/08
      22.   #19 Talking nonsense there, Dr.... 07:28  |  Johnboy 02/05/08
      23.   Israel, get your SQUATTERS out of Palestine. 07:31  |  *BEN JABO 02/05/08
      24.   Translating Condi-speak for the masses 07:42  |  Johnboy 02/05/08
      25.   All settlements are illegal and got to go. 07:56  |  ManintheMiddle 02/05/08
      26.   laughable-final borders and unlimited right of return of refugees 08:03  |  Sam 02/05/08
      27.   when the right-wingers 08:12  |  rm 02/05/08
      28.   And the fun begins, reality sets in for Israel 08:16  |  BBSNews 02/05/08
      29.   #4 The Pals will never agree, Cool B? 08:19  |  Johnboy 02/05/08
      30.   Rice 08:21  |  ron 02/05/08
      31.   The legitimate borders of Israel were fixed at the San Remo... 08:52  |  Jean Van Daem 02/05/08
      32.   Rie did not mentioned qassams after final border with gaza 09:16  |  vogel 02/05/08
      33.   It`s Simple 09:26  |  Mordechai 02/05/08
      34.   Let the Palestinians first stop the terror and rockets. 09:29  |  Zev 02/05/08
      35.   face it.. 09:31  |  ravi 02/05/08
      36.   Dr. Brnd - You are Wrong!! 09:35  |  Bill 02/05/08
      37.   What Surrender Israel? I say Never 09:45  |  mort 02/05/08
      38.   Terrorism has clouded the progress 09:46  |  KUTW 02/05/08
      39.   The border is already fixed 09:52  |  KUTW 02/05/08
      40.   Dr Brnd how I agree with you! 09:58  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 02/05/08
      41.   Losing patience 09:59  |  KUTW 02/05/08
      42.   hej, alan, where shall we send the 10:00  |  samos 02/05/08
      43.   #24 Pure paranoia, Sam 10:07  |  Johnboy 02/05/08
      44.   yeah, Mark, and we all know 10:11  |  samos 02/05/08
      45.   Johnboy - Conceding some Settlements 10:14  |  Reid 02/05/08
      46.   Israel is a democracy 10:15  |  samos 02/05/08
      47.   #30 Jean Van Daem - San Remo Agreement 10:28  |  PADDY 02/05/08
      48.   The Truth is no leader can fix ME... 10:46  |  Shimon Cleopas 02/05/08
      49.   Goodbye Satan 10:55  |  Shimon Cleopas 02/05/08
      50.   miss rice is unutterably stupid , the borders were agreed in 1922 11:13  |  v hardman 02/05/08
      51.   Johnboy-A line in the sand doesn`t stop Palestinian demands 11:15  |  Sam 02/05/08
      52.   ISRAELI TAXPAYERS, have you noticed Rices words.....???? 11:23  |  Swiss (Dino) 02/05/08
      53.   Lakshmi - BATTLE OF THE EXPERTS 11:24  |  Elihu 02/05/08
      54.   the last pope and the first pope 11:29  |  Shimon Cleopas 02/05/08
      55.   madam wanker lakshmi 11:37  |  dimple kapadia 02/05/08
      56.   response to # 3 & 40 11:37  |  sam 02/05/08
      57.   Jordan River is the border 11:43  |  Leah 02/05/08
      58.   the final borders as follows 11:44  |  harzion 02/05/08
      59.   *Lakshmi the Parrot has again spoken" 11:52  |  H 02/05/08
      60.   # 35 - Ravi 11:53  |  Yanosh 02/05/08
      61.   #22, #36 - Note that #242 says "..from Territories..", 12:00  |  Dr. L. Brnd 02/05/08
      62.   Israel and its client US agreed on provisional borders long time. 12:06  |  El-Birawi 02/05/08
      63.   Johnboy #22 responding to #19 NOT SO FAST 12:18  |  Elihu 02/05/08
      64.   ravi taunts the jews 12:23  |  guru nanak 02/05/08
      65.   has the figure 8 a sinister meaning ? 12:25  |  victor hardman 02/05/08
      66.   #19 Mark, Olmert`s "64% offer" is called "negotiating".. 12:33  |  Dr. L. Brnd 02/05/08