By Harvey Morris in
Jerusalem
Published: May 18
2003 18:01 | Last Updated: May 18 2003 18:01
Saeb Erekat, the
veteran negotiator who has resigned from the new Palestinian cabinet, said on
Sunday he had abandoned hope of Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister,
accepting the international "road map" for Middle East peace.
"I came to the conclusion that it would be easier for the Pope to cancel Christmas Mass than for Sharon to accept the road map," he said. Mr Erekat said he realised, during a meeting last week with Colin Powell, the US secretary of state, that Washington was not going to press Mr Sharon to accept the US-backed peace plan.
His resignation as
negotiation affairs minister was accepted at the weekend by Mahmoud Abbas, the
Palestinian Authority prime minister, also known as Abu Mazen. He said he quit
after the leadership ignored his advice not to go ahead with a meeting on
Saturday night between Mr Abbas and Mr Sharon. Mr Erekat argued that the
meeting would allow Mr Sharon to claim that he was pursuing bilateral
negotiations.
"I told Abu
Mazen: 'Do not allow Sharon to hide behind the term bilateral meetings and
don't allow President Bush to hide behind the idea that Palestinians and
Israelis can solve it bilaterally'."
At his Jericho
office, Mr Erekat, who described himself as the founder of the Palestinian
peace movement, told the FT: "Peace to me isn't a public relations stunt,
it's a way of life."
Mr Erekat was also
critical of unnamed colleagues in the leadership for failing the people.
"I believe Palestinians deserve better. I believe we need every possible
step towards accountability, transparency, democracy and human rights."
He said a date
should be set for new Palestinian elections, perhaps in six months, and
indicated he planned to run for senior office. "I'll be in the elections
for sure . . . and I promise that each Palestinian who misused his position in
any way possible, economically and so on, will not be tolerated."
Mr Erekat said he
had also quit the Palestine Liberation Organisation's negotiations committee
but that Yassir Arafat, the Palestinian Authority president, had yet to accept
his resignation.
© Financial
Times/FT.com