Al-Rai al-Aam: Plan for comprehensive solution to Palestinian issue
Palestine-USA, Politics, 8/17/2002

The Kuwaiti daily al-Rai al-Am issued on Friday said that high ranking Palestinian sources unveiled an under-study Arab work plan by the American administration that includes a solution to the Palestinian question as a whole and the establishment of a state before the mid of 2005.

Al-Rai al-Aam quoted the sources that this plan was the essence of the meetings held by the secretary of the PLO executive committee Mahmoud Abbas ( Abu Mazin) in each of Saudi Arabia, Cairo and Amman.

The paper issued the full text of the said Arab plan besides the American vision to the establishment of the Palestinian state, as follows: Washington sees that the declaration of the Palestinian state would not precede the approval of the constitution, the elections and implementing reforms and this is to be made in an agreement with Israel, and that if the Palestinian state will not be declared before the set time to complete the final solution, it will be then declared in the mid of 2005 after reaching a final solution and implementing the great part of it, while the Arab states call for declaring the Palestinian state immediately after making the next Palestinian elections.

The final solution: ending the occupation which started in 1967, and founding the Palestinian state in implementation to what was declared by Bush and Powell. The final negotiations on border demarcation are to be made according to UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 338 and other pending issues, especially the refugees, Jerusalem, security and the water issues are to be solved.

As for the time ceiling for the negotiations, this is limited to three years, and that Washington sees the need to convene the international conference in the second part of 2003 and negotiations on the final solution to be held by the beginning of 2004 or the end of 2003, and the final solution should be implemented in the mid of 2005.

On that, the Arab states concerned see that the proposed international conference should be held very soon, closer than what Washington proposes, and that the final solution negotiations not to be later than the beginning of 2003.

As for the security issue, the plan stated that security departments for the Palestinians should be built according to proposals made by the CIA chief with experiences provided from Jordanian, Egyptian and Saudi experts.

As for the question of reform, a new Palestinian constitution should be formulated before the elections. Washington is determinant to found a prime minister position, and approval of a constitution that minimize Arafat's role, but the Arab states see that appointing a prime minister should be studied carefully and its aim should not be just to marginalize Arafat.

As for the elections, Washington calls for postponing the elections until the mid of 2003 and the Palestinian state not to be declared until after the approval of the constitution and making of the elections in the presence of international observer and the Israeli forces should totally pull out until September 28, 2003, just at least one month before the elections. For that the Arab state call for an early date for the Israeli withdrawal and for the elections.

Concerning the settlement process, Israel, according to the plan, has to stop the settlements before the elections and illegal settlements will be dismantled. And Israel is also to withdraw from all Israeli settlements in Gaza by the beginning of 2004.

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