MESSAGE BOARD
NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Take side of peace, says Peres: PTI

Senior Israeli minister Shimon Peres on Friday urged India to take the "side of peace" in the Middle East crisis and said the September 13 deadline for declaration of an independent Palestinian state was not a "holy date."

"We want India on the side of peace. We don't want India to support us against Palestinians. We don't want one-sided support of India," Israeli Minister for Regional Co-operation, who is in New Delhi on a mission to seek Indian support, told reporters.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, whom he met on Thursday, responded favourably to his apprisal of the Middle East negotiations, the former Israeli premier said.

His visit as a special emissary of Prime Minister Ehud Barak comes close on the heels of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's meeting with Indian leaders last week.

Indicating that the Palestinian leader may extend his unilaterally announced deadline for the declaration, the former Israeli premier said, "September 13 is not a holy date. It could be later."

He hoped that the Middle East problem would be resolved before the end of United States President Bill Clinton's tenure in the White House and said time was running out.

"Time is very short and we want to conclude while Clinton is in office. We have great respect for Clinton and for his role in the talks," Peres said, adding, "In the peace process, nothing great happens overnight. You must be patient. We will have a solution."

Clinton recently hosted a summit of Arafat and Barak at Camp David, which collapsed on the issue of control of east Jerusalem. While Israel is ready to concede limited control over the area, Palestinians are insisting on total sovereignty over east Jerusalem.

Tell us what you think of this report