Arabs Urge Obama To Present Mideast Peace Outline

UNITED NATIONS — The head of the Arab League and the Egyptian foreign minister on Friday urged President Barack Obama to present his own outline of an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, in order to break the current logjam and spur negotiations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas remain far apart on what it takes to return to peace talks, despite vigorous U.S. mediation this week, including an Obama-hosted meeting of the two leaders.

The key disputes are over continued Israeli settlement construction and what should be on the agenda of future talks.

Abbas says he won't resume talks without an internationally mandated settlement freeze. He insists that talks resume where they broke off last year, under Netanyahu's more pragmatic predecessor, and that all issues be on the table. Netanyahu says a partition of Jerusalem and a possible repatriation of Palestinian refugees are not up for discussion.

On Friday, Abbas told the U.N. General Assembly that "the settlement policy ... will abort opportunities to relaunch the peace process" and warned that time for a deal is running out. He said international peace efforts have been "confronted by Israeli intransigence, which refuses to adhere to the requirements for relaunching the peace process."

In reiterating his position on the world stage, Abbas signaled that he's not prepared to budge.

Netanyahu has been equally insistent on his right to keep building, even though an internationally backed peace blueprint of 2003 – also accepted by Israel – demands a halt to construction.

Amr Moussa, secretary general of the 23-member Arab League, said Friday, in response to a question, that it would be "very useful" to hear from Obama what he considers to be the parameters of a fair peace agreement. Such a framework "would trigger a very viable, useful process of peace," Moussa told a news conference.

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Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit also urged Obama to set parameters, with the backing of the international community.

Aboul Gheit said such a deal should be based on the idea of a Palestinian state in the territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, with east Jerusalem as a capital. A framework should also state that Israelis and Palestinians agree to live in peace and security, and outline steps toward normalization, he said.

This outline "would allow the parties to negotiate the end game," Aboul Gheit told The Associated Press in an interview, after meeting earlier in the day with Obama's Mideast envoy, George Mitchell.

Asked why such a framework hasn't been presented, Aboul Gheit said: "Maybe they are allowing the process to continue ... to the moment where people would recognize that making reference to the end game will be acceptable by the parties."

For now, the U.S. hopes to create enough common ground to allow peace talks to resume.

Israeli and Palestinian teams are to meet separately next week with U.S. mediators in Washington, and Obama has asked for a progress report by Oct. 15.

Meanwhile, Abbas got a boost from the Quartet of Mideast mediators and the Arab League.

The Quartet, made up of the United States, Europe, the United Nations and Russia, said Thursday that peace talks must "resolve all permanent status issues." That would include the future of Jerusalem and the fate of refugees, issues Netanyahu says he doesn't want to talk about. The Quartet also renewed its call for a settlement freeze.

Moussa, meanwhile, said the Arab world is not prepared to take any steps toward normalization with Israel without a settlement freeze.

Obama had hoped for a package deal, in which Arab gestures, such as over flight rights for civilian Israeli aircraft, would prod Netanyahu to halt settlement construction.

The Arab League chief said he does not believe Israel is serious about peace, and that the Arab world does not intend to give a gift to Netanyahu at a time when Israel defies the international community over settlements.

But both Obama and Aboul Gheit welcomed Obama's strong commitment to finding a solution and said it must continue.

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Associated Press Writer Edith M. Lederer contributed to this report from the United Nations.

Comments

[MarcusT]

Expect Obama to take a position? He can't even manage that on health care or energy. The only possible upside is that the US will grow irrelevant to the issue allowing the international community to force the one man-one vote solution.

[GZLives]

Dear Arab League,

Does this ring a bell?

1. NO peace
2. NO recognition
3. NO negotiations

[mergina]

Note to the Arab World...He­re is an outline for peace in not only Palestine but All Arab Lands....1­. Develop a value for human life that apparently does not exist in most muslim lands. 2. Stop abusing your women and treat the at least like equals, for they are your future in more ways than you can possibly know, at least for now. 3. Stop supporting terror - rather Crush it. 4. Stop promoting hatred for all humans on this planet that are not Muslim. 5. Seperate your religion from state for it is the reason for the twisted designs that are holding all of you back as a people. 6 through 24 available upon request.

[arvay]

Your arrogant neocolonialist rant is laughable, as though the US has the power to implement your "outline.'

Ypur solution is as likely as the Muslim extremists desire that all the womwn in America would submit to genetic mutilation and dress in burqas. I'm assuming you're an American because of your profound ignorance of the world's cultures.

[Macready]

bravo arvay . . . . with you all the way!

[arvay]

Obama has suddenly switched from the apostle of conciliation to confrontation with Iran. He and the EU toadies are screaming about the second Iranian "secret" facility while Israel has maintained a full nuclear weapons capability for how many years?

Here's a capsule history of out "positioning" on nuclear weapons issues.

When israel decided to go nuclear, in clear disregard to prohibitions in our aid agreements, we did nothing. The have some 200 weapons.

Brazil and South Africa both had weapons developments: SA collaborated with Israel. Both nations renounced them.

When India went nuclear, we imposed some toothless sanctions, revoked by Bush. Same for Pakistan, except our lack of involvement with the Pakistani armed forces decreased our leverage with them. Pakistan distributed nuclear know-how to various nations.

When Libya was developing nuclear weapons, we did nothing. This is when they were classified as a "terrorist state." They eventually renounced them and ended their nuclear programs.

We asserted, falsely, that Saddam was developing nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. We invaded, found nothing, at a huge cost in lives and up to $1 trillion.

North Korea has tested a nuclear weapon and possesses medium-range missiles that can easily reach Japan. We're negotiating. Why are we so hysterical now about Iran? It's spelled AIPAC. The US press never mentions the israeli nukes as a factor in the region.

[GZLives]

"When israel decided to go nuclear, in clear disregard to prohibitions in our aid agreements, we did nothing. The have some 200 weapons."

Do you bother with actual facts or do they just get in the way of your rants?

"An Israel that possessed nuclear capability was a more valuable asset to the West than an Israel without such an option. President Nixon ceased to press Israel to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and dropped U.S. surveillance of the Israeli reactor at Dimona. In exchange, Israel committed itself to maintain official ambiguity about its nuclear program. That policy remains in place nearly forty years later".

[alexa07]

"Obama had hoped for a package deal, in which Arab gestures, such as over flight rights for civilian Israeli aircraft, would prod Netanyahu to halt settlement construction. The Arab League chief said he does not believe Israel is serious about peace, and that the Arab world does not intend to give a gift to Netanyahu at a time when Israel defies the international community over settlement­s."

"Hopeful?" The Obama people are incredibly double-faced. They are expecting normalization after (1) having done nothing or extremely little to hold Israel accountable for its obligations (2) at the same time Susan Rice blasts the Goldstone Report (according to Norman Finkelstein of which 90% is devoted to describing Israeli violations with 10% devoted to Hamas violations).

It appears the Obama people are not really serious. What will most likely prevail instead is continuing pressure from the European & American people's boycott, divest & sanction movement. The goal is to create a secular state with constitutional rights for everyone who lives there, regardless of their religion.

[Lutfi]

Why i did not see any member of the Palestinian delegation on TV or cable informing the American population about the Palestinian problem or hardship and what they are doing to improve it , or a letter to the editor in major newspaper, get your story out .

[CigarGod]

They are not allowed.

When you get a Palestinian opinion, you will notice it is someone else speaking for them.

[jordanispalestine]

But, gee willikers.­.."Hamas was democratically elected"..­.is the mantra of folks like you!! What...the­re is NO DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH for the Pals?? Shocking!

[myopinion2]

The Arabs should be careful about what they wish for. I too would like Obama and the EU to identify a proposed settlement outline. But I think it should provide for a division of East Jerusalem, no right of return except for limited family reunions, and an Israeli withdrawal from the west Bank except for the four settlement blocks near the green line (approximately 5% of West Bank) with equal land compensation.