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Al-Ahram Weekly 7 - 13 October 1999 Issue No. 450 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 7 - 13 October 1999 Issue No. 450
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Interview Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Back home
By Sherine BahaaAbu Ali Mustafa, deputy secretary-general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), received a warm welcome by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and supporters upon his return following more than three decades in exile.
Mustafa's return, via the Allenby Bridge crossing point between the West Bank and Jordan, was seen by observers as a victory for Palestinian President Yasser Arafat who has been trying in recent months to appease opposition groups, mainly the PFLP led by George Habash and the DFLP headed by Nayef Hawatmeh.
However, Mustafa considered his return a natural right which should be followed up by the return of all Palestinians to Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories. "For more than 50 years Israel has adopted all kinds of intransigent measures to prevent Palestinians from returning," Mustafa said. "My return or the return of any other individual will not be an alternative to the right of return of all Palestinians in the diaspora."
Reconciliation talks between Fatah and the PFLP began two months ago in Cairo. A second round of talks took place in Amman late last month. The two sets of negotiations failed to change the front's rejection of the 1993 Oslo Accords or any other peace agreement signed between the PA and Israel. The PFLP also refused a PA request to join the Palestinian delegation in the final status talk which will tackle thorny issues such as Jerusalem, the return of Palestinian refugees, water, settlements and final borders. According to the Wye II deal signed between Arafat and Israeli Premier Ehud Barak in Sharm El-Sheikh in early September, final settlement talks are to end in one year, by September 2000.
"Our position on agreements with Israel is clear and has been publicly declared," Mustafa said. He added that one of the main topics he would seek to work on following his return would be campaigning for the release of all Palestinian prisoners regardless of their political affiliations. "It is completely illogical to differentiate between one prisoner and another for any reason. To exclude prisoners who belong to Hamas or Jihad would be a national scourge."
Mustafa is expected to head the PFLP in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. "The national commitment of any individual towards his nation remains whether he is inside or outside its territories."
Habash has refused to meet Arafat after the president agreed to amend the PLO charter following what Habash claimed was pressure from the United States and Israel. However, a decision to meet with Arafat was taken by the group's leadership with a majority vote.
In his interview with the Weekly, Mustafa avoided criticising Palestinian negotiators and their commitment to the rights of the Palestinian people. "I am only talking about tactics. Declaring that talks with Israel is useless can bring the issue back to international forums where international legality can be applied," Mustafa said.
News reports indicated that Hawatmeh was also preparing to return to the self-rule areas. However, he said in statements that there had to be several conditions met before he could agree to return. Other reports say the US is ready to remove the DFLP's name from a list of so-called "terrorist groups" in return for an agreement to start a dialogue with Arafat.
