Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday that an international conference should be called immediately for direct negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel.
Abbas said in a speech in Oslo that an international group should serve as a broker, possibly the so-called "Quartet" Of the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations.
Israeli officials, in the meantime, rejected the call and demanded that before talks are resumed Hamas fulfills the three conditions it is required to meet.
"An international conference should be summoned immediately, in which direct negotiations take place, on the basis of international U.N. Resolutions and signed agreements," Abbas said through a translator.
"The international group, whether it is the Quartet or any other international frame work, would play the role of the broker and arbitrator at the same time," he said.
Abbas arrives in Oslo. Wants to resume negotiations (Photo: AFP)
Abbas, who heads the PLO, added that his organization still holds a mandate to negotiate on the regional crisis, as the group has signed previous agreements with Israel.
"As a president heading a free Palestinian organization, as a legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and as an elected
chairman of the Palestinian authorities, I am ready and willing to immediately resume negotiations with the Israeli government," Abbas said.
Abbas and his delegation arrived in Oslo on Tuesday evening after a visit to Turkey. During the 24-hour stopover in the Norwegian capital, Abbas was to meet Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere and other leaders.
Israel: Hamas must fulfill three demands
Israel rejected Abbas' call and State officials made it clear that Israel's traditional stance since the establishment of the Hamas-led government has been that no negotiations would be held with the Palestinians as long as the terror group controls the PA.
The officials added that no dialogue would be held with the Palestinian side unless the Hamas government fulfills the three demands set by the Quartet, including recognizing Israel, renouncing terror and accepting all the agreements signed by the PA.
At this stage, the PA is branded as a terror authority, prohibiting any dialogue, diplomatic officials told Ynet.
"Abbas' declarations should come with a demand that Hamas fulfill the three conditions, and only then we can talk about diplomatic initiatives," an official said.
Abbas remarks were made a number of days after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert referred to the situation in the PA and expressed his pessimism over the possibility of progress in the negotiations.
According to Olmert, "the declarations made by the Hamas government heads after the Tel Aviv bombing helped in raising awareness over the nature of the new Palestinian regime. Hamas' real face has been exposed, if anyone had the slightest doubt."
Olmert stressed that the Hamas-led government was a terror government whose leaders support terror attacks, "and thus they in fact complement the parameters which turn the PA into a terror authority. We must assimilate the fact that we have no partner on the Palestinian side."
AP contributed to the report
RSS
