Abbas consults Arabs

Over Israel talks:

EGYPT: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Arab foreign ministers on Tuesday in Cairo to weigh up holding indirect talks with Israel.

The meeting, which encompassed the details of a US proposal for the resumption of indirect peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, will resume on Wednesday, Omani Foreign Minister Yusef bin Alawi bin Abdullah told reporters after three hours of talks at the Arab League headquarters.

Negotiations must “adhere to Arab principles defined by the Arab peace initiative,” he said.

The initiative calls for a normalisation of relations between Arabs and Israel in exchange for a full withdrawal by Israel from Arab land, the creation of a Palestinian state and an “equitable” solution for Palestinian refugees.

“What has prevented president Abbas from pursuing negotiations is the continued policy of settlements,” Abdullah said, adding that any negotiations must be during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s term in office.

Abbas, who met earlier with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, had said the Palestinians would base their decision on the resumption of talks with Israel based on the meeting’s outcome.

“We, the Palestinian side, will abide by what is decided at this meeting,” Abbas said before talks with the 15 members of the Arab Follow-Up Committee for Peace, in statements carried by the official MENA news agency.

The committee is composed of representatives from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and the Palestinian Authority.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem was notably absent from Tuesday’s meeting, with Damascus represented by its ambassador to the Arab League.

Before the meeting, Palestinian spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina called on participants to accept indirect talks with Israel.

One Arab diplomat attending the talks told AFP the draft final statement welcomed Mitchell’s continued efforts for indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

The final draft will also stress that “there will be no direct negotiations until there are clear points of reference for the peace process — a halt to settlements and the clarification by the American administration of the borders of a Palestinian state.” CAIRO, Wednesday, AFP