Interview with Azerbaijani political scientist Rasim Agayev.
Q: What is your reaction to the reconciliation agreement signed by the Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas during negotiations in Egypt. They agreed to hold elections in the Palestinian Autonomy and form a transitional government together.
A: The reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas can have a significant impact on the Palestinian-Israeli confrontation, provided that the parties give up their policy of non-compliance. But now we can just make cautious predictions that the reconciliation agreement will have a sobering effect on radical elements in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that are hampering the conflict settlement.
Q: In the meantime, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the Palestinian National Authority, led by Mahmoud Abbas, will have to choose between peace with Israel and peace with Hamas. What does this statement mean?
A: It implies that Israel is still committed to a policy of causing a split in the Palestinian movement. My personal opinion is that this is the wrong way. It is much easier to reach peace and settle the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through mutual understanding and readiness to accept existing realities. Here we need to take into account the fact that the reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas was signed against the backdrop of recent events in the Arab world which might prompt the modernization of the region's states. Israel should not ignore these processes or turn its back on them. They are not targeting Israel. On the contrary, they simplify dialogue in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict via the modernization and democratization of Arab countries.
Q: Are the parties closer to confrontation or reconciliation?
A: The current phase in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not the best for a settlement. There have been times when the parties were much closer to peace than they are now. On the other hand, the processes of democratization in the Arab world are favorable for peace and a resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Of course, these projects won't take just a year to implement, but what's most important here is for both parties to get started and moving in the right direction.
Q: May the new situation in the Middle East have an indirect influence on the South Caucasus as a whole or resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in particular?
A: First of all, Azerbaijan and Armenia should realize that protraction of the negotiating process and confrontation lead nowhere. It is time to understand that today there is only one, universal mechanism for settling conflicts, similar to those between Azerbaijan and Armenia and Palestine and Israel. This is international law. Any other references, including to history, are not lawful mechanisms of settling territorial conflict. Baku insists on the principle of solving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of international law and this is the only right way.
Akper Hasanov
News.Az
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