Palestinian official: Three-way meeting in Washington last chancefor peace

[bemildred]

RAMALLAH, July 28 (Xinhua) -- A senior Palestinian official said on Monday a three-way meeting scheduled for Wednesday in Washington "is the last chance for peace negotiations with Israel."

Palestinian negotiator Yasser Abed Rabbo told reporters in Ramallah that Israel and Palestinian negotiators would hold a meeting on Wednesday with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington.

"These meetings will be the last chance for peace talks between the two sides before making a declaration by the Palestinian leadership that peace negotiations with Israel failed," said Abed Rabbo.

Israel and the Palestinians relaunched long-stalled peace talks on the permanent status issues after attending an international peace conference held in Annapolis in the United States in November, with an aim to reach a peace agreement by the end of 2008.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-07/28/content_8829038.htm

[bemildred]

1. Peace not possible in 2008: Israel PM

JERUSALEM: Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Monday that Israel and Palestine won't be able to achieve their declared goal of forging a peace deal by the end of the year. Olmert cited conflicting claims to Jerusalem as the main obstacle. At the same time, Olmert said Arab neighbourhoods in east Jerusalem posed a danger to Israelis, hinting that Israel might want to cede control of these areas.

---

At an international conference in the U.S. in November, Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas set a year-end target for reaching a final peace deal that would resolve the decades-old conflict between their peoples. On Monday, Olmert said that target was unrealistic because of disputes over Jerusalem.

“I don't believe that understandings that will include Jerusalem can be reached this year,'' an official present at the closed-door meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee quoted Olmert as saying.

“There is no practical chance of reaching a comprehensive understanding on Jerusalem'' during 2008, Olmert said, adding that the sides would continue discussing the city's fate after the deadline.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Peace_not_possible_in_2008_Israel_PM/rssarticleshow/3298900.cms

[azurnoir]

2. While I do not believe peace is possible in 2008

IMO the PA calling off the "piece talks" will not help and in fact a move like that will take any pressure off of the "other side" and do so in a way that will allow the position that Israel wanted peace but they the Palestinians did not. Calling off the talks will not stop the expansion of settlements, nor will it improve conditions on any other issues now on the table.

[bemildred]

3. It is posturing, true.

But there is little they can do, they have no control on the course of events. This can be seen as yet another attempt to assert that they are still relevant, and likely as the others to be ignored.

[Scurrilous]

4. U.S. calls Israeli settlement building 'a problem'

<snip>

"The United States called Israeli settlement building "a problem" on Tuesday as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice began fresh talks in her uphill push for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal this year.

The State Department voiced displeasure at Israel's latest plans to build new Jewish settlements after Rice met Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak for wide-ranging discussions that also covered Iran and its suspected pursuit of nuclear arms.

Rice later sat down with Ahmed Qurei, the chief Palestinian peace negotiator, ahead of three-way talks with him and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who leads the Israeli negotiating team, on Wednesday afternoon.

Negotiations have so far produced no tangible progress and there is deep skepticism among Israelis, Palestinians and analysts that U.S. President George W. Bush can meet his goal of reaching a comprehensive peace agreement this year.

Rice said she would work as hard as possible to help the two sides strike a deal this year but said "nobody should underestimate the difficulty of doing that."

"The Middle East is not going to get better without the creation of a Palestinian state to live side by side with Israel in peace, security and democracy," she added at a news conference with Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini."

more

[madeline_con]

5. So this is about the little monkey's "legacy".

"Negotiations have so far produced no tangible progress and there is deep skepticism among Israelis, Palestinians and analysts that U.S. President George W. Bush can meet his goal of reaching a comprehensive peace agreement this year."


How transparent is this "meeting"?

[Scurrilous]

6. Mofaz: No talks on core issues while coalition is on verge of collapse

<snip>

"With Ehud Olmert's government on the verge of being replaced, it would be wrong to reach agreements with the Palestinians on the core issues of the conflict, Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz said Tuesday.

Mofaz, one of four candidates running in Kadima's upcoming primary to replace Olmert as party head, made the comment shortly before departing on a working visit to the United States - where Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni are currently also on working visits.

"At this time of change in the government, we must not reach agreements on the core issues in negotiations with the Palestinians," Mofaz said. "Anything that is decided now is very problematic, because it is happening before the change in the government and against the background of instability on the Palestinian side."

The comment was essentially a warning to Livni - who is running the negotiations while also running in the Kadima primary - not to make any firm commitments to the Palestinians before the primary, which is slated to take place in September. It was also aimed at the Bush administration, which reportedly wants to prepare a document summarizing what the Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams have agreed on to date."

more