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Palestinians Oppose Jerusalem Internationalization
The Palestinian side totally opposes the idea of internationalizing the holy sites in Jerusalem, said Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Abu Mazen.
At a press conference held in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Abu Mazen, also known as Mahmoud Abbas, denied reports that Egypt had put forward new initiatives regarding the future of Jerusalem during his recent visit to Cairo.
He said that the visit came in the wake of a short visit by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to Egypt to discuss the latest developments in the region.
He bitingly blasted Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert for granting Palestinians in Jerusalem Israeli citizenship, terming the move as a scheme to annex the holy city, sacred to Muslims, Jews and Christians.
The PLO official also stressed that the Palestinian side was willing to resume negotiations with Israel provided that good preparations be made.
The Israeli-Palestinian Camp David summit on July 11-25 failed to reach an agreement due to wide gaps between the two sides over the fate of Jerusalem and the return of Palestinian refugees.
The Palestinian leadership is keen to reach a peace deal with the Israelis before the September 13 deadline, which might restore the Palestinian national rights, Abu Mazen said.
He added that "We are seeking to bring about a just and permanent peace which guarantees the rights of Palestinians, especially regarding Jerusalem, Israeli withdrawal to the June 4, 1967 borders, cessation of Israeli settlements and release of (Palestinian) prisoners and detainees."
On holding a new three-way summit, Abu Mazen said such a summit was proposed by U.S. President Bill Clinton at the end of the Camp David summit. The Palestinian party did not object to such a summit, but good preparations should be made, he said.
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