Moscow. (RIA Novosti political commentator Marianna Belenkaya) -- Foreign Minister of the Palestine National Authority (PNA) Nasser al-Kidwa had talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Thursday.
Earlier in the week U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Israeli Vice Premier Ehud Olmert in Washington D.C. The capitals of the two co-sponsors of the Mideastern settlement discussed the same subject: the first results of the evacuation of Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip, and partially, from the West Bank of the Jordan.
So far the diplomats favorably assess the development of events in the zone of the Palestine-Israeli conflict. The words in Moscow and Washington sound almost exactly the same - "the evacuation of settlements should give an impetus to the resumption of the road map peace plan".
Let's recall that Russia and the U.S. have developed the "road map" together with the EU and UN. For a long time they resisted the attempts of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to insist on unilateral evacuation of settlements. Eventually they made sure that the process is harmonized with the Palestinians, and the evacuation is written into the road map context. The diplomatic efforts were crowned with success, and now the further developments directly depend on the parties to the conflict. First of all, the future will depend on the ability of the PNA leaders to abolish the infrastructure of terror on their territory, and on whether or not Israel will go on with its policy of illegal expansion of the remaining settlements on the West Bank and the expropriation of Palestinian lands.
There is a host of other nuances that should be considered before the negotiating process can resume. It is too early (and fearful for some) to think of what it may end with. Therefore, both the mediators and the parties to the conflict prefer not to ponder over remote perspectives, but to resolve problems as they come up.
Now the number one problem is to accommodate Palestinians on the territories left by Israelis, and to help the evacuated Israelis find new homes. Both the PNA and Israel need funds for this purpose. The U.S. and the World Bank are planning to provide most of the required funds. To quote Lavrov, Russia is ready to help the Palestinians set up security services and prepare cadres for them, establish social and educational infrastructure, and train personnel. Nasser al-Kidwa expressed his gratitude to Russia for material and political support. In this case the words about political support are not void, or just an expression of good manners. During his first visit to the Middle East last April, President Vladimir Putin came up with the initiative to hold an international meeting on a Mideastern settlement with a view to harmonizing actions by all interested parties.
A peace process should not stop at evacuation of settlements, reasoned Moscow. The usual framework of four: Russia, U.S., the EU and UN, is too narrow for the discussion. It is important for the Palestinians and Israelis to take part in the talks, as well as for Egypt and Jordan, the two Arab countries that not simply border on the conflict area, but have diplomatic relations with Israel. Besides, the problems to be discussed require participation of more than two or even four parties.
When Russia voiced the idea of an international meeting, Israel and the U.S. were apprehensive. But later on, as diplomatic sources of RIA Novosti admitted, Washington realized that it was necessary. Possibly, when the program of the suggested meeting is defined, the idea will be favored by the Israelis who are afraid that at this meeting they may be subject to obstruction, or pressed into unacceptable terms. They think that this often happens at international meetings. But, as the head of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Mikhail Margelov said, "after all the world media covered the evacuation of Israeli families (evacuation of settlements - RIA), the international community's sympathies are with Israel."
But sympathy is a fleeting thing. In any event, preparations for the meeting have gone underway. The Four will make its agenda more specific at the session of the UN General Assembly in September. The meeting itself is scheduled for November.
The main task is to avoid a new round of Israeli-Palestine confrontation. It is not unlikely because the peace process runs against the grain of some forces on both sides of the conflict.
