Palestine puts faith in diplomacy in bid to subdue militants

THE new Palestinian government will first try persuasion rather than force to subdue militant groups, a senior Palestinian official yesterday told a US envoy preparing the ground for a Mideast peace plan.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suggested he would not accept anything short of a Palestinian crackdown on the militias, saying: “We cannot make compromises when it comes to terror.” The disagreement over how to deal with the militias, responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Israelis in the past 31 months, is becoming a key sticking point in implementing the “road map” to Palestinian statehood within three years.

US envoy William Burns met with Mr Sharon on Sunday and yesterday with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and Parliament Speaker Ahmed Qureia to talk about how to get started on the plan. Burns is laying the groundwork for US Secretary of State Colin Powell’s visit next week.

In the first stage of the peace plan, the Palestinians are expected to restrain the militias while Israel will begin withdrawing from Palestinian towns and avoid actions that would undermine trust, including attacks on Palestinian civilians. Israel also must dismantle dozens of illegal outposts and halt all construction in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza.

After his talks with Mr Abbas, Mr Burns said both sides need to take steps.

“On the Palestinian side, there is absolutely no substitute for a decisive fight against terror and violence,” he said. “On the Israeli side, it also means taking practical steps to ease the suffering of Palestinians living under occupation, to stop settlement activities and to renew a sense of dignity and hope.”

Mr Qureia said the Palestinian government first will try to persuade militant groups to lay down arms.

Referring to Israel’s demand for a crackdown, he said: “There are two understandings. The Israeli understanding, which calls for a (Palestinian) civil war ... and there is a Palestinian understanding based on dialogue and the Palestinian national interest.”

In co-ordination with Mr Abbas, Egypt plans to renew its sponsorship of talks with the armed groups, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, officials said.

Similar talks earlier this year ended with Hamas and Islamic Jihad rejecting Egypt’s proposal of a one-year cease-fire. However, there was hope of a different outcome this time because of growing US pressure on Arab countries to withdraw support for militant groups.