France urges Abbas to stay in office, pursue peace
FM Kouchner says during upcoming Mideast trip he will press Palestinian president to reverse decision not to seek re-election and urge him to 'obstinately continue his work for peace, that is, for creation of Palestinian state.' Lieberman: Announcement nothing to get worked up about'
France on Friday urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to stay in office despite his recent announcement that he will not seek re-election.
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said he will travel to the Middle East in the coming days and would hold talks with Abbas, whose decision was seen in Paris as a new "threat to peace."
"I will press Mahmud Abbas to obstinately continue his work for peace, that is, for the creation of a Palestinian state," Kouchner said in Paris.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman dismissed Abbas' announcement as an empty threat, saying it was "nothing to get worked up about."
"He has resigned in the past during his tenure as Palestinian prime minister under chairman Yasser Arafat," said Lieberman, who is the first senior Israeli official to comment on Abbas' announcement.
Another official said Jerusalem had no intention of abandoning the efforts to jumpstart the peace talks "as soon as possible and without preconditions."
In Cairo, Arab League chief Amr Mussa urged Abbas to reconsider his decision and assured the beleaguered leader of his support, Egyptian state news agency MENA reported.
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Meanwhile, small demonstrations urging Abbas to change his mind were held in the West Bank towns of Ramallah, Hebron and Jericho.
In the desert oasis town of Jericho, dozens of cars jammed the town center after weekly Muslim prayers on Friday and honked their horns as passengers chanted for the president to stand in the next election.
Most of the Israeli press dismissed Abbas' announcement as a tactical maneuver meant to pressure the United States to maintain its pressure on Israel for a total freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank.
"This announcement is a tactical step, aimed first and foremost at the Americans," an Israeli official told the mass-selling Yedioth Ahronoth daily.
Abbas insisted late on Thursday that his announcement was "not a stunt" and Palestinian officials said the president's declaration was motivated by his disappointment with Washington on the settlements issue.
After months of pressuring Israel for a complete freeze, Washington backed off, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praising Israel's offer of limited restrictions on construction as "unprecedented."
Abbas did not connect his decision directly to the stalled peace process, but said he was "surprised" by Washington's apparent decision not to insist on a complete Israeli settlement freeze.
"We welcomed it, and were optimistic when President (Barack) Obama announced the need for a complete halt to settlements including natural growth," he said. "We were surprised by his (later) support for the Israeli position."
