WRAP Palestinian security forces, comments from Qureia and militants
(29 Jan 2005) Rafah, southern Gaza Strip 1. Man giving flowers to Palestinian security forces, soldier kisses flower 2. Various of security forces holding flowers in air 3. Various of civilians queueing to shake hands with security forces 4. Security forces holding bunches of flowers 5. Pan from shelled building to crowd 6. Children looking out of window of damaged house Gaza City, Gaza Strip 7. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia's convoy arriving at Beach Hotel in Gaza City 8. Qureia leaving car 9. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Ahmed Qureia, Palestinian Prime Minister: "We hope that these Israeli statements and stances are serious, which would lead to a cooling off (of the situation) and a mutual ceasefire which would end all Israeli abuses on Palestinian land. We hope for this and we will do our best to achieve it." (Question: "What about the truce?") "I am talking about a mutual ceasefire." Khan Yuonis, Southern Gaza Strip 10. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Abu Haron, spokesman of Abu Erresh Brigades (part of the Al-Aqsa Martyr Brigades): "The Abu Erresh Brigades shall not stand idle faced with these crimes. Because when we said we agreed to a cooling off of the situation, it was at a price. The Israeli side must know that its continuing of these operations and crimes will lead to an escalation of the situation again. If the Israeli occupiers commit any crime, the Abu Erresh Brigades will deliver a severe reply." Gaza City, Gaza Strip 11. Former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's damaged offices 12. Painting of Arafat on wall of building STORYLINE: Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday that negotiations with Palestinian factions had yet to reach an agreement on a possible cease-fire with Israel. Abbas has been pressing Palestinian factions to reach a truce with Israel in order to restart final settlement negotiations. Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will hold their first summit during the second week of February, a senior Palestinian official said on Saturday, in what would be the highest-level contacts between the two sides in more than a year and a half. Meanwhile Palestinian civilians in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip greeted Palestinian security forces on Saturday. Since his election this month, Abbas has coaxed Palestinian militants into temporarily halting attacks on Israeli targets and deployed thousands of Palestinian police throughout the Gaza Strip to help ensure calm. Abbas ordered the deployment last week to halt attacks on Israeli targets. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia arrived in Gaza City on Saturday to continue discussions with Palestinian factions over a ceasefire. Qureia stressed that any ceasefire would have to be "mutual" with an end to "Israeli abuses on Palestinian land". Meanwhile in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, the militant Palestinian group Abu Erresh Brigades which is a part of the Al-Aqsa Martyr Brigades announced that if Israel carries out military operations against the Palestinian people, they will respond. Also on Friday, Palestinian bulldozers arrived at the Gaza City offices of late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. The building was severely damaged in past Israeli attacks and is due to be torn down. Arafat never visited the new office that was built for him, because he was confined to his Ramallah headquarters. 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...
