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Rice Seeks Hard Decisions By Israel, Palestinians
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Rice named a US special coordinator to “help the Palestinians reform their security forces”. (Reuters)
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RAMALLAH,
West Bank, February 7 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Naming
a special coordinator to help the Palestinians maintain security,
visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday, February 7,
asked Israel and the Palestinians to exert “maximum efforts” to
cease what she saw as an “opportunity for peace”.
Rice
said General William Ward “will travel to the region to make an
initial assessment in the next few weeks, reported Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
“The
idea is to have someone responsible to help the Palestinians reform
their security forces, and (help) with monitoring (new calm on the
ground). This would not supplant efforts and activities of the parties
themselves,” the top diplomat said at a news conference with
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after talks in the West Bank city
of Ramallah.
“It
is really to present a focal point for training, equipping and helping
the Palestinians with the security forces,” she added.
Rice
stressed, meanwhile, that “it's most important that the Israelis and
Palestinians have security coordination that is bilateral, that is
strong and robust at dealing with problems.”
Reiterating
the call she made in Israel Sunday, February 6, Rice urged both the
Palestinians and Israelis “to make maximum efforts to give this
chance for peace a real chance”.
“I
have been encouraged by my conversations here and (with) the prime
minister in Israel that both sides understand the moment before them
and their responsibilities.”
Rice
expected a top-level meeting of the Middle East quartet would take
place before a conference in London from March 1-2 that is designed to
prepare the Palestinians for statehood.
The
quartet groups the US, Russia, the EU and UN which all sponsor the
troubled roadmap peace plan, envisaging the creation of an independent
Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel by 2005.
Helping
Abbas
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Rice asked Israel to “make the hard decisions that must be taken.” (Reuters)
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Hailing
efforts by Abbas to stop attacks against Israel, Rice said Washington
would help him achieve his goals.
“We
are pleased that President Abbas is taking concrete steps on security
and to restore law and order,” she said with Abbas by her side.
Abbas
has deployed thousands of Palestinian security services across the
Gaza Strip in a bid to prevent attacks against Israel.
“The
Palestinian leadership will have to make some difficult choices to do
some hard things concerning security, but they will find very good
partners in the international community and the United States will be
foremost among them,” Rice told Abu Dhabi television before
traveling to Ramallah.
She
also announced that Sharon and Abbas had both accepted invitations to
visit the White House in the spring.
“I
conveyed invitations from President George W. Bush to Prime Minister
Sharon and President Abbas for meetings with him in the spring and each has
accepted,” she said at a press conference shortly before leaving for
Italy.
It
will be the first visit of a Palestinian leader to Washington since
Bush came to power.
Entering
the Israeli-battered Muqata compound, where late president
Yasser Arafat is buried, Rice's motorcade swept past his tomb without
stopping.
Encouraged
by Israel, the Bush administration shunned Arafat for years claiming
he was an obstacle to peace.
“Hard
Decisions”
Rice
said Washington expected Israel to honor its obligations to dismantle
unauthorized settlement outposts in the West Bank.
“Our
understanding is that the commitments on the dismantling of the
outposts stand. It is important that those commitments be honored,”
she said.
Under
the terms of the roadmap, Israel is obliged to dismantle all the
outposts which are dotted throughout the occupied West Bank.
“It
looks like there are continued efforts to create facts on the ground.
We do not support that,” Rice told reporters at Tel Aviv airport.
Rice's
predecessor Colin Powell made clear to Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan
Shalom last year of Washington's displeasure and the continued failure
to act on the outposts.
The
international community considers all Jewish settlements in the
occupied territories illegal.
A
day earlier, Rice asked Israel to “make the hard decisions that must
be taken in order to promote peace and... the emergence of a
democratic Palestinian state.”
Roadmap
Abbas,
on his part, told Rice the roadmap plan is the only way to realize the
goal of Palestinian independence alongside a secure Israel.
“We
will do everything to implement the roadmap and we hope the Israelis
will do the same because it is the only way to establish an
independent and viable Palestinian state alongside a state of Israel
at peace.”
US
officials made it clear Rice would not be attending Tuesday summit in
the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Shaikh comprising Abbas,
Sharon, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan’s King Abdullah
II.
It
was clear the summit would not be discussing the US-drafted roadmap as
the Palestinians might have hoped.
The
one-day summit is widely expected to close with a mutual ceasefire
declaration.
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