Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: CNN Breaking News

> BREAKING NEWS 
Sharon: Israel will begin separating itself from Palestinians within
several months if Palestinian side does not make moves toward peace.
Details soon. 
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Dec. 18, 2003
PM: Israel to begin unilateral steps in tandem with road map
By 
JPOST.COM
 STAFF
 
Israel will begin to take unilateral steps to detach itself from the
Palestinians in conjunction with the implementation of the US-backed road
map peace initiative, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Thursday. 
"Israel plans to begin to take unilateral steps in conjunction with its
implementation of the road map," Sharon said. 
"The government, under my direction, adopted and is committed to the road
map peace process. But I will not wait indefinitely for the Palestinians
to fulfill their obligations," Sharon told participants at the Herzliya
Conference Thursday night. 
Calling on the Palestinians, Sharon said "I use this opportunity to turn
to the Palestinian and say: We are not interested in controlling you but
rather wish upon you Palestinian state which has a normal relationship
with Israel." 
Sharon said that a change in Palestinian leadership is the only way to
achieve real peace. 
"Only the change of the Palestinian Authority to a different 'authority'
will pave the way for progress," he said. "The Palestinians must fulfill
their obligations." 
Sharon said he had made a commitment to the Bush administration to remove
illegal settlement outposts, and "I plan to stand by that commitment," he
said. 
Sharon said that Israel would initiate "unilateral security steps' should
the Palestinians not take the road map seriously. "The steps we will take
are security-based and not diplomatically-based," he added. 
Sharon reiterated his recent statements whereby Israelis "would not stay
in every place they are now." 
Speaking of the road map peace plan, Sharon said, "This is a balanced plan
with a progressive staged process to achieve peace and it is the best way
to achieve real peace." 
"The road map is a clear and logical plan and therefore it must be
implemented," he said. 
In an apparent reference to the Yitzhak Rabin government, which signed the
Oslo peace accords with the Palestinians, Sharon said, "The idea that
signing an agreement will bring out of nowhere peace is mistaken and has
been proven wrong in past." 
Sharon said that Israel has taken and will continue to take steps to
improve the Palestinian's living conditions 
"We will take away roadblocks and will ease passage for Palestinians." he
said. "All these steps are meant to create a better life for the
Palestinians who are not involved in terror." 
Israel will only detach from the Palestinians under full coordination with
the United States. "We cannot hurt the strategic coordination with the
US," he said. 
The Israeli public was gearing up Thursday night for the much-anticipated
Herzliya Conference speech to be delivered by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon,
in which he is expected to flesh out to some extent his concept of
unilateral steps. 
Click here for the Jpost's full coverage of the Herzliya Conference. 
The speech comes after weeks of buildup. Sharon began speaking of
undefined "unilateral steps" last month, indicating that he might consider
moving West Bank Jewish settlements. 
Sharon was reportedly putting the finishing touches on his speech Thursday
at his private ranch, and sources close to the Prime Minister are warning
not to expect revolutionary innovations. 
The sources said an indication of the direction it will likely take was
apparent in what he said at meetings with German Foreign Minister Joschka
Fischer and a delegation of US congressmen. 
According to these sources, Sharon will pledge his allegiance to the road
map and discuss certain steps that Israel can take within the its
framework to get the process moving again. 
Among the steps he is expected to announce are a redeployment of the IDF
to new "more defensible" lines, the lifting of roadblocks, and the removal
of unauthorized settlement outposts. 
While he is expected to say that Israel will spare no effort in trying to
make the road map work, if it fails then Israel will be forced to consider
other options and take steps on its own to ensure security. 
Although the details are not expected to be revealed, the officials said
that the "spirit" will be made clear. 
"The idea is to lay out the options, and tell the Palestinian Authority it
has a choice to make," one source said. "He will indicate that it is
wasting time, time is not unlimited, and that if it doesn't do its part,
Israel will move on its own." 
According to these officials, Sharon will make clear that the PA has more
to gain from reaching an agreement through negotiations than if Israel is
forced to take unilateral action. 
They said Sharon is expected to make clear these steps will only be taken
if the road map fails, after consultation with the US, and after the
cabinet agrees. Channel 10 reported that Sharon would send his speech to
Washington before delivery. A spokesman for Sharon refused to comment. 
Speaking at the Herzliya Conference on Wednesday, both Binyamin Netanyahu
and Silvan Shalom expressed misgivings regarding unilateral action,
calling it counterproductive, as well as a prize to terror. 
Without mentioning Olmert by name, Shalom blasted his and other plans that
call for unilateral action. 
Referring to a lack of staying power, Shalom said: "The political
discourse in Israel in recent months has been hit by a shortness of breath
– is it bronchitis or asthma? Immediacy has pushed away stability, tactics
have move strategy aside, and attempts to provide magic solutions has
obscured a long-term view. In other words, immediate gratification is
'in,' patience and steadfastness are 'out.'" 
He said that while it is understandable that the current situation has
given birth to a yearning for magical solutions, in the long term these
"cures" are damaging. 
These various plans play into the hands of our adversaries, Shalom said,
who interpret them as weakness. The plans will also chase them away from
the negotiating table, Shalom asserted. 
"Why should they negotiate, if every Monday and Thursday we volunteer
additional concessions," he said. 
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