Arab League Chief Calls On Israel To Present Its Own Peace Initiative

By The Associated Press
Last update - 18:41 20/03/2007
Haaretz

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa urged Israel on Tuesday to be more proactive in restarting the stalled Mideast peace talks following the creation of a new Palestinian unity government.

The Fatah and Hamas movements agreed to form the new government three days ago, but Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has refused to deal with the government...

Israel's stance puts it at odds with the U.S. and the European Union, who have signaled a willingness to deal with moderate members of the new government...

"We expect an offer by Israel,"...

"In so far as peace is concerned, we fail to see any offer, any serious talk of peace," he said of Olmert's government.

"What we see is the same old policy of building settlements, procrastination, of resorting to tricks one after the other in order to waste time."

Moussa was in Jordan - on the second leg of a regional tour - ahead of an upcoming Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia on March 28-29, where regional leaders hope to build momentum for a resumption of the peace process with Israel based on the 2002 Saudi peace initiative.

The initiative calls for peace between Israel and Arab nations for the return for an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 boundaries as well as an agreed solution to the Palestinian refugee problem in accordance with United Nations General Assembly Resolution 194.

Moussa said the Arab League summit in Riyadh would not reintroduce the initiative, but rather reaffirm the measure and Arab commitment to it.

Israel has rejected the initiative but in recent weeks said it could support it with some amendments.

But Moussa ruled out any revisions to the plan.

"We are not ready to enter into any changes or any futile discussion about the contents of the initiative," he said.

"The Arab initiative is supported by the European Union, the United States, and all other international powers," Moussa said.

"Only Israel is trying to avoid it as much as it can and is trying to get some support from some countries."

...Jordan' King Abdullah II ...stressed the importance of the Arab peace initiative, which he said demonstrates the Arab will and seriousness to achieve peace with Israel in the coming political phase.