Palestinian Foreign Minister
Riyad al-Malki: "We are committed
as Palestinians and Arabs to the negotiation process and the April 29
date and continuing to deal with the efforts that the American
administration and John Kerry are making to find a way out of this
crisis..."
[AS
ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO
READ GOOD ARTICLES IN FULL: HELP
SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and
conversations) THAT EMPOWER
DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE &
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Palestine]
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| Arab Foreign Ministers and their delegations attend the Arab Foreign Ministers' meeting at the Arab League headquarter in Cairo. April 9, 2014. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih |
CAIRO (Reuters) - The Arab League
called on the United States on Wednesday to keep up efforts to salvage
Middle East peace talks that are on the brink of collapse, blaming
Israel for a crisis that has led Washington to evaluate its role in the
negotiations.
At a meeting of
Arab foreign ministers in Cairo, the Arab League said Israel was
responsible for the "serious predicament" facing the negotiations,
citing its failure to release about two dozen Palestinian prisoners as
one of the major causes.
"(The ministers) called on America to continue its efforts for the
resumption of the negotiation track that obliges Israel to implement its
commitments ... according to the agreed time frame," a League statement
said.
The U.S.-brokered negotiations
plunged into crisis last week after Israel, demanding a Palestinian
commitment to continue talking after the end of the month, failed to
carry out the promised release of about two dozen Palestinian prisoners.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas responded by signing 15 global
treaties, including the Geneva Conventions on the conduct of war and
occupations, on behalf of the State of Palestine, a defiant move that
surprised Washington and angered Israel.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who had hoped to reach a peace deal
by April 29, said on Friday that Washington was evaluating whether it
was worth continuing its role in the Middle East talks, saying it was
"not an open-ended effort".
Israel announced on Wednesday a partial freeze in high-level contacts
with the Palestinians in retaliation for their signing international
conventions it contends they are not entitled to endorse before formal
establishment of a state.
Underscoring the Palestinians' main concern - economic measures imposed
by Israel - the Arab League said Arab states must meet their financial
commitments to the Palestinian Authority "to provide an Arab financial
safety net".
Under interim
peace deals, Israel collects and transfers to the PA some $100 million a
month in taxes on goods imported into the Palestinian territories.
Israel has previously frozen the payments during times of heightened
tensions ...READ MORE
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| BBC News Profile: The League of Arab States, or Arab League, is a voluntary
association of countries whose peoples are mainly Arabic speaking or
where Arabic is an official language. Its stated aims are to strengthen ties among member states, coordinate their policies and direct them towards a common good. |
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