Excerpts:Saudi seeks Turkey's cooperation. Future of Palestinian Authority
March 03, 2015

+++SOURCE: Jordan Times 3 Mar.’15:”Turkey’s Erdogan in Riyadh Saudi Arabia
seeks ‘Sunni Unity’ “, Agence France Presse

SUBJECT: Saudi seeks Turkey’s cooperation

QUOTES :”Turkish President Erdogan. …at the Saudi king’s invitation in what
is seen as a Saudi bid to unify Sunnis against Iran and jihadists”;
“Shiite-dominated Iran competes with Saudi Arabia for influence in the area”

FULL TEXT:RIYADH — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived Monday[2
Mar.] in Riyadh for a visit at the king's invitation in what is seen as a
Saudi bid to unify Sunnis against Iran and jihadists.

Erdogan's meeting with King Salman comes a day after Egyptian President
Abdel Fattah Al Sisi held talks with the monarch, and precedes a visit by
Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif later this week.

The Turkish and Saudi leaders discussed "means of enhancing bilateral
cooperation in various fields, issues of common interest" and external
developments, said the official Saudi Press Agency.

Top officials from neighbouring nations Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and the United
Arab Emirates have already visited King Salman since mid-February, and other
Arab heads of state will follow, said Nawaf Obaid, a visiting fellow at the
Belfer Centre at Harvard University in the United States.

"Saudi Arabia is drastically going to re-energise its foreign policy to
bring the kingdom back to its natural role as the main unifier of the Sunni
world because of its unique attributes," Obaid told AFP.

He was referring to the kingdom's hosting of Islam's holiest sites, the size
of its economy, and its position as the world's largest oil exporter.

"Clearly, things are shaping up in a very different way than they have been
in the last several years."

Salman acceded to the throne in January after the death of King Abdullah,
aged about 90.

Erdogan arrived in Riyadh after performing a weekend pilgrimage in the
Muslim holy city of Mecca and visiting Medina.

Cairo has accused Turkey of interfering in Egypt's internal affairs and of
supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.

Sisi and Erdogan have had strained relations since Sisi ousted president
Mohamed Morsi in 2013, launching a crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood which
Qatar was also accused of backing.

But Obaid said keeping Turkey "on the sidelines" only weakens the Sunni
world, which accounts for about 90 per cent of Muslims.

"So as long as you can start having a serious sustained discussion between
the major Sunni powers then you can come up with some form of policy at some
point down the road, dealing with Iran and dealing with ISIS," he said,
referring to Daesh militants who have seized large parts of Iraq and Syria.

Daesh has claimed atrocities including the beheading of foreigners and
Christians and the burning alive of a caged Jordanian fighter pilot.

Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Arab neighbours are part of a US-led military
coalition conducting air strikes against the jihadist group.

Shiite-dominated Iran competes with Saudi Arabia for influence in the
region.

An official from nuclear-armed Pakistan confirmed Sharif would make a
two-day visit to the kingdom this week for talks.

“Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have been co-ordinating their positions for a
long time”, said the official who asked for anonymity.

He added that, with about 20 per cent of its population Shiite, Pakistan
avoids “anything sectarian

+++SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon)PLO to Meet on Future of Palestinian
Autrhority”, Agence France Presse
SUBJECT:Future of Palestinian Authority
QUOTE: The Palestinian leadership meets this week for crucial talks on the
future of the Palestinian Authority”
FULL TEXT:The Palestinian leadership meets this week for crucial talks on
the future of the Palestinian Authority, whose existence is under threat
after Israel cut off a key source of funds.

The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), recognized as the sole
legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and their ultimate
decision-making body, will mull an array of urgent economic and political
issues.

Of most immediate concern at the two-day meeting in Ramallah starting on
Wednesday[4 Mar.] will be the financial crisis facing the Palestinian
Authority (PA).

For the past two months, Israel has withheld hundreds of millions of dollars
in tax revenue owed to the PA, the interim governing body which rules the
West Bank, after the Palestinians moved to join the International Criminal
Court to sue Israel for alleged war crimes.

The cash crunch has left the PA unable to pay 180,000 employees.

In another blow, a New York court last week found both the PLO and the PA
liable for a series of attacks in Jerusalem, ordering them to pay damages of
more than $650 million.

The mandate of the PA, which was set up through the Oslo Accords in 1994 as
an interim self-governing authority, has long expired. And the presidential
mandate of Mahmud Abbas, who also serves as head of the PLO and the ruling
Fatah movement, expired in 2009.

The Palestinian Legislative Council, or parliament, in which Hamas won a
majority during the last elections in 2006, has not held a full session
since 2007 when the Islamist movement forced its Fatah rivals out of Gaza.

Like in previous crises, the PA has threatened to halt security coordination
with Israel in the West Bank, and even to dissolve itself, in a move which
has sparked concern in both Washington and Europe.

Such a decision can only be taken by the 130 members of the PLO's central
council who meet this week in Ramallah.

- Dismantling the PA? -

"The PA cannot last in its current form -- that is, without any real
sovereignty -- because on the ground, Israel keeps dividing up the land and
(building) settlements," warned Mohammed Shtayyeh, a former peace negotiator
and senior member of Fatah, the dominant movement within the PLO.

Dismantling the PA would force Israel to send its forces back into all
Palestinian towns and cities and take full responsibility for running
civilian affairs and public services in the West Bank, which is home to 2.8
million people.

It would also have a major impact on Gaza despite Israel's withdrawal in
2005.

Although the territory of 1.8 million people is technically managed by the
Ramallah-based unity government, in practice most of the administration is
still run by Hamas, which would not accept any Israeli involvement.

Before reaching a decision over its relations with Israel, the matter must
be examined in depth by the PLO, said Ahmed Majdalani, one of the 18 members
of the PLO's executive committee, its most senior decision-making body.

Cooperation between both sides' security forces in the West Bank and
economic agreements may be reconsidered "despite strong pressure, especially
from the Americans," Majdalani warned.

- Empty threat? -

In threatening to cut security cooperation, what the PLO wants is to "send a
message to the international community to put pressure on Israel," said
Xavier Guignard, a political analyst based in Ramallah.

"It is saying: Israel is denying us 100 million euros of revenue each month,
but it will cost the world much more dearly if we dissolve," he said,
referring to the inevitable security nightmare for Israel.

Ending security cooperation is "a threat that has often been brandished, but
never carried through," he said, adding: "We could still be surprised."

Since the Palestinians won the rank of U.N. observer state in November 2012,
Abbas has on occasion managed to wrong-footed observers, most recently with
his move to formally join the International Criminal Court.

The Palestinians will file their first complaint against Israel on April 1,
the date they formally become members.

Last year's war in Gaza and the vast task of reconstruction, which has
hardly begun, will also be on the agenda, alongside the Israeli blockade in
place since 2006.

Last year's floundering intra-Palestinian reconciliation agreement, which
was supposed to end years of enmity between Hamas and Fatah, will also be
discussed.

Formed in 1964, the PLO includes Fatah and other Palestinian factions but
not Hamas or Islamic Jihad.

A decade later, it was recognized by the U.N. as "sole legitimate
representative of the Palestinian people" -- who number nearly 9 million
people across the West Bank, Gaza and the diaspora.[imra: Population of West
Bank ?]

SourceAgence France Presse



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Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA