Abbas gets ready for showdown with militants over cease-fire

Returning from his landmark summit with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the first top level Israeli-Palestinian meeting in more than four years, Abbas expressed satisfaction with its results.

But he admitted that the real challenge of implementing pledges by both sides to end the bloodshed still lay ahead.

At Tuesday's summit in Egypt, Abbas and Sharon declared an end to hostilities.

The chances of translating his declaration into facts on the ground are largely dependent on members of militant groups such as Hamas, who Palestinian security officials allege are being increasingly funded by the Lebanese group Hizbullah.

Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri said the movement's leaders would soon meet with Abbas in Gaza to find out more about the summit's outcome and possible Israeli guarantees to honor the truce.

"We will decide on our position concerning the cease-fire after we meet with Abu Mazen," Masri said, using the Palestinian Authority president's nom-de-guerre.

But he branded the summit "disappointing" and said "the cease-fire agreement only reflects the Palestinian Authority's position."

Sources close to Abbas also said that the Palestinian president had dispatched a top aide to Lebanon to persuade Hizbullah to stop interfering with the fledgling peace process.

Abdelfatah Hamayel, who served as a Cabinet minister under Abbas during his time as premier in 2003, was expected to urge the Shiite militia to stop funding attacks by militants.

But Hizbullah secretary general Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said yesterday the solution for peace was for Israelis to "get out of our land, free all the prisoners and go back from where you have come and leave us, the residents of this land to live in peace and in dignity."

A senior member of the dominant Fatah faction, Abbas Zaki, was due to travel to Lebanon next week, the sources said.

"Hizbullah are trying to increase the attacks through all the factions, not only through the Islamic parties, but through all the resistance groups including Al-Aqsa [Martyrs Brigades]," an offshoot of Abbas's own mainstream Fatah party, a senior security source said.

Hizbullah on Wednesday said that it was unaware of any Palestinian plans to dispatch an envoy to Lebanon.

"We have no information about the contacts mentioned in the press," Hizbullah's press officer, Mohammed Afif, said in a statement released by the party. "No one has tried to contact us."

The Italian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it has received reassurances from Syria that Damascus would make extremist groups respect the Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire.

The ministry in Rome said that Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa called his Italian counterpart Gianfranco Fini and discussed Tuesday's summit in Egypt.

"Sharaa wanted to give reassurances on Damascus' renewed commitment for a stable and lasting peace in the Middle East," said a statement by the Italian Foreign Ministry.

"The Syrian government ... believes that strengthening Abbas is a priority at this stage, and for this reason it intends to exert its influence on extremist formations, such as Hizbullah, so that they respect the cease-fire agreed on at Sharm el-Sheikh yesterday," the statement said.

Syria hosts several Palestinian militant groups, such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and has influence over Hizbullah.

Israel has consistently accused Hizbullah of funding attacks by Palestinian militant groups, in particular Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Sharon was also facing a challenge to his authority after his Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom pledged to lead a campaign for his flagship plan to pull out of the Gaza Strip to be put to a referendum.

"I intend to lead a public, parliamentary and political initiative in favor of a referendum," Shalom announced in a television interview.

"I believe general agreement should be obtained from the people to avoid a serious struggle," Shalom said.

Sharon not only rejected the idea but said it was tantamount to a threat.

"There will be no referendum on the disengagement plan," he was quoted as saying by public radio. "The proposals on this subject resemble threats and I never yield to threats."

The pullout, due to be completed by the end of the year, will be the first time that Israel has left occupied Palestinian territory and has been widely cited as another factor which could transform the peace process.

Meanwhile, in what would be the strongest signal yet to ordinary Palestinians that a cease-fire with Israel is beginning to pay off, Abbas said on Wednesday that Israel has agreed to lift travel restrictions in parts of the West Bank in coming weeks.

Freedom of travel would greatly improve the lives of ordinary Palestinians, as the roadblocks have decimated their economy.

Abbas said Israel had assured him that travel bans would soon be eased and several major checkpoints will be removed as part of its military withdrawal from five Palestinian towns in the coming weeks. - Agencies, The Daily Star

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