GIVE US HOPE!

Abbas, dispuesto a la presencia de una fuerza internacional en el futuro estado palestino

Israel y Palestina se marcan un horizonte de nueve meses para alcanzar un acuerdo de paz. 

agencias / el cairo. Día 30/07/2013 - 14.33h

http://www.abc.es/internacional/20130730/abci-israel-palestina-201307300749.html

El Gobierno de Israel ha expresado en varias ocasiones su voluntad de mantener presencia militar en Cisjordania en la zona fronteriza con Jordania para controlar cualquier flujo de armas que pudieran ser utilizadas contra el país. Sin embargo, Abbas ha sostenido que, en todo caso, deberían ser tropas de la OTAN las que se desplieguen en el lugar «como una garantía de seguridad para israelíes y palestinos». Por otra parte, ha recalcado que «ningún israelí, ni civil ni soldado, permanecerá en el estado palestino una vez que éste sea creado». El presidente de la Autoridad Palestina, Mahmud Abbas, se ha mostrado este lunes favorable a la creación de una fuerza internacional que se despliegue en territorio palestino en el marco de un futuro acuerdo con Israel.

El secretario de Estado de EE.UU., John Kerry, presidió esta noche frente a los negociadores israelíes y palestinos la cena del «iftar», que abre esta nueva oportunidad para alcanzar la paz en Oriente Próximo. La cena en el edificio del Departamento de Estado en Washington contó con la presencia de la ministra de Justicia israelí, Tzipi Livni, y el jefe negociador de la Autoridad Nacional Palestina (ANP), Saeb Erekat.

El encuentro informal tiene como objetivo servir de primer acercamiento y establecer una atmósfera de confianza entre los representantes enviados por el primer ministro israelí, Benjamin Netanyahu, y el presidente de la ANP, Mahmud Abbas.

Las partes se han marcado un horizonte de nueve meses para alcanzar un acuerdo de paz, pese a la obligada prudencia tras décadas de fracasos.

Las conversaciones buscan trazar un plan de trabajo para reanudar las negociaciones de paz y se prolongarán hasta el martes por la tarde, cuando se espera que Kerry comparezca ante la prensa junto a Livni y Erekat para informar sobre los primeros contactos.

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Negotiations kick off in Washington

Secretary of State holds press conference after start of talks in Washington; Obama holds joint White House meeting with Israeli, Palestinian negotiating teams.

By Barak Ravid, Reuters | Jul 30, 2013 | 07:09 PM
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.538818

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry convened a press conference Tuesday following the start of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in Washington. The sides will hold their next round of peace talks within the next two weeks in Israel or the Palestinian territories, he said.

Kerry praised the sides for their engagement, adding that "both Netanyahu and Abbas have both demonstrated courageous leadership."

Flanked by Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, Kerry said "the parties have agreed that all of the final status issues, core issues and other issues are on the table for negotiations." He added that the objective is to reach a final status agreement within nine months. The meeting in Washington Tuesday represents the first direct negotiations since 2010.

During the press conference, Livni said Kerry has shown that nothing can stop a “true believer.” She said that despite the hope, Israel cannot afford to be naïve and promised “to do everything for the security of Israel."

“It is not going to be easy. It will be hard with ups and downs. We are not going to argue about the past but talk about the future,” she said. "There is a new opportunity, and we can't afford to waste it.”

Erekat spoke briefly at the press conference saying "Palestinians have suffered enough and no one will benefit more from this process than the Palestinians."

The two sides have agreed to keep the content of the meetings confidential, Kerry said, adding that only he will be making comments on the this.

The Quartet of Middle East peace mediators urged Israelis and Palestinians on Tuesday to avoid actions that undermine new peace negotiations.

Senior aides to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held their first talks this week since 2010.

"The Quartet ... calls on all parties to take every possible step to promote conditions conducive to the success of the negotiating process and to refrain from actions that undermine," the group, made up of the United States, Russia, the United Nations and the European Union said in a statement. 

Earlier on Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama stepped up his personal involvement in American efforts to advance the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians. Obama held a joint meeting at the White House with both Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams.

Obama, who has largely refrained from speaking out on Israeli-Palestinian peace talks over the past four months, released a statement on Monday praising the two sides for returning to the table. "This is a promising step forward, though hard work and hard choices remain ahead," he said.

The negotiations began at 3 P.M. (8 A.M. Washington time), as U.S. special envoy for Middle East peace, Martin Indyk, met with the negotiating teams at the State Department in Washington. From there the two teams departed for the White House, for their meeting with President Obama.