Spring Break
Rice to meet with Middle East leaders
Issue date: 2/19/07 Section: National News
JERUSALEM (MCT) -Differences over how to deal with an emerging Palestinian governing coalition of Hamas and Fatah clouded preparatory talks for a three-way meeting Monday between Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
Rice met separately Sunday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who said that Israel and the United States agreed that they would boycott any Palestinian government that does not recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements.
Those conditions have been set by the so-called Quartet of Middle East mediators - the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia - and were not explicitly met in a power-sharing agreement reached this month in Saudi Arabia between Abbas' Fatah movement and Hamas.
The agreement said that a new coalition government would "respect" U.N. resolutions and agreements signed by the PLO. Among those agreements are the 1993 Oslo accords, which include recognition of Israel and renunciation of violence.
"We know that when that government is formed, we will be making our decision on the basis of whether or not it meets the Quartet principles," Rice said. She added that the United States was prepared to continue working with Abbas, and could deal with him separately from a new government.
Before meeting Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Rice said that the three-way talks Monday "will be an opportunity to examine the current situation, to commit - to recommit to existing agreements, but also to begin and explore and probe the political and diplomatic horizon."
The discussions, however, are expected to focus in large part on the Palestinian power-sharing accord, and whether its terms meet international conditions for renewed political contacts and a resumption of foreign aid cut after Hamas won elections and formed a government a year ago.
Rice met separately Sunday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who said that Israel and the United States agreed that they would boycott any Palestinian government that does not recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements.
Those conditions have been set by the so-called Quartet of Middle East mediators - the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia - and were not explicitly met in a power-sharing agreement reached this month in Saudi Arabia between Abbas' Fatah movement and Hamas.
The agreement said that a new coalition government would "respect" U.N. resolutions and agreements signed by the PLO. Among those agreements are the 1993 Oslo accords, which include recognition of Israel and renunciation of violence.
"We know that when that government is formed, we will be making our decision on the basis of whether or not it meets the Quartet principles," Rice said. She added that the United States was prepared to continue working with Abbas, and could deal with him separately from a new government.
Before meeting Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Rice said that the three-way talks Monday "will be an opportunity to examine the current situation, to commit - to recommit to existing agreements, but also to begin and explore and probe the political and diplomatic horizon."
The discussions, however, are expected to focus in large part on the Palestinian power-sharing accord, and whether its terms meet international conditions for renewed political contacts and a resumption of foreign aid cut after Hamas won elections and formed a government a year ago.
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