Gov't sources: Qureia can't take steps needed to renew talks

[Gimel]

By Aluf Benn and Nathan Guttman, Haaretz Service and Agencies

Senior government sources in Jerusalem on Saturday said that Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia (Abu Ala) is incapable of creating the conditions required to renew peace negotiations, in particular in regard to security matters.

"He isn't capable of doing anything under any conditions," they said.

Contacts to coordinate a meeting between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Abu Ala are currently completely frozen. Dov Weisglass, head of the Prime Minister's Office, continues to hold phone conversations on occasion with his Palestinian counterpart, Hassan abu-Libda, but the talks contain little substantive material.

PA leaders discuss unilateral establishment of state
Palestinian leaders on Saturday reasserted the right to unilaterally declare an independent state in the absence of a peace deal with Israel, responding to Israel's own threats of one-sided action.

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Powell said he hoped Assistant Secretary of State William Burns, "can build a little momentum to get a little more pressure from Egyptians and others to place on the Palestinian Authority."

"They've got to get going and they have got to wrest authority away from Arafat that will allow (Qureia) to start taking action with respect to terror and violence," he added.
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