Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat told Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller on Wednesday that he accepted "in principle" the new European Union initiative for peace in the Middle East.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Ramallah following a two-hour meeting, Arafat told his visitor that "in principle, we accept the ideas you brought. We will study them closely and give our response soon."
The EU initiative presented by the Danish government talks about creation of a Palestinian state, initially without recognized borders, to be followed by a full fledged state within three years.
Moeller said he was "encouraged" by Arafat's "positive acceptance of the ideas," which he said aim at "putting the peace process back on track." "If we succeed, it will be your success," Moeller told Arafat.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said after the Arafat- Moeller talks that "we have nothing to fear from the European initiative. "We will study it and then we will give our answer. But what is important is that it should have a mechanism for implementation and a timetable. We will start immediate discussions with the Europeans on this matter," he said, according to foreign news agencies.
Arafat told Moeller that in spite of the daily Israeli military action in the territories, Palestinians are "able to fully control the security situation" in the Palestinian areas. According to media reports, the initial stage of the plan would take place before Palestinian elections scheduled for January. It would include a security agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority to stop violence, create one Palestinian security service and discuss the role of Arafat.
The second phase covers a post-election period during which temporary borders, a new administration and a new constitution should be outlined.
The last phase, running from mid-2003 to 2005, includes the three largest obstacles: Jerusalem, the return of the Palestinian refugees and definitive borders.
Earlier Wednesday, an argument broke out between Moeller and Israel's Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer over the timing of Palestinian Authority elections, Israel Radio reported Wednesday.
Moeller suggested that the elections for the Palestinian leadership would take place soon, but Ben-Eliezer rejected the proposal, saying that it contradicted U.S. President Bush's vision for Middle East peace and would seriously damage the peace process.
"We think the [Palestinian] suicide bombers must be stopped, of course, but the answer to that cannot be that you kill civilians," Moeller told reporters, as he stood next to Ben-Eliezer after the meeting in Tel Aviv.
"That's why we have to create some trust between the leaders by making some results, somewhere," said Moeller.
Sharon
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said on Wednesday a breakthrough toward peace with the Palestinians was possible for the first time because they were realizing violence would not achieve their goals.
According to Reuters, Sharon spoke in a television interview. "Now, for the first time, I see the possibility for a breakthrough for a political arrangement. It won't be a simple thing or an easy thing, but there is a possibility."
He added Israel could negotiate "with Palestinians who have reached the conclusion that with terror they can't achieve anything." (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
