Militant groups spoil peace plan: Israel's Peres

London, Sept 26: Israel's Vice Premier Shimon Peres warned in an interview published that an Arab peace plan for the Middle East was in trouble unless governments in the region exercise control over Iran and militant groups.

Speaking to the Guardian newspaper, the veteran statesman said: ''The Arab world says: 'Let's make an overall agreement' ... Why not? ''The only thing is, can they control Hamas? Can they control Hizbollah? Can they control Iran? Because to make peace and to have war is not a great attraction.'' The Arab peace initiative, adopted by the Arab League in 2002, offers peace with Israel in exchange for full withdrawal from Arab lands occupied since the 1967 Middle East war.

But talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, have been almost completely on hold since Islamic militant group Hamas came to power in the January elections.

Hamas refuses to recognise Israel and end its armed struggle, saying such moves would be futile and noting Israel's expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Peres, for his part, said it was ''extremely difficult'' to dismantle those settlements in a unilateral move akin to Israel's 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, where, along with the West Bank, Palestinians seek statehood.

Peres cited recent Israeli offensives in Gaza and southern Lebanon, an area Israel quit in 2000 after a 22-year occupation.

Lebanon's Hizbollah militants, and Hamas in Gaza and the West Bank, were bolstered by the pullouts, leading many Israelis to oppose further go-it-alone moves by their government.

Peres said the Arab peace plan -- first aired by Saudi Arabia -- was effectively unworkable, the Guardian reported.

''We know actually the Saudi plan and again the problem arises, what happens to the terrorist groups? Because they are the basic obstacle right now,'' Peres said in the interview.

He highlighted numerous obstacles to restarting serious peace talks, such as divisions within the Palestinian factions and the threat posed to Israel by Iran.

''What is the strength of Iran? Only the weakness of the international community,'' he said. ''What is the strength of Hizbollah and Hamas? The weakness of the Arab world.'' Peres is travelling to Britain tomorrow mainly to support a Jewish organisation, the Guardian said.

However, it reported that he is also due to hold talks with Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett.

REUTERS

Related Stories