Palestinians to consider US talks initiative

UNDER STRONG pressure, the Palestinian Authority has agreed to consider a proposal by US envoy George Mitchell for indirect talks with Israel.

Palestinian foreign minister Riad al-Malki yesterday called for more information about the conduct and objectives of proposed US-mediated negotiations, saying these should focus on delineating a border between the Palestinian territories and Israel.

He observed that the issues of water, security, settlements and Jerusalem could be resolved in discussions on the border.

Mr Maliki, who is visiting Japan with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, insisted that indirect talks be limited to three or four months, and called for Washington to define its position if they fail.

If the US gives acceptable answers, the Palestinian Authority will discuss the proposal with Arab leaders and, if they agree, the authority will enter indirect talks.

“We cannot really say in advance we are committed without getting assurances that this process will be meaningful and lead to something tangible,” Mr Maliki said.

Following consultations last week with German chancellor Angela Merkel, British prime minister Gordon Brown and Spanish foreign minister Miguel Moratinos, Mr Abbas agreed in principle to the direct negotiations.

This indicates he has dropped his demand that Israel suspend settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem before talks can resume.

The format would involve Mr Mitchell shuttling between the teams sitting in separate rooms, but the venue has not been named.

While the US and Palestinian Authority call for the 1967 line to be the basis for talks and propose giving the border issue priority, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu rejects these ideas and seeks to limit indirect talks to two to three weeks.

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, who is likely to head the Palestinian team, observed that shuttle diplomacy made no sense unless the parameters of the talks were clearly defined and Israel froze settlement activity in areas Palestinians demanded for their future state.

Mediated talks similar to those conducted in 1991-92 in Washington by the first Bush administration would be a regressive move. In 1993, the sides held direct secret talks, resulting in the Oslo accord of September 1993. Since then, all negotiations have been direct. As Mr Maliki indicated when he demanded “meaningful” talks, Palestinians have lost faith in the peace process.

In their view, Israel has adopted the dictum of Yitzhak Shamir, prime minister during initial contacts, who observed, “I could have carried out [Palestinian] autonomy talks for 10 years, and meanwhile we would have reached half a million people in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank and east Jerusalem].” Palestinians argue this is precisely what has happened over the past 18 years.

Separately, the Palestinian Authority has scheduled municipal elections for July 17th, although it is unlikely that Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in 2007, will agree to hold elections there. Overdue presidential and parliamentary elections were set for last month but have been indefinitely postponed due to the rift.