By Ulises Canales, Prensa Latina,
Cairo : Plagued by international passivity to an unbending Tel Aviv, the negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis have recovered a slight optimism in the wake of the announcement that the next meeting of the Middle East Quartet will be held in Moscow.
Russia, as a member of the Quartet also including the United States, the United Nations and the European Union, shares responsibility for the virtually nil progress of talks convened in Annapolis, the United States, in November 2007, by President George W. Bush.
However, Moscow’s stance of expressing, without giving up diplomatic language, its clear rejection of the Israeli policy towards the Palestinians, inspires confidence in that the conference scheduled for next spring may change things significantly.
The Arab-Israeli conflict, specifically that affecting the Palestinian people, was subject to analysis on Sunday in Sharm El Sheikh resort, Egypt, and despite the real situation, mediators described the negotiations as “substantial and promising.”
Despite the failure of President Bush’s purpose of materializing an agreement before his leaving the White House by year end, the Quartet stressed its “commitment to the irreversibility of bilateral negotiations.”
Members even vowed to respect the bilateral, confidential nature of the talks and called on states to follow the same principles, as requested by top representatives of Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PA).
PA President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Lovni said to be ready to continue peace efforts, while UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated that there would only be an arrangement when all pending issues are settled by both parties.
According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, “the common wish is to make sure that the Annapolis process is successful,” but he was cautious in praising progress made so far, mainly because of the unstoppable Jewish settlement expansion in occupied territories.
The best guarantee for success in solving the issue will undoubtedly be in the hands of the concerned parties, but more international will, above all less US support of its Israeli ally, will also significantly contribute to solve it.