عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Abbas Stresses Need for Multiple Mediations to Achieve Peace

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, left, meets with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in the West Bank Town of Ramallah, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018. (Atef Safadi/Pool Photo via AP)
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, left, meets with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in the West Bank Town of Ramallah, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018. (Atef Safadi/Pool Photo via AP)
TT
20
TT

Abbas Stresses Need for Multiple Mediations to Achieve Peace

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, left, meets with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in the West Bank Town of Ramallah, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018. (Atef Safadi/Pool Photo via AP)
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, left, meets with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in the West Bank Town of Ramallah, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018. (Atef Safadi/Pool Photo via AP)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that any new mediation to achieve peace must be multilateral, and must include the International Quartet and a number of Arab and European countries.

He added that he was relying on the German and French roles in the European Union, along with the United States, to achieve peace in the region.

Abbas’ remarks came during a joint news conference with German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Wednesday in Ramallah.

He noted that the political process aimed at achieving peace was currently in “a severe predicament”, adding that he was committed to a culture of peace.

“We are committed to the culture of peace, despite the pressures we are facing, such as the issue of Jerusalem and the UNRWA funding; we reaffirm our fight against terrorism everywhere,” he stated.

Abbas renewed his adherence to the two-state solution and to the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital based on the 1967 borders, “so that Palestine and Israel can live in security and stability.”

“We count on the role of Germany and France through the European Union, and with the United States to reach a lasting and just peace in the region,” he said, addressing the German foreign minister.

“Mediation to achieve peace must be multiple from the quartet and a number of Arab and European countries,” he added.

Gabriel, for his part, said that the political process in the Middle East was going through a difficult stage.

“The decision of the United States on the city of Jerusalem was made out of the peace negotiations and this gives the impression that we are moving away from everything that was agreed upon in Oslo agreement,” he said.

Gabriel emphasized his country’s support for the two-state solution to ensure the establishment of peace in the region, adding: “There is no practical or other political option to reach peace.”

He also criticized the US decision to cut its aid to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

“It’s a bad thing, because we have to try to ensure that the conditions of refugees in the region do not worsen,” he said.

Most Viewed

 
Arab World

War Crimes Likely Committed by Both Sides in Syria Sectarian Violence, UN Commission Says

A drone view shows the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, in Syria July 25, 2025. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo
A drone view shows the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, in Syria July 25, 2025. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo
TT
20
TT

War Crimes Likely Committed by Both Sides in Syria Sectarian Violence, UN Commission Says

A drone view shows the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, in Syria July 25, 2025. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo
A drone view shows the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, in Syria July 25, 2025. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo

War crimes were likely committed by members of interim government forces as well as by fighters loyal to Syria's former rulers during an outbreak of sectarian violence in Syria's coastal areas that culminated in a series of March massacres, a UN team of investigators found in a report on Thursday.

Some 1,400 people, mainly civilians, were reported killed during the violence that primarily targeted Alawi communities, and reports of violations continue, according to a report by the UN Syria Commission of Inquiry.

"The scale and brutality of the violence documented in our report is deeply disturbing," said Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, Chair of the Commission, in a statement released alongside the report.

Torture, killings and inhumane acts related to the treatment of the dead were documented by the UN team which based its research on more than 200 interviews with victims and witnesses as well as visits to mass grave sites.

The incidents in the coastal region were the worst violence to hit Syria since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad last year, prompting the interim government to name a fact-finding committee.

There was no immediate public comment in response to the report from interim authorities nor from former Syrian officials, many of whom have left the country.

A Reuters investigation last month found nearly 1,500 Syrian Alawites - the minority sect of Assad - had been killed and identified a chain of command from the attackers directly to men who serve alongside Syria's new leaders.

New Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has previously denounced the violence as a threat to his mission to unite the country and promised to punish those responsible.

The commission acknowledged in its report the commitment of Syria's interim authorities to identify those responsible but said the scale of the violence warranted further steps.