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Qureia threatens to ignore peace talks

A masked Palestinian gunman peers from behind a wall as he watches an Israeli army bulldozer demolish a structure near the border with Egypt in the Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, on Saturday. The Israeli army frequently demolishes structures inside the border for what it says are security reasons. PHOTO: AP

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia harshly criticized Israel's West Bank security barrier, threatening to pull out of peace negotiations if construction of the structure isn't halted.

Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian negotiator, and Dov Weisglass, the chief of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's bureau, were scheduled to meet yesterday to prepare the ground for a Sharon-Qureia summit.

But Qureia said he will only agree to meet Sharon if the Israeli premier shows a willingness to compromise on a series of contentious issues, including the barrier of razor wire, trenches, fences and walls Israel is building to separate itself from the West Bank.

"If they have an honest desire to seriously study these issues, the meeting will take place," Qureia said.

Sharon has said he will not accept any preconditions for a meeting with Qureia.

Qureia spoke Saturday just hours before he traveled to neighboring Jordan for a meeting with US envoy William Burns, who has returned to the region in hopes of reviving the stalled "road map" peace plan. Burns was to arrive in Israel yesterday to meet Sharon and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom.

Palestinian officials said Qureia was expected to tell Burns that he is optimistic that he can persuade Palestinian militants, in talks beginning tomorrow in Egypt, to halt attacks on Israel.

But Qureia also planned to ask Burns to put pressure on Israel to halt construction of the barrier and to withdraw from Palestinian areas.

Qureia did not comment after Saturday night's meeting.

He is seeking to present a truce agreement to the Israeli government in hopes of reaching a cease-fire deal that could revive talks on the road map. The US-backed plan calls for a series of steps leading to an independent Palestinian state by 2005.

During Saturday's meeting, Burns repeated the US commitment to establishing a Palestinian state, but said the Palestinians must end "terror and violence" against Israel, according to a statement issued by the US Embassy in Amman, Jordan.

Burns also repeated US President George W. Bush's belief that Israel must "end the daily humiliation of the Palestinian people and rebuild trust," the statement said.

Hours before the meeting with Burns, Qureia said the continued construction of the barrier is threatening the prospects for peace.

"If the Israeli government says it will continue building the wall ... then there is no need for any meetings. I am not saying this is a precondition, but I want serious positions [from Israel]," Qureia said.

Erekat said the goal of his meeting yesterday with Weisglass was to make sure a meeting between Sharon and Qureia is fruitful.

"The main thing between us and the Israelis is to revive the peace process, to re-engage through meaningful negotiations and ... the preparations must be based on how to implement the road map in good faith," Erekat said.

Zalman Shoval, an adviser to Sharon, said that construction of the barrier will continue as long as Israel feels its security is threatened. But he left the door open to negotiations if the Palestinians make progress on halting militants.

"It's somewhat curious for a Palestinian prime minister supposedly committed to peace to object to something whose one and only purpose is to protect human lives," Shoval said. "If terror would stop altogether and terror organizations would be broken up ... there won't be a need for a fence."

Since Qureia formed a new government last month, Israeli and the Palestinians have been working on arranging a meeting between their prime ministers.

Qureia's criticism of Israel may have been aimed at gaining credibility with the militants ahead of the cease-fire talks beginning in Cairo tomorrow.

Qureia said he planned to attend the last few days of the Cairo talks.

In addition to the criticism of the Israeli barrier, Qureia was expected to demand that Israel halt settlement activities, stop the targeted killing of militants, pull out of Palestinian towns and cities and allow Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to travel in and out of Ramallah, Palestinian officials said.
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