Livni firm on dismissal of interim agreement
Foreign affairs minister speaks with Ynet ahead of her upcoming meeting with Mideast Quartet, reiterates that while Israel genuine in negotiations with Palestinian Authority, it will not sign interim accords under current circumstances
Israel has no intention of shifting its stance in the ongoing negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni says she will tell the Quartet on the Middle East as the forum meets in Egypt next Sunday.
"We have no intentions of putting together an interim agreement, only to work in accordance with Israeli interests which have, in the past, already been presented," Livni told Ynet on Monday.
Livni is to travel to the resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh for a Quartet conference marking the one-year anniversary of the Annapolis peace summit. She is slated to give a rare joint briefing on the state of peace talks alongside top PA negotiator Ahmed Qureia before the assembled representatives, essentially a shared declaration.
In attendance will be UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner.
Clarifying Israel's positions
The Quartet is comprised of the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia.
Jerusalem initially objected to the idea of a joint briefing, warning the venue was liable to jeopardize the negotiations. However since Livni has so far refused to write up a joint document in which both the Palestinians and the Israelis declare their achievements thus far before the international forum – the shared briefing proved to be a necessary compromise.
Livni told Ynet she would use the meeting to clarify Israel's positions to the international community.
"I am going there to present the Israeli standpoint before the foreign ministers and Quartet brass, and to present what we have accomplished. I will tell them that Israel is genuine in its desire to continue the negotiations. However, I intend to continue these talks as they have been conducted thus far," she said.
Livni said Israel's position on an interim agreement would not change under the current circumstances.
"The talks aim to negotiate the various points of all the issues on the agenda, and so far this is how they have gone. I have no intention of capitulating to any sort of pressure to produce interim documents. Do you know me as someone can be pressured?"
