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Sunday, July 20, 2008
23:14 Mecca time, 20:14 GMT
 
News Middle East
Brown calls for settlement freeze
Brown's first visit to the Middle East attempts to bolster trade in the region [AFP]

Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, has arrived in the Middle East for two days of talks to promote "an economic road map for peace".

"Israeli settlements are a hindrance to peace and must be frozen," he said on Sunday at a news conference held in the West Bank town of Bethlehem.

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, also spoke at the conference that marked Brown's first visit to the Middle East since becoming prime minister in June 2007.

"Israel is not concerned with the principles of the Annapolis conference, namely freezing settlement expansion," Abbas said.

Brown promised to offer additional financial support and police training to the Palestinian government and said that economic prosperity was key to peace, and urged an easing of Israeli travel restrictions in the West Bank that contribute to hindering commerce.

Israel response

Brown later visited Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, who admitted he had taken criticism on the settlements issue.

However, Olmert said: "I am absolutely confident, Mr Prime Minister, that this should not stand in the way of achieing an agreement between us and the Palestinians. We are closer then ever to an agreement.

"We have some disagreements which are very significant but I believe we can overcome [these]," by then end of this year.

Olmert was speaking at a joint press conference with Brown in Jerusalem.

Nour Odeh, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Bethlehem, said Brown had earlier pledged $60m in aid this year in aid to the Palestine Authority.

Brown promised British support in developing housing, industrial parks and small businesses.

"We know that there are huge issues that are being discussed at the moment on security, issues about the future of different parts of the region," he said.

"But we also know the important contribution that the prospect of prosperity and economic development can make to this region".

However, Brown's pledge to provide more aid follows a list of similar promises. Less than half the money promised at last year's Paris Donors' conference has materialised.

Meanwhile, Odeh said: "At this point it doesn’t look like he'll be offering more than political support. As long as the [seperation] wall continues, and Israeli settlements are expanding, any prospect for peace diminishes by the minute and by the hour."

Brown is to move on to Jerusalem where he will Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, following a stop in Iraq where he will meet Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister.

 Source: Al Jazeera
Feedback Number of comments : 2
 
Mary
Afghanistan
20/07/2008
Palestine elections
Were held. Abbas needs to honor them. As it is, people there don't like him because he attacks his own people. As long as he refused to accept the result of Palestinians elections and work with Hamas, he can't have any credibility. His police will cause a civil war and then of course Israel will be able to build all the new houses it wants.

Katerina Andreou
United States
20/07/2008
Israeli Settlements
Brown is wise to invest in Palestinian causes, and to ask the Israeli government to freeze construction of Jewish settlements in Palestinian lands. Too bad Blair didn't break from Bush and condemn Israel long ago for it's state-sponsored ethnic cleansing. Until Palestine is rid of settlers, Israeli government sanctions and harsh restrictions/deprivations, no nation can be considered a democracy while supporting the ruthless Israeli practices.

 
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