HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani chairing the meeting of the Ministerial Committee for the Arab Peace Initiative in Doha yesterday.
The Ministerial Committee for the Arab Peace Initiative yesterday discussed the stance its delegation to the US would take on the Middle East peace process.
Chaired by HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani, the consultative meeting in Doha considered topics like the members of the delegation and the ways to revive the Israel-Palestine peace process.
The committee also listened to a comprehensive presentation on the Palestinian situation and the recent communications with the American administration by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Secretary General of the Arab League Dr Nabil al-Arabi took part in the meeting along with Arab foreign ministers and heads of delegations of the member countries. Also representatives from Oman, UAE and Kuwait were present.
Dr al-Arabi said that the meeting discussed “what the delegation heading to the US on April 29 would say and who would go there to revive the peace process in the Middle East”.
The proposal to send a delegation to New York was agreed during the most recent Arab summit, held in Doha last month.
Abbas told visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday that Israel should freeze settlement construction and release prisoners, especially those arrested before the 1993 Oslo Accords, before resuming peace talks.
Kerry said in Israel yesterday he was intensely focused on a “quiet strategy” to breathe new life into the peace process, but he will not be rushed.
He told reporters he believed it “would be irresponsible... not to explore thoroughly the possibilities for moving forward” as he seeks to overcome decades of mistrust between Israel and the Palestinians.
Abbas also wants Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to present a map of the borders of a future Palestinian state before talks can resume.
BELOW: HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani receiving Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Doha yesterday.
