In response to an invitation from His Excellency President Yasser Arafat, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, MIFTAH's Secretary General and PLC Member (Jerusalem), will be participating in the upcoming three-way summit at Camp David. Dr. Ashrawi's attendance, as part of the Palestinian delegation, comes after careful consideration and consultation with the Palestinian leadership and several Palestinian political personalities representing the democratic camp and various political affiliations.

Dr. Ashrawi's participation, as well as that of other participants from diverse political factions, is partly motivated by the following considerations:

-That the Palestinian question has arrived at a crucial and decisive phase, which demands a fully-united Palestinian effort to clearly underline Palestinian positions that are protected under international law and UN Resolutions 242, 338, 181, and 194.

-That the upcoming summit requires a serious presentation of the Palestinians' legitimate rights, and an objective interpretation of these rights before world and US public opinions. Palestinian efforts at the summit will also take precautionary measures to counter Israel's distortion of key facts and developments of the peace process in order to promote its interests.

Dr. Ashrawi's participation aims to effectively contribute to the formulation of the Palestinian position on final status issues and the strategies for negotiation, in accordance with international law and on the basis of objectivity and goodwill.