Palestinians say meeting failed
Photo: Amos Ben Gershon, GPO
‘Sharon-Abbas summit a failure’
Palestinian leader disappointed by meeting with prime minister. Palestinians say sides fail to reach agreement on all issues discussed. Israel attempts to portray more optimistic picture, pledges to hand over more West Bank towns
TEL AVIV – Tuesday’s summit meeting between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas was difficult and unsuccessful, senior Palestinian sources say.
The grim results were reflected on the face of Abbas as he returned from Jerusalem to Ramallah, where he chose to remain in his office instead of addressing reporters outside. Later, Abbas sent top Palestinian figures Ahmed Qureia, Mohammed Dahlan, and Saeb Erekat to provide details of the session.
The sides failed to agree on any of the issues raised during the session, Palestinian Prime Minister Qureia said, characterizing the meeting as “difficult”. However, contacts with all international parties involved in attempts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict should continue, he said.
According to Qureia, the Palestinians demanded the release of longtime and senior prisoners as a goodwill gesture. Abbas also raised the question of continued construction in the settlements and the West Bank security fence, Qureia said.
‘We share common interest’
The Israeli side, however, attempted to portray a more optimistic picture, with officials expressing their amazement over the Palestinian description of the session.
“The claim that the meeting failed is strange. Every word uttered in the meeting was agreed upon in advance from the first to last one. We didn’t feel there was a crisis,” an official in the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Later, Sharon said the two sides agreed to coordinate the upcoming Gaza Strip exit. During the session, Sharon told Abbas the pullout would be executed on schedule and regardless of Palestinian violence.
“If there will be terrorism during the disengagement, we’ll adopt very difficult measures,” the prime minister told Abbas. “I already told you at Sharm (summit,) the disengagement would not be implemented under fire. If there will be fire, it will put the entire political process in jeopardy.”
However, Abbas told Sharon the two sides share a common interest.
“Every bullet or mortar shall fired at you, it’s as if it was fired at me,” the Palestinian leader said. “There are Palestinian elements who want to thwart the process, but there are some actions you undertake, such as arrests, that affect our mood.”
“I don’t want to lie to you and not to myself,” Abbas added. “I want peace.”
Later, Sharon told Abbas Israel would hand over security control over the West Bank towns of Bethlehem and Qalqiliya. Later, Ramallah would also be transferred, Sharon said, but added Israel would not be releasing Palestinian murderers held in Israeli jails.
