By John Irish and Angelo Amante
PARIS/ROME (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will no longer attend a meeting in Paris with European, Arab and other states on Thursday to discuss Gaza’s post-war transition, but Washington is likely to be represented, diplomatic sources said.
The meeting will be held in parallel with indirect talks that are under way between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza.
Rubio had been initially expected to attend, five diplomatic sources said, but his presence was ultimately not possible due to the government shutdown in the United States, two of the sources later said. A third confirmed the change in plans.
However, a U.S. official is still due to attend, although it was not clear who, the sources said. A European diplomatic source said it was vital for the U.S. to attend because nothing could move forward without Washington. The U.S. embassy in Paris has scaled back operations due to the shutdown.
DETAILS OF TRUMP PLAN HAVE YET TO BE SPELLED OUT
The Paris meeting is intended to look at how Gaza would be governed, how Trump’s plan would be implemented and assess other countries’ collective commitments to the process.
“There are a lot of ambiguities in the Trump plan so it’s important to go into the details to ensure that if there is a ceasefire things progress quickly,” a European diplomat said.
Trump expressed optimism about progress towards a deal on Tuesday but crucial details are yet to be spelled out, including the timing, a future post-war administration for Gaza, the fate of Hamas and the prospects for an independent Palestinian state.
The U.N. Assembly last month endorsed a declaration outlining steps towards a two-state solution, while also condemning Hamas and urging it to surrender and disarm. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out endorsing an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Countries attending in Paris on Thursday will include Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Turkey and Canada.
A note sent to delegates had said U.S. participation would depend on advances in the talks in Egypt. The U.S. embassy in Paris did not immediately comment.
A French diplomatic source said the United States and Israel had been kept up to date with preparations.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Tuesday the meeting would discuss the framework of Trump’s plan, including deployment of an international force.
French proposals seen by Reuters outline a phased plan for training and equipping 10,000 Palestinian Authority security forces. The PA was driven out of Gaza by Hamas but Trump’s plan hints at a future role for it.
Under the proposals, a multinational stabilisation force requiring a U.N. Security Council mandate and international financial support would be gradually deployed if a deal is reached – to monitor a ceasefire, oversee Hamas’ disarmament and support the transfer of security responsibilities to the PA.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sarr criticised the Paris conference late on Wednesday, calling it “unnecessary and harmful” and saying the French initiative had been “concocted behind Israel’s back”.
(Reporting by John Irish and Angelo Amante in Rome, Editing by Inti Landauro, Timothy Heritage, Philippa Fletcher)
