GAZA, March 17, 2007, (WAFA)-President Mahmoud Abbas called on Saturday for not amending the Arab peace initiative in Beirut in 2002, calling on the forthcoming Arab Summit due to be held in Riyadh this current month to adopt it as it is.

In a speech before Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) to vote on confidence of the new national unity government, President affirmed that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) , which its reference is the leadership of the PLO,would keep on its voice and its one and unified stance on the basis of our commitments to our national programme and all commitments and agreements we signed upon in accordance with Arab peace initiative, which its elements and foundations form an essence for a genuine and compatible peace.

Hereby is an unofficial translation of the speech:

Brothers and Sisters, Speaker and Members of the Parliament, Our great Palestinian people at homeland and in exile.

Our stead fasters in Israeli prisons and detentions, My sons and beloved heroes of this people who offered tens of thousands of Martyrs and wounded for the sake of freedom and national independence, Our stead fasters of women and men in al-Quds al-Sharif and in all parts of the homeland and refugee camps, Gentlemen and guests of Foreign and Arab missions' representatives Peace upon you all.

We, today, are entering a new phase in our national struggle to restore our occupied land and establish our independent state, with al-Quds al-Sharif as its capital. The big title for this stage is our fixed national unity and our independent national decision, which we took it out through martyrs long decades ago under the leadership of our symbol and immortal leader Yasser Arfat and all his heroic companions.

Today, we fellow the path and continue the national process, which maintain to our people historical achievements that embodied of the recognition of the enemy before the friend and the entire world that the Palestinian people has a sole and legitimate representative which is the Palestine Liberation Organization ( PLO) and his just cause is a cause of national liberation, independence and equality as of peoples and states in the region.

We, today, are proud to say that all forms of struggle we exercised in different arenas and fields had brought, before more than ten years, about the establishment of an independent National Authority and its institutions and democratic experience on the way of ending occupation and establishing an independent state of Palestine, which ensures to our people progress and prosperity and at the same time it overcomes the heritage of ignorance, distress and all sufferings in the past stages.

Our process, which continued for more than four decades, was generated with brighten stages, the top of which was the Declaration of Palestinian Independence in 1988 which affirmed on our national goals and on the social dimension of our democratic state and on the equality of woman with the man as well as on the respect of all values of democracy, human rights and human progress. Our process has also brought about a PLO programme that had won Arab and international support.

Our steps which we achieve today after the Mecca agreement are a continuity and enhancement to that process and as a continuation of what had not realized of national goals, the priority of which is ending occupation to our lands that were occupied in 1967, including al-Quds al-Sharif and ensuring a just solution to the refugees issue in accordance to 194 UN resolution as indicated in international Security Council resolution 1515.

The PLO had adopted in 1993 its historical decision to establish a Palestinian National Authority with all its institutions as of its extension inside the homeland. This connection will be fixed and extended until the day of liberation, independence and the achievements of our legitimate national goals.

We, on this occasion of forming the national unity government, would like to affirm that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), which its reference is the leadership of the PLO, would keep on its voice and its one and unified stance on the basis of our commitments to our national programme and all commitments and agreements we signed upon in accordance with Arab peace initiative, which its elements and foundations form an essence for a genuine and compatible peace.

It is necessary in this framework to reiterate that we denounce violence with all its forms and at the same time we work for a solution based on international legitimacy and through negotiations, which we welcome today to be resumed for reaching a comprehensive and just peace away from unilateral and separated solutions as the state of temporary borders. We, on this basis, call for reciprocal commitments by Israel and to halt all forms of violence, aggressions and assassinations as well as other daily practices against our people.

I would like today to affirm that al-Quds al-Sharif would remain an address for every just solution and ending its capture from occupation is more valuable of all goals, as it ensures the protection of its entity as the center for religious forgiveness , humanitarian coexistence and good neighbouring.

Brothers and Sisters,

In this national unity wedding we witness today, I would like to voice our great veneration to this Arab and international welcome, which we hope this welcome will be transformed into tangible steps to end the siege and enable our people and the PNA under the PLO leadership to address all issues scheduled for the new government, the top priority of which is to end chaos and domestic confusion and impose security and law as well as protecting completely the state of calm and overcoming unemployment, poverty and migration of qualified persons and capitals which are seriously increased.

After this achievement, our people is looking to the imminent Arab Summit, in Mecca, under the patronage of King Abdullah of KSA, and hope that the Arab countries would initiate to support this process and to practically participate in ending the siege, reinforce the steadfastness of our people and their national institutions and an effective act for providing the appropriate mechanism for applying the Arab Initiative for peace in cooperation with the international community and the Quartet and to achieve the US president Bush's vision of a two-state solution and achieving the comprehensive and just peace in the Middle East.

Hence, we call for not amendment the Arab Initiative, it should stay as it is, and I call on the summit to adopt it like what happened in the 2002 Summit.

On this day, I say to the Israeli people, Government and factions, that we are ready to resume the peace process and the negotiations between the Israeli Government and the PLO without any restrictions. Hence, I would like to reiterate that the path of settlements, the Separation Wall and the besieging of Jerusalem will never bring peace to the region. It makes the path of peace more difficult and complicated. We extend our hands again for achieving the peace of freedom and equality. Peace that should give the coming generations a great hope for co-existence and ending decades of pain, suffer and violence, peace based on justice and right.

Sisters and brothers,

I reiterate to our heroes in the occupation's prisons that their issue is on the top of our priority and daily work. And their release is a key goal we have been working for, and we will continue working on the release of all prisoners including brothers, the Speaker and members of PLC as well as Ministers and members of Municipal Boards.

I also emphasize that we are doing our best to solve the issue of the Palestinian prisoners and the case of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit through exchange prisoners deal in accordance with the good efforts of Egypt particularly in this case.

In addition, I would like to say to our people in Exile that we will continue defending their cause and their right, with all means, in all stages. And we will work for protecting our people in Iraq from the attacks.

In this regard, we are in a continued contact with our Iraqi brother leader for the the essential safety for our people there.

During the coming era, in the frame of our undoubted commitment to Mecca Accord, we will work on developing the role of the PLO and its constitutions, and to reactivate this role, and to guarantee a comprehensive national participation in all aspects.

Sisters and brothers,

On behalf of you, I would like to express our deep thanks to the Arab countries, on this point, I wish mention to KSA, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Qattar and Emirates, these countries who participated in our arrival to this meeting. And I do not forget all of our brothers who loudly praised Mecca Accord. Here, I would like to mention to Lebanon, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania and all Arab countries with no exceptions. In addition, I would like to thank the Islamic countries, the Non Alignment Countries and a lot of the European countries which supported, directly or indirectly, Mecca Accord and the forming of the National Unity Government, the matter would ease our mission for working for a better future.

We promise our great people that we will be committed to the goals of the national unity and to protect and develop them. And to stay defending our glorious human heritage and our democratic, civilized and human values since Palestine lives as long as it looks forward and as its role in the human development is reinforced.

I pray to God to help you in shouldering this responsibility, brothers, Speaker and PLC members, I hope you to succeed in your discussions today on the regard of giving the confidence of the 11th Palestinian Government. I think that the message of the abducted (ministers) in (Israeli) prisons is an enough expression for the confidence. Actually, I do not want to (shoot from the hip), you will find all support from me for achieving the great missions all of us we face, these missions which would not be achieved but if we were united.

M.H.& S.A.S(23:55 P)(21:55 GMT)