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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Olmert wants talks on Arab peace plan |
| 2007-06-07 |
| Israel said on Wednesday it was prepared to make “painful concessions” to achieve peace with the Palestinians, working via an Arab initiative drawn up earlier this year and supported by Egypt and Jordan. But Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, writing in Britain’s Guardian newspaper, said any talks must take the form of discussion rather than an ultimatum. “I take the offer of full normalisation of relations between Israel and the Arab world seriously; and I am ready to discuss the Arab peace initiative in an open and sincere manner,” Olmert wrote. “Working with our Jordanian and Egyptian partners, and hopefully other Arab states, we must pursue a comprehensive peace with energy and vision. But the talks must be a discussion, not an ultimatum.” Writing in a column published alongside Olmert’s, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said if Israel was serious about peace, it had to recognise “the basic rights of our people”, including the right of refugees who fled or were driven out by Israel when it was founded in 1948 to return. “In the 1967 war, Israel conquered the land of Palestine but it did not conquer the people. The 1967 war has over 40 years engendered successive wars and destabilisation of the Middle East,” Haniyeh wrote. “If Israel is serious about peace, it has to recognise these basic rights of our people,” Haniyeh said. “Nothing will stop our struggle for freedom and to have all our children reunited in a fully sovereign state of Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital.” |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 there is only one arab piece plan... oops... did i spell that wrong? the one that leaves no jews in one piece |
| Posted by: Abu do you love 2007-06-07 16:53 |