LIBYA: Arab leaders fail to agree resumption of Israeli/Palestinian peace talks while settlement building continues on occupied land

Record ID: 1526033

  • Title: LIBYA: Arab leaders fail to agree resumption of Israeli/Palestinian peace talks while settlement building continues on occupied land
  • Date: 29th March 2010
  • Summary: SIRTE, LIBYA (MARCH 28, 2010) (REUTERS) ARAB LEAGUE LOGO ARAB LEAGUE SECRETARY GENERAL AMR MOUSA SITTING NEXT TO MUAMMAR GADDAFI AS THEY ANNOUNCE THE END OF THE SUMMIT ARAB LEADERS STANDING AT ATTENTION AS THE 'GOD IS GREAT' SONG PLAYS MORE ARAB LEADERS STANDING
  • Embargoed: 13th April 2010 13:07
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVAJ7RYLNI6JJR4T5YBBMG2ZG3N
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: Arab leaders failed at their summit on Sunday (March 28) to reach a consensus on whether the Palestinians should resume stalled talks with Israel.
    The Arab League scheduled an extraordinary summit for later this year to tackle issues it had been unable to resolve during its two days of meetings in the Libyan city of Sirte.
    The Palestinians have said indirect talks with the Israelis will not take place unless Israel cancels a decision to build 1,600 new homes in a settlement near east Jerusalem, dealing a fresh blow to an already troubled Middle East peace process.
    Arab League Secretary General Amr Mousa said the committee for Middle East peace-making had listened to what the United Nation's Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had said but felt they couldn't move forward while the Israeli's settlement policy continued.
    The Arab League had given its blessing to the Palestinians, before the Israeli decision was announced, to conduct the so-called proximity talks with Israel, so the organisation's stance now on whether those negotiations should still go ahead is potentially decisive.
    After two days of talks in the Libyan town of Sirte, a committee of foreign ministers from some member states produced a resolution saying that a halt to all settlement activity was necessary for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations to go ahead.
    But that decision was not adopted by the full summit and, in a sign of the lack of consensus, Syria's foreign minister said his country would not recognise the document as representing the view of the Arab League.
    Syrian president Bashar al Assad told Reuters that if one side choses to engage in negotiations this is their decision and they are responsible for it. He also said he did not trust Israel and did not think they wanted peace.
    Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said after the summit ended that another, extraordinary meeting of heads of state would take place at an unspecified date later in the year to deal with outstanding issues.
    He acknowledged the urgency of taking a collective decision on the Israeli-Palestinian talks.
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