Middle East Leaders Place Resolving Israeli-Palestinian Conflict At Core Of A New Security Arrangement

Middle East leaders call on new US administration to push progress on Palestinian-Israeli conflict

Dead Sea, Jordan, 17 May 2009 – Middle East leaders have called on the new US administration to push progress on resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which they said lies at the heart of instability in the region.

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At a World Economic Forum on the Middle East plenary session examining regional security, Amre Moussa, Secretary-General, League of Arab States, Cairo, said: “The situation in this region is unstable and dangerous and [President Obama] should properly address the Arab-Israeli conflict and, in particular, the Palestinian issue. There must be a viable Palestinian state and a comprehensive peace that should involve Syria and Lebanon.” Alexander Saltanov, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for the Middle East and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, agreed that “we can’t talk about security in the area without a Palestinian state.”

Before negotiations can continue, emphasized Salam Fayyad, Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority, concrete steps need to be taken by each side. “Regardless of the approach, it is of paramount importance that focus is given to what must be done now to impart credibility to the peace process,” he said. This means full compliance with obligations under the Roadmap, and he called on Israel to freeze settlement construction, stop incursions into areas under Palestinian control and ensure the freedom of movement.

In return for a settlement of the conflict, “we would offer recognition of Israel by 57 Muslim states, confidence building measures, and Israel’s security and peace in this area,” said Nader Dahabi, Prime Minister of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Brian Baird, Congressman from Washington (Democrat), 3rd District, USA, said that, while the US will push Israel to stop building settlements, among other things, “you have to assure your neighbour that their security is assured … by denouncing rocket attacks and denouncing those who say we should wipe Israel off the face of the earth,” he said.

Time is of the essence, warned Moussa: “We are not ready for an open-ended process. That’s why I have emphasized the point that this year has to witness progress.”

Tackling the Israeli-Palestinian issue must be part of a comprehensive approach addressing the wider Arab-Israeli conflict, nuclear proliferation, extremism and social problems, Saltanov told participants. “We must understand that security of the world and the Middle East is indivisible,” he said. The nuclear situation is an integral part of regional security, agreed Adil Abd Al-Mahdi, Vice-President of Iraq, saying that “all countries should be there to discuss them.” Moussa stressed that any discussions on Iran’s nuclear programme cannot ignore “the nuclear situation in Israel [which] has to be tackled on the international level.”

Al-Mahdi urged the United States to respect its plans to withdraw from Iraq in 2011. “So let’s have a regional approach to all issues in this part of the world, especially after US troops withdraw from Iraq, as we have to tackle all these issues together,” concluded Dahabi.

Source: WEF