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Palestinian President Says "Unilateral Solutions" Do Not Promote Peace

Posted on: Tuesday, 13 September 2005, 15:00 CDT

Palestinian National Authority, PNA, President Mahmud Abbas has said that "our happiness will be incomplete until all the requirements and conditions for the realization of national sovereignty are provided, because the withdrawal of the occupation army and its settlers from the Gaza Strip, as a unilateral step, does not necessarily mean the end of occupation", Palestinian television reported today.

In a speech on the Gaza pullout and post-withdrawal policy carried live by the television channel, Mahmud Abbas said: "Today, and during these glorious, historic hours, and after 38 years of suffering, patience, steadfastness, sacrifices and offering, a new dawn begins and the sun of freedom shines over a dear part of the homeland through the withdrawal of the last soldier and the expelling of the last Israeli settler, thus ending forever direct military occupation and settlement activity on the soil of the Gaza Strip, which is filled with the scent of martyrs' blood."

The Palestinian president extended his heart-felt congratulations to the Palestinian people inside and outside the territories, to the Arab and Islamic nation and to all peace-loving nations over the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. He called for the release of Palestinian prisoners, saying that this issue will be a top priority.

Abbas thanked all the factions and political parties for their continued efforts that contributed to this "great achievement". He also thanked the Arab countries, particularly Egypt and Jordan, and the donor states for their continued support of the Palestinian people. He noted that the Palestinians are determined to make the Gaza withdrawal a prelude to ending the "occupation of all the Palestinian land occupied in 1967", despite all the Israeli measures; namely, continued building of the separation wall, intensive settlement activity, attempts to isolate Jerusalem and the continued arrest of prisoners.

The Palestinian president said: "Unilateral, partial and temporary solutions do not provide an opportunity to achieve genuine peace and build ties based on equality and exchange of interests. Therefore, we, with a loud voice, call on the Israelis, government and people, and extend our hands to them so as to work together for a genuine peace; a just and equal peace."

Shedding light on the Palestinian future action plan following the Gaza withdrawal, Abbas says: "Today, we face two basic missions, which we are determined to accomplish. They are the mission of independence and peace, and the mission of construction and development." Then he spoke in detail about development projects the government would carry out in the Gaza Strip, in cooperation with the donor states.

Abbas reiterated the PNA's readiness to engage in final status negotiations, calling on the Quartet committee [the UN, the EU, Russia, the USA] and the Arab states to shoulder their responsibility in this regard. He urged the Palestinians not to waste the opportunity provided by the Gaza pullout to build a national project. Abbas vowed to end the state of lawlessness in the Palestinian territories.

Concluding, Abbas called on the Palestinians to work hard and uphold unity to meet challenges facing them.

Source: BBC Monitoring Middle East

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