Agence France-Presse
CAIRO: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Cairo Tuesday for talks with moderate Arab counterparts after kicking off her regional tour in Saudi Arabia with an appeal for an end to Palestinian infighting. Rice flew in from Jeddah to join talks with foreign ministers from Egypt, Jordan and the six monarchies that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. The meeting began with the traditional iftar fast-breaking meal eaten at sundown during the Muslim month of Ramadan, before which she was due to meet Egyptian security chief Omar Suleiman, also a key go-between between Israel and the Palestinians. Political sources in Amman said that some Arab countries were concerned talks with Rice not be dominated by Iran s nuclear row with the West, with Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdel Ilah Khatib saying the Palestinian issue was vital. Jordan and other Arab countries will insist that priority be given to solving the Palestinian question, which is at the core of the Middle East conflict, Khatib said before heading to Cairo. The absence of a solution to this question is the cause of tensions and frustrations in the Middle East, Khatib said. Rice is also seeking to bolster Arab support for Washington s drive to haul Iran before the UN Security Council over its controversial drive for nuclear power which Washington says is a cover for acquiring nuclear weapons. U.S. President George W. Bush called last month for Rice to travel to the region to engage moderate leaders … to help the Palestinians reform their security services, and support Israeli and Palestinian leaders in their efforts to come together to resolve their differences.
All parties need to be dedicated to helping young governments in places like Lebanon, Iraq and helping the Palestinians, but most of all, helping the moderate forces against the extremist forces, Rice said in the Saudi city of Jeddah. Asked what to do about violent clashes between the Palestinians ruling Islamist Hamas movement and its rival Fatah, Rice said the answer is for the Palestinians to find a government that can be committed to the Quartet principles.
Innocent Palestinians are caught in this violence. I call on all parties to stop this violence, said Rice, with 10 Palestinians killed and over 100 wounded in two days of clashes in the West Bank and Gaza. The so-called Quartet grouping of the United States, European Union, Russia and United Nations backs the Middle East roadmap for peace, which calls on the Palestinians to renounce violence, recognize Israel and agree to abide by past peace agreements for the aid to resume. In exchange, the roadmap calls for a Palestinian state to exist in peace and security alongside Israel which must in turn end illegal settlement activity in the occupied West Bank. Hamas has so far refused to recognize Israel or previous agreements signed with Israel by the formerly ruling Fatah. Israel continues to build settlements on Palestinian land. The worst violence in the territories since Hamas formed a government in late March erupted at the weekend after Hamas tried to prevent Fatah loyalist protesting over non-payment of salaries, which they have not received since Hamas came to power. The European Union and the United States, which along with Israel consider Hamas a terrorist organization, cut all direct aid to the Palestinian government after the Islamists formed a government. Hamas has killed scores of Israelis in suicide attacks over the years, but has not claimed responsibility for an attack inside Israel since January 2005. Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniya, head of the Hamas-led government, are also engaged in tortuous efforts to form a national unity cabinet with the aim of lifting the Western aid freeze. Commenting on her Cairo talks en route to the Middle East, the secretary of state said the United States was depending on the grouping of moderate Arab allies to help restart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Rice is due to leave Egypt for Israel and the Palestinian territories on Wednesday following talks with key regional ally Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. In Israel and the Palestinian territories, Rice will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, as well as Abbas.
