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Saudis Pushing Obama for New Mideast Plan

[Ha'aretz] Aluf Benn and Barak Ravid - One proposal that Netanyahu made, both in his White House meeting with Obama on Monday and in earlier meetings with the leaders of Egypt and Jordan, was that the Arab states amend the Arab peace initiative to enable it to serve as a basis for negotiations. However, the Saudis told American officials that they oppose the idea of amending the initiative. To Netanyahu, it is important that the Arab initiative be a basis for negotiations rather than an ultimatum. At his meetings in Washington, he said the general tenor of the Arab initiative was acceptable, but he was not willing to sign off on all its details. Senior Saudi officials have so far rejected outright the idea of gradual normalization with Israel, American sources said. The Saudis have been pressing Obama to present a detailed plan for an Israeli-Palestinian final-status agreement similar to that offered by former president Bill Clinton, calling for an Israeli withdrawal from almost all of the West Bank, a division of Jerusalem and a complex arrangement on refugees. Senior American officials told their Israeli colleagues this week that President Obama will not present a new peace plan in his speech in Cairo next week. Rather, he will focus on extending a hand to the Arab and Muslim world. The two leaders agreed to set up working groups on the issue of settlements, as well as on Iran and normalization with the Arab world. Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom reiterated Tuesday that Israel does not intend to establish new settlements, but will accommodate "natural growth" in existing settlements.
2009-05-20 06:00:00
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