"London Summit Could Turn Political"

2005-02-24

Gil Hoffman

The Jerusalem Post

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Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's associates warned on Thursday that next week's London summit on building the Palestinian Authority should not be used as a forum for putting pressure on Israel.

Israel reached an understanding two months ago with British Prime Minister Tony Blair that Israel would not attend the summit but would be involved in drafting the summit's final conclusion.

A meeting in London on Wednesday between Sharon's former bureau chief Dov Weisglass and Blair's foreign policy aide Nigel Scheinwald did not result in an agreement on what the final outcome of the summit should be.

Sharon's associates said they were concerned that the Arab and European countries attending the summit would steer it away from its objective of helping the Palestinian economy after disengagement.

"Everything depends on what happens in the final draft of the summit's conclusion," a top aide to Sharon said on Thursday. "If the participants deviate from the understanding with Blair and turn it into a political conference used by the Europeans for polemics and the Palestinians for political declarations, it's their problem. The Palestinians don't need more declarations, they need to send people back to work and have the economic reforms that will help their own people."

The Prime Minister's Office denied a Channel 2 report of a diplomatic crisis with London emerging from the Weisglass meeting with Scheinwald. The report said that Israel's request for a Palestinian commitment to maintain Israel's security would not be included but a Palestinian demand for Israel to leave the Philadelphia corridor would.

"Many countries will have their say in the final wording but security will be included and the Philadelphia corridor will not, as will the Palestinian road map commitment to end violence," a source close to Sharon said.

Sharon and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom met on Thursday with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. Shalom called upon de Hoop Scheffer to promote greater Middle East regional cooperation within the NATO framework.

"Israel and the countries of NATO share common democratic values and institutions, and we also face similar challenges and threats in the international arena - chief among them: global terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," Shalom said in a press conference with de Hoop Scheffer.

"We have no doubt that Israel will gain immensely from closer ties with NATO, and we also believe that Israel has much to offer NATO in return. We also believe that greater engagement by NATO with the countries of the Middle East will enhance our effort to promote peaceful and normal contacts between Israel and our Arab neighbors, to the benefit of all."

Giving a speech Thursday afternoon at the Herzliya Inter-Disciplinary Center, de Hoop Scheffer said that NATO wants to increase its military cooperation with Israel, especially in the areas of sharing intelligence and fighting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

"The Middle East and Trans-Atlantic Community... are basically interdependent. We are beginning to see a new and positive dynamic in the Middle East even if challenges still remain," de Hoop Scheffer said.

He said NATO is "looking favorably" on Israel's proposal to upgrade relations, including intelligence-sharing, and access to research and development funds and NATO's spare parts network, which allows member states to exchange needed military equipment.

He also said that NATO would consider sending peacekeeping troops to guarantee a treaty if Israel and the Palestinians were to request their presence after reaching a peace agreement. Such a troop presence would require a UN mandate and agreement by both parties.

AP contributed to this report.

Source: IMRA – Independent Media Review and Analysis