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U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas wave to the crowd upon Rice's arrival in Ramallah. (AP)
Last update - 20:14 26/08/2008
Abbas: We can't lose another 7 years searching for peace
By News Agencies
Tags: Condeleezza Rice, settlement 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday urged the United States to push forward with peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, warning against wasting more time in the search for a solution.

"We shouldn't lose another seven years searching for solutions," said Abbas, referring to the time that has elapsed since peace negotiations between the sides broke down in 2001 during the second intifada.

Abbas expressed his hope that after U.S. President George W. Bush leaves office, the new administration "will continue what we have begun, and what we have reached."
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He added: "These efforts haven't been for nothing. We would have stopped it if it was pointless. There are benefits that I hope will show in the future."

Abbas' statements came during a meeting with United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Ramallah on Tuesday, in which she called on Israel to end West Bank settlement construction, calling it "not helpful" to the peace process.

The U.S. is trying to broker a deal that would establish an independent
Palestinian state living in peace with Israel. The Palestinians claim the West Bank and Gaza Strip, along with east Jerusalem as its capital.

Rice called on Israel on Tuesday not to undermine peace negotiations with the Palestinians after a Peace Now report found it had nearly doubled Jewish settlement construction in the last year.

Rice is visiting Israel and the Palestinian Authority in hopes of furthering the announced goal of brokering a Mideast peace deal by the end of the year, but she offered few signs of progress.

Speaking alongside her Israeli counterpart, Rice said she was heartened that talks launched at a U.S.-sponsored peace conference last November were serious and intensive.

The sides had hoped to reach a final peace deal before Bush leaves office in January, but have acknowledged that target is unlikely to be met. Rice made no mention of the timeline on Tuesday.

Rice is on her seventh trip to the region since talks were relaunched. While Israel and the Palestinians say all key issues have been under discussion, there has been no word on agreements or breakthroughs.

The talks have been complicated by the impending departure of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has announced he will step down to battle a corruption investigation, and the Hamas militant group's control of the Gaza Strip.

Israel says it cannot carry out any deal until Abbas regains control of Gaza from Hamas, which violently seized power in the coastal area in June 2007. It also says Abbas' moderate government, which rules from the West Bank, is not doing enough against militants operating in areas under his control.

The Palestinians, meanwhile, have complained about continued Israeli construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem - areas the Palestinians claim for a future independent state.

Under the road map, the international peace plan that serves as the basis of the peace talks, Israel promised to halt all settlement construction. But it has continued to build thousands of homes in areas it hopes to retain under a final peace deal.

Rice said the Israeli construction has threatened to undermine the talks.

"I think that it is no secret, and I've said it to my Israeli counterparts, that I don't think the settlement activity is helpful to the process," she said. "What we need now are steps that enhance confidence between the parties and ... anything that undermines confidence between the parties ought to be avoided."

Related articles:
  • Peace Now: West Bank settlement construction nearly doubled this year
  • Olmert to step down in September, vows to push for peace first
  • Rice: Settlement construction has 'negative effect' on talks
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      1.   What is she going to DO about it? 13:28  |  Mark Lincoln 26/08/08
      2.   Rice: the 2 Pal-Charters don`t undermine "peace"? 13:54  |  AliciaYasmeen 26/08/08
      3.   Rice complains "Settlement expansion must end" 14:12  |  Natallie Durson 26/08/08
      4.   Hey Durson, same to your pallies too 14:25  |  Joe Sittizen 26/08/08
      5.   US needs to admit Saudi Plan is Paradigm for Peace 14:33  |  Ivar 26/08/08
      6.   George Bush/Conoleeza Rice/Israel not interested in peace 14:36  |  Labhras 26/08/08
      7.   Minister Rice if Israel listens to you anymore it will be lights 14:38  |  r 26/08/08
      8.   Dr Rice undermines US status in the world 14:55  |  Ernst 26/08/08
      9.   The solution to the Israelo-Arab conflict is around the corner. 15:18  |  Jean Van Daem 26/08/08
      10.   Rice, you just lost another war, in South Ossetia. 16:04  |  Michael 26/08/08
      11.   Poor excuses make bad politics. 16:08  |  Stephen 26/08/08
      12.   Madam Secretary 1 question 16:24  |  Gee 26/08/08
      13.   here we go again;take Jews/Israelis rights,give them to arabs who 16:27  |  glenna 26/08/08
      14.   MORE Settlements PLEASE! 16:28  |  ONE STATE SOLUTION 26/08/08
      15.   Condy, why don`t the USA start respecting international law? 16:46  |  Paul Henzen 26/08/08
      16.   You`d think she`d know by now, but . . . 16:48  |  English Resident 26/08/08
      17.   Ivar, not so generous 17:05  |  Fish 26/08/08
      18.   NO to Rice 17:15  |  Brod 26/08/08
      19.   Put US taxpayer money where your mouth is, Rice 17:19  |  newageblues 26/08/08
      20.   RICE FOR MCCAIN`S VICE-PRESIDENT 17:41  |  indrajaya 26/08/08
      21.   Dialectics of Jewish bashing 18:04  |  Israeli citizen 26/08/08
      22.   #6 the illegal labarse of arabia and more piffle 18:09  |  vhardman 26/08/08
      23.   Have Palestinians ever thought of Changing their Charter...... 18:11  |  Dagma 26/08/08
      24.   We can`t lose another seven years..... 18:17  |  charlie 26/08/08
      25.   #22, Dagma, a great point which is ignored... 18:24  |  DR 26/08/08
      26.   #9 Jean Van Daem 18:26  |  THK 26/08/08
      27.   Indeed, we can`t lose another seven years searching for... 18:36  |  Nadav 26/08/08
      28.   #20 No chance, Indy no dice, I mean Rice 18:37  |  Aphemia 26/08/08
      29.   Abu Mazen is accontable for the massacre of the Israeli ... 18:37  |  Jean Van Daem 26/08/08
      30.   PALS should free Shalit & STOP QASSAMS FIRST. Then - NEGOTIATE. 18:51  |  Vittorio 26/08/08
      31.   #23 Charter changing 19:03  |  Victoria 26/08/08
      32.   Her ommissions are becoming fairly obvious 19:13  |  Arie 26/08/08
      33.   2 states will never be viable only the single state of Jordan 19:23  |  zionist forever 26/08/08
      34.   Well We hope and it must be done, Show us 19:26  |  Simo Mohammed 26/08/08
      35.   No excuse 19:29  |  Dave Duncan 26/08/08
      36.   The dance of the "lame ducks"--so who cares??? 19:33  |  Voice of Reason 26/08/08
      37.   Condo Rice`s brain for Israeli goverment 19:55  |  Nick Potzayid 26/08/08
      38.   #31 Irish freedom 20:03  |  RepublicanStones 26/08/08
      39.   Republican Stones 20:19  |  Victoria 26/08/08
      40.   Irish freedom 20:30  |  Mairead 26/08/08
      41.   Entitlement vs. Audacity 21:04  |  Alan Sherman 26/08/08
      42.   Nadav 21:50  |  Danite 26/08/08
      43.   27 Nadav - What Incentives? 22:18  |  Mark of Lewiston 26/08/08
      44.   42 Danite - I`ve Asked 22:26  |  Mark of Lewiston 26/08/08
      45.   6 22:32  |  Michael 26/08/08
      46.   #40 x raises an interesting issue/ are there irish in great brita 22:45  |  vhardman 26/08/08
      47.   "Yes We Can" , Oh yes we can 22:26  |  Sal 26/08/08
      48.   zionist forever - Does Jordan have a right to exist? 23:09  |  Zion 26/08/08
      49.   Settlement Construction 23:29  |  Ken 26/08/08
      50.   Recognize Israel and you`ll have your peace 00:00  |  dav zee 27/08/08
      51.   #43 Mark of Lewiston......two articles in MEMRIblog 00:03  |  Lynn 27/08/08
      52.   When is the PA going to anything to advance peace? 00:10  |  Gee 27/08/08
      53.   More Rice BS! 00:11  |  Maureen Ann 27/08/08
      54.   90% 00:16  |  RepublicanStones 27/08/08
      55.   Spending all those years preparing people for Martyrdom.... 00:59  |  david 27/08/08
      56.   settlements 01:05  |  jorge grosz 27/08/08
      57.   If our goverment was serious it would stop the billion of US $ 01:48  |  Tupac 27/08/08
      58.   Abbas and his Ayatollahist Tactic 02:30  |  Brod 27/08/08
      59.   Freeze Them Both 03:43  |  Jeff Northridge 27/08/08
      60.   #43 Excellent post, Mark 04:05  |  Ben Alofs 27/08/08
      61.   Equating building with terror is amoral. 05:26  |  Ilan 27/08/08
      62.   #59 No, Jeff, it doesn`t work that way 06:18  |  Johnboy 27/08/08
      63.   Hmmm 07:19  |  dan 27/08/08
      64.   51 Lynn - Thanx for the memriblog 08:17  |  Mark of Lewiston 27/08/08
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