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 | | From: | AP | | Subject: | Abbas Makes Peace Gesture to Israel | | Date: | Mon, 10 Jan 2005 15:30:16 EST |
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*Associated Press/AP Online
RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas
extended his hand in peace Monday, his first gesture toward Israel
since his landslide victory in presidential elections.
His remarks added to the sense of optimism felt in the
region since Abbas' election Sunday. The victory, which capped a
peaceful transition of power after the Nov. 11 death of Yasser
Arafat, has raised hopes around the world that peace talks could
soon resume.
"We extend our hands to our neighbors," Abbas
declared late Monday after a meeting with international observers
who monitored the election. "We are ready for peace, peace
based on justice. We hope that their response will be
positive."
Israel has welcomed Abbas' election, and even Palestinian
militants expressed a willingness to work with him.
But hard-line Islamic groups raised questions about the
legitimacy of the vote in the face of what appeared to be a low
turnout, underscoring the sensitive task that Abbas faces as he
tries to restart peace talks with Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon welcomed Abbas' victory
but said he will watch closely how hard he tries to subdue
militants.
"He will be tested based on the way in which he fights
terrorism and dismantles their infrastructure," Sharon said.
Sharon got a boost for his plan to withdraw from the Gaza
Strip and parts of the West Bank this summer, with approval of a new
coalition with the dovish Labor Party. His new government took
office after narrowly winning a parliamentary vote of confidence.
The alliance cleared the way for Sharon to push the withdrawal plan
through parliament.
Sharon, who initially proposed his Gaza plan as a unilateral
act, has said he would coordinate the pullout with Abbas if there is
a crackdown on militants.
Israeli and Palestinian officials said the two leaders would
be meeting "soon," though they declined to be specific.
In Washington, President Bush congratulated Abbas and
invited the new Palestinian leader to the White House - an offer
never extended to Arafat.
Palestinian spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh called the invitation
"encouraging."
Final results released Monday showed Abbas winning 62.3
percent of the vote, said Hanna Nasser, head of the Central Election
Commission. His main challenger, independent Mustafa Barghouti, won
19.8 percent, while the remaining five candidates scored in the
lower single digits.
However, Nasser declined to give a turnout figure, citing
confusion over the number of unregistered voters who were deemed
eligible to vote.
Voting was extended by two hours Sunday in what officials
with Abbas' Fatah movement acknowledged was a move to encourage more
people to vote.
The questions about voter participation emerged as a
possible point of contention between Fatah and hard-line groups
Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
On Sunday, Palestinian officials said nearly 70 percent of
1.1 million registered voters cast ballots.
But because election officials opened up the polls to all
Palestinians above age 18 in the middle of the day Sunday, about
660,000 others could have voted.
Nasser said only 12 percent of those people voted,
indicating that the true turnout might have been closer to 50
percent.
The militant groups, which have carried out dozens of
suicide bombings in Israel in the past four years, boycotted the
election, though they did not try to disrupt it.
"We respect this result despite the serious
irregularities during the last two hours of the election," said
Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman.
Mohammed al-Hindi, an Islamic Jihad leader, said the group
is ready to work with Abbas. But he said the election did not
represent the wishes of the Palestinian majority.
"That means the result doesn't authorize the winner to
negotiate the essential questions of the Palestinian people,"
he added.
Abbas campaigned against attacks against Israel, saying they
have only hurt the Palestinian cause by drawing harsh Israeli
reprisals.
Although he has resisted Israeli calls to confront
militants, Abbas is expected to try to persuade the militant groups
to agree to a cease-fire.
Weary from four years of fighting with Israel, Hamas and
Islamic Jihad have indicated they are willing to halt their attacks.
But both groups Monday reaffirmed their right to
"resistance."
Sharon said the cease-fire is an internal Palestinian
matter, but that Israel would respond positively to quiet.
Abbas' victory held out the promise of a new era after four
decades of chaotic and corruption-riddled rule by Arafat. Abbas
promises to reform the government and the unwieldy security
services.
However, Abbas' goals are the same as Arafat's: a
Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem,
and a solution for Palestinian war refugees.
Former President Jimmy Carter, who led an international
delegation of election observers, said the vote went smoothly
overall, and praised the Israelis and the Palestinians for making
great efforts to ensure the free, democratic process.
"This is a good opportunity for us to participate and
see the heroic and almost miraculous achievement of the Palestinian
people in shaping this election in such a short time," Carter
said.
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