EGYPT: HIGH HOPES OF CEASEFIRE AS TALKS TOWARDS PALESTINIAN AGREEMENT TO LAY DOWN GUNS STARTS IN CAIRO
Record ID:
208439
EGYPT: HIGH HOPES OF CEASEFIRE AS TALKS TOWARDS PALESTINIAN AGREEMENT TO LAY DOWN GUNS STARTS IN CAIRO
- Title: EGYPT: HIGH HOPES OF CEASEFIRE AS TALKS TOWARDS PALESTINIAN AGREEMENT TO LAY DOWN GUNS STARTS IN CAIRO
- Date: 6th December 2003
- Summary: (EU) CAIRO, EGYPT (DECEMBER 3, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. GENERAL VIEW OF CAIRO 0.05 2. MV PHOTO-OP OF THE MEMBERS OF THE DEMOCRATIC FRONT FOR THE LIBERATION OF PALESTINE (DFLP) 0.30 3. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) FAHAD SULIMAN HEAD OF DEMOCRATIC FRONT FOR THE LIBERATION OF PALESTINE (DFLP) SAYING "Surely there will not be ceasefire in the next period without getting evidence and seeing in a specific way that Israel is committed to the minimum limit of commitments asked of them. What are these commitments? It is not for us who decide it, it is mentioned in the road map and all the documents that were produced since the eruption of the Intifada, such as the Tenet document and Mitchell document and others. Specifically, the road map summarises all and highlights the need of Israelis commitment to all the following: the end of the settlements totally, destroying the settlement spots that was established since March 2001 in which the separation wall is also included in this issue and must be removed. Another point is related to the release the Palestinian prisoner with no restrictions or conditions." 1.49 (EU) CAIRO, EGYPT (DECEMBER 4, 2003) (REUTERS) 4. MV AHMED GHNEIM SENIOR OFFICIAL IN PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT YASSER ARAFAT'S FATAH FACTION STANDING IN CORRIDOR 1.54 5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) AHMED GHNEIM SENIOR OFFICIAL IN PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT YASSER ARAFAT'S FATAH FACTION SAYING: "I think that there is a serious possibility and opportunity to reach an agreement between all the Palestinian factions relating to the ceasefire. We are talking about a mutual ceasefire, a commitment from both sides, the Palestinian and the Israeli side but the condition for the implementation of this ceasefire is that if Israeli will stop its aggression against the Palestinian people and are answering the request of the ceasefire they have to withdraw from all the Palestinian cities and towns which they had occupied in September 2000. They have to lift the internal and external siege against the Palestinian people and against (Palestinian President Yasser) Arafat. We want to see our president released. We are also talking about releasing of the prisoners and stop following the wanted people and they have to stop building the wall." 3.05 6. MV AHMED GHNEIM IN CORRIDOR 3.11 (EU) GAZA CITY, GAZA (DECEMBER 4 2003)(REUTERS) 7. MV ISMAIL HANIYAH, A SENIOR HAMAS LEADER, SEATED 3.16 8. (SOUNDBITE)(Arabic) HANIYAH SAYING "As long as the Zionist aggression continues against the Palestinian people and as long as the occupation continues and as long as the building of the wall continues on our land, we stress on the right of our people to defend themselves and to resist the Israeli occupation. In the same time the movement is ready to get the civilians (from both sides) out of the cycle of the struggle if the occupation committed itself to stopping the targeting of Palestinian people and Palestinian civilians. Regarding truce, we believe that the previous experience was not encouraging because the occupation did not abide by the conditions and continued its violations to that truce which led to the collapse of truce completely." 4.00 9. SCU HANIYAH'S FACE 4.06 10. CLOSE-UP OF HANIYAH'S HANDS 4.11 (EU) ABU-DIS, WEST BANK (DECEMBER 4, 2003) (REUTERS) 11. WIDE VIEW OF PALESTININAN PRIME MINISTER AHMED QURIE MEETING DELEGATES FROM THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE; QURIE AT PODIUM 4.18 13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) QURIE SAYING "And this day alone is not only between those factions from the PLO. It even extended to Hamas and Jihad. I know that some of you will say that now it is hopeless. No, it is not hopeless. 4.36 14. CLOSE-UP OF WOMAN LISTENING TO SPEECH 4.42 15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) QURIE SPEAKING "I ask for this meeting to be well prepared and they started to prepare about it. The chief of my cabinet and the chief of Mr Sharon's cabinet met once and they will meet again on Sunday or something like that. Next week we will be prepared for this meeting. When it is, and we see that there are good results from that meeting, I think myself and Sharon himself, we are not against meeting each other. I know him a long time ago." 5.12 16. WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE 5.17 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 21st December 2003 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: CAIRO, EGYPT
- Country: Egypt
- Reuters ID: LVA2VRWEO7SYKQ1IR0NS4KSFSQ8N
- Story Text: High hopes of a ceasefire as talks towards
Palestinian agreement to lay down guns starts in Cairo.
Those at the opening of three days of talks in Cairo
aimed at brokering a ceasefire among Palestinian factions,
said Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman urged 11
Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and two non-PLO
Islamist groups to bury differences so that the Palestinian
cabinet could resume deadlocked peace talks with Israel.
Suleiman told them not to leave Cairo without reaching an
agreement.
The ceasefire is key to reviving stalled peace moves
and for the implementation of a U.S.-backed road map for
peace which calls for the establishment of Palestinian
statehood.
Ahmed Ghneim, senior official in Palestinian President
Yasser Arafat's influential Fatah faction, told Reuters
after the opening session that Suleiman urged the
Palestinian groups to consider all their alternatives,
including a mutual ceasefire with Israel.
"I think that there is a serious possibility and
opportunity to reach an agreement between all the
Palestinian factions relating to the ceasefire. We are
talking about a mutual ceasefire, a commitment from both
sides, the Palestinian and the Israeli side," Ghneim said.
Ghneim hailed the talks as a first opportunity to move
towards a mutual ceasefire, but insisted that Israel should
stop building a controversial separation barrier inside
Palestinian territory.
"The condition for the implementation of this ceasefire
is that if Israeli will stop its aggression against the
Palestinian people and are answering the request of the
ceasefire they have to withdraw from all the Palestinian
cities and towns which they had occupied in September 2000.
They have to lift the internal and external siege against
the Palestinian people and against (Palestinian President
Yasser) Arafat. We want to see our president released. We
are also talking about releasing of the prisoners and stop
following the wanted people and they have to stop building
the wall," Ghneim added.
On Wednesday (December 3) Fahad Suliman, Head of the
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP)
echoed Ghneim's comments saying: "Specifically, the road
map summarises all and highlights the need of Israelis
commitment to all the following: the end of the settlements
totally, destroying the settlement spots that was
established since March 2001 in which the separation wall
is also included in this issue and must be removed. Another
point is related to the release the Palestinian prisoner
with no restrictions or conditions."
Mohammad Nazzal, senior official in the Muslim
militant group Hamas, said Suleiman pointed out in his
opening address that unlike the previous Palestinian truce
of June 29, this ceasefire will not come without a price.
Palestinians agreed a truce in June but the Israelis
were not party to it. It collapsed in August.
The militant groups Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, who
led a suicide bombing campaign in Israel, reject the
U.S.-backed road map and call for Israel's destruction. All
groups said a conditional ceasefire was under consideration.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie will later join
the Cairo talks, prior to a possible meeting with his
Israel counterpart Ariel Sharon to convince him to accept a
ceasefire.
"The chief of my cabinet and the chief of Mr Sharon's
cabinet met once and they will meet again on Sunday or
something like that. Next week we will prepared for this
meeting. When it is, and we see that there are good results
from that meeting, I think myself and Sharon himself, we
are not against meeting each other. I know him a long time
ago," Qurie said while addressing delegates from the
Washington Institute in Abu-Dis in the West Bank on
Thursday.
Hamas and the Islamic Jihad expressed willingness to
stop attacks against Israeli civilians if Israel
reciprocated. But Hamas said a decision to halt attacks
against soldiers and settlers in the lands Israel occupied
in 1967 would only come after Israel accepted a ceasefire
and a package of conditions.
"As long as the Zionist aggression continues against
the Palestinian people and as long as the occupation
continues and as long as the building of the wall continues
on our land, we stress on the right of our people to defend
themselves and to resist the Israeli occupation. In the
same time the movement is ready to get the civilians (from
both sides) out of the cycle of the struggle if the
occupation committed itself to stopping the targeting of
Palestinian people and Palestinian civilians. Regarding
truce, we believe that the previous experience was not
encouraging because the occupation did not abide by the
conditions and continued its violations to that truce which
led to the collapse of truce completely," said Ismail
Haniyah, a senior Hamas leader in Gaza.
Among the 13 factions taking part in the Cairo are
Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and the Democratic Front
for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP).
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