Arab Foreign Ministers decided on Thursday to refer a decision on launching direct peace negotiations with Israel to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who earlier rejected the move until Israel agreed to a complete halt in settlement construction and accepted a Palestinian state located in territories seized in the 1967 war.
Qatari Prime Minister and chairman of the Arab Peace Initiative Committee Hamad bin Jassim told reporters in Cairo that “direct talks have to have a time frame.” He added that the committee “didn’t address when and how to launch direct talks.”
Bin Jassim said that he briefed US Ambassador in Cairo Margaret Scobey on the decision and asked her to convey it in a message to US President Barack Obama.
“The message contains a clear explanation of the Arab stance on the conditions for direct negotiations and the principles that must be met regarding the entire peace process,” he explained.
Abbas had earlier said that direct peace talks were conditional on Israel imposing a complete halt to settlement construction and abiding by 1967 borders.
“Only if I receive written guarantees directly from the Israeli prime minister, or indirectly from [Egyptian] President Hosni Mubarak, [Jordanian] King Abdullah II, or the US administration that Israel will abide by 1967 borders and freeze settlement construction, I shall then move immediately to direct talks,” Abbas told journalists late Wednesday.
Abbas also proposed that NATO troops be deployed in the Palestinian territories to monitor any possible agreement.
“I’m ready to agree to a third party that can act as a post-solution monitor, like NATO forces,” Abbas explained, warning, however, that he would “not accept Jewish soldiers among NATO troops.”
“I’m under pressure of a kind that I’ve never experienced,” Abbas said, for which he blamed the US and EU in particular.
The US media reported this week that US peace envoy George Mitchell had warned Abbas that if he did not agree to direct talks, Obama would be unable to help Palestinians achieve a state of their own.
But the PA president said he first wanted to see progress in indirect talks, which have been taking place since May with US mediation. Specifically, he wants to see movement on the issue of borders of the future Palestinian state.
Netanyahu, who has appealed for direct talks, has refused to be pinned down on a framework for negotiations. The Israeli prime minister has accepted the idea of Palestinian statehood with conditions, but has ruled out giving up control of East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want as their capital.
On settlements, Israel has instituted a ten-month moratorium on construction in areas the Palestinians want for a future state. That is due to expire in September, and Netanyahu this week indicated it would not be extended.
Abbas also said that a permanent peace agreement with Israel was only attainable after reconciliation with the rival Hamas movement, which controls Gaza Strip.
Abbas hinted that he was ready to step down as president should negotiations fail. “If things don’t go well, I will take off. What binds me to authority? I announce that I will not run for president in any future elections,” Abbas declared.
The PA president also dismissed the possibility of a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state if talks proved unsuccessful.
“We never said before that we would unilaterally declare the establishment of our Palestinian state,” he said. “Rather, we announced that if peace efforts fail, we will move to the Arab League.”
The Arab committee consists of 13 countries, including Egypt, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Qatar, Jordan, Algeria, Bahrain, Tunisia, Sudan, Morocco and Yemen.
