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| Middle East |
| Abbas in Cairo: No terror group crackdown |
| 2003-07-22 |
| JPost - Reg Req’d Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas said he does not plan to crack down on Palestinian terror groups. "I want to stay alive" "Cracking down on Hamas, Jihad and the Palestinian organizations is not an option at all," Abbas said after meeting with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa in Cairo today. "We are applying the law which we accepted under the leadership of the Palestinian Authority, and that is what we will do." You’re holding the Road Map upside down dammit! The road map calls for a Palestinian "dismantlement of terrorist capabilities and infrastructure." Palestinians say they have collected some weapons and on Sunday reissued a 1998 decree The road map stipulates that these and other steps should be taken by the end of the year. That is to be followed by a second phase of the plan which foresees a provisional Palestinian state with temporary borders. A third phase in 2005 would address final borders, the future of settlers and refugees, and Jerusalem. If they don’t do the first steps who gives a rats’ ass what it says in future years? Can’t get there from here if you don’t take the first steps However, Abbas will ask the United States to press for a firm schedule of peace moves when he meets with US President George W. Bush this week, a Palestinian lawmaker said Tuesday. Abbas "cannot come back empty handed from Washington," said Palestinian legislator Saeb Erekat. "It’s essential for Bush to send (Abbas) back with a comprehensive implementation plan ... especially timelines and monitors." Give us something even though we refuse to follow the agreement we just signed. Abbas’ scheduled White House meeting Friday will be the first in almost three years for a Palestinian leader, and will be followed by Bush’s meeting with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on July 29. I would expect a chillier reception for Abbas, and these statements don’t wrm it up at all Violence is down sharply since Palestinian militants declared a unilateral truce on June 29 after 33 months of fighting that killed 2,414 people on the Palestinian side and 806 on the Israeli side. However, in the North, Hizbullah in southern Lebanon fired at least two salvoes of anti-aircraft shells into the town of Shlomii, injuring two people, the army said. asking for a couple jet-dropped cans of whupass Despite the drop in violence in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, progress on implementing the U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan is stalled. The plan - a blueprint for ending violence and establishing a Palestinian state by 2005 - calls on the sides to carry out their obligations in parallel. Abbas said he would use his trip to Washington "to convince (the United States) with our viewpoint in order to pressure Israel and in order to carry out its duty toward the Palestinian issue." STFU and start doing what you agreed to or get out, coward Among Israel’s obligations is the dismantling of the roughly 100 illegal settlement outposts in the West Bank. The government has removed about a dozen; others have gone back up. In the Knesset on Monday, Sharon pledged to remove illegal outposts, but opposition legislators said his moves were only for show. The road map calls on Israel to freeze all construction in the 150 veteran Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza. It also says Israel should withdraw troops gradually from Palestinian towns it has occupied for more than a year. The IDF withdrew this month from parts of Gaza and Bethlehem, but says it will not return any other areas until the Palestinians disarm the militant groups. parallel efforts, right? The road map does not address the question of the estimated 7,700 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel for alleged involvement in terrorism. The issue has become a major point of contention, with the Palestinians saying a mass release would give Abbas a critical boost among his people and militant groups warning they will call off the truce unless the prisoners are freed. The government has agreed to release only a few hundred, fearing a large-scale release would boost the militant groups. There have been some signs in recent days the government may be reconsidering its position, however. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and Shin Bet security agency chief Avi Dichter were to meet Tuesday to discuss a list of eligible prisoners. No announcement on a release was expected before the Sharon-Bush meeting, however Another effort by the Paleos to get something for nothing. Don’t comply with the Road Map requiremnts, but demand other concessions by Israel "to help us try and comply" . Bah! |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #1 "Na na na na, Na na na na, Hey Road Map, Goodbye!!!" |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-7-22 2:55:24 PM |