Hopes for a resumption of the Middle East peace process are pinned on the March 19th meeting of the four international mediators in the Russian capital. The hopes are expressed by the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-Moon, speaking at the New York Headquarters of the World Organization. Mr. Ki-Moon is hoping that the Moscow meeting, in which he is participating, will help to kick-start the stalled peace process.
Ban Ki-Moon has good reasons for his optimism: Russian, American, EU and UN officials are due to discuss in the Russian capital, the Middle East situation and the steps to be taken to overcome the protracted stalemate. Russia is the only country among the 4 mediators, which talks to all the Middle East warring sides, enhancing thereby its role in the efforts by the mediators to solve the Middle East long running conflict. In recent times, the President of the Palestinian National Administration, Mahmud Abbas, the HAMAS leader, Haled Mashal and the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu have all travelled to Moscow, to brief Russian leaders about what they have been doing, as well as about their vision of a possible settlement of the regional conflict.
The meeting in Moscow is to take place against the backdrop of a kind of a progress in the peace process: Israelis and Palestinians have accepted the suggestion by the Arab League of Nations to hold indirect talks . The U.S presidential aide for the Middle East, George Michel has said that the talks will be moderated by American officials, and the U.S vice president, Joseph Biden, currently in the Middle East, has already started the ball rolling. Vladimir Morozov, a member of the Moscow Institute of International Relations' think tank on the Middle East does not underrate the difficulties which lie ahead:
"Much needs to be done to make the talks a success. But, the agreement to talk is already an advancement Palestine remains divided into two halves- the West Bank and Gaza. The West Bank has agreed to talk indirectly with Israel, but Gaza under the strong control of HAMAS has declined".
Besides the problem of FATH and HAMAS internal squabbling, there is the one of Jewish settlements, which is the main stumbling block to a resumption of direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine. Unless and until this problem is solved, indirect or direct negotiations between the combatants can hardly be expected to produce the desired results. On Monday, Israel announced plans to build 112 houses for Jews on the West Bank, not a good augury for the planned indirect talks, said Morozov:
"Israel has been trying to legalize itself in the eyes of its hostile neighbours. Israel considers any small attempt by Arabs and Palestinians to normalize relationships with it a huge breakthrough".
Will the building of long term good neighbourly ties be given preference, or will transient political considerations gain the upper hand like in the past? That is the key question.
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