CMEP Bulletin: Abbas Ready for Real Negotiations
Weekly news from Churches for Middle East Peace
PLO Chief Negotiator, Saeb Erekat met with US Secretary of State John Kerry on September 3rd to present Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ new plan for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The plan calls for peace talks with Israel, stipulates full Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines within three years and includes the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Palestinian Authority officials said US officials described this proposal as “unilateral” and hinted the US would veto Abbas’ plan if it goes before the UN Security Council.
Nabil el-Araby, Secretary-General of the Arab League told an interviewer that Abbas is ready for “real negotiations” with Israel on Palestinian statehood. However if peace talks with Israel fail, Abbas plans to request the UN Security Council “impose” a solution. Senior Abbas advisor Nabil Shaath Abbas “wants the U.N. to take over from the U.S. as the main peace broker between Israel and the Palestinians.” Arab Foreign ministers backed Abbas’ plans during meetings held in Cairo on September 6th and 7th.