Palestinian leader says 'aggression' must stop

[January 10, 2009]  CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- The Palestinian Authority president urged both Israel and Hamas to agree to an Egypt-brokered truce Saturday, but he singled out the Jewish state, saying it would be responsible for a "waterfall of blood" if it didn't accept the deal.

Mahmoud Abbas was in Cairo Saturday for talks with Egyptian officials on a truce to end the fighting in the Gaza Strip, now in its 15th day. In a news conference Saturday after meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Abbas stressed there was no time to waste in ending the bloodshed in Gaza, home to 1.4 million people.

"If any party does not accept it (the truce), regrettably it will be the one bearing the responsibility, and if Israel doesn't want to accept, it will take the responsibility of perpetuating a waterfall of blood," Abbas told reporters.

The Palestinian leader also said he hopes Hamas, which controls Gaza, will agree to a cease-fire without "hesitation." Abbas said that so far, he has not heard any serious reservations from Hamas to the Egyptian proposal.

However, Hamas and other Syria-based Palestinian militant groups Saturday rejected deploying international observers or troops in Gaza -- one idea that has been discussed to bring peace to the region.

In a statement issued Saturday after a meeting attended by Hamas political leader Khaled Mashaal they also rejected any security arrangement that infringes on the right of resistance against Israeli occupation.

The statement reiterated Hamas' demands including an immediate halt to Israeli attacks, full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, lifting the siege and opening all border crossings.

Hamas officials from both Gaza and Syria are also in Cairo for separate talks with Egyptian officials on a truce.

In a telephone interview from Cairo Saturday, one of the Hamas delegates to the talks, Ayman Taha, spoke to Al-Arabiya Television, saying that the group was in Cairo to "give our observations on this initiative.

"These observations do not mean we reject the Egyptian initiative ... if it was so Hamas would not send delegates from inside (Gaza) and outside (Syria) to talk with the brothers in Egypt," he said. "The initiative has positive constructive points, though there are other points that need more discussions."

Israeli officials visited Cairo earlier this week.

Hamas and Abbas's Fatah party, which controls the West Bank, are fierce rivals. Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007, and the Palestinian Authority has no power in the coastal strip.

The Israeli offensive in Gaza started Dec. 27. Israel has said that the offensive is designed to stop Hamas rocket fire into Israel. So far, more than 750 Palestinians and 13 Israelis have died in the fighting.

Abbas said there is no time to lose in implementing a peace deal and that the Egyptian proposal, put forward this week by Mubarak at a news conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, is the only way forward.

Egypt's plan calls for a temporary cease-fire to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. That would be followed by a longer-term cease-fire and negotiations on the underlying problems that led to the fighting such as lifting the siege of Gaza and securing the borders. That could lead to talks between the warring Palestinian factions on a unity government.

Both Hamas and Israel have ignored a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who also met Saturday with Mubarak, described the resolution is an important step but warned conditions in Gaza are "deteriorating."

"We now need a working plan for a lasting ceasefire," Steinmeier said. "We need to work persistently to pave the way for an end to the fighting."

Steinmeier also said Germany would be sending experts to Egypt to discuss ways to secure the border with Gaza. The stretch of land connecting Egypt and Gaza has been an area of contention between Israel and Egypt, as much of the weapons in Gaza are smuggled in through tunnels under the border.

[Associated Press; By SARAH EL-DEEB]

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