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Sharon pledges peace
01/12/2005 14:05 - (SA)
Tel Aviv - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ruled out any more unilateral withdrawals from the occupied West Bank as he pledged on Thursday to reach peace with the Palestinians.
After pulling troops and settlers out of the Gaza Strip and a small part of the West Bank over the summer, Sharon has warned that more land may have to be evacuated if a Palestinian state is to be established under the terms of the internationally drafted roadmap peace plan.
But speaking to reporters in Tel Aviv, the prime minister reiterated that he had no plans for a repeat of the unilateral withdrawals that precipitated a split with his right-wing Likud party.
"I have no intention of carrying out an initiative such as the one we have taken" in Gaza, he said.
He said that he was fully committed to the implementation of the roadmap, a blueprint which targets the creation of Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel, but which has made next to no progress since its launch more than two years ago.
"I want to arrive at a political arrangement (with the Palestinians) and, with the help of God, to peace in the future," Sharon said.
"I hope that the Palestinians have also learnt the lesson and understand they must halt their policies of the last few years which have prevented us from reaching such an arrangement."
Sharon reiterated his mantra that he would not contemplate any compromise when it came to the nation's security.
"I am ready to make painful concessions for a lasting peace but I have not changed and will not change my stance on the question of security," he underlined.
Sharon's new Kadima party, which he formed after splitting from Likud, has already spelt out its willingness for the creation of a Palestinian state.
Former prime minister Shimon Peres endorsed his old rival on Wednesday night as he announced he was quitting the centre-left Labour party.
"I have known Shimon Peres for a number of years," said Sharon.
"He is a man who has a vision, who is very gifted. I have worked in close cooperation with him in the past and I am sure that we will do the same in the future."
- AFP
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