Kuwait Times

Published Date: January 06, 2010
By Badrya Darwish

KUWAIT: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday said peace talks with Israel were the only option for the Palestinians, after ruling out war and a continuation of the present stalemate. "We have three options - go to war, which I cannot do on my own. No Arab nation wants war. Palestinians aren't capable of waging war alone," he said at a press conference at Bayan Palace yesterday.

The second option is a continuation of the status quo, which has been going on for 60 years and could go on forever. The third option is peace negotiations. We went all the way for peace - from Oslo to Annapolis to Sharm El-Sheikh etc - and we are ready to continue these talks," he said. "The only solution before us is to go back to the Roadmap, which means a return to the borders before 1967, return of refugees and East Jerusalem as the capital of an independent Palestinian state." Abbas blamed Israel
of obstructing the peace process by building more settlements. "We cannot start any peace talks unless settlements are halted," he said.

On relations with his bitter rivals Hamas, the Palestinian president blamed the Islamist group of masterminding a coup against him. He also accused them of planting two bombs targeting him. On the horrific humanitarian situation in Gaza which is deteriorating daily, Abbas again put the blame on Hamas. "We went to Makkah and reached an agreement with Hamas, but the moment we returned, they reneged on it. We agreed to sign a reconciliation deal in Egypt, but Hamas keeps on coming up with new conditions and
wastes time," he charged.

On the underground steel barrier that Egypt is building on the Rafah border between Gaza and Egypt, Abbas said it was an Egyptian sovereign decision. "They have a right to protect their borders," he said, hinting the tunnels were being "misused". He added that the Palestinian Authority is paying the salaries of civil servants in Gaza, and is supplying food and fuel to the impoverished territory. Abbas also said he is determined to step down from the presidency, despite being asked by US President Barack Ob
ama and other Arab and world leaders to stay on.

Earlier, Abbas met HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for talks. Acting minister of the Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarah Al-Sabah said that talks tackled bilateral relations and ways of consolidating and developing them in all fields, expanding cooperation between the two sides in what serves their mutual interests, the most important issues of mutual concern and the latest developments on the regional and international scene.

Meanwhile, exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal has assured Saudi Arabia his movement is loyal to Arab states, the kingdom's foreign minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said yesterday, according to news reports. "I asked Khaled Meshaal whether the movement stood with Arabs or with others," Prince Saud said, referring to Iran, a strong regional backer of Hamas, the Islamist group that rules Gaza.

Meshaal insisted that Hamas was an Arab movement and that the Palestinian question was an Arab issue," the Saudi minister said at the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh after talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The exchange between Prince Saud and Meshaal occurred on Sunday during a visit by the Hamas leader to Saudi Arabia. Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite non-Arab Iran have been traditional rivals in the Middle East.