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President Shimon Peres says Israel can make peace with Palestinians |
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Written by International Herald Tribune
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Monday, 12 November 2007 |
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Israeli President Shimon Peres said Monday he believed his country could now make peace with Palestinians and said it was determined to make U.S.-sponsored peace negotiations later this month a success.
"I believe we can make peace now with Palestinians and all countries that are on the side of peace," Peres said, while adding that it might not happen quickly. "It takes time to make peace."
Peres was speaking in Ankara after meeting Monday with Turkey's President Abdullah Gul.
A Middle East conference in Annapolis, Maryland, at the end of this month is aimed at relaunching Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, which broke down in violence seven years ago.
On Tuesday, Peres meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who arrived Monday in Ankara.
"Israel is decided to make Annapolis a success," Peres said. "Israel is decided to bring an end to the conflict."
Gul said Turkey expected the Annapolis talks to yield "concrete and tangible results," and said Syria should also be invited to participate.
"As a country that is a party to the problem, it is important that Syria participates," Gul said.
Peres welcomed the participation of all "moderate countries," saying "the voice of peace will be stronger and louder" with more participants attending. But he accused Syria of not taking steps for peace.
Syria has belittled the talks, with Syria's ambassador to the U.S., Imad Moustapha, last week calling them a "waste" and a "photo opportunity."
Peres cautioned against high expectations from the meeting, but said it could serve as a starting point, and that Turkey's participation would also be useful.
"We start with a high degree of trust," Peres said. "We start in a good atmosphere."
Turkey, a NATO member and Israel's closest ally in the Islamic world, has in the past played the role of mediator between the Jewish state and its Muslim neighbors.
On Tuesday, Turkish, Israeli and Palestinian officials will discuss plans to set up an industrial park in the West Bank.
The industrial zone is expected to create jobs for thousands of Palestinians. Turkey is waiting for Abbas' government to decide how much land could be allocated for the project.
Also Tuesday, Peres will become the first Israeli president to speak before the legislature of a Muslim country. Abbas will separately address the Turkish Parliament on Tuesday.
Peres said he and Gul had disagreed on Iran's disputed nuclear program, and Peres accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, building long-range missiles and sponsoring terrorism.
Turkey says countries should have the right to seek nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
"We are against any type of weapons of mass destruction in our region," Gul said.
Peres said: "Israel is not an enemy of Iran or of Islam. But the Iranian head of state has on numerous occasions made threats" against Israel.
Peres said Iranian explanations that they were seeking nuclear energy for peaceful purposes were not "credible."
"They have no need for (nuclear) energy — they have both oil and natural gas," Peres said.
Gul said Turkey would take steps to try to secure the release of Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah guerrillas in cross-border raids from Lebanon.
In September, Turkey demanded an apology from Israel after it said Israeli jets crossed into Turkish airspace and jettisoned fuel tanks during a raid on a military target in Syria. Gul said Monday that the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, had offered an apology for the incident and said: "I believe the matter is now closed." |
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