by Tova Dvorin
Diplomats: Kerry finalized US veto to PA statehood text only after Livni, Peres begged him that it would influence the elections rightward.
Kerry and Livni (archive)
Flash 90
"Kerry has been very, very clear that for the United States it was not an option to discuss whatever text before the end of the Israeli election," the diplomat stated.
Kerry said that the warning stems from a meeting he had with former President Shimon Peres and Hatnua Chairman Tzipi Livni, who appealed to him out of concerns that the anti-Israel resolution - if passed before elections - would influence the vote toward Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's Likud party and Economics Chairman's Jewish Home party.
The top US official made the remarks to 28 EU envoys at a private luncheon, the diplomat added.
A Secretary of State official confirmed Kerry's warning to the magazine.
"Secretary Kerry made clear in private as he has in public that we don’t think any steps should be taken that would interfere with the Israeli election - that’s what he conveyed earlier this week," he said. "He continues to discuss with foreign partners the options for advancing the goal we all share of preventing a downward spiral of events on the ground and creating conditions for resumption of negotiations on a two state solution."
The PA resolution submitted to the UN Security Council demands that Israel withdraw from Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem by 2017.
Kerry led a nine-month peace bid that collapsed in acrimony in April, and Washington has long opposed what it calls "unilateral" moves to achieve statehood, which it says will only come through a negotiated deal.
Previous agreements signed by the PA forbid it from taking such "unilateral steps."
Tova Dvorin
Source: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/188877#.VJXB2f8NBFE
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
No comments:
Post a Comment