CAIRO: Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was in Cairo yesterday to discuss the latest peace initiative between Israel and its neighbors with President Hosni Mubarak, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit and Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdallah al-Khatib.
“The next meeting is not only an important but an historic meeting, Livni told reporters before meeting with Abul Gheit and al-Khatib, “It s a preparatory meeting and later we will meet the Egyptian foreign minister and the Jordanian foreign minister in Israel as part of this process between Israel and the Arab League.
Abul Gheit had previously spoken of the difficulty of him and Al-Khatib visiting Israel at this time because “the Israeli situation does not permit a visit by the Egyptian minister and the Jordanian minister – the working team formed to go to Israel and speak to them, in reference to the crisis that has embroiled Israeli politics and its Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Livni had a prior 90-minute meeting with Mubarak, where they both agreed on the importance of “the necessity to promote a process between Israel and the Palestinians, according to the Israeli FM.
However, there are stumbling blocks with the proposal the Arabs have put on the table, mainly Israeli reservations about the question of refugees and their right of return.
However, Israel is willing to accept the Arab peace initiative as a basis for talks as long as modifications are made to the refugee plan.
According to AFP: “[Israel] has said the proposal could provide a basis for talks, as long as there are amendments to the refugee issue.
Diaa Rashwan from Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies previously told The Daily Star Egypt that Israel’s biggest concerns with the Arab peace plan are the status of refugees and the issue of borders.
“Israel is not convinced by the Arab initiative from a strategic view point, he said “Israel has reservations about Arab demands, especially the right of return, which is a red line for Israel as well as returning to the pre-1967 borders which they consider a security concern.
In March an Arab summit in Riyadh committed to Arab acceptance of relations with Israel in exchange for a Palestinian state. As it stands, only Egypt and Jordan have formal ties with Israel, hence their hands on role in negotiating the deal with the Israeli side.
King Abdullah II of Jordan told the Egyptian Al-Ahram newspaper in an interview published Thursday that a peace plan was paramount to prevent the outbreak of war.
“We warn against the eruption of a war in the region if progress is not achieved in the peace process, the monarch said, “let us take the situation forward to ease the pressure and prevent the start of such a war. We would all pay the price of a new war.
