Arab leaders present peace plan in Israel

Thursday July 26, 2007 11:46 by R. P. - International Middle East Media Center

The Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministers met with senior Israeli politicians yesterday in West Jerusalem in a bid to revive the Arab peace initiative. The meeting marked the first official visit ever made to Israel by an Arab League delegation.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit and his Jordanian counterpart Abdul IIah al-Khatib met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in Jerusalem to promote the initiative, revised by Saudi Arabia and approved by the 22 member states of the Arab League in March. The plan calls for full recognition of the state of Israel and normalization of relations in exchange for Israel's withdrawal to its pre-1967 borders, the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and "an agreed, just solution" for the Palestinian refugees of 1948-9.

Jordan and Egypt are currently the only two member states of the Arab League to have signed peace agreements with Israel, and have been asked to attempt to convince Israel to consider the plan. Al-Khatib characterized the initiative as "a joint and serious offer for peace in the region", stating his hopes for a positive Israeli reaction. Israel and the US have sought to involve more nations in the talks, and yesterday Olmert asked Gheit and Al-Khatib to encourage more Arab states to join their next meeting on the initiative. However, other nations have so far refused to participate in the talks, and the head of the Arab League indicated that the two ministers were not acting on behalf of the organization.

"We need a precise timetable, a quick timetable and we urge Israel not to waste this historic opportunity. Time is not on our side," Al-Khatib told a news conference after the meeting. However, Olmert demurred, stating that there are "no precise timetables or stages established yet." Livni was similarly non-committal, calling the initiative an opportunity yet warning that "if we will begin to get into the details of final status, it may lead to a deterioration and stagnation."

Israel had previously rejected the plan but has now indicated a willingness to consider it if amendments are made to the long-contentious issue of refugees. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev referred to the mission as "historic", stating "we think the Arab world should play a positive role in supporting Palestinians who believe in peace and reconciliation." He continued, "the challenge we all face is how do we transform the initiative into something tangible that can energize the Israeli-Palestinian peace track."

Olmert also expressed a willingness to consider the initiative with "an open heart and an open head." However, just before the meeting, he played down the importance of the Arab League, saying that he would not wait for them to pursue peace with Palestinians. A separate Israeli proposal for general principles of agreement that would potentially form the basis for peace negotiations was reported in Haaretz on the same day. The Israeli proposal calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state on 90% of the land currently comprising the West Bank and Gaza, with borders likely following the route of the illegal separation wall.

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