Palestinian PLO Figure Urayqat Interviewed on Olmert Statements on Peace

Al-Arabiya Television at 1101 gmt on 13 July carries the following announcer-read report over video:

“Following a meeting between him and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas in the presence of French President Nicholas Sarkozy, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has stated that the Israelis and the Palestinians are closer to reaching a peace agreement. Olmert expressed his desire that Syria and Israel would hold direct negotiations very soon. As for the Palestinian president, on his part, he reaffirmed the Palestinian side’s commitment to the road map and international legitimacy. The spokesman for the Palestinian president said that the president would discuss with Olmert the course of the negotiations and the need for Israel to abide by the issue of halting all settlement activities, which was agreed on at the Annapolis conference, and is stipulated by the road map. For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that Israel and the PNA should take serious and courageous measures, in order to move to the next phase of the peace process.”

After this report, Al-Arabiya conducts a four-minute live telephone interview with Dr Sa’ib Urayqat, head of the PLO Negotiation Affairs Department, in Paris, commenting on this report.

Asked whether Israel has made pledges to implement Olmert’s recent statement about reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians, Erekat says: “Actually, this depends on Israeli decision makers and the Israeli prime minister. We have a peace process whose results have been determined. Regarding the road map, it stipulates that the objective of the peace process is to end the Israeli occupation of the 1967 Palestinian territories. We have international resolutions relevant [to this]. We have many signed agreements, and basically we have the Arab initiative on the peace process. Therefore, if Israel desires to achieve peace – as Mr Abu- Mazin [Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas] said – we, like the rest of the world, are ready for it. Peace will be achieved whenever Israel implements the relevant international resolutions pertaining to the withdrawal from the 1967 Palestinian territories and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, alongside Israel.”

Erekat reiterates that achieving peace between the Palestinians and Israelis is linked to the extent to which Israel adheres to the international resolutions, and the international community’s ability to make Israel implement its obligations.

Erekat adds: “If they [the Israelis] want peace, they should provide the atmosphere for it. This is by halting the settlement activities, ending the construction of the expansionist isolating barrier, entrenching the calm in the Gaza Strip, lifting the siege and closures, and releasing detainees. These issues were raised by Mr [Palestinian] President during the tripartite meeting with [French] President Sarkozy and Olmert and the bilateral meeting between us and the Israeli side.” Erekat points out that if the Israeli Government continues its settlement activities and the raids and storm operations in the West Bank, this will “destroy the legitimacy of the peace process.” He says: “In the end, the ball is in the Israeli court.”

Commenting on the point that Olmert’s internal political crises, such as corruption cases, may impede the peace process with the Palestinians, Erekat says: “We fear that Israel’s internal affairs may translate into escalation: namely, aggression against the Palestinian people and settlement expansion. This is what we fear. Israeli internal crises always reflect on us in this way through assassinations, raids, arrests, settlements, and the barrier, and other things. This is actually what we fear. Nevertheless, in the end, we deal with the Israeli prime minister, who is still the Israeli prime mister. Actually, we do not have the desire to or the capability of interfering in Israel’s internal affairs.”

Erekat emphasizes the importance of Olmert’s call to hold direct talks with the Syrians about the Golan Heights, because this issue is “a cornerstone” of the peace process in the region.

Erekat concludes by saying: “We seek a comprehensive and just peace in the region, on the basis of the Arab peace initiative.”

Originally published by Al-Arabiya TV, Dubai, in Arabic 1101 13 Jul 08.

(c) 2008 BBC Monitoring Middle East. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.