Informed Gulf sources said the US Administration requested from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries to offer what it described as "confidence-building initiative" during the autumn conference called for by President Bush to re-launch the Middle East peace process. The sources said the initiative that the US Administration is expecting is to have less than political relations and little more than commercial relations with Israel. Although it has not been known which gulf countries will participate in the conference or the level of participation, the Gulf participation in the conference will be a major component of the conference. According to the Gulf sources, Washington informed the Gulf Cooperation Council countries that a confidence-building initiative can create new climate in the region and can encourage the Israelis to show more flexibility in their positions during the conference and after the conference until the accomplishment of a comprehensive peace in the region. The sources said that former British PM and envoy of the Quartet Committee to the Middle East Tony Blair discussed this matter during two visits to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi which welcomed the conference which was interpreted as Saudi and UAE readiness to participate in the conference. The sources said some of the Gulf countries informed the US Administration that the Gulf moderation should not be viewed as political infiltration of the Arab ranks in favor of Israel. They also told the US Administration that such confidence building measures will be meaningless if there is no clear political achievement in the conference.
Qatar, Oman and Bahrain held contacts with Israel and Israeli officials visited the capitals of these countries, in addition to some visits by officials from those countries to Israel. Some kind of contacts was also held between UAE and Israel, including the participation of an Israeli delegation in the World Bank meetings held three years ago in Dubai. The Gulf countries said that such contacts have not led to any change of the political mood in the region.
PM calls on Washington to secure the conditions towards the success of the fall conference
Prime Minister Dr. Salam Fayyad stressed on the importance of the political horizon at the current critical phase in the struggle of the Palestinian people. He said all preparations, plans and programs set up by the government are not enough to make the aspired change as these plans and programs won't be an alternative to a real political horizon that can lead to the resumption of the peace process on the basis of international commitment to the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and to see the commitment of all parties to a political process on the basis of accepting the Arab Peace Initiative and the international legitimacy resolutions pertaining to the establishment of a Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967. during the opening of the First Annual Meeting of the Palestinian Capital Market yesterday at Best Eastern Hotel, Fayyad said: We are looking forward to see the United States prepare very well for the conference in the fall and to secure the conditions towards its success through a clear agreement on the establishment of the Palestinian state with full sovereignty on the borders of June 4 and to set up a binding timetable with international guarantees to conclude the Palestinian-Israeli agreement on all issues of the final status as soon as possible and through a clear Israeli acceptance of the Arab Initiative. He continued: It is no secret that the past 11 years are overloaded with plans and declaration of principles and commitments that are not implemented or honored, and we don’t see any point of the conference without providing chances for complete success from the viewpoint of all concerned parties, especially the Palestinian side. We are looking forward to a conference that realizes the true international will and that translates the international legitimacy resolutions into facts on the ground, and we are looking for an agreement to be reached by all parties on a comprehensive solution on the political and economic aspects so that this region can join the international development process and so that the Palestinians can establish their state on their national soil in Gaza Strip, West Bank, including Jerusalem, and to have a state capable of securing social and economic prosperity and to contribute in world peace and human development.
Published at Al Quds NewsPaper on September 9, 2007
