Abbas rejects temporary state plan
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today rejected US plans to establish a provisional Palestinian state in temporary borders, a key part of the “road map” peace plan.
Palestinian officials in recent weeks have grown increasingly wary of the US-backed idea, which was also proposed by Israel’s foreign minister, fearing they will be stuck indefinitely with a truncated state.
Today Abbas reaffirmed his opposition during a joint news conference with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Ramallah.
“We reaffirmed to Secretary Rice our rejection of any temporary or transitional solutions, including a state with temporary borders, because we don’t see in it as a realistic option,” he said.
Rice responded by reiterating the US commitment to the road map, but not address the idea of a provisional state.
“My work is going to be best targeted, I think, in these next months on trying to accelerate progress on the road map, which after all would lead us then to a Palestinian state and to helping the Palestinians and Israelis think through the political horizon,” she said.
She said she was told during her trip that the United States needed to deepen its involvement in Mideast peace efforts. “You will have my commitment to do precisely that,” she said.
“The Palestinian people have waited a long time for their own state. The Israeli people have waited a long time to live in security and peace with their neighbours,” she said, adding that she and US President George W Bush were willing to do what was needed to help make that a reality.
Abbas also said he is determined to go ahead with early presidential and legislative elections if the latest round of coalition talks with Hamas fails.
Abbas’ envoys and Hamas have reported progress after two weeks of secret negotiations, though talks broke down repeatedly in the past over the distribution of key Cabinet portfolios and the government’s programme.
Abbas said it was premature to talk about a possible meeting between him and the supreme Hamas leader, Khaled Mashaal, who is based in Syria. Abbas is to visit Syria later this month.
The Palestinian leader said early elections are still an option. “We hope and we work to achieve this (a unity government) as soon as possible,” he said. If not, “we will return to the people and hold the early parliamentary and presidential elections,” he added.
Abbas spoke late last night to Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas to discuss the coalition talks. A meeting of different Palestinian factions is scheduled today in Gaza.
The international community, including the US, insists that any Palestinian government recognise Israel’s right to exist, but Hamas has refused to do so.
On Saturday, Rice met separately with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz. Last month, Livni proposed setting up a provisional Palestinian state, with a border based on the separation barrier Israel is building in the West Bank.
Rice said yesterday that she did not carry a specific plan and she tried to lower expectations for quick changes.
The US wants to swiftly shore up Abbas in his power struggle with Hamas. Ahead of Rice’s visit, Haniyeh contended that Israel and the US were trying to fan the flames of a Palestinian civil war. Fighting between Abbas Fatah faction and Hamas gunmen has repeatedly erupted in Gaza in recent months.
The US policy of backing Abbas and ignoring Hamas “is doomed to fail because the Palestinian people are not bought with money, and no one believes that trying to lure some (Palestinians) will lead to results,” Hamad said.
“American policy has not changed for a long time, and it attempts to create rifts between the parties,” he said.
