Israeli Prime minister Ariel Sharon would find ways to wriggle out of the latest roadmap for the West Asia peace process even if Israel agrees to it under international pressure, according to the newly appointed Palestinian ambassador to India, Brigadier General Osama Musa.
The man who was the chairman of the Regional Security Committee created after the Oslo agreement is Palestine Liberation Army leader Yasser Arafat's chosen one to India at a time when India is moving closer to Israel.
Musa, who was instrumental in the creation of the Palestine Air Force and airlines, was trained in Pakistan as a pilot and is a close associate of Arafat.
"President Arafat has a huge view and looking for the future. In 1968 he said to me 'let's start to make a Palestinian air force and aviation'. I said to him, 'we are small and little and have no view'. He said, 'no, one day we will be in our country and we need technicians and pilots and from today you start," Musa said after presenting his credentials to President A P J Abdul Kalam.
Musa also trained several Palestinian pilots in Libya and Algeria.
Based on his experiences from the Oslo Accord, when he was the Palestinian representative in the Gaza Strip, Musa said the present peace efforts would fail.
"We have nothing more to give. The occupiers have to end their occupation. I ask this question many times. Do the occupiers believe they have to end the occupation? They never believe they have to end the occupation because they have the power and protection from the international community. If they were against the occupation they would be against Israel.
"We are refugees. We have suffered, and our houses have been demolished. Still we are guilty. We are victims, victims of the international rules, which are never implemented," he said.
He termed Sharon's demand for a dialogue with Syria as `a way to run away from the roadmap'.
"It is some game. To avoid, to run and to slip out of the roadmap, out of the road, he went to Syrian road. It is a cunning, ugly, foolish and stupid way."
Musa was born in Jaffa, from where he fled with his family when he was three. He is a member of the Palestinian National Council and the PLO Revolutionary Council.
He is confidant that his 'ground' experience with the Israelis will help him explain things better to the Indian government.
Musa's appointment is indicative of the importance that India has in the scheme of things of Palestinians. He said his duty is to 'keep the good relations, make it better as much as possible and India has the freedom and the right to make relations with everybody'.
Asked about India's growing ties with Israel, he said, "The Israeli gate to America is a bad gate, its is ugly-bad gate if it is the gate. And if it is economy you will not gain anything."
He is guarded when it comes to Indo-Pak relations. "It is best for India to make peace-talk with Pakistan to solve the problems. So it will be a huge power in the area and you can concentrate on the development of the country. India needs to carry on like China."
