MIDEAST Palestinians to extend 'calm'

Militants demand stop to Israeli 'aggression' and release of all prisoners.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
JERUSALEM -- Palestinian factions meeting in Cairo, including the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, declared on Thursday that they would extend a current halt in attacks, provided that Israel stopped acts of "aggression" and agreed to free all Palestinian prisoners.
The statement outlined moves to include the Islamic groups in the Palestine Liberation Organization and allow their participation in parliamentary elections -- crucial steps toward turning them into political parties.
The declaration was a boost for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who won a commitment by the militants to maintain calm in return for power-sharing arrangements that could move the groups away from violence.
A final statement after two days of talks said: "The participants agreed on a program for the year 2005 based on the commitment to maintain the current climate of calm, in exchange for a reciprocal Israeli commitment to stop all forms of aggression against our land and Palestinian people wherever they are and release all prisoners and detainees."
The document, titled "The Cairo Declaration," was read aloud by the Egyptian intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, who mediated the talks between the 13 factions, which also included the dominant Fatah movement.
Strengthens Abbas
Abbas, who attended the talks, had sought a formal cease-fire commitment from militant factions after previously persuading them to suspend their attacks. Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared a truce at a summit in Egypt on Feb. 8.
Continued calm would strengthen Abbas in his bid to renew negotiations with Israel and make gains on the ground, such as a restoration of Palestinian security control over more West Bank cities, removal of Israeli military checkpoints and further releases of prisoners. Quiet would also smooth a planned Israeli withdrawal this summer from the Gaza Strip.
The Cairo statement did not specify a time limit for the calm, known as "tahdia" in Arabic, and spokesmen for the factions disagreed on whether it was open-ended or not.
A Hamas official, Mohammad Nazzal, told reporters: "What was agreed upon today is calm until the end of this year as a maximum period of time in exchange for an Israeli commitment to withdrawal from cities and release prisoners."
Officials of other factions said they saw the calm as open-ended, provided Israel reciprocated.
"The behavior of Sharon's government will determine if it is possible for this calm to be long-lasting or short," said Nayef Hawatmeh, leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
'Positive first step'
Raanan Gissin, a spokesman for Sharon, said that Israel would observe the truce declared with Abbas. "If there will be quiet on their side, there will be quiet on our side," he said.
Sharon, in a telephone conversation with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, welcomed the Cairo Declaration as a "positive first step," the prime minister's office said.
"However, the prime minister made it clear that this was an arrangement for an interim period only, and that in order to move forward in the diplomatic process, the terrorist organizations will be unable to continue existing as armed organizations," Sharon's office added.