salam fayyad – European Affairs Magazine

Fayyad: We adhere to MuslimChristian coexistence and reject the resurgence of sectarian sensitivities

17 Aprile 2017 BreakingNews @en di

Member of the “Loyalty to the Resistance” Parliamentary Bloc, MP Ali Fayyad, stressed on Sunday “adherence to the Muslim-Christian coexistence in the country, and rejection of any resurfacing of sectarian sensitivities. “The goal of the electoral law is to represent various groups properly and fairly, and to open the door to political development, which means that national standards should prevail over sectarian standards”, he added. “Despite the distribution of parliamentary seats equally between Muslims and Christians, and proportionally between sects and regions, yet the parliamentary elections remain open and not limited to sectarian choices”, asserted Fayyad.

Fayyad has said there will be “no deal” with the Israelis

18 Febbraio 2017 BreakingNews @en di

Former Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad has said there will be “no deal” with the Israelis over his appointment as the next UN envoy to Libya. There have been widespread reports that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres offered former Israeli government minister TzipiLivni the post of assistant secretary-general in return for Israeli, and by extension, US support for Fayyad taking up the Libya envoy post. There has been no formal statement about the offer, and Livni herself has refused to make any comment. However, if appointed, she would be the first Israeli to hold a top UN job. Writing in his Facebook page, Fayyad said that he would have nothing to do with any such attempt to get around the US objection to his appointment, which in any event, he added, was completely illogical. The opposition of new US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley to his appointment on the basis that as a Palestinian he is unacceptable has resulted in a wave of international astonishment as well as criticism of Haley and of the Israeli government which subsequently backed her stand. Even in Israel there has been strong criticism. Fayyad, a former finance minister as well as prime minister, is widely respected as a moderate and pragmatist who tried to reform Palestinians institutions and put an end to corruption.

Guterres denies that the UN is biased on Israeli-Palestinian issues

14 Febbraio 2017 Americas/BreakingNews @en/Middle East - Africa di

On monday U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he believed former Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad was the right person to be the world body’s envoy to Libya after the United States raised objections to the choice. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has expressed disappointment over Guterres’s choice, saying the United Nations had for too long been “unfairly biased in favour of the Palestinian Authority to the detriment of our allies in Israel”. “It is a loss for the Libyan peace process and for the Libyan people that I am not able to appoint him” Guterres said at the World Government Summit in Dubai. “I do not think there is any valid reason to avoid someone who is very competent to do a job that is extremely important” he said, adding that ending the Libyan conflict was in “everybody’s interest.” It is unclear whether the U.S. objection has ended Fayyad’s candidacy. Guterres declined to answer questions when approached by Reuters immediately after his comments. Guterres dismissed the accusation that the United Nations is biased on Israeli-Palestinian issues and said the body’s only loyalty was to its charter.