Israeli President Shimon Peres urges Abbas to stay in power

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Israeli President Shimon Peres urges Abbas to stay in power Saturday, November 07, 2009


Amid growing calls by leaders and politicians worldwide, Israeli
President Shimon Peres on Saturday used a speech honouring
slain premier Yitzhak Rabin to urge Palestinian leader Mahmud
Abbas to stay in power despite frustrations over the peace
process.

"We both signed the Oslo accords and I address myself to you
(Abbas) as a colleague would: Don't give up," Peres said at a mass
rally in a Tel Aviv square where Rabin was gunned down in 1995.

He was referring to the deal that gave Palestinians autonomy,
which Peres and Abbas signed in 1993 at a White House ceremony
overseen by then US president Bill Clinton, Rabin and late
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

At the time, Peres was Israel's foreign minister while Abbas
represented the Palestine Liberation Organisation.

Abbas announced on Thursday he will not seek re-election in
January, voicing annoyance at Washington's failure to press Israel
to halt settlement constructions.

His decision has been seen as a major blow to Washington's
Middle East efforts to re-launch peace talks frozen since Israel's
devastating offensive on the Gaza Strip at the turn of the year.

"I know the sufferings that your people have endured for the
past 50 years... I know my people and the Israeli government and I
tell you that Israel wants real peace," Peres said.

"Maybe next year will bring independence for the Palestinian
people... Next year could be decisive, it depends on you and on
us," he added.

About 20,000 people massed in the square where Rabin was gunned
down by a Jewish extremist on November 4, 1995, after attending a
peace rally.

Bad weather last week delayed the annual event.

Rabin is revered as a national hero, both for his legendary
career as army chief and for peace efforts in the 1990s that earned
him a Nobel peace prize shared with Israeli President Shimon Peres
and the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in 1994, a year after
the Oslo accords.

Sapa-AP