Palestinians Hold Israel Responsible for Summit FailurePalestinian officials on Tuesday evening held Israel responsible for the failure of the Camp David summit, but reiterated their willingness to resume the peace talks.In a press conference in Gaza on Tuesday, Palestinian President's Secretary General Tayeb Abdul Rahim voiced his extreme regret at the summit fiasco which, according to Rahim, was caused by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. However, Rahim maintained that the peace process can not collapse and the Palestinians, on their part, are willing to pursue efforts to push the peace process forward. He dismissed as baseless that the progress might be triggered in the final status issues, reiterating that the next steps will be devoted to carrying on peace and declaring the Palestinian statehood before the end of this year. He added that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will tour several Arab countries soon to keep their leaders posted on the outcomes of the Camp David summit, trying to formulate a united Arab position on the Palestinian cause. Palestine Liberation Organization's representative in Washington Hassan Abdel Rahman also held Israel responsible for the failure to reach a peace pact at Camp David following 15-day negotiations. Rahman ascribed the fiasco to Barak's recalcitrance regarding all issues especially Jerusalem and insistence on shrugging off the Palestinian position, which runs counter to the international resolutions. Nevertheless, Barak held Arafat responsible for the failure of the summit, saying that Arafat's position on Jerusalem resulted in reaching no framework agreement. |
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