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Sharon Rejects Link Between Settlement Freeze and Halt of Violence
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Tuesday night urged the Palestinians to stop violence, but said there was no link between a freeze on settlement activity and a halt of violence.
Speaking at a press conference here in Jerusalem, Sharon called on the Palestinians to stop the violence "that has been forced upon" Israel, and work to implement the recommendations by the international inquiry commission headed by former U.S. senator George Mitchell.
Sharon said the Mitchell report provides a "positive basis" which enables the Israelis and Palestinians to break the cycle of violence and to return to the negotiating table.
He saw the report as a four-stage initiative which includes a total cessation of terror and violence, a cooling-off period and taking confidence building measures and renewing political negotiations.
As to the report's call for a freeze on settlement activity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Sharon said that U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and he agreed that there was no link between a settlement freeze and a cessation of violence.
He said that Israel will not seize more land in the occupied Palestinian territories, and will discuss the settlement issue with the Palestinians at a later stage.
Sharon noted the settlements are Israel's "national assets" and the government will continue to work to cater to their needs, namely to build homes to meet the so-called needs of "natural growth."
Sharon also called on Jordan and Egypt to help bring calm to the region and urged Lebanon and Syria whose lands are still being occupied by Israel to follow the "path of peace."
The prime minister who took power in early March said: "If the Palestinians stop the violence, they will find us a very serious partner for peace." He added that peace involves "painful compromises on both sides" and that peace is attainable.
The settlement issue has been at the center of attempts to put an end to eight-month-old bloody conflicts with the Palestinians. The Palestinians have set a freeze on settlements as one of the conditions for an end to violence.
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