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Abbas Says Israeli "Provocations" Will Have Impact on Calm

Posted on: Friday, 30 September 2005, 18:00 CDT

Text of report by Palestinian news agency Wafa website

Gaza, 30 September: PNA [Palestinian National Authority] President Mahmud Abbas stressed today that the Israeli continued provocations and actions against the sons of our people do not serve the efforts exerted by the National Authority to maintain the state of calm.

In statements he made today at the Presidential Headquarters in the city of Gaza responding to a question on that the number of martyrs has risen to five in the West Bank during the past 24 hours, the president said that these provocations and actions will definitely have a great and serious impact on calm, which we have been exerting our utmost efforts to control.

His excellency added: We are working on ending the presence of arms on the streets and everyone is abiding by that. Currently, there are no [attacks] carried out from Gaza and I am sure that there are no [attacks] from the West Bank. I believe that Israel is carrying out all these actions without any reason at all.

Abbas went on to say: Regrettably, these incidents continue to take place and the Israeli Army is tracking down the youths unfairly and without any justifications. Nonetheless, we always urge our brothers to exercise self-restraint. The Israelis have to know that we cannot tolerate these things. Today a citizen was martyred, three were also martyred yesterday, and three others were martyred the day before as well. I do not know what kind of policy the Israeli government is adopting.

On the third stage of the local elections in the West Bank, President Abbas said that these elections held under the circumstances are a source of pride to our people. He pointed out that no violations or encroachments affecting this process have taken place. He called on everybody to follow the same steps and measures in the upcoming legislative elections.

His excellency congratulated the winners in these elections by saying: We do not know exactly the final results because they might be announced today or tomorrow. Whatever the results will be, we congratulate all the winners as they deserve this victory and we urge our brothers to adopt this conduct in the legislative elections and the fourth stage of the municipal elections.

On his expected visit to the United States, which he is expected to pay on 20 October, President Abbas said: I will call on the US Administration to fulfil its obligations pledged to us during the last visit.

Source: BBC Monitoring Middle East

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