ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS/FRANCE-FABIUS French FM Fabius keen to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations

Record ID: 151917

  • Title: ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS/FRANCE-FABIUS French FM Fabius keen to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations
  • Date: 22nd June 2015
  • Summary: JERUSALEM (JUNE 21, 2015) (REUTERS) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER LAURENT FABIUS WALKING INTO ROOM TO GIVE NEWS CONFERENCE, JOURNALISTS SEATED VARIOUS OF FABIUS AT PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER LAURENT FABIUS SAYING: "The Israeli-Palestinian issue is a very important issue. It's at the same time very important for peace and security in the region. It is imp
  • Embargoed: 7th July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Jerusalem
  • City:
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAAXT54PCP5X129AGTPXPKNNNZ6
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, on a two-day visit to the Middle East, said on Sunday (June 21) the aim was not for foreign powers to intervene directly in negotiations for a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, and warned of the dangers of a continued stalemate.
    Fabius wants to see the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which collapsed in 2014, relaunched through an international support group comprising Arab states, the European Union and United Nations (UN) Security Council members.
    "The Israeli-Palestinian issue is a very important issue. It's at the same time very important for peace and security in the region," Fabius told a news conference in Jerusalem's King David Hotel.
    "It is important for the Palestinians, it is important for Israel. It has an even broader importance because of its resonance. And because it has not been solved, it creates a lot of tension and at any moment there is the risk that it could explode. So the concern for France is to help, even if it is very difficult, to find a solution. Anyway France will not give up," he added.
    Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had criticised a French-led peace initiative, accusing foreign powers of trying to dictate terms to Israel for a deal with the Palestinians.
    He accused the Palestinians of avoiding direct talks, and then said that "if they (other powers) attempt to impose terms on Israel, this attempt will fail and drive peace away".
    Fabius rejected the idea that terms would be imposed from outside.
    "We wish that the negotiations will resume. We have to avoid false ideas. We are not going to make peace in place of the parties. It is necessary that the parties get together, discuss. It's not easy but everything that can be done to encourage these discussions," he said.
    Fabius said he felt a will to restart negotiations on both sides, and would consult with the European Union (EU), the United States and Russia to gauge their appetite for the initiative.
    "In particular I found on the Palestinian side and on the Israeli side a positive frame of mind to return to the negotiations, that's what I was told. I know the reality is more complex but President Abbas told me he supports the ideas we defend and PM Netanyahu told me he is ready to return to the negotiations at any moment."
    France has so far focused with Arab states on a possible UN Security Council resolution that would set negotiating parameters and establish a timeframe, possibly 18 months, to complete talks.
    In December, the United States voted against a Palestinian-drafted resolution calling for an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and the establishment of a Palestinian state by late 2017.
    But this month, U.S. President Barack Obama said the absence of a peace process and the conditions raised by Netanyahu for Palestinian statehood would make it hard for Washington to continue to defend Israel at the United Nations.
    Maliki voiced support for the French initiative and said Palestinians "need a commitment from the major powers and those with a direct interest".
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