Egypt demands PA stop violence as condition for peace talks

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http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/677566.html

Last update - 17:17 01/02/2006


Egypt demands PA stop violence as condition for peace talks

By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent, and The Associated Press

Egypt believes that the Palestinians must stop all violence as a precondition for renewing peace talks with Israel. "Negotiations cannot take place under violence and fire. Therefore, violence must be renounced," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abu Gheit said Wednesday after meeting his Israeli counterpart Tzipi Livni in Cairo.

This is the first time Egypt is demanding the Palestinians stop violence as a precondition for peace talks, as stated in the Road Map peace plan.

Earlier Wednesday Egyptian intelligence chief and number two in the Egyptian government, Omar Suleiman, said that Hamas must promise to end its violent tactics, recognize Israel and honor previous diplomatic agreements made by the Palestinian Authority.


If Hamas doesn't do these things, Suleiman said, it won't be able to form the next Palestinian government. Suleiman's statements are in line with Israel's stance on the matter, which is also widely accepted by the international community.
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