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Ahmad Qurei: Israeli Imprisonment Of Any Palestinian Is "Aggression"
2005-02-03
President Abbas Meets Algerian Counterpart in Ankara, Multilateral Summit Expected in Egypt
www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_new/english/details.asp?name=2378
GAZA, February 3, 2005 (IPC + WAFA) -][Official PA website] - President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) met with the Algerian president Abdul Aziz Boutaflika in Ankara yesterday, and discussed the developments in the Palestinian territories and the bilateral relations between the Palestinian and Algerian nations.
This came amidst news about a multilateral summit that will include President Abbas along with the Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, Jordan's King Abdullah II and the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Jibril Al Rajoub, the national security advisor of president Abbas, declared in a press statement that Abu Mazen welcomed the summit that was called to by the Egyptian president next Tuesday in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm Al Sheikh.
"We see an opportunity in this summit to save the region, and we hope Israel would realize what is required from it," Al Rajoub said.
At the same context, Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei welcomed the Egyptian initiative of the summit and said the Palestinian leadership look forward to such an important meeting.
PM Qurei also hoped that the meeting would result in a serious political process, and that the entire agenda with the Israeli side would be implemented on the ground, asserting that the Palestinian leadership is doing its best to have an actual and reciprocal ceasefire that will give an opportunity for both sides to start implementing the Road Map peace plan.
He also added that the foundations to re-launch the peace process must be a mutual ceasefire and a halt to all forms of Israeli aggression, including invasions, assassinations, along with the release of more than 8,500 Palestinians in Israeli jails.
The Prime Minister also referred to the visit of the acting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the Middle East, and the importance of her participation in this summit, reminding of her remarks that a Palestinian state is the condition of peace in the region.
"We hope that when Mrs. Rice visits the region she would set the borders of this state, although it was already set in president Bush's speech and in his initiative, that the state will be established on the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, and reach a solution on the issues of Jerusalem, refugees, settlements and the rest of the final status issues," Qurei said.
Source: IMRA – Independent Media Review and Analysis
