Abbas and Olmert to Meet Regularly
Mohammed Mar’i & Hisham Abu Taha, Arab News
RAMALLAH/GAZA CITY, 28 March 2007 — US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had agreed to meet once every two weeks and hold talks that could include discussions about the formation of a Palestinian state. She said the United States would continue to mediate.
Rice made the statement at the end of a brief visit to the Middle East, after shuttling between the two sides for three days. American officials had hoped that the secretary would announce a new diplomatic drive for talks toward Palestinian statehood. But the hopes were dampened late Monday, when she met with Olmert for a second time. The prime minister expressed his strong opposition to any mention of the “core issues” in the final status agreement with the Palestinians, namely, Jerusalem, the Palestinian refugees and the 1967 border. Following deliberations between the two, Rice decided she would not make any dramatic statements in yesterday’s news conference; rather she would summarize her diplomatic efforts in the region in recent days. She said that Olmert and Abbas showed flexibility. Rice said she would participate occasionally in the meetings between the two.
“The parties will also begin to discuss the development of a political horizon consistent with the establishment of a Palestinian state in accordance with the road map,” she said, adding that “new thinking” was needed to move the stalled peace process forward.
“We are not yet at final status negotiations. These are initial discussions to build confidence between parties,” Rice said. The discussions will leave an opening for negotiations on other issues in the future. The secretary said she will continue her periodic visits to the region, in which she will hold parallel talks with Israel and the Palestinians on all issues pertaining to the “political horizon.”
The secretary said doors had been opened during her visit and that she was laying the ground work for future peace talks. Rice said that her envoy, Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton, would try to set benchmarks with both parties toward a final agreement. Halting rocket fire from Gaza on Israel and improving movement of Palestinian travelers and cargo at Israeli-controlled crossings were the key issues on the agenda, she said.
RAMALLAH/GAZA CITY, 28 March 2007 — US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had agreed to meet once every two weeks and hold talks that could include discussions about the formation of a Palestinian state. She said the United States would continue to mediate.
Rice made the statement at the end of a brief visit to the Middle East, after shuttling between the two sides for three days. American officials had hoped that the secretary would announce a new diplomatic drive for talks toward Palestinian statehood. But the hopes were dampened late Monday, when she met with Olmert for a second time. The prime minister expressed his strong opposition to any mention of the “core issues” in the final status agreement with the Palestinians, namely, Jerusalem, the Palestinian refugees and the 1967 border. Following deliberations between the two, Rice decided she would not make any dramatic statements in yesterday’s news conference; rather she would summarize her diplomatic efforts in the region in recent days. She said that Olmert and Abbas showed flexibility. Rice said she would participate occasionally in the meetings between the two.
“The parties will also begin to discuss the development of a political horizon consistent with the establishment of a Palestinian state in accordance with the road map,” she said, adding that “new thinking” was needed to move the stalled peace process forward.
“We are not yet at final status negotiations. These are initial discussions to build confidence between parties,” Rice said. The discussions will leave an opening for negotiations on other issues in the future. The secretary said she will continue her periodic visits to the region, in which she will hold parallel talks with Israel and the Palestinians on all issues pertaining to the “political horizon.”
The secretary said doors had been opened during her visit and that she was laying the ground work for future peace talks. Rice said that her envoy, Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton, would try to set benchmarks with both parties toward a final agreement. Halting rocket fire from Gaza on Israel and improving movement of Palestinian travelers and cargo at Israeli-controlled crossings were the key issues on the agenda, she said.
Labels: Israel, Palestine, United States
posted by HRM Deborah of Israel and the Messenger of Peace at 6:51 PM
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