Kuwaiti Islamic groups blast Camp David peace talks

KUWAIT CITY (Reuters) -- Four Kuwaiti Islamic groups have slammed U.S.-sponsored Middle East peace talks at Camp David, saying Muslims would not be bound by any deal reached by Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat with Israel.

"The Palestinian cause is ... the responsibility of all Moslems and any compromise by Arafat or any other Arab leader to the Jews on any part of Palestine has no legal value," four Islamic groups in Kuwait said in a joint statement published by local newspapers.

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The statement said that the only way for Palestinians to win back Jerusalem was to use force against Israel, just as the pro-Iranian Hezbollah (Party of God) did in southern Lebanon.

Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak have been holed up at the U.S. presidential retreat for about two weeks trying to hammer out an agreement to end 52 years of conflict.

The future of Arab East Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed unilaterally, is at the heart of the peace talks.

Israel wants to retain control of East Jerusalem, which it regards as part of its "eternal capital," while Palestinians insist the city should become the capital of their future state.

"The Jewish delegation came to the talks with red lines that the Palestinians will not be allowed to overstep, including Jerusalem and its sacred (al-Aqsa) Mosque," the statement said.

"Arafat's delegation came aspiring for a way out that would prolong his authority's life through more Jewish and American support even by offering more concessions," it added.

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