Under Israeli conditions, Annan cancels al-Aqsa visit

The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Thursday canceled a visit scheduled to al-Aqsa mosque and the old town in Jerusalem because of "the conditions imposed by the Israeli authorities for this visit."

Officials at Orient House, the official headquarters of the PLO in East Jerusalem, said that Annan canceled the visit because of the many conditions put by the Israeli authorities. Among these conditions, the Palestinian officials said, was that Annan was to be escorted by Israeli officials and a large Israeli security force during his tour.

A member of the Palestinian government responsible for Jerusalem said that Annan's decision to cancel the visit is regarded as a rejection of the conditions enforced by Israel with the objective of showing its dominance over the city, a matter which contradicts with UN international legitimacy resolutions which regards East Jerusalem as an occupied zone, Al-Nahar reported.

Well-informed Palestinian sources said Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert had decided to accompany Annan on his tour. Nevertheless, spokesman for Jerusalem municipality denied the news of such a visit, while the protocol department at the Israeli Foreign Ministry said that "Annan 's visit timetable did not include such a tour in the old town of Jerusalem."