Spanish FM: Peace plan withheld for fear of Israeli rejection

[AlamoDemoc]

Last update - 21:48 18/11/2006
Spanish FM: Peace plan withheld for fear of Israeli rejection
By Akiva Eldar and Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondents, and The Associated Press

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/789009.html

(snip)
Spanish Foreign Minsiter Miguel Angel Moratinos said Friday that the new Mideast peace initiative drafted by Spain, France and Italy was not coordinated with Israel for fear that Jerusalem would reject it.

In a telephone interview with Haaretz, Moratinos said the plan does not recommend the immediate deployment of a large international force similar to the UNIFIL contingent stationed in Lebanon. Instead, a limited force of inspectors would be deployed to help establish and enforce the cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian militants.

(snip)
He said that he sought to reassure Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni that there was nothing in the plan "that Israel can reject."

Livni said Thursday that Israel rejected the new peace initiative out of hand. She told Moratinos that it was unacceptable for an initiative concerning Israel to be launched without coordination with Jerusalem.

But Moratinos told Haaretz on Friday he had spoken to his Israeli counterpart about the initiative, in what he described was a "good conversation," and had "tried to convince her that it's not an anti-Israeli plan."