The United States Friday urged Israel and Palestinians to resume direct contacts in an effort to end violence between them and forge some kind of peace deal, reported AFP.
"We have reiterated our belief that the parties should undertake direct contacts so that they can begin to take realistic steps to restore trust and confidence between them," said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.
In an exchange of letters, both Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who was sworn in Wednesday, and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat expressed their interest in direct contacts, said the agency.
Boucher said Secretary of State Colin Powell called Sharon Thursday to congratulate his in succeeding in forming a coalition government, in which a top Labor Party leader, Shimon Peres, will be foreign minister.
"We hope that they will work to end the violence and establish an environment for peacemaking, so we welcome any efforts that they will make to achieve that."
Sharon sent Friday a message to Arafat, saying he is ready for the two to meet to try to end the bloodshed that has gripped the region since September.
"I hope we will soon have personal contacts to put an end to the cycle of violence, the hostility and incitement to violence, and re-launch cooperation in security and the economic sphere with a view to achieving real peace," Raanan Gisson quoted Sharon's message as saying.
Gissin stressed, however, that an eventual meeting between Sharon and Arafat "would not constitute a re-launch of the peace negotiations, but would cover ways of re-establishing calm on the ground."
Sharon also said that "the peace process is founded on the principle that the settlement of differences must be achieved by peaceful means, refraining totally from recourse to violence and terrorism, while fighting against them."
A Palestinian official revealed part of Sharon's message Thursday, quoting him as saying, "I am committed to working to advance the peace process on the basis of reached agreements."
Sharon was responding to a congratulatory message Arafat sent the hard-liner when he took the oath as Israel's prime minister Wednesday.
In his message Arafat called on Sharon to resume negotiations based on signed agreements, an apparent easing of the earlier Palestinian position that talks should continue from the point of negotiations in July at Camp David and in January at Taba that did not yield agreements.
Signed agreements include the 1993 Oslo accords, which provided for Palestinian autonomy, and the 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh deal, which provided for partial Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian territory and set out the framework for reaching a still-unconcluded final peace agreement.
Within the same context, The Jerusalem Post said that Sharon will spell out his diplomatic plan to US President George W. Bush when the two meet in Washington on March 20.
The paper quoted a source close to Sharon as saying Thursday that the premier will flesh out details of the so-called "multi-stage plan" that he discussed with Secretary of State Colin Powell in Jerusalem last month.
Sharon is also said to have discussed the plan in a first coordination meeting with Foreign Minister Shimon Peres last night. Sharon's office said the meeting "was held in a good and serious atmosphere." But Israel Radio reported that contrary to Sharon's stated policy, Peres said he thought negotiations with the Palestinians should be resumed even if violence persists.
Haaretz said that the Sharon-Peres meeting was described by both men as "excellent" with "great openness" and "a good business-like atmosphere," but they refused to elaborate. The Prime Minister's Bureau announced that the issue of whether to renew negotiations with the PA before the violence and terror ceases was not raised. The two also discussed their working procedures and agreed on full cooperation, with announcements being made by the prime minister in all cases.
According to the position paper, the plan would include the following points:
* "Security: Joint efforts and cooperation to combat terrorism and the terror infrastructure in the Palestinian Authority territories and abroad."
* "Economic Cooperation: Special emphasis on the development of joint projects that create interdependence where both sides share the gains of a successful project, and both sides have much to lose." One such project is the creation of large seawater desalination plants that can foster such interdependence, creating "a vested interest in peace."
* "Development of people to people peace projects: These will include stopping incitement in books and the media, while fostering educational programs geared to teaching peace to both sides, starting with school-age children."
Meanwhile, Haaretz reported that Arafat, responding to a message from President Moshe Katsav on the Muslim holiday Id al Adha (the Feast of the Sacrifice), wrote: "I believe that a just and true peace must be brought about through a strong desire and genuine effort to overcome the difficulties." In his missive to Katsav, Arafat added: "Peace will serve the interests of our children and their children, since it is the only way to guarantee security and stability to all peoples in the region." – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
