INTERVIEW WITH AHMED QUREI: ‘I WILL NOT MEET WITH SHARON FOR

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MADRID, Apr 30 2004 (IPS) - There is no time to lose: the European Union and Russia must reactivate the Quartet, together with the UN and United States, in order to realise the Road Map to peace in the Middle East, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei told IPS.

There is no time to lose: the European Union and Russia must reactivate the Quartet, together with the UN and United States, in order to realise the Road Map to peace in the Middle East, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei told IPS.

Ahmed Qurei, known also as Abu Ala, spoke at the end of his three-day visit to Spain (19-21 May), during which he met with the country’s top officials, opposition leaders, unions, and non-governmental organisations.

Satisfied with the Spanish position, he spoke out against the immobility of the Quartet, defended Palestinian president Yassir Arafat, called for a return to the pre-1967 border between Israel and Palestine, and said he is willing to meet with his Israeli counterpart, Ariel Sharon, though not for a photo opportunity but with a clear agenda and after a cessation of aggression.

The Israeli government has stated that it does not want to negotiate with Arafat, whom it accuses of being a terrorist or of sheltering terrorists. Could there be negotiations without him? And would you be willing to take his place in them?

Arafat was elected president of the Palestinian people in democratic elections in 1996 overseen by 1200 international observers. He is both president and leader, who unifies the people and their government in a liberation movement; as such no one can ignore him. Moreover, I have no problem with him.

What is the date set for new elections for the Palestinian government?

Elections can be held once the Israelis withdraw from our territory. The census will be ready in two months, but the Israelis will not allow free and democratic elections, which is why intervention by the Quartet is needed to bring about the immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops.

One of the strongest accusations levelled by Israel against the Palestinian Authority is that it backs or tolerates Hamas, which is responsible for various lethal attacks.

Hamas is a movement of the Palestinian people, which is fighting for its independence. We do not agree with its methods, but this can never bring us to a confrontation with them or any other Palestinian organisation. Hamas will withdraw when there is a firm Israeli commitment to stop the assassinations, a real commitment that it fulfils, and not just statements that are contradicted by day-to-day reality.

Numerous peace efforts have failed thus far. Do you think the Road Map advanced by the Quartet in 2003, which has disappointed the hopes it raised, should be added to this list?

We hope that the Road Map can be revived, but the Israeli government is intent on killing it and only the ”doctors” of the Quartet can save it and restore it to the point that it can reach its goal. Spain, according to what I have heard during this trip, from the government as well as political and social sectors, wants to play an important role in making this happen. The key is for the EU to speak with clarity, since it can achieve far more than it is now. It should not forget that our regions are close to one another, that they share the Mediterranean and many common interests.

Do you think that the EU has the strength necessary to make the Quartet operational again?

The EU alone does not. It is necessary that the US, the global power, also get involved, but for this to happen the EU, Russia, and UN, which represents the entire world, must mobilise. This is what will spur Washington to action.

What should the Quartet do first?

It should say, Enough!, require that the Israelis cease aggression against our people and sit down at the negotiation table. It should require Israel’s compliance with the Road Map and not allow it to be replaced by a phantom project without feet or a head. We want a just and lasting peace.

Do you think this can happen with Sharon at the head of the Israeli government?

Sharon has demonstrated an infinite desire for killing. In five days his attacks left over 120 dead, 2000 injured, and 40 homes destroyed in Rafa. Of course, we don’t chose Israel’s government and must deal with whomever is elected to it. However, we warn that we will not sit down at a table only to have a few photos taken, without guarantees that there will be real negotiations and that there will be a third party present to witness the process.

You have spoken of ”an infinite desire to kill”. In this context, do you think that Israel will really get involved with a true peace process?

The Israeli state has the most modern weapons which allow them to remain longer on our land. However, this situation does not benefit the Israeli people, which have already started to awake to the crisis. A few days ago more than 200,000 Israelis protested, demanding a withdrawal from Palestinian territories and peace, and I am sure this movement will grow stronger every day.

Would the Palestinian Authority be satisfied with Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza? Would this be enough to seal a peace deal or does it still call for a return to the pre-’67 borders (when after the Six-Day War Israel occupied Palestinian territories)?

Our call for a return to the pre-’67 borders is backed by the UN and set forth in UN Security Council Declarations 242 and 338. These were the basis of the Madrid and Oslo conferences, and any solution to the conflict must comport with them, including the question of Jerusalem.

Sharon sustains that he ordered the wall erected to guarantee the security of the Israeli people after a withdrawal from the territories and that there is no going back.

The Sharon government wants our land, it wants Jerusalem, and it built this racist wall in a world moving faster and faster towards globalisation. This wall separates the sick from doctors, students from schools, workers from their jobs, and it breaks apart families — this is no path to peace. As long as the Israeli government pursues this policy, it will not find a single Palestinian willing to accept it. (END/COPYRIGHT IPS)