Shaath to diplomatic corps: going to UN does not negate negotiations

Nabil Shaath, member of Fatah Central Committee, said Tuesday that going to the United Nations in September to seek recognition does not negate efforts to resume negotiations with Israel. Speaking to members of the diplomatic corps to the Palestinian Authority, Shaath said that the Palestinians have decided to go to the UN regardless of what will happen with negotiations. “All decision making bodies have made a clear commitment to go the UN,” he said. “This is not a declaration of war or a pre condition for negotiations,” he said, stressing that a recognition of Palestine as a full member of the UN improves chances of negotiations. “By seeking recognition, we make negotiations more possible, more equal and more doable,” he said. Shaath said that the Palestinians are seeking international recognition based on UN General Assembly resolution 181, which partitioned Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. “We are not asking for the 44% of the land given to us in resolution 181, but only the principle of it,” he said. “We want a state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip only.” Shaath expressed hope that the United States will not veto the recognition resolution when it comes up, warning that if it does it will reflect negatively on its image in the Arab world and in the Palestinian Territory. He strongly criticized US attempt to get the quartet for Middle East peace, which is composed of the US, EU, UN, and Russia, to accept Israeli terms for resuming negotiations, including accepting Israel as a Jewish state. He said the US did not even mention settlements in its proposal. “Absence of a call for an end to settlements,” he said, “is absolutely appalling.” He also criticized US charges that the Palestinian plan to seek UN recognition is a unilateral act. Every country has the right to declare independence unilaterally, he said. Then they get recognition through bilateral relations and finally get UN recognition in a multilateral move. Shaath said that Israeli President Shimon Peres was on his way to meet President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss new ideas by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume negotiations when he called Abbas to cancel the meeting. He said Peres canceled because Netanyahu has changed his mind and was not ready to offer anything. On the issue of Palestinian reconciliation and unity talks, Shaath said that the agreement was facing some problems, particularly differences over naming a prime minister for the new Palestinian government. However, he said that the parties have agreed to implement parts of the agreement and to continue talks about implementing the rest of it. Shaath also said the Palestinian Authority was facing serious financial difficulty, attributing that to failure of “brotherly Arab countries” to pay their dues to the Palestinian people. He said the Europeans, Japan and the US have paid all their dues, expressing hope that “donations will not be affected by our step at the UN.”