Transcript
MARTIN INDYK: In a couple of weeks on February 19th, the Secretary of State has announced that she will be meeting with Abu Mazin and Prime Minister Olmert for the first trilateral discussions in a very long time between the Israelis, the Palestinians and the United States. What is your assessment of these two things? Do you have much hope, first of all, for the Saudi summit?
MINISTER AHMED ABOUL GHEIT: There has been lots of intensive work prepared by us to bring the two parties, Hamas and Fatah, together. The idea is not just to stop the fighting because to stop the fighting should always be an objective. To stop people killing each other is an objective, no doubt about it. But the principal idea is that if we want to launch a peaceful process or to renew the process, then we have to have a Palestinian national movement that is unified or united, hence, the drive to bring the Palestinians together to agree on the least of common denominators between the two organizations or group.
Why is it so? Because the logic is if you have a government of national unity and if you launch yourself in negotiations with the Israelis as it is coming with the visit of the Secretary on the 19th, then you have to have a Palestinian stage ready to contribute and you have to have the proper environment. But imagine we launch ourselves in negotiations and renewing the effort, and then someone decides to obstruct by firing a missile, and the whole process will come to a stall. The important thing is to ensure that we have a committed Palestinian party, government, a president, a president who has a free hand to negotiate. Because of this, I do not agree with such views that are insisting that we do not deal with Hamas.
Why is it so? Because Hamas is a fact of life. They won elections, and they have 30 percent of the Palestinian popular vote, and they are there. If we want a civil war amongst the Palestinians, that will take us nowhere.
Why is it so? I am not a defender or proponent of Hamas, but the important thing is to analyze and to have that very rational approach to what is the interest of the whole region and the interest of the Palestinians.
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