Palestinians must be willing to talk -Clinton
‘President Obama and I want to see a Palestinian
state’:
US: The Palestinians need to show flexibility and get back to the
negotiating table, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Saturday in
an interview with Egypt’s Al-Hayat TV.
Asked about the Palestinians’ quest for full recognition at the
United Nations, the top US diplomat appeared to try to downplay the
importance of the ongoing effort, which Washington opposes and has
promised to veto.
She said the US concern was not what happened or did not happen there
— but the need for negotiations to resume for real progress to be made.
“President (Barack) Obama and I very much want to see a Palestinian
state, and I have been publicly on record in favor of that since the
1990s,” she said.
Yet “no matter what happens or doesn’t happen in the United Nations,
unless we can get the Palestinians and the Israelis to negotiate over
the boundaries of the state, the security provisions, what happens in
Jerusalem, what happens with refugees, water, all of the issues we know
so well have to be resolved, we’re going to raise expectations without
being able to deliver,” Clinton said.
“We want to see both sides back at the table,” Clinton said. “We
don’t want to see provocative actions. We’ve said that about the recent
announcements from the Israeli government, but we also know that the
Palestinians have to be willing to negotiate,” she said. “And it’s hard
for them because they feel like they’ve been at this for a while and
nothing has happened. Both sides have their case to be made. Make it at
the negotiating table. And that’s what we’re pushing for,” she said.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas made a historic bid for UN
membership on September 23. But the United States has vowed to veto the
application if it comes to a Security Council vote.
The diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East the United States, Russia,
European Union and United Nations has launched a new bid to get direct
talks resumed with a firm timetable for an accord.
Washington, Sunday, AFP |
