PRESS RELEASE: GENEVA INITIATIVE PALESTINE, 04.03.04

“A joint meeting of the Palestinian and Israeli partners of the Geneva Initiative urged both Palestinian and Israeli publics to support a negotiated settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as opposed to the ideology of unilateralism currently being promoted by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
The steering committees of the two sides involved in the Geneva Initiative met Wednesday March 3, 2004 for some six hours in Al Ram area, halfway between Jerusalem and Ramallah, since neither side could enter the areas of the other. Palestinians could not get the appropriate permits to go to Israel. The Israelis are bound by military orders issued by the central command of the Israeli army barring their entry into the areas of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).
“As we approach the Arab League Summit,” said the statement, “We emphasize that the Geneva Initiative is compatible with the Saudi Peace Plan that was endorsed by the Arab summit meeting in Beirut in 2002. The Geneva Accord serves as proof that such a solution can indeed become a reality.”
The Palestinian team to the meeting, headed by PLO Executive Committee member and head of the Palestinian Peace Coalition Yasser Abed Rabbo, included PNA minister of planning Nabil Kassis, PLC member Qaddoura Fares, Liana Badr, Radi Jarai’, Naim Al Ashhab, Tayseer Arouri, Abdul Qader Al Husseini (son of the late Faisal Husseini), Ibrahim Khreisheh, Jamal Zaqout, Nazmi Jubeh and Samaan Khoury.
The Israeli team, headed by former minister of justice Yossi Beilin, included MKs Amnon Shahak, Amram Mitzna, Haim Oron, Avshalom Vilan, brigadier general (res.) Yisraela Oron, Menachem Klein, Daniel Levy, Ron Pundak, Yonathan Touval, Mia Bengel, Dror Sternschuss, Daniela Beilin, Arieh Arnon and Gadi Baltiansky.
Also present were Urs Ziswiler and Roland Steininger of the Swiss Foreign Ministry and Martin Lufhuller and Brooke Spelman of the Swiss Humanitarian Dialogue Center…”