Canada, Palestinians have ‘profound differences of opinion,’ John Baird says after meeting with Mahmoud Abbas

Canadian Press | 13/04/06 | Last Updated: 13/04/06 1:42 PM ET

Nasser Shiyoukhi/The Associated Press          Foreign Minister John Baird with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki at a press conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Saturday, April 6, 2013.

 

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird left no doubt Saturday that Canada and Palestinian leaders remained far apart on a number of issues, but after a series of meetings in Ramallah, he assured the region that working toward progress was a common goal.

Conrad Black: Imagining a peaceful Middle East

Barack Obama’s trip to the Middle East last month was occasion for American abandonment of the fraudulent alarm over Israeli settlements: With commendable subtlety, given the extent of the change he presaged, the U.S. President contradicted the Palestinian humbug that a roll-back of Israeli settlements is the key to progress, and said that the two real keys are Palestinian sovereignty and Israeli security. For its part, Israel has demonstrated in Gaza and Sinai that it will uproot its settlers and relocate them as part of a durable peace agreement (and not just another land-for-peace scam such as Oslo).
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In continuing his tour of the Middle East, Baird met with President Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and his ministerial counterpart to discuss security and economic development issues faced by the region.

While the Baird didn’t offer many specifics, he called the meetings “very productive,” saying there had been a good exchange of views.

“We certainly don’t agree on every issue. We have some profound differences of opinion on the way forward, but not on the need to go forward,” Baird told reporters.

Those comments were echoed by the Palestinian foreign affairs minister.

“Differences might stay but it’s good to keep talking about them among friends, and to move forward to build on agreements and the positiveness on both sides,” said Riyad Al-Maliki.

“We are looking forward to continuous Canadian support in believing in institution building and trying to help building the capacity of the Palestinian authority toward statehood.”