Haneyya: Rice's visit to the region perilous to the Palestinian question

January 16, 2007

Gaza - PA premier Ismail Haneyya has warned that the visit of Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, poses grave danger to the future of the Palestinian question as it was purposely designed to protect Israel's interests in the region.

Heneyya added, "Rice's visit clearly aims at reinforcing Zionist interests in the region through her administration's vision of a temporary state [Palestinian state with temporary borders], which the Bush administration can achieve or lay the foundation for during the time left for this administration in office."

Haneyya pointed out, in a press statement on Monday, a copy of which was received by the PIC, that the present US administration is left with less than two years in office and is trying to do something in this period.

"It is clear that the Bush administration will not put any pressure on the Zionist entity to make substantial concessions to the Palestinian people, rather would attempt sedate the Palestinian situation," Haneyya added.

The sedation, the premier opined, would take the form of easing IOF restrictions on barriers, releasing some of the PA money seized by Israel and putting it in the hands of the PA presidency, in addition to supporting "moderate" Palestinians to bolster their position in the Palestinian arena among other facilities.

"We view as dangerous Rice's political and security recipe for the Palestinian situation. It is not true that she carried nothing with her, rather, we view what she carried as dangerous to everyone. Talk of a state with temporary borders and arming the Presidential security forces are main features of [Rice's] future recipe," he said calling on Palestinian people to be cautious and responsible regarding the reverberations of Rice's visit.