The Sharm El Sheikh summit (on Monday) is not a goal in itself but rather a means to end the violence, said Erakat in an interview on Al Jazira channel Saturday afternoon.
He also said that UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, “has the UN Resolution1320 in his pocket,” referring to UNSC resolution which condemns Israeli's excessive use of force in suppressing Palestinian demonstrations and calls for the formation of an international committee of inquiry.
Erakat, who heads the Palestinian team negotiating with Israel, added that he was surprised that Barak had the nerve to describe Ariel Sharon, the Likud party leader who was blamed for triggering the violence when he visited Al Aqsa Mosque 16 days ago, “as a man of peace, and the settlers, responsible for the death and torture of many Palestinians, as people of peace.”
Erekat went on to say that the international community must change its attitudes towards the Arabs, saying that if the world continues to treat the massacred exactly the way it treats the one who commits massacres, the situation will turn into a true “catastrophe.”
“The gap between us and the Israelis regarding issues such as settlements, refugees and Jerusalem is growing bigger and bigger,” he said adding that the double standards the world is adopting towards our people must end.
He said that while the Palestinian territories were being shelled by Israeli tanks and aircraft, US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was being interviewed by CNN where she urged the Palestinian president Arafat to “curb violence.”
Erekat finally stressed that the summit must come up with answers as to how the Palestinian people, rather than the peace process, can be protected -- Albawaba.com
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
