Newspaper
La Razon
Buenos
Aires – Monday, September 13 of 1993
The Palestinian people will be able to come back (ver)
In an exclusive interview, Suhail Hani Daher Akel - representative of the Palestine Liberation Organisation-PLO in our country - speaks about the autonomy agreement achieved between Israel-PLO and its importance for the Palestine people.
The PLO’ s representative in Argentina, Suhail Hani Daher Akel, in an interview with La Razon, said that “this is a historic moment”, and he assured that he was satisfied for the mutual acknowledgement between Israel and the PLO. Besides, he said that “over a 80% of the Palestinian people agrees”, in reference to the agreement reached between Israel and the PLO. According to Akel, it will mean “the first step towards peace”.
- After this acknowledgement and the agreement signed by the parts in conflict, are we able to talk about a future peace in Middle East?
- Well, surely. We wished that Israel definitely acknowledged the PLO, as it was done by means of the signing of this agreement and the acknowledgement of the PLO as the unique and legitimate representative of the Palestine people. Now we are able to sign this declaration of principles on the grounds of autonomy and a Palestinian self-government. This will take place in the oldest city in the world, Jerico, and in Gaza Strip. And, undoubtedly, this Israeli demilitarisation, in these so important areas of our territory, will have to gradually continue in the rest of the Palestinian cities which were occupied in the 1967 war.
- Can the Palestinian groups which oppose the Israeli acknowledgement become a difficulty in this process?
- I do not think so, since over an 80% of the Palestinian people is in favour of the agreement. And this can be seen in the massive demonstrations which have taken place in Jerico and Gaza Strip, with our flag and pictures of president Arafat. Logically, we cannot intend to have a hundred per cent of the wills on our side. The PLO is a democracy and all the Palestinian wills are represented within our Parliament, and we respect them a lot. We are in the way of history and peace, and I think that peace cannot be denied by anybody in this moment. I think the Palestinian people are a bit distrustful about Israel’ s fulfilment of the agreements that will take place soon. If the Jewish State fulfils them, we will go towards peace.
- Do you believe that Israel will fulfil these agreements?
- We believe that Israel has taken a very important step. This is the first time that it is going to permit a Palestinian autonomy in the region. This is the first time that it is going to directly sign a declaration of principles with the PLO. This undoubtedly speaks very well about Israel and its Government.
- As representative of the Palestinian people in our country, how do the Palestinians living in Argentina see this process?
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Well, they completely agree with these decisions and they hope that peace
finally comes to our land and that it allows us to come back and walk through
the graves of our ancestors and the place where we were born.