Arab countries tell Hamas gov't to adopt Saudi peace initiative

Hamas leader Khaled ‎Meshal arriving at the Arab ‎League headquarters in ‎Cairo in February this year. ‎‎(Reuters) ‎

Arab states, 16/04/2006 ‎ - urged the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority on ‎Saturday to accept an Arab initiative which offers Israel ‎peace in return for Israel's withdrawal to 1967 borders.

‎But PA Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar, on an Arab tour ‎in urgent search of funds, made no commitment to the ‎initiative, which conflicts with the Hamas movement's goal ‎of a single Islamic state throughout historic Palestine.

‎Zahar told a news conference at the Arab League he was ‎confident Arab governments would provide money for the ‎authority, which has lost mainly European aid because it ‎refuses to recognise Israel's right to exist. ‎

Zahar met representatives of Arab governments and Arab ‎League Secretary General Amr Moussa for more than two ‎and a half hours, with much of the discussion centered on ‎the Arab initiative, launched in 2002 and rejected by ‎Israel.

‎‎"All the interventions [by Arab diplomats] spoke about the ‎Arab initiative and its importance to the Arab position and ‎the Palestinian people," Zahar told a news conference with ‎Moussa.

‎‎"We will convey what we heard to every Palestinian ‎decision maker, inside the government and outside, so that ‎we can lay out a clear vision on this initiative," he added.

‎But Zahar said he was sceptical the initiative offered a ‎quick solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

‎‎"If the whole world agrees to the Arab initiative, is that a ‎way out? Yasser Arafat agreed to it before, and the result ‎is well-known.

‎‎"The whole problem is with the other side, the Israeli side, ‎which does not respect anything submitted by the world or ‎the Arabs or anyone else," he said.

‎On the Palestinian government's financial crisis, he said ‎the Arab governments told him Arab support for the ‎Palestinian Authority would continue.

‎‎"We are seeking not only the continuation [of Arab aid] ‎but also an increase because of the importance of the ‎situation. I believe that the intention to help the Palestinian ‎people is real," he said.

‎But there had been a technical problem with bank ‎accounts, he added.

‎The Arab League in a statement on Saturday called on ‎Arab donors to contribute funds to the Palestinian people ‎through an accounts with Egyptian Misr International ‎Bank (MIBank) and the Banque du Caire.

‎French bank Societe Generale holds a controlling stake in ‎MIBank.

‎Zahar said: "As soon as these accounts are put in the hands ‎of the Arab countries, [aid] will arrive, God willing."

‎Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit was not ‎available to see Zahar, giving rise to speculation the ‎Egyptian government was snubbing him.

‎But Zahar, Moussa and Egyptian officials all said Aboul ‎Gheit was out of Cairo for personal reasons and it would ‎not be proper for Zahar to see anyone else. ‎

Source: Reuters