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Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni
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| By Ynetnews February 11, 2007 |
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Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is attempting to convince her European counterparts not to rush to recognize the unity agreement signed between the Palestinian factions in Mecca, as the deal does not include the Quartet conditions.
Livni took part in the Munich Conference on Security Policy over the weekend, where she met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
Livni also spoke to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the foreign ministers of Britain, Germany and Norway. She met with the foreign ministers of Sweden, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
The foreign minister focused her efforts on convincing the European foreign ministers, who are set to convene on Monday, to adopt the Israeli stance.
The main message is that the international community, and particularly Europe, should be cautious at this stage in terms of the responses to the Mecca agreement and to firmly demand that the Quartet conditions are met.
The Israeli government expects the new Palestinian government, which will be established following the agreement signed in Mecca, to accept the conditions set by the International Quartet by recognizing Israel, renouncing violence and accepting the agreements signed so far.
Minister Livni stressed that the complete picture on the essential issues related to the government's platform and basic guidelines would only be made clear in the coming weeks.
Chancellor Merkel welcomed the agreement signed between Hamas and Fatah, saying that it was "a step in the right direction."
Israel snubs Mecca deal
Israeli officials in Jerusalem on Friday snubbed the Palestinian unity deal reached in Mecca, saying it failed to meet the preconditions set by the Quartet.
The officials stressed, however, that they also did not reject the Palestinian agreement outright.
"This isn't what we expected," Jerusalem officials commented. "The international community -- the Quartet -- clearly established that any Palestinian government must fully adopt the following three preconditions: Recognize Israel's right to exist, halt terror activities, and implement all previous agreements reached, including the Road Map."
"Even though the future Palestinian government has not yet established its basic guidelines, the appointment letter issued by (Palestinian President) Mahmoud Abbas makes it clear that the conditions were not upheld," officials added.
"Israel stresses that terror activity against it is continuing, and Gilad Shalit has not yet been released. We will continue to examine developments in light of the Quartet's clear conditions. Israel expects the international community to continue to show determination and stand behind its principles to bring about their full implementation," they declared.
Reprinted with permission from Ynet. |
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