Mideast Quartet envoys meet in Jerusalem
Wednesday, 27 June 2007
JERUSALEM, June 26 (AFP): The four powers sponsoring the stagnant Middle East peace process met Tuesday for the first time since Hamas seized Gaza, a day after a regional summit that produced no major breakthroughs.
Special envoys of the European Union, Russia, United Nations and United States were meeting at the US consulate in Jerusalem amid press speculation they could anoint outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair as their envoy.
EU envoy Marc Otte, Russia's Sergei Yakovlev, UN envoy Michael Williams and US Assistant Secretary David Welch were locked in talks behind closed doors, with spokesmen tight-lipped on the agenda and refusing to be drawn on Blair.
"They are meeting to compare notes on the latest developments, the way forward, things like that. We don't have a firm agenda," said UN spokesman Brenden Varma.
The talks follow a Middle East summit in Egypt aimed at bolstering moderate Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, who also met Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert face-to-face for the first time in two months.
The international community has thrown its weight behind Abbas since his security forces were overrun by rivals from the Islamist movement Hamas 11 days ago after days of ferocious gunbattles.
No official press conference was scheduled after the Quartet meeting and it was also unclear if an official joint statement would be published.
The Quartet had been expected to meet at principals' level in Cairo this week but the hosts announced that the meeting had been called off because of the situation in the Palestinian territories.
The talks come one day after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak hosted a brief summit in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el- Sheikh with Olmert and Abbas as well as Jordan's King Abdullah II, but which achieved few tangible results.
Olmert announced he was prepared to free 250 prisoners from Abbas's Fatah party in a gesture of goodwill.
He also said Israel would "continously pass on the tax monies" collected on behalf of the Palestinians after his cabinet agreed in principle to release more than 600 million dollars in oustanding tax receipts owed.
"It is important for every Palestinian to understand that we are extending a hand to those who are willing to have peace and reconciliation with us," Olmert said, stressing that all of the 250 would have to renounce "terrorism".
None of the 250 would have "blood on their hands" either-in a reference to those held in connection with deadly attacks on Israelis.
More than 11,000 Palestinians are behind bars in Israel-just over half of them have been convicted of an offence and around 800 are held without charge.
Special envoys of the European Union, Russia, United Nations and United States were meeting at the US consulate in Jerusalem amid press speculation they could anoint outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair as their envoy.
EU envoy Marc Otte, Russia's Sergei Yakovlev, UN envoy Michael Williams and US Assistant Secretary David Welch were locked in talks behind closed doors, with spokesmen tight-lipped on the agenda and refusing to be drawn on Blair.
"They are meeting to compare notes on the latest developments, the way forward, things like that. We don't have a firm agenda," said UN spokesman Brenden Varma.
The talks follow a Middle East summit in Egypt aimed at bolstering moderate Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, who also met Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert face-to-face for the first time in two months.
The international community has thrown its weight behind Abbas since his security forces were overrun by rivals from the Islamist movement Hamas 11 days ago after days of ferocious gunbattles.
No official press conference was scheduled after the Quartet meeting and it was also unclear if an official joint statement would be published.
The Quartet had been expected to meet at principals' level in Cairo this week but the hosts announced that the meeting had been called off because of the situation in the Palestinian territories.
The talks come one day after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak hosted a brief summit in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el- Sheikh with Olmert and Abbas as well as Jordan's King Abdullah II, but which achieved few tangible results.
Olmert announced he was prepared to free 250 prisoners from Abbas's Fatah party in a gesture of goodwill.
He also said Israel would "continously pass on the tax monies" collected on behalf of the Palestinians after his cabinet agreed in principle to release more than 600 million dollars in oustanding tax receipts owed.
"It is important for every Palestinian to understand that we are extending a hand to those who are willing to have peace and reconciliation with us," Olmert said, stressing that all of the 250 would have to renounce "terrorism".
None of the 250 would have "blood on their hands" either-in a reference to those held in connection with deadly attacks on Israelis.
More than 11,000 Palestinians are behind bars in Israel-just over half of them have been convicted of an offence and around 800 are held without charge.