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Revival of Palestinian-Israeli Peace Talks "Possible": Egyptian FM
The possibility that the Palestinians and Israelis return to the negotiating table should not be ruled out, if confidence is restored between the two sides, the Egyptian foreign minister said on Tuesday, December 12.
"One must not rule out the possibility of restarting the negotiations," Amr Moussa said after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met with the International Commission of Inquiry into the causes of the 10 weeks of Palestinian-Israeli clashes.
The commission, which arrived in Cairo earlier for the meeting, has started its fact-finding mission concerning the violence, which has so far left more than 300 people dead, most of them Palestinians, and thousands of others wounded.
Javier Solana, commission member and chief of the European Union foreign policy, said that a "small window of opportunity" to restart the dialog is still open in the light of the launching of the probe into the violence.
Moussa said, however, that such a revival "will depend on measures to re-establish confidence" between the two sides.
For this purpose, it is important for the next Israeli prime minister to adopt a policy that will help reach "a just and permanent peace," he added.
"We should give some time to the Israelis to choose a new prime minister they want," he was quoted as saying by Egypt's Middle East News Agency.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak resigned on Sunday. Under Israeli laws, an election for the prime minister will be held within 60 days.
All the developments in the Israeli politics should be streamlined in favor of the resumption of the peace process, Moussa said on Saturday.
The peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel were derailed by the violence, which broke out on September 28 following a visit by Israeli right-wing opposition Likud leader Ariel Sharon to an Islamic holy site in East Jerusalem.
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