British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Wednesday reiterated his commitment to relaunch the Middle East peace process, noting there was "no more pressing political challenge facing the world today".
Blair, speaking in the parliament, stated an "opportunity" had been created by plans for both Palestinian elections following the death of leader Yasser Arafat and Israel's future withdrawal from occupied territories.
"I hope it will be possible to use the opportunities both of an election of a new Palestinian leader and the disengagement of Gaza and parts of the West Bank," he said.
"Our determination is to make sure that we'll work with the Palestinians and others in the international community to put together the political, the economic and the security institutions of a viable state," Blair conveyed.
"As I've said in many occasions in the past few weeks, and I repeat again, I don't think there is any more pressing political challenge facing the world today."
Palestinian internal talks
Meanwhile, there is reportedly a growing disagreement between the new chairman of the PLO, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, over the organization of legislative elections in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip.
Hamas on Tuesday urged Abbas to hold "general elections," arguing that the present legislative council, whose term of office expired four years ago, is no longer legitimate and must be dissolved immediately.
Hamas' Gaza Strip leader Mahmoud Zahar said during an interview with al-Jazeera TV Tuesday night that holding general elections and enabling the Palestinian masses was an essential condition for national unity in the post-Arafat era.
"True national unity begins at the grassroots' level, we must respect our people's rights to freely choose their representatives," said Zahar. (albawaba.com)
