US envoys visit plus Erekat comment on disengagement
(24 Mar 2005) 1. Exterior Palestinian Legislative Council 2. Arrival Saeb Erekat, Chief Palestinan Negotiator: 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Saeb Erekat, Chief Palestinian Negotiator: "It was the Israeli government's decision to call it unilateral, it was the Israeli governments decision not to coordinate and cooperate with us as far as the planning of the Gaza disengagement. We have said all along the way we stand ready to shoulder our responsibilities emanating from the withdrawal from Gaza, or anywhere else in and the West Bank and we want the international community to help us in making the Gaza disengagement part of the 'road map' and not an alternative to it. I believe this Saturday we have a meeting for the higher negotiating committee, held by President Abbas, and we hope that our next steps will be determined in this committee. But it was the Israeli government that initiated the term unilateralism and that refused to coordinate with us and refused to negotiate with us and at the same time we want to make sure that the Gaza disengagement is part of the 'road map' and not an alternative to it, dismantling settlements in Gaza and then adding three time the amount of settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem is something that cannot be acceptable fro the peace process." 4. People entering 5. Various Palestinian Legislative Council in session 6. Pan US delegation ( Centre (green tie) Elliott Abrams, Deputy National Security Adviser and (L) David Welch US Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs) 7 Pull out US delegation 8. David Welch, US Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs, in corridor 9. Setup shot Saeb Erekat, Chief Palestinian Negotiator SOUNDBITE (English) Saeb Erekat, Chief Palestinian Negotiator: "We have stressed the point of the necessity to stop all settlement activities including natural growth, to stop the Israeli government from the continuation of building the wall. The building of the wall and the settlement expansion, especially the Ma'aleh Adumim, the 3500 unit, will preempt and prejudge the issues reserved for the final settlement negotiations, namely Jerusalem, borders, settlements and water." 10. Street scene STORYLINE: The Chief Palestinian Negotiator, Saeb Erekat, has dismissed Israeli claims that the Palestinians are reluctant to coordinate with them over the planned Israeli pullout from Gaza. "It was the Israeli government's decision to call it unilateral, it was the Israeli government's decision not to coordinate and cooperate with us as far as the planning of the Gaza disengagement," he said. Mr Erekat said the Palestinian Authority would like to see the planned withdrawal from Gaza as part of the 'road map' peace plan. He said that the disengagement plan had begun as a unilateral step by Israel. Erekat spoke before a Palestinian Legislative Council meeting in Ramallah, where internal political issues regarding the Palestinian security services were to be discussed. Also in Ramallah on Thursday, two US envoys, National Security Council official Elliott Abrams and David Welch, assistant secretary of state for the Near East, held talks. Mr Erekat said he told the Americans that Israel needed to stop the continued expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. He said the West Bank separation barrier and continued Israeli settlement building would "prejudge the issues reserved for the final settlement negotiations." He referred specifically to the planned expansion of the 500 housing units in Ma'aleh Adumim, the largest Israeli settlement which is located five kilometres east of Jerusalem. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
