Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to officially call for an end to the intifada, or uprising, that has plagued the Middle East for two and a half years, reports the Jerusalem Post.
Tomorrow, according to the report, Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, will give a speech at the peace summit in Aqaba, Jordan, in which he will state that the “armed intifada must come to an end, and (the Palestinians) will turn to peaceful measures.”
President Bush is brokering the talks with the U.S.-backed “road map” to peace as the starting point. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon also will attend the event, and both sides are expected to announce that they recognize each other’s right to exist, reports the paper.
The draft of Abbas’ speech also says, “We will invest all our efforts, while using all the means at our disposal, to alter the intifada’s military nature, and we will succeed.”
Some Palestinians are convinced Israel will not declare as strong a statement in announcing an end to military action in the Palestinian Authority-controlled areas.
“We are ready to come out with a clear cut statement, but the Israelis want to negotiate it,” Palestinian Minister for Negotiations Saeb Erakat, told the Post. Erakat recently offered his resignation to Abbas, according to the report.
A Palestinian source said Abbas briefed Jordan’s King Abdullah on his efforts to reach a cease-fire agreement with terror organization Hamas and “probably asked Jordan to use its influence to convince Hamas to agree to end terror attacks against Israelis.”
Bush arrived in the Middle East yesterday.
“I know we won’t make progress unless people assume their responsibilities,” Bush said on his arrival in Egypt, according to the Associated Press. “The first message is: I will dedicate the time and energy to move the process forward. And I think we’ll make some progress. I know we’re making progress.”
The “road map” is a phased plan drafted by the U.S., European Union, United Nations and Russia that requires the Palestinian Authority in the first stage to implement administrative reforms and fight terror. The plan calls eventually for a Palestinian state followed by a final-status agreement addressing issues such as borders, Jerusalem and refugees.
