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Haaretz, 11/11/2003
Qureia voices his personal support for Geneva accord
Akiva Eldar and Arnon Regular
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia announced
yesterday he "personally supports" the Geneva accords as a peace
treaty between Israel and the Palestinians, but a leaflet allegedly issued
by a pro-Arafat Fatah cell yesterday warned Palestinians against the
Geneva document and threatened to harm those who sign it and support it.
Qureia was responding to questions from a delegation of American Friends
of Peace Now currently in the country.
The Qureia statement, which was tape recorded, is a substantial shift in
his position. Two years ago he worked on a proposal with Shimon Peres for
a temporary Palestinian state, postponing to a later, unspecified date the
negotiations over tough issues like Jerusalem and refugees. That
initiative collapsed after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon demanded that the
interim period last at least 15 years, but the concept of an interim state
reappeared in the road map.
Yesterday, Qureia spoke of the need to convene the international peace
conference mentioned in the road map and then immediately begin final
status negotiations, skipping the stage of the interim state.
He told the American peace camp supporters that "for every positive
step Sharon takes, we will take two." He said he believed he could
garner public support for the Geneva initiative - if the Israeli
government responds adequately to his call for a cease-fire and enables
him to demonstrate to his people some achievements like an end to the
assassinations and arrests, checkpoints lifted and illegal outposts
dismantled.
But while Qureia was telling the Americans of his support for the Geneva
accords hammered out by former Israeli justice minister Yossi Beilin and
former Palestinian minister Yasser Abed Rabbo, a leaflet purporting to be
from a Fatah cell considered close to Arafat charged the Geneva accords
are meant to subjugate the Palestinians. The people who signed it should
have "their tongues, hands and heads cut off for giving up the
principles of the people and playing with the assets and holy sites of the
people," the leaflet said.
Some of those who backed the Geneva accords took the leaflet to Arafat and
asked if he agreed with the statements. Apparently they did not get an
adequate response from him. The leaflet also called for dismantling the
Palestinian government "because the world should know there is no
legitimate leadership except for Commander Abu Amar," Arafat's nom de
guerre. |